For Dáithi Ó Sé it was nothing less than “a flare rising in the night sky, a warning light on the dashboard. You know that no matter what happens, you have to do something about it.” The ‘it’ was high cholesterol.
The television presenter and presenter of Rose of Tralee was evaluated last year. “I get blood tests every year and the doctor herself suggested, ‘Shall we do one for cholesterol too?’ I said, “Please do it while you’re there.” And it was after that that she came back to the doctor and told me: “Everything is fine, but your cholesterol is a little high and you should be careful.”
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which is caused by high cholesterol, is a silent and invisible disease caused by a buildup of fat in the lining of artery walls and is one of the leading causes of heart attacks, strokes and death. It is often invisible or goes unnoticed, as most people do not experience any significant symptoms until the atherosclerotic plaque ruptures unexpectedly, causing a heart attack or stroke.
In general, people do not fully understand the magnitude and impact of ASCVD. In Ireland, Croí, an organization that raises awareness of heart disease and stroke, recently conducted research showing that 60% of people over the age of 45 had never heard of the term atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is the underlying cause of 85% of deaths related to heart attacks and strokes. and disability in Ireland.
“I admit it, being part of the 60% of respondents who had never heard of it,” says Dáithi. “I work on a TV show and we cover all this stuff, and I’ve never come across this ASCVD before in my life. I also fall into the age group of people at risk and have high cholesterol, so I am very interested in the subject.”
Dáithi’s father, Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé, passed away 10 years ago last August, after suffering heart problems. He was a highly respected Irish musician and writer known for his autobiography A Thig Ná Tit Orm. “When something like that happens in your life, I guess you start to stop and look around and take note of what really happened. And I guess he made me stop and think for a moment.”
Maidhc Dainín was a truck driver. “He was always on the go, and no more than I am in my own working life, he spent a lot of time sitting down,” says Dáithi. “There was really no talk of leaving the pen for a leisurely walk or exercise. In those days, it was not common at all. He couldn’t get out, stretch his legs, after sitting inside the truck all day. So, I guess, if we look at his, what we might now call a work-life balance now, there was no balance there.”
When Maidhc Dainín passed away, Dáithi’s family had already dealt with their fair share of tragedy. Twenty years ago, his sister Deirdre also passed away from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
“It’s one of those things where, I guess, 20 years later, you’re still trying to make sense of it all, and you can’t. You know?” says Dáithi. “When it happened, we (and his family) were like, ‘What?’ We had questions, but the answers weren’t really there because, I guess, the Internet wasn’t what it was now. Back then, people didn’t used to go to the Internet for information like that. But I’ve been happy with Google searches for certain things, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”
Dealing with those tragedies in the family has made him more aware of the importance of taking care of his own health. “When things like this happen in your family, you stop and think, ‘Wait a second, now. What should I do for my health? Is there anything I can do?’
Middle age – if we can call it that, since she is only 46 years old – has also precipitated a change in attitude. She “she has straightened me out a bit. Somehow you slow down, whether you admit it or not. If you go out at night, it takes one more day to get over it.
He has begun to eat better and exercise more and has felt the resulting health benefits.
“I tend to take a little better care of myself these days too. I do this routine thing literally every year where I just take care of myself. I don’t do Lent and I don’t do the first New Years, which were my times to try to live healthier or lose weight, and instead I try to stay that way throughout the year. I exercise a lot more, going to the gym on Wednesday nights and hopefully Monday nights again, coming home from work, and on the weekends with the kids swimming in the pool. Because I see the benefits of this, I just have more energy, my head is in a better place, I sleep better at night, I have a lot more energy, I think I’m a more positive person because of it too. ”
Earlier this year he paid attention when a viewer of Today, the television show he hosts every afternoon, contacted him to say that the viewer’s mother, who was a nurse for years and watches the show every day, had seen a lump on my neck and she was worried about him.
“I went to the doctor and explained the situation to him, as strange as it was. The doctor said, “Okay, let’s take a look at this.” And there was a mass (of tissue) in my neck, so he sent me to Galway for an ultrasound. The specialist there told me that he could see something fine, but it was nothing to worry about. And I went back to the (bystander) and he said, “Thank you very much. And just so you know, I checked it out and everything was fine.” The person was delighted that everything was fine. But I did freak out a little.”
Getting checked gave him a sense of taking control, and it’s an approach he says is also important when it comes to cholesterol. “I think it’s easy to bury your head in the sand about these things, but if you get checked and you have high cholesterol, at least you can address it and if you don’t, you’ve given yourself peace of mind.” .”
Visit www.croi.ie/ascvd either www.nacioninvisible.com or follow #InvisibleNation #ASCVD #Cholesterol for more information. Invisible Nation is supported by Novartis Ireland.
