A challenge of the heart

Book excerpt: "A challenge of the heart" is a true story of the author's journey after being diagnosed with advanced coronary artery disease at age forty three . The book describes the circumstances of the diagnosis and describes the treatment provided by consultant cardiologist . Additional details by way of graphics explains in simple terms the various features of treatment provided and how it works .He writes about the possible complications of the treatment and the difficulties of navigating around them. Readers will have an understanding of what a coronary angioplasty procedure with placement of stents involves . A description of a stent and its purpose is also covered . The author describes the backdrop to the story and gives insights into the importance of timely professional help . It describes the very useful role that a sister played in facilitating a timely diagnosis whilst the author was in denial . The story reflects on the author's family history and the importance of genetics in the prevalence of coronary heart disease . He further reflects on his past lifestyle to identify what may have predisposed him to the disease . He writes about his symptoms and signs that actually were nearly ignored by him and considered just a sign of lack of fitness whereas in reality there were an indication of a serious deadly disease . There is a chapter on the pharmaceutical side on the very interesting roles played by medications and their importance in the management of the disease and the patient . He describes some of the challenges of taking the medications for prolonged periods . The author describes the choices he had to make and the strategies he adopted after the treatment on this journey of maintaining his health . He describes the difficulties encountered when trying to implement lifestyle changes and reveals options he pursued that were appropriate for him . He shares his personal circumstances in the book and describes the significant impact of these on his welfare . The entire journey was made up of challenges and blessings . Amazing incidences and events of good fortune and others of intuitive nature became milestones in the journey . The author hopes to inspire readers into making their choices and adopting their strategies and philosophy that they can take ownership of in pursuit of health and fitness .