Hope indeed that your recovery is going well!
Thanks! I got an email from John asking about this, so I must have noted it in a PM or email to you but not the list.
No worries! Long story: In September (just after turning 60), I had my first kidney stone. Didn't know what it was, so went to the ER, and they did their thing, including a CT scan. My MD got the test results, and I asked why the sugar would be so high. Bam! He does a complete sugar screening and pronounces me pre-diabetic, even though one of the three numbers is under the range, and the other two are barely in range. I need to change my diet, lose weight, and start exercising. (I was the highest weight I'd ever been, and since retiring, had done an awful lot of sitting on my ass.)
November I had another CT scan to see where the kidney stone was, since I hadn't passed it. Scan shows that apparently I had and didn't know, but the scan also showed some plaque in the arteries of my abdomen. My MD gets the scans, and decides since there is plaque in the abdomen, there probably is in my heart, so I take a nuclear stress test. Results are as the doctor suspects, so I get to see a cardiologist. Two days before Christmas, I find that I need to have a heart catheterization. I'd never had a single symptom, and had no clue there was anything wrong.
January 9 I went to out patience to get cath'd and while they are in there they find the right anterior artery(??) 90% blocked, and put in a stent. I went home the next day, and was mostly back to normal a day or so later. January 20 I started 12 weeks of cardiac rehab. I feel silly bing in there, as most folks have had heart attacks, open heart surgery, half a dozen stents, etc. But I'm loving doing the rehab, and to my RN's displeasure, pushing harder than they want every session.
From the September sugar warning until I went to the cardiologist, I had lost 7 pounds. Since surgery, I've lost 18 more, for a total today (six months later) of 25 pounds.
My goal is 14 more. Mostly, I've reduced portion size, and stopped eating the cookies and candy my wife and daughter have around the house. I already rarely had pop, never eat fast food, cut out salt decades ago. So most of what I was eating was good, just way too much. Still, now I'm eating a lot more veggies and fruit, and avoiding what's bad for me when possible.
So I feel great, I'm off my ass moving, I bought a Craigslist mountain bike for more exercise. I'm eligible for free stuff through Ohio's Golden Buckeye program, which includes free classes at the community college about two miles away. They offer senior workout access, so I'll be taking advantage of that.
All in all, I was the kick in the butt I needed all along, knew I needed to do, but was too lazy to get started.
Thanks for asking,
Steve