It would be understandable if Louise Praino ever felt bad about how long she had to live, considering her family’s history.

Praino’s father died of a heart attack when he was 32 years old. Her mother died of a heart attack at the age of 56, and her mother’s six siblings all died of heart attacks. One of Ms. Praino’s two siblings was 42 years old when she needed triple bypass surgery, but with proper care and a healthy lifestyle she could be 76 years old. Now that I’m older, I’m still doing well. (Her second brother died of her ALS several years ago.)

Praino is one of the few in her family to have never had cardiovascular disease, and if she doesn’t have symptoms, she’ll probably be completely spared from it.

But when her longtime cardiologist retired, his successor, Dr. Binoy Singh, chief of cardiology at Phelps Hospital, learned of her family history of needing to take blood pressure medication, her elevated cholesterol levels, and her family history of needing to take blood pressure medication. Considering his age, we decided to examine Mr. Praino in detail. She is currently 71 years old.

“I didn’t have any symptoms, so that was it,” Praino said. “He wanted to do a series of tests, but the one I was scared of was the angiogram. I didn’t want to do it because it’s invasive.”

Instead, last summer, Dr. Singh turned to other methods in a cardiologist’s toolbox: stress tests, computed tomography angiography (CTA), and then non-invasive tests to see what’s going on inside. We investigated CT angiography fractional flow reserve (CTFFR), a standard procedure. Praino artery. All of them found an uncovered calcified plaque in the posterior circumflex artery, one of two branches of the left main coronary artery, which was 80% blocked.

“So the symptoms were a risk factor for her, not an unavoidable condition,” Singh said. “And I would say that the more birthdays you celebrate, that’s another risk factor. We like to celebrate birthdays, but there are situations in which that in itself can be a risk factor. I am falling into this.”

Praino, who now lives in Fishkill after years in Somers and Mahopac, underwent stenting in his posterior circumflex artery at Northern Westchester Hospital in September.

Singh said it is not unusual for people with this level of blockage to have no symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain.

It was a relatively healthy lifestyle that helped Praino reach her early 70s, an age many of her relatives never saw, she said. She doesn’t smoke, has reduced her red meat intake to maybe once a month (her family was a butcher, and her parents and relatives ate meat two or even three meals a day), We also went out for so-called Mediterranean cuisine. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

“We weren’t a family that ate out, we didn’t eat McDonald’s or fast food,” said Praino, who drove a school bus for 31 years, 27 of them in the Mahopac School District.

“I always cooked homemade meals, but what I started doing was cutting down on the amount of meat and buying higher quality organic chicken, organic grass-fed beef, things like that. I think it’s probably only in the past 10 or 15 years that I’ve started seriously eating (intake). Up until then, I’d been eating healthy and homemade food, but now I’m interested in organic food. There was no.”

Her two sons are physically active, and one of them is a physical education teacher and partner at a Hudson Valley fitness center, which helps her develop good exercise habits. Ta. It doesn’t hurt that both of her daughters-in-law are in the health care field, and one of them is a registered dietitian.

Praino said he returned to the gym after surgery and feels great. She believes that a balanced approach has brought her a fulfilling life.

“Make time to eat well as a family, sit down, talk to your kids, go to the doctor, stay healthy, and exercise,” Praino suggested.

Singh recommended that people over 50 should see a cardiologist. That person’s variables can determine what to do next.

He said Praino needs to undergo stress tests every six to 12 months, continue his exercise program and maintain a healthy diet.

“All of these things reduce your risk of heart attack and allow you to have more birthdays,” Singh said.