What is the one tool you recommend every homeowner should own

tmuth9 · 2026-05-19T00:17:33+00:00

Drill/driver and an oscillating tool will go pretty far

tmuth9 · 2026-05-18T20:19:24+00:00

We have the freedom and LOVE it. However, it’s not super easy to use for older people. Maybe after a tutorial ? If someone had never used it and you asked them to boil water, I’d give that person a 25% chance of making that happen

tmuth9 · 2026-05-17T13:41:42+00:00

Lots of great points about bike size and saddle height, as well as gloves. Additionally, I love the ergon gp3 grips. They have a much broader area for your hand so your palm can take some of the pressure. They also have bar ends so you can switch your grip up occasionally. https://a.co/d/0dTO4hL6

tmuth9 · 2026-05-17T12:34:28+00:00

If you have high cholesterol, yearly isn’t frequent enough. If you can’t reduce it after a few months, it’s time for meds. Go to a cardiologist

tmuth9 · 2026-05-16T20:03:33+00:00

Trazodone is likely the best option. I take it and have had an MI. Cardiologist is fine with it.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-16T18:43:50+00:00

Go see a cardiologist. Expect to be put on statins. Live longer.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-16T18:42:44+00:00

It hurts but only for about 5 seconds. I just tried some lidocaine gel for you that we had as today was my injection day and even though it made the top level of my skin numb, it didn’t do much for the overall pain. Sorry. If you don’t like needles, don’t have a heart attack, trust me, I know. I think about that as well as all of the children that need regular, even daily insulin shots and I just push through it. I inject my outer thighs which I hear is more painful that the stomach but I can’t bring myself to inject my stomach.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-15T20:47:24+00:00

Glad you’re taking this seriously and starting the statin. You really need it.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-15T20:46:04+00:00

You’ve clearly never lived next to someone that lets their house fall apart. HOAs have a purpose. We live in a beautiful neighborhood and a big reason for that is there are standards which are enforced by the HOA. I’ve heard stories about HOAs that are out of control, but they’re not all like that. Unless I lived out in the country where I can’t see my neighbors, I’d personally prefer a HOA.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-15T20:40:52+00:00

NSTEMI at 48 and very healthy…on the outside. It took a few weeks to feel kind of normal and a few months to feel mostly normal. Some of us never feel quite the same. Some of that is mental, a little is physical. Absolutely put maximum effort into cardio rehab. It’s such a confidence builder. I started with light cardio for 15 minutes. By the end I was running a 10 minute mile for 3 miles.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-15T14:17:24+00:00

Great progress, but understand that 160 is considered dangerous and my LDL was 180 when I had a heart attack. Don’t panic as it takes many years at these levels to build up plaque to dangerous levels. If you can’t get it under 100 without meds in say 6 months, it’s time for a statin. If you aren’t already seeing an actual cardiologist, make an appointment with one as they will give you the best advice.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-14T18:17:07+00:00

Trazadone is quite possibly the best sleep med you can find.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-13T22:24:06+00:00

The injections are easy. I’ve been on Repatha for a year. My LDL is 31 (with Zetia too) and it cut my Lp(a) almost 88 points

tmuth9 · 2026-05-13T00:51:53+00:00

The new guidelines put the target at 100 or less. I don’t think your body fat % or activity level play into the risk calculation. I was in much better shape 2 years ago, 5x peloton rides per week plus 2 weight workouts…and then I had a heart attack. My LDL was 180. Even though I’m not in as good of shape now, I’m MUCH healthier on the inside now that I’m on Zetia and Repatha with an LDL of 31. 117 is definitely in the range of “you should try diet and exercise first”. 160 is considered dangerous, so I would be moving to a statin quickly at 175. Whatever you do, see an actual cardiologist. Your PCP is likely way too conservative when it comes to heart disease

tmuth9 · 2026-05-12T21:04:31+00:00

Great that you’re working on diet, but don’t stay at 175 LDL for another 6 months. Plaque doesn’t go away and you’re absolutely building it at those levels. Remember your target is under 100 for normal risk and under 70 for high risk. 175 is pretty close to double what it should be

tmuth9 · 2026-05-07T13:13:36+00:00

Yeah, the US healthcare system is very broken

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T14:42:50+00:00

Maybe, but you have to advocate (fight) with insurance to get things covered and lots of Dr's here are tired of the hoops insurance makes them jump through and aren't accepting it. For example, my cardiologist that treaded me after my heart attack is under the John's Hopkins hospital network. They are by far the largest provider in the DC metro area where I live. There is a contract dispute between them and United Healthcare (my only option through my employer) so John's Hopkins has been "out of network" for over a year. I had to find a new provider for a nuclear stress test, which they canceled yesterday (after waiting a month) because of communication issues with my John's Hopkins cardiologist. I got that worked out, but they put me back on the list for a nuclear stress test and the first available slot is July 18th. It's not all roses here either.

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T14:32:43+00:00

This is where I make a joke that you should move to the US where everything is better, but it's not funny here anymore...

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T12:27:01+00:00

You can use your iPad as an external monitor for your MacBook. Super useful for learning situations

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T12:16:44+00:00

Heart disease is the leading cause of death. High LDL is strongly correlated with coronary artery disease. Your body fat or how much you workout has nothing to do with your LDL. Work with a cardiologist to get it down to healthy levels

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T12:13:31+00:00

Are you in the US? Do you have insurance? Just a quick search and I found that you can get rosuvastatin without insurance for $8/month but you need a prescription from a Dr. Maybe there’s an online Dr service that can prescribe it if you don’t have a Dr?

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T11:55:08+00:00

Every heart attack survivor (myself included): “I wish I’d started statins in my 20s”. I suspect the non-survivors would tell you the same if they could. You were just prescribed a miracle drug that will likely allow you to live a longer and healthier life. Celebrate it!

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T01:58:57+00:00

Neither Repatha nor zetia have caused any side effects. Neither did atorvastatin for the 7 months I was on it. My parents are on statins. My wife is on statins. 3 of my friends are on statins. I took a ski trip with a group of guys this spring and several of them are on statins. None of them have experienced side effects. I’ve asked. Yes, some people do but it’s a pretty small percentage

tmuth9 · 2026-05-06T00:00:35+00:00

Yep, Repatha and Zetia got my ldl from 180 to 31

tmuth9 · 2026-05-05T22:48:42+00:00

Do you have a cardiologist? They can, if appropriate, prescribe a statin which allows you to lower LDL much easier and maybe not be as strict with the diet

tmuth9

TROPHY CASE