Tony’s living well with heart failure

Usk resident Tony Grenow, 65, has a hereditary condition that causes high cholesterol. He had a serious heart attack 10 years ago and is now living with heart failure. But when he tells his story, the word that crops up most often is “lucky”.

Lucky as a regular blood donor, his high cholesterol was picked up in his early 50s: an early warning that led to his GP prescribing cholesterol-lowering statins.

Lucky that a year before his heart attack, he’d attended an Ambulance Service First Aid course, and that the trainer’s parting words – “never be afraid to call us if someone has chest pains” – stuck.

Lucky that when he developed chest pain he remembered that advice and the ambulance arrived within minutes.

And lucky that it was only when he was in the ambulance and on the way to hospital that he went into full cardiac arrest.

“I thought it was indigestion to start with,” says the retired planning officer. “But when the pain started spreading down my arm, up my neck and into my jaw I knew it was a lot more serious.

“The last thing I remember was getting into the ambulance: nothing else until I woke up in A&E at Nevill Hall Hospital.”

Tony had an angioplasty the following day, to help widen his arteries and improve blood flow to his heart, and after going through the hospital-based cardiac rehab programme was referred to the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity for ongoing rehab support.

Tony admits he’s not naturally drawn to exercise. “I played club rugby up until I was 42, but even then, the training was just a means to an end. But I know exercise is an important part of managing my heart failure, so I cycle a five-mile route four or five times a week, and do at least one Cardiac Rehab class.

“Coming to a specialist heart class with trained instructors gives me confidence as I know I’m in a safe environment, with people who understand about heart conditions. I like to make the most of my time while I’m there, but it’s nice to catch up with people, too. And there’s absolutely no pressure: you can work as hard as you like, or take it a bit easier if you’re having an off day.

“The way I look at it there’s life and there’s living. So, I still enjoy a beer, and exercise is the trade-off. I’m lucky that even with heart failure, I can still do pretty much everything I enjoy. And I’m pretty sure that’s a lot to do with keeping up with the Cardiac Rehab classes.”

Check out how to see the signs of heart disease here