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A message to my 40+ old gaffers and gamers

Bernardougf

Bernardougf

Member
Im 43 years old and right now Im talking to you from an ICU bed after receiving no less than 5 stents in the arteries of my heart, Im a gamer for all my life so I hope this message reaches any fellow gamer and maybe a life can be saved just like mine was yesterday.

I have a nice life, Im a plastic surgeon, dont overwork myself even though my profession comes with a heavy dose of stress, and I exercise/go to gym regularly.

But I had pretty nasty eating habits for all my life and was overweight for quite some time.

Anyway, for three weeks I've been feeling a little more tired than usual and with a little chest pain after heavy exercises, nothing too major .

But I Decided to do some tests and during then was immediately assigned to doing a heart image study , and during this I discovered that I had a severe coronary heart desease (much more severe than my symptoms) that was at the point of literally dropping me dead without further notice.

Luckily I was treated and now will be able to continue and change my life for the better so I can raise my children and move on with my work and life.

So my advice as a fellow gamer, a doctor and now a patient, take care of yourselves, dont ignore little signs, even if you consider yourself healthy and young, life is too short and our bodys are much more fragile that we would like to admit.

Anyway, cheers and all the best to you all. I just love this community.
 
Glad you could get it sorted before it got worse. All the best for the recovery to 100%

I'm 44 now and thinking of going for dem checkups myself as heart problems runs in my genes. My dad is going for the same op as you next month.
 
Crazy to hear someone who is a surgeon can be just as much at risk as all of us. Glad it sounds like you caught it in time.

I am 46, and my longevity toolkit is - Candesartan, Rosuvastatin, Mounjaro. Absolutely life changing, objective improvements with very little downsides.
 
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My dad died when he was 59 from CHF. Looking back on his life, he wasn't eating right and he probably needed more physical activity. He was a very good man, but he didn't make good choices. I'm glad my job has me on my feet. Sitting at my desk and having to go walk the block wasn't enough. Just cause you enjoy games more than most people doesn't mean you can't better your own health.

I go to the doctor for my annual and if things start to change. I do skip the gas station snacks cause they never did anything good for my health.
 
I've been more careful about checking out my body as I'm now +35 years old. I've managed to lose about 20kg, from 95 to under 80. Down to the same weight I had in my early 20s. And I've booked an appointment to check out some moles. You can't live in hysterical fear for everything that might happen, but you can take balanced measures to live a rewarding and healthy life and avoid some pitfalls.

Eating and drinking moderately doesn't rob me of pleasures, rather it enhances them. Exercising allows me to sleep and think better. I think my biggest risk is being highly sensitive to stress, so that's one of my big goals for 2026, to get rid of as much of it as I can. For cardiovascular and mental reasons.

Stay strong and prosper, Gafbros!
 
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Bernardougf said:
our bodys are much more fragile that we would like to admit.
Click to expand...
On the contrary, they're capable of compensating for a lot of damage and stress. Just consider how you had mild symptoms while your coronary condition was severe.

I don't want to sound patronizing, but:
- don't smoke
- don't get fat

If you do these two things, most of the other bad things that can happen to your body are essentially down to bad luck.

I hope your recovery is quick and full.
 
sounds like they were symptoms of ischemia.
good that it was diagnosed and treated promptly
stay healthy dude and....................
health is wealth
 
[
Chittagong said:
Crazy to hear someone who is a surgeon can be just as much at risk as all of us. Glad it sounds like you caught it in time.

I am 46, and my longevity toolkit is - Candesartan, Rosuvastatin, Mounjaro. Absolutely life changing, objective improvements with very little downsides.
Click to expand...
Coincidentally I had started monjauro a few days ago... and now will become part of my routine together with the better diet

Being a doctor helped me realize faster something wasn't right ... so there's that
 
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roosnam1980 said:
sounds like they were symptoms of ischemia.
good that it was diagnosed and treated promptly
stay healthy dude and....................
health is wealth
Click to expand...
Yes caused by havy exercises, but it didnt show on the normal exams .. only under the heavy stress one and even them was not as bad as it was in the end... 5 stents at my age is no joke.
 
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Noted, I'm pushing 45 and will try to get some tests done in the near future. I've ducked medical professionals as much as possible due to some bad experiences. I try to exercise a decent amount, the nutrition is a little iffy at times but not bad for decent stretches.

May RNG be ever in our favor.
 
Bernardougf said:
Yes caused by havy exercises, but it didnt show on the normal exams .. only under the heavy stress one and even them was not as bad as it was in the end... 5 stents at my age is no joke.
Click to expand...
those arteries were not able to supply enough oxygen to the myocardium during excercise hence the ischemic pain , its good that it was treated before progressing to infarction which is permanent damage.
 
I'm glad you received treatment before your condition manifested in something much worse, friend. I imagine your doctor will have you on anti-platelet drugs for some time after your stent placement, please be mindful to take them daily!
 
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Define chest pain.

I don't mean to sound like a wanker however I'm 52 in a couple of weeks, if I went to the doctors every time there was a pain, in my chest I'd be there every week.
 
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Glad you're still with us bro. Lucky to have caught it in time before catastrophic failure.

Now to hit the gym daily when you're cleared to, and watch what you eat. You're young still and it's very possible to turn it all around completely.
 
Very glad to read this part, OP: "Luckily I was treated and now will be able to continue and change my life for the better so I can raise my children and move on with my work and life."

I'm not quite to your age, but I'm old enough to not really appreciate just how old I am (if that makes sense), so thank you for the reminder to watch out for our health.
 
Wow. Glad to hear you at doing better.

I have been at risk of diabetes for the last few years and i make sure to get tested every few months to ensure its not getting worse. Just this past month, my doctor offered 4 vials worth of tests and they all came back ok. My cholesterol even went down. My dad died last year from colon cancer without ever getting it checked out so i went and got a colonoscopy as well. I've got two kids who rely on me so i i just can't take any chances. Luckily my doctor is just like me and never gives me shit whenever i ask to have these tests done. I think men in general tend to be lazy about getting these tests done. I implore everyone here to get regular bloodwork done and get cancer screenings if you have a history of cancer in your family.
 
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Glad you caught it. Heart stuff is unforgiving in its cold immediacy. You can just be gone, no warning no buildup
 
Thank you bro for your advice and reminder to look after ourselves and glad to hear you can now begin your recovery and improve your health.

I'm 35, 5'10 and weight 171 pounds, and recently had my chloesterol levels checked. I eat a fairly good diet of fresh food, fish, fermented food etc. I do light exercise a few times a week, cardio and weights. My weakness is that I eat an awful lot of desserts and have a sweet tooth. I also like to eat a lot of protein which includes heavy meat like steak and love some fried chicken....

My results showed that my LDL levels (the so called bad metric) was exceptionally high at 5.91mmol or around 228mg, which google tells me is well above very high. My HDL and triglyceride levels were healthy thankfully. I was very surprised as I'm not overweight and the doctor suggested it might be genetics and I should consider a daily statin.

For the next 2 months I've decided to clean up my diet, as well as increase my exercise and activity considerably. Then I'll get my level tested again and if they show a good sign of improvement then I'll try and tackle it from a lifestyle perspective first.

Anyway your story and my recent minor event reminds me to put health before wealth and to put a lot more energy into looking after myself.

Exercise and a good diet!
 
SlimySnake said:
Wow. Glad to hear you at doing better.

I have been at risk of diabetes for the last few years and i make sure to get tested every few months to ensure its not getting worse. Just this past month, my doctor offered 4 vials worth of tests and they all came back ok. My cholesterol even went down. My dad died last year from colon cancer without ever getting it checked out so i went and got a colonoscopy as well. I've got two kids who rely on me so i i just can't take any chances. Luckily my doctor is just like me and never gives me shit whenever i ask to have these tests done. I think men in general tend to be lazy about getting these tests done. I implore everyone here to get regular bloodwork done and get cancer screenings if you have a history of cancer in your family.
Click to expand...
Just to add in on the colonoscopy stuff here's some advice. The worst part is the prep. The easiest prep I had with with something called sutab. (Basically take a bunch of pills and then drink a bunch of water.) Oh and the other advice, after you take the prep anything butt related is done sitting on the toilet. (I don't remember who gave me that sage advice but I followed it. On my first prep I felt like I had to break wind but I did it on the toilet like I was told. Yeah, it was actually the start of the prep actually working and it really works.)
 
Family history is very important. Your dad and uncles will tell you what to expect. The more of them you have, the better the prediction about yourself.

There are some relatively easy things to get done. Your prostate PSA levels checked. Heart EKG or MRI. That colonoscopy. Get your ferritin levels checked to see if you have hemochromatosis (iron overload, doesn't show up on regular labs until your liver function starts to decline and by then you are behind the 8 ball).
 
I'm at risk too. I have been a fatass my whole adult life, but this past 2 years been gradually pulling it off

My doctor gave me some pointers and dietary stuff too so I guess I will post them here, maybe you will be given the same advice when you get out

Low carb diet is best for people like us. It just is, apparently, and Keto helped me drop a ton of visceral fat very quickly.

Vitamin K2 and Vitamin D daily combined helps to slow / reverse the plaque buildup in arteries as well. I am on high dose of both and have been for a while now

Diet wise, he got me eating more fermented stuff like Saurkraut, kimchee etc... as well as small but daily amounts of pomegranate and pomegranate juice as modern studies show it dramatically reduces artery damage.

I also keep excessive exercise to a minimum to keep my cortisol levels down.. as you say, stress = cortisol, elevated cortisol = artery and blood vessel damage over time.

Last but not least, good sleep and sleep hygeine, No gaming until 2 am, sleep in a pitch black room with a window open to stay cool, shit like that. More deep sleep = reduction in cortisol and better balance in the immune system from better quality sleep

good luck brother
 
dealt 50 cent GIF
 
dave_d said:
Just to add in on the colonoscopy stuff here's some advice. The worst part is the prep. The easiest prep I had with with something called sutab. (Basically take a bunch of pills and then drink a bunch of water.) Oh and the other advice, after you take the prep anything butt related is done sitting on the toilet. (I don't remember who gave me that sage advice but I followed it. On my first prep I felt like I had to break wind but I did it on the toilet like I was told. Yeah, it was actually the start of the prep actually working and it really works.)
Click to expand...
my brother complained a lot about the prep but i was given this mix that i just added into gatorade and drank like 3-4 bottles. went to the bathroom twice and i was all flushed out. wasnt even that hungry all day.
 
One cheap thing everyone should do after 40 years is a complete annual blood screen. Helps you catch a big range of issues from cholesterol to kidney issues, pre-diabetes to deficiencies. I have done one yearly since 2019, and taken action accordingly. I keep the results on a big excel sheet.

You can see in the below chart, for example, how I had poor cholesterol, which I didn't manage to fix with diet (probably because it's genetic in our country). I got on rosuvastatin, half of the minimum dose. It's a decades old drug, out of patent - so it's cheap and safe. You can see the cardiac marker radically improve as a result.

oHt8yq08FWnPeXKJ.jpeg


I also to stress echo and complete cancer True Check every five years.
 
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never had a butt exam, which i think is suppose to be important for 40+ year olds as well. but would be so embarrassing.
 
SlimySnake said:
my brother complained a lot about the prep but i was given this mix that i just added into gatorade and drank like 3-4 bottles. went to the bathroom twice and i was all flushed out. wasnt even that hungry all day.
Click to expand...
golytely? I've had that and potassium citrate for my preps. I didn't care for either one of those by golytely was less difficult. The sutab pills were easier by far though. Admittedly I was on the can for awhile once it kicked in.
 
I hope you recover. My dad is 80 fit as a 60 year old. I'm 53 I honestly don't remember the last time I went to the dr maybe 30 years ago. When I had COVID I didn't go when I had shingles I didn't go. I'm ok with dropping dead.
 
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Chittagong said:
One cheap thing everyone should do after 40 years is a complete annual blood screen. Helps you catch a big range of issues from cholesterol to kidney issues, pre-diabetes to deficiencies. I have done one yearly since 2019, and taken action accordingly. I keep the results on a big excel sheet.

You can see in the below chart, for example, how I had poor cholesterol, which I didn't manage to fix with diet (probably because it's genetic in our country). I got on rosuvastatin, half of the minimum dose. It's a decades old drug, out of patent - so it's cheap and safe. You can see the cardiac marker radically improve as a result.

oHt8yq08FWnPeXKJ.jpeg


I also to stress echo and complete cancer True Check every five years.
Click to expand...
I'm coming up on 40 and this is a big issue for me because I have a blood draw phobia. I've had bad experiences getting blood drawn in the past. I know I need to do it but it fills me with dread. I was hoping Theranos was going to be the real deal back when before it was outed as being fraudulent because it promised full blood test results from a single drop of blood.
 
The problem for many is buying into the outliners. "My dad smoked and drank and lived to be 100!"

I've never understood why people think those rare situations apply to them, even if you share some of their DNA.
 
I read this before I was about to head to the gym this morning and I was like "okay FINE I'll do cardio today instead of weights" gotta keep that heart in decent shape.

Don't let anyone give you shit for resorting to Moinjaro. We're surrounded with junk food that's engineered to overload you with instant gratification. If you need a secret weapon to fight back then DO IT. That stuff works.
 
Turning 40 this year. Had my daughter a couple years ago and realized that my eating and drinking were gonna be very destructive and a resistance in my life. Weighted in at 299lbs for my yearly physical which happened right around my daughters 3rd birthday....

A switch changed. Stopped drinking, stopped eating junk, started intermittent fasting, started weightlifting.... Lost 100lbs. No medications, no cheats, no help. I have kept it off for over 2 years now and still continue to fast and weightlift. I drink on very rare occasions(birthdays, anniversaries) but otherwise I'd consider myself a non-drinker now. I found other ways to fulfill those avenues of my life.

My life is vastly different than it was 3 years ago, and my friend says that I'm not nearly as fun as I used to be...I feel I have more fun now than ever, it's just my fun doesn't revolve around selfish activities; getting drunk, playing guitar or videogames until 4 a.m. and then eating pizza and tacos as hangover food.

My fun revolves around rediscovering my world with my daughter and wife and I wouldn't go back to the old way of life for anything.

Take care of your health....A little bit of discipline can pay dividends and it's easier to keep and maintain than it is to lose and build.
 
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I have a Coronary Imaging scheduled for later this week.

I've been having some weird chest pain for a while that I've seen doctors about that's gone nowhere as everything comes back as "normal" so it's been difficult to get further testing done. I hope it's nothing serious, but I also know that I haven't really taken care of myself either.
 
I've been fighting weight-gain all my life and managed to keep it at bay mainly by lots and lots of running on the treadmill and trails and paths. Also did a fair amount of cycling and hiking too.

I had kids relatively late, in my early 40s, and on some days I just didn't have the time or energy to get those runs in. Intermittent fasting turned out to be a huge game-changer for me, and I honestly wish I'd started sooner. Especially during the periods when I was sidelined with running-related (or otherwise) injuries and couldn't exercise properly. I really need to get into weightlifting too and try to slow down the muscle loss due to ageing.

Anyway, again a speedy recovery Bernardougf Bernardougf and thanks to everyone for sharing.
 
All the best OP.
I lost weight a couple years ago because I could feel my fat on the bed next to me when lying on my side. Was gross. 😅

Simply eating less is the easiest way to lose weight.
 
Speedy recovery PO and all the best.

Been fat once in my early 20s. Never again. In the gym now every week for... I dunno, 15 years I think. I know it's no guarantee that something like this will happen to me as well (my grandma had two strokes and we have loads in common, so I think I might have some of her genes) but if it does, at least I think I can have a peace of mind that I did my best.
 
Glad you caught it when you did. My health has been decent, but I always had weird digestion issues. I should probably get a colonoscopy sooner than later
 
All the best best Bern. Hope everything works out ok going forward.

Also, for you older gaf dont forget to do the colonoscopy check. You'll probably be advised to do it when youre about 50. I got a letter in the mail from my doc. It's the kind of letter which seems automated that everyone who hits 50 should do it.

When you think about it, it's a good idea because it seems many people who die from cancer have colon cancer. So just do the test. Maybe it costs money in your area, but it's covered by Canadian gov as a free check.

It is kind of gross where you guzzle down tons of laxative drinks and pills the night before to cleanse yourself. Supplies cost me $30 at Walmart. The shitting every half hour is by far the worst part of it. Next morning get a fam member to drive you there. The actual clinic procedure is total nothing. Didnt feel a thing. Got prepped by the nurse, drugged up, fell asleep in 5 seconds. Next thing you know youre back in the gurney waiting area and a nurse is trying to wake you up. You ask what happened and she says the check is done and she's been trying to wake you up for 5 min. You look at the clock and the amount of time they were in your ass was probably only 15 min. Youd think docs poking around your ass would hurt afterwards. Nope. Ass felt fine! From the time I got there, waited and left, the total time was about 2 hours. The guideline doc said it might be a 4 hr session. They probably overflate that to prevent pissing people off, mine was only 2.

Clean up your ass in the bathroom, and have a fam member pick you up and drive you home. Done.
 
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GateofD said:
never had a butt exam, which i think is suppose to be important for 40+ year olds as well. but would be so embarrassing.
Click to expand...
As in a prostate check?

You can have bloodwork done for a PSA screening to let you know if you should get the finger check done and highly recommend men at least getting screened

Glad you are on the mend Bernardougf Bernardougf
 
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