Why
Community is Good for Your Health |
| Social
support is a key component of heart disease risk reduction.
Studies show that patients with close connections to others
have better health outcomes. Seeking and accepting support
and assistance from other people is a critical part of “optimal
medical therapy," the proven prescription for managing
cardiovascular disease.
Heart disease is one of the most
frightening emotional challenges a person, and a family,
can face. Whether you are a heart patient, a relative,
or a caregiver, it can be extremely helpful to share your
story with people who have been there themselves.
Family and friends, nurse educators,
nutritionists, exercise instructors, health advocates,
fellow patients, counselors and others online and in your
personal network can help in different ways.
|
|
Fellow
patients and caregivers can shore you up, motivate you, and
provide in-the-trenches information,
advice, and understanding.
This section is one of the
most important services Angioplasty.Org provides, because
we know that medications, tests and procedures are only
part of managing chronic heart disease. Living with coronary
artery disease and maintaining heart health is a life-long
commitment that requires on-going support and encouragement.
The centerpiece of our community
is our Patient
Forum. We will also be offering stories of
recovery, profiles of our members, information about research
on the effects of community on health, and resources to
help you connect.
|
|
Our
Patient Members:
Meet Rick Dulin
In December 2006, Maryland heart patient Rick Dulin
read on Angioplasty.Org about an upcoming FDA hearing
on
the
safety
of
drug-eluting stents.
He decided to appear before the regulatory panel and tell his
story. Rick
knows
first
hand
about
the
importance
of
information
and
support for heart patients. Today Rick is doing fine, and the concerns
about the safety of the type of stent he was given have been resolved.
Ricks
willingness to speak out about the fear that sensational media
coverage of medical stories can generate, and his call for better
education
and support for patients made a powerful impact on the regulators
and physicians who heard him speak.
Here is part of the story
he
shared with the panel:
"In November of 1997, after
experiencing chest pain for several weeks, I went to the hospital
and learned
that I had distal heart disease and blockage in all vessels.
This required that I undergo a 3 vessel CABG (bypass surgery).
I was
doing fine, I thought, until I experienced angina in March
2006. I went again to the same hospital, and a cardiac cath was
performed.
Immediately after the procedure
and while I lay on the OR recovery table with the compress
on my groin, I was
introduced to a
cardiologist and a research coordinator. They began to explain
to me that the
three vessels had closed and that I required a stent. They
recommended, because of the condition of my arteries, that
I elect to participate
in a clinical trial with a new type of stent that released
a medicine to prevent clotting.
Did I ask questions? No. Did
I fully comprehend?
No. I knew only that I wanted to live.".... (read
more)
|
|
The Power of Community:
What Angioplasty.Org Has Learned From Patients
When 1,300 patients write in
about a problem, we tell anyone who will listen!
Communication is a two-way street. A primary
goal at Angioplasty.Org is to bring patient insights to the attention
of the medical community. Over
the years patients on The
Forum have brought us questions their doctors can’t
answer, described rare complications, and expressed problems with
medications and financial issues.
When Angioplasty.Org repeatedly hears
concerns from patients, we try to get the message out to the medical
profession, including healthcare providers, device manufacturers
and the FDA.... (read
more)
|
|
|
| Join
the Discussions in the Angioplasty.Org Patient Forum |
|
|
|
Telling the Forum About Recovery
after Stenting
"It's
great to hear of everyone's victories recovery-wise, both major
and minor. I had 3 coronary stents in Nov 2010...and
the cardio told me exercise as I wish. So, two 10km running races
and a half-marathon completed since the stents went in, and I'm
now training for triathlons! I quit smoking and have lost over
10kgs and work out about an hour each day. I tell you all this
because I'm so impressed by the medical intervention and how it
can turn around our lives. The angina before I was diagnosed was
agonizing and I couldn't even walk 100 meters! Best of luck to
everyone undergoing angio and stenting!" -- DavidJ, March
21, 2011 |
Describing
the Wrist Approach
“...the [angioplasty stent] procedure was carried
out through the radial artery in my right wrist. I felt absolutely
nothing during the whole procedure and have had more trauma and pain
visiting the dentist. A 3 centimetre by 3.5 millimetre stent was
inserted at 1.30pm and I walked out of hospital with my wife at 7.00pm
feeling very well with no pain and no wrist bleeding. A brilliant
job!" -- Geof fH, Cheshire, UK, February
26, 2011 |
|
