Is it reversable?

Until recently I was considered obese, I was probably obese for around 8 years. At the moment Im still overweight and have probably been in this category most of my adult life (Im 35 years old). My family has a history of heart disease and this is one of the primary reasons for me losing my weight and getting fit (still have around 17pounds to lose).

My question is any damage I may have done to my heart i.e. clogging of arteries etc is this reversable and will this furring reduce and get better as I lose weight and become fitter?

Replies

  • Have you asked your doctor these questions? Good for you for having such great intent and doing so well!
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    Yes....you should go to the doctor and get a full work up.

    BUT yes, heart damage can be reversible. Have you watched SuperSize Me or Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead? Both have really great examples of people who were very overweight and reversed a lot of the damage they did to their insides, along with studies to back it up.
  • S6Kev
    S6Kev Posts: 16
    No I dont go to the doctors.

    The last time I went to the doctors was 11 years ago after being made to go by my girlfriend, I had a broken coccyx and he sent me to the hospital. Im a typical man, I feel a doctor is only there for those that are really ill and wouldnt want to bother or waste his time with questions and things that are not really effecting me.

    If Im well enough to walk to the doctors then Im well enough not to need a doctor.

    Thanks for your replies, I guess I really should just go for a check up. Is it ok to phone up and when the receptionist asks what is wrong you answer 'Nothing I just want a check up?'
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    No I dont go to the doctors.

    The last time I went to the doctors was 11 years ago after being made to go by my girlfriend, I had a broken coccyx and he sent me to the hospital. Im a typical man, I feel a doctor is only there for those that are really ill and wouldnt want to bother or waste his time with questions and things that are not really effecting me.

    If Im well enough to walk to the doctors then Im well enough not to need a doctor.

    Thanks for your replies, I guess I really should just go for a check up. Is it ok to phone up and when the receptionist asks what is wrong you answer 'Nothing I just want a check up?'

    lol....GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    For you, it's not about being sick but you need information that you can only get from a doctor. Make an appointment to ask exactly what you asked us, and you can get a full blood work up and maybe an ultrasound on your heart so your doctor can tell you what your baseline is now. It would probably be a great motivator to get your blood work done now and then in a year and see the progress, right? :)

    And yes you can call and say "Hey I haven't been in a long time and I need a check up" too.
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    Dude if you have the health coverage get your moneys worth. Call up a doctor and say you want a sports physical, and your blood work done. If they offer a prostate check go for it.
  • can i get some advice on the best exercise program to use..I am a beginner..:) Thanks...and all of my activities are done at home, but
    I'm not against a good workout DVD....I have lost almost 10 pounds since I started, but I think alot of it is water weight lol :)
  • S6Kev
    S6Kev Posts: 16
    Dude if you have the health coverage get your moneys worth. Call up a doctor and say you want a sports physical, and your blood work done. If they offer a prostate check go for it.

    And thats the way to put a man off. Its exactly what Im worried about, I go for a check up and he starts putting his fingers in places I really dont want them.
  • TheNewDodge
    TheNewDodge Posts: 607 Member
    Drop your drawers, son.
  • idream2bgwen
    idream2bgwen Posts: 424 Member
    If you have insurance, GO! It will be good to see where you are at now and how far you will go. I would write down all of your questions before you go and take it with you. White coat syndrome is very common and it's great to remember what you were going to ask. YOU NEED TO GO THOUGH!!! Good luck!! :D
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    Dude if you have the health coverage get your moneys worth. Call up a doctor and say you want a sports physical, and your blood work done. If they offer a prostate check go for it.

    And thats the way to put a man off. Its exactly what Im worried about, I go for a check up and he starts putting his fingers in places I really dont want them.

    I'm only joking. Tell him you are a nervous and that if he/she plans on touching you to explain why you are being touched, what the doctor is looking for etc etc
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    The doctor isn't going to walk into the room and slip a finger in your butt. Especially if you don't ask for it.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    Dude if you have the health coverage get your moneys worth. Call up a doctor and say you want a sports physical, and your blood work done. If they offer a prostate check go for it.

    And thats the way to put a man off. Its exactly what Im worried about, I go for a check up and he starts putting his fingers in places I really dont want them.


    Being macho is great and all, but the only one you hurt is yourself. Doesn't hurt any of the people here appropriately telling you to go for a health screening. If you're worried about your heart there's only one way to know - and it isn't here on the forums.
  • Definitely go to the doctor for a checkup. Have your CRP tested as well (C-reactive protein). It's a measure of systemic swelling, and will allow those icky LDL particles to adhere and create blockages. The other thing I can tell you is to do your own research. Your doctor is a resource for finding out where you are now, and giving some generic guidelines for where to go next, but they are no substitute for having the knowledge yourself!
  • S6Kev
    S6Kev Posts: 16
    I wouldnt say Im nervous, I just dont want a finger in my bum.

    Thanks people, I will go to the doctors and being here in England we have the NHS so its all free to everyone, normally why its so hard to get an appointment.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    If you are working out, then yes. As your muscles start demanding more and more oxygen, your body will start to build new blood vessels to get oxygen there more efficiently.
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    I wouldnt say Im nervous, I just dont want a finger in my bum.

    Thanks people, I will go to the doctors and being here in England we have the NHS so its all free to everyone, normally why its so hard to get an appointment.

    Make it a goal to go like ever4 - 6 months and work on improving things like your cholesterol levels, or your body fat %, Blood pressure, resting heart rate. You get it.
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    I wouldnt say Im nervous, I just dont want a finger in my bum.

    Thanks people, I will go to the doctors and being here in England we have the NHS so its all free to everyone, normally why its so hard to get an appointment.

    You're gettin' to the age where a finger up the bum once a year is going to have to happen. You don't want all that weight loss to go to waste, do you? GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    Dude if you have the health coverage get your moneys worth. Call up a doctor and say you want a sports physical, and your blood work done. If they offer a prostate check go for it.

    And that's the way to put a man off. Its exactly what I'm worried about, I go for a check up and he starts putting his fingers in places I really don't want them.

    That is why I have a petite female doctor. Small hands. :bigsmile:
    I is because of my regular checkup that I know exactly how much low carb high fat has helped me. Also, early warnings of slow developing conditions can be found in a regular "wellness visit": they don't call it an annual physical anymore.
    With your family history of heart problem, the annual check is even more critical unless you want your obit to say "he died of a previously undiagnosed condition."
  • gpoliver
    gpoliver Posts: 87 Member
    Dude if you have the health coverage get your moneys worth. Call up a doctor and say you want a sports physical, and your blood work done. If they offer a prostate check go for it.

    And thats the way to put a man off. Its exactly what Im worried about, I go for a check up and he starts putting his fingers in places I really dont want them.

    OKAY AFTER I STOPPED LAUGHING, BECAUSE (SORRY) THAT IS SOOOOO A TYPICAL MAN, TELL THEM NO, NO PROSTATE EXAMS.... TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MEDICAL EVALUATION TELL HIM WHAT YOU WANT DONE OR NOT DONE AND REMEMBER, HE GETS PAID BY YOU (OKAY REALLY THE GOVERNMENT BUT STILL) TO PERFORM A SERVICE FOR YOU. I JUST WANT TO REALLY STRESS THOUGH THAT YOU SHOULD GO. MY MAN, A TYPICAL (ALBEIT SEXY AS HELL) MAN, WAITED FOREVER, AND FOUND OUT HE HAS A PIOTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING ILLNESS THAT DIDNT REALLY SHOW SYMPTOMS. CONTROLLING THAT NOW, AND HE FEELS BETTER THAN HE EVER HAS....
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    You don't have to tell anyone you had a finger in your butt either.

    Your abrasive friend - Say... you've ever gotten one of them homo check ups where they put a finger in your butt?
    You - Nope
    Your abrasive friend - *in his mind* Maybe I should tell him I got my prostate checked last week.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I wouldnt say Im nervous, I just dont want a finger in my bum.

    Thanks people, I will go to the doctors and being here in England we have the NHS so its all free to everyone, normally why its so hard to get an appointment.

    Tough love mode: Suck it up. I don't want a cold metal speculum in my girlie bits, but it's a far better alternative to missing a problem while it's still treatable.
  • CDG1013
    CDG1013 Posts: 106 Member
    No I dont go to the doctors.

    The last time I went to the doctors was 11 years ago after being made to go by my girlfriend, I had a broken coccyx and he sent me to the hospital. Im a typical man, I feel a doctor is only there for those that are really ill and wouldnt want to bother or waste his time with questions and things that are not really effecting me.

    If Im well enough to walk to the doctors then Im well enough not to need a doctor.

    Thanks for your replies, I guess I really should just go for a check up. Is it ok to phone up and when the receptionist asks what is wrong you answer 'Nothing I just want a check up?'

    Preventative medicine is as important as crisis response medicine. Going in to have check-ups and assessments of your health (especially since you have greatly improved your health) can identifiy problems and deal with them before they become crisis response ER visits. I grew up as a country boy who only when to the doctor when it involved broken bones or near death experiences. Over the years, I have learned to go to the doctor to make sure nothing has popped up that should be alarming. Go to the doc and get checked out...have the blood work done.
  • Dude if you have the health coverage get your moneys worth. Call up a doctor and say you want a sports physical, and your blood work done. If they offer a prostate check go for it.

    And thats the way to put a man off. Its exactly what Im worried about, I go for a check up and he starts putting his fingers in places I really dont want them.

    Get a total physical with blood work and yes the rubber finger. Pick a doctor with small fingers if you are that scared! It is to catch prostate cancer at an early stage and is easily treatable if they do.

    By losing the weight, exercising and eating a healthy diet of mostly raw fruits and vegetables you can reverse many of the things you did to your body earlier in life.
  • TLEIGH33777
    TLEIGH33777 Posts: 93 Member
    I felt the same way about going to the doctors. I didn't go for 15 years, I think the last time I went was Junior Year in High School.
    My husband trioed for 3 years to get me in. I finally went and found out I had Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol.
    Who knows how long I may have had these conditions... and its no ones fault but my own....
    You should go get a physical, you never know whats going on in your body although you feel fine... I didnt.....
  • migdalp
    migdalp Posts: 50 Member
    Also according to Dr Oz , your hearts damage can be reversed. As well as your thyroid and Liver. Seen it on his recent show. Look at his website.
  • Retiredmom72
    Retiredmom72 Posts: 538 Member
    I can understand your fear. You don't want to know. Even if youdon't have insurance, you need to know that yor body is healthy and to have your questions answered. Women are different in that we will actually go together to the doctor. I go to doctor appointments with my husband and take notes. Sometimes he is too busy making a joke out of it to hear what the doctor is saying.

    You need to know. There are too many diseases that are so subtle that you don't recognize symptoms. If there is a part of the examine that you don't feel comfortable with, tell the doctor. Not going will not make anything go away.
  • S6Kev
    S6Kev Posts: 16
    I have booked my appointment. Earliest I could get was 5th October but at least its done
  • Great! Now don't forget to go. ;)
  • bradphil87
    bradphil87 Posts: 617 Member
    I don't know if my heart was ever in danger, but my blood pressure has gone from high to normal and I had a chest scan done of my heart and lungs a few months ago and they said everything looked great, dispite me being a pack a day smoker for 10 years. :) best nsv ever. Trust me, if being very overweight (at times obese) and a smoker for a good 7 years didn't do irreparable damage to me, it most likely hasn't to you. Never hurts to get checked tho :)