My name is Al Schmidt, I am 85 and I have been on an incredible journey since July 2016, and this is my story. I have had coronary artery disease for most of my adult life. In 1985, when I was 48, I had my first angina pains while riding a bicycle. I had always been active. After a series of tests I had a quintuple bypass. That was a traumatic event in my life.
I took the pledge, gave up red meat, and embarked on a low fat diet. I watched my weight, around 170 I continued to be active, walking, hiking, and biking. My father had died at 59 and that was about 10 years away. He was overweight and ate meat with every meal. So I went on what I thought was a healthy low fat diet. My goal was to limit my fat intake to around 20%-25% of my daily calories and no red meat. Remember this was the 80’s and 20%-25% fat was considered low.
I had an angiogram and was told I needed a stent. This time the recovery was minimal. I had two incisions in my groin one from the angiogram and one from the stint. I remember thinking how easy a stint was compared to bypass surgery. I had to wonder if my original cardiac surgery had been this easy would I have changed my lifestyle?
As time went on I had some problems with PVC’s (premature ventricular contractions) and such. I became intolerant to several long-term medications that I had been taking. I was unable to take ANY statin to keep my cholesterol down. I had another stint implanted, various irregular pulse problems, and Acid Reflux.
In 2014 I started having shortness of breath and chest pains while walking and going up and down stairs. I started taking Imdur and Ranexa which opened my blood vessels. While my symptoms went away, I knew what my future held.
By 80 years of age I had become a full-fledged card carrying Cardiac Cripple. A Cardiac Cripple is one that cannot complete the normal daily actives without debilitating chest pains. This included sex. As an aside I have to mention, regarding sex in your 80s, “four” play takes on a new importance. It becomes more like “eight” play. But I digress.
I could not climb stairs, I could not walk from my house to my neighbor’s house without severe and frightening chest pains. I could not take the trash out. I had been used to walking a mile and a half, climbing stairs, and living an active life. My existence now was limited to sitting in front of my computer and or watching TV (and I hate TV). I was becoming depressed. I was lower than snake shit in a wheel rut.
I was not only a cardiac cripple, but I was terrified to leave my house. I passed up a family wedding in Los Angeles, mostly due to fear. Essentially I could not travel at all.
I signed up for Kaiser’s cardiac rehab program. I could hardly walk to the meeting room. At the first meeting they started talking about exercise and diet. This depressed me, I mean after all exercise and diet had gotten me to 80, and now I could not exercise at all. I suffered through the exercise portion.
Then a dietitian presented the “Plant Based Diet. The presenter stressed that they were “suggesting” not recommending this diet. She also mentioned that while she thought the diet was beneficial, she personally was not on the diet. I thought this was strange. On one of the handouts there was a picture of an angiogram showing a dramatic reversal of coronary disease over a 32 month period.
Having seen a lot of my own angiograms, this illustration spoke to me. Blockage can be reversed through diet!
My back was against the wall. I did not think I would see my next birthday. I felt my life was over, so what did I have to loose? This may have been a drowning man trying to clutch at a straw, but it was the only hope I had. I did check with my Cardiologist, Dr Kruana and she told me that a whole food plant based SOS free diet would help more than medicine could. (Looking back, that was a fairly safe statement, after all she had already told me she could not do anything else medically for me.)
It took a while to read and figure out what to eat, but the results were spectacular! . Well after 4 weeks on a whole food plant based diet we went to Tahoe for lunch. I started walking my 1.6 mile route again, and I have not used my stair lifts since!
SO HOW ABOUT SOME RESULTS
First NO angina. I can walk long distances, I can climb stairs, and I am mobile again.
My Cholesterol went from 196 to 149 in 3 months.
I lost 30 pounds. I am 5’ 11” and went from 180 to 150 in two months.
My kidney function went from 40% down to normal.
I feel great. I have much more energy. I go out and do all the little fix-it chores that I had been neglecting before. I don’t have my usual 3 o’clock lack of energy. I don’t doze off when I am reading or in front of my computer.
I don’t get those ugly looking bruise marks on my arms and hands
I had Dark Blue skin on my ankles which went away after 11 months.
Swollen left foot the result of 1985 bypass.
My website: https://www.stayingalivewfpb.com/
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