Any chest pain/tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea? If you're not having symptoms on exertion, I would think you'll be okay if you don't overdo it. It's been over a year, right? Has your doctor had you do any cardiac rehab?

Well, I always get muscle pains, even in my chest area. Especially when I am using the extended hedge trimmer above my head and give those muscles a pretty good workout. But nothing like I remember I had when I had my heart attack. As for getting winded, well heck, I'll be 73 next month. Shouldn't my body start acting like it is older?

I have taking cayenne pepper in pill form as I read somewhere that this can help remove existing plaque from blood vessels. And I have actually been eating apricot seeds lately that is supposed to have a host of benefits. I will say that my blood pressure has been very good lately, rarely getting over 120 and often actually hovering around 110.

Supposed to see my cardiologist in August and I REALLY want to get off of that Prasugrel crap. I still bruise way too easily for my taste. Heck, I have a bruise right now on my right wrist simply from carrying a rifle with it riding on that area while I walked. That is NOT right.

Not sure if I will remain on the Ramipril and atorvastatin. I often have a persistent dry cough that drives me crazy that I believe is being caused by the Ramipril. It is one of the notable side effects of that drug. It was supposed to help my heart to heal faster, so I figure it is either healed sufficiently now, or it never will be.

But I am not sure any of that will relieve the mental anxiety caused by how my heart attack actually hit me. I think I would have understood it more had I actually had it while working on that mailbox post. This was like a sneak attack that really caught me off guard and set the tone for me thinking that it could happen again that way.

You actually seem pretty healthy! Blood pressure is perfect, you're out doing things, instead of sitting and pushing a TV remote, and both you and Connie have good diets. I would stay on the statin and anticoagulant; arterial fat deposits and blood clots are contributors to heart attacks, as you know. The bruising sucks, but you seem to have recovered well, and I believe the meds helped you do that.

I would actually like to be getting more exercise by working in the yard, but it's been pretty hot and humid here lately. Doing any kind of labor outside and I'll be going through at least three changes of clothes before I am done.

But the benefit of that is that any stray mosquito that gets the idea in it's head of making a meal out of my blood will probably drown immediately when it lands on my exposed skin. :hehe: