photoread4me...I am very glad to hear that you have "dodged a bullet" recently. Back in July (2004), I had 2 stents installed in my right coronary artery, so I have a sense of "where you're coming from".
Reading the posts here, I sense that there are people who wish you well, but haven't had the "epiphany" of a close brush with death, and those who have. As one of the latter, I would like to share with you my feelings on the subject (from a vantage point some 8 months removed from the "incident").
I notice that you have chosen a "radical change" from what you were doing before your heart attack. I would suggest that, unless you are comfortable with denying yourself everything that you enjoyed, that a more "relaxed" approah might be useful. I haven't changed my eating (or smoking) habits since last July, yet when I had a followup nuclear stress test a month ago, I was diagnosed as completely free from "blockage" of my arteries. I don't hold myself up as an example of "proper" reaction to this situation, but rather as an "alternative" one.
I took a blood thinner (Plavix) for 6 months, and I am told that I will have to take a hypertension medicine and a cholesterol-lowering medication until I croak, and I do so. The only "change" I have made is in my "reaction" to stressful situations...I generally "ask myself" if an "eruption" of emotion is "useful" (sometimes it is!). This "half-second" hesitation has proven (for me) to be a delightful way to avoid a lot of the conflict that I used to have in my life.
In summary, I would suggest that denying yourself all that makes life worth living is perhaps not (IMHO) the best way to go here. It should be noted that, in following the course outlined here, I've ignored the well-meaning and serious advice of my colleagues, friends and family. OTOH, I am nothing if not me.
Best wishes on a speedy and complete recovery,
Dale
