Folks Of Interest SERIOUS AS A HEART ATTACK

good to hear your on the mend - prayers to a speedy recovery ! mine wasn't so bad - mowed the grass on evening and that nagging pain into the next afternoon.....drove on in....EKG looked good.....they came back and said you got some stuff going on so we're keeping ya....they did a little work the next day....been a year this past May.....

please do what the doc says.....I'm not eating so late and laying low on the tamales....

 

I haven't gotten to where I am in life by being Mr. Nice Guy all the time, always fair to people though. I've always had more balls than brains. Up to 15 days ago I was very strong for age 61. So I will bounce back, maybe slow down the lifestyle a little, take some of the hectic shit out of it. Add in something healthier. Getting some help today closing my pool, maybe I can con someone to take me for a ride in my Ford.

To quote Trollst: I'm pretty much known as the Energizer Bunny to friends, nobody knows where I get it from, just keeps going.

Bad habits, I like salt, rare red meat, a Pepsi now and then and will have a few beers now and then, haven't been drunk in a decade. No clue what any of my numbers were, BP probably high and cholesterol bad. Basically my heart was strong, which kept me alive, just needed a little plumbing work.

Thanks for sharing your tale of success, you're another lucky one. I'm still black and blue, groin, chest, my side, mostly my left arm where they did a new IV every day. And my neck where something was plumbed into it.

 

I gotta say, for those of you who ignore their health, get with the program, I'm not being the reformed type guy, but this has taught me a huge lesson. Don't be walking through life as if you're twenty, like me, never getting old, keeping up with the young bucks, because in my case, god, whoever, somebody will reach down out of the clouds and rattle your cage hard. I can't believe how weak it's made me, can't believe that it takes time to recover, the day before, I was the iron man, headed into the bush to cut firewood, now lifting my powersaw is an effort.
MOSTLY, it could have been my last day, no more seeing my woman, my kids, not even the chance to say goodbye, it's sudden and can be quick. No more hot rods, no more buddies hanging out, parts in my shop only have meaning to me, major hassle for my better half to deal with, as well as dealing with the loss of her partner for 36 long miserable years.
If you need to lose weight, lose it, if you drink too much, drink less, get your shit together, get a few more years out of this lifestyle, don't be walking around thinking it won't happen to you and this thread is light reading. Shouldn't have happened to me, I was gonna die in a strange womans bed, in a violent crash in my rod, in my sleep as an ancient old guy, you get the point. I nearly didn't make 61, hoping to make 62.
Get your shit together, life is good.

 

The biggest and most satisfying moment was when I found that I could start sleeping on my side ...... Heaven!

 

Glad you are on the road to recovery - all the best for a strong recovery .....

 

Every day I get better and sleep between the recliner and couch. Spent Sunday supervising my pool closing and it was nice to be in the sun barking orders. Very steady on my feet and I kept moving around. Rested when I had to.

Big time wake up call for me. I had ignored my health and took care of those around me the past few years. Fell into bad eating habits which accelerated my problems. Not quite ready for sandals and black socks by any means. I will be eating better and getting more exercise.

 

WOW that sucks. Here's to a speedy recovery

 

Saw my doctor today, he says I'm doing better than expected. Seeing a heart doctor tomorrow. My ass is dragging a bit at the moment, haven't had my nap yet.

 

Saw the heart doctor early this morning, the guy who saved me in the ER that night. He was impressed at how well I look and feel. He told me not to push myself too much, wise advise. I cooked dinner last night and cleaned up after, nice to do normal stuff.

 

Glad you're on the mend! Your troubles help me put mine in perspective: I just came home from the hospital too, after learning that what I THOUGHT was a bruised or dislocated rib was in fact a blood clot in my lung. I'm just glad the blood clot got stuck in my lung instead of getting stuck in my brain. I lost my best friend a couple years ago when a blood clot broke up and got stuck in his brain.

I hope your heart and my lung both heal quickly!

 

That's about as serious as what I had less the 10" scar, you were lucky. Those are usually a guaranteed killer. I'm not on any blood thinner, but bet you are. My chest hurts, maybe from CPR they did in the ER from what the heart doctor said today. Little by little I improve each day, you will too.

 

Don't listen to me, listen to your doctors, all of you (or indeed us). But, my docs told me, "Do what your body will let you do. Over time it'll let you do more. You'll know...". Sage advice, seems to be working. Still I don't do nearly what I used to and I'm trying to learn to control my temper. No patience for stupidity and poor service, and as many of us know it's a fuckin pandemic! Still, I try to shrug it off and remain logical and I piss off some folks by making them read back to me or repeat an order or part number sometimes. Better they're pissed off than me... Hang in there you hoodlums. We still have some ass to kick. Hey don't forget, some ass to get too...

 

Amen brother you last piece of advice is so true that was the first thing on my list to check if it still worked doc said wait 2 weeks but I jumped the light at 11 days and ended the day with a smile.

 

I continue to get better every day. I'm supposed to have home PT, but that's a run around right now. So I'm doing it on my own, if I get tired, I sit down and rest. Made it through a couple of days without a nap and went to the bar last night (drinking seltzer).

 

Here's a freaky thing, a close buddy of mine texted me yesterday, his BIL (I know pretty well too) got home from work Friday, complaining of not feeling well. Has dinner, still not feeling well and his wife calls 911. His symptoms were about as vague as mine were... hence the widow maker heart attack.

Well, he coded in the ambulance, they got him back and into the ER. He codes again and there was no bringing him back. Massive heart damage, dead at age 49. Same ER as me and same heart doctor who saved my ass.

I finally have home PT and that is going well. Some guys make it and some don't.

 

Like your new signature. I just tell the girls "want to see my Zipper?"

 

Lol... quite the scar indeed. That's the first thing I felt for once I knew I was alive. While I was groggy, some nun comes up to me to see how I was doing, I asked her if she was giving me last rites... she jumps back a little and says no. She evidently goes around to talk to everybody that gets out of surgery. Lots of weird little things are coming back to me.

 

That's a sad and ironic message for sure.....just keep on keepin on and doing what your cardiologist says. I would also see if he recommends cardiac rehab. It sure helped me. My best to you.

 

I had the opposite problem, the little local honey nurses kept changing areas and shifts to get to be the ones giving me my couple times a day all over "sponge baths" and yes that means EVERYTHING gets washed (Strange the guy in the other bed one got one a day LOL). They wanted to meet and talk to this strange white dude that could speak their language and or practice their English. Now I know how rock stars feel LOL. ps I did get a few numbers for my little black book.

The whole recovery room staff that tried to strangle me while pulling out the breathing tubes came up and apologized for "hurting me" and they were all sincere except for the one dude I kneeded in the head he still looked like he wanted to knee my head. But it was amazing in the USA they probably would have been suing me not feeling bad because they caused me pain.

 

My cardiologist has a rehab program which is done at a facility, but this is about 3 weeks out.

I was a bit of a curiosity having a tan in October (was on the beach all summer) and being somewhat adorned with oriental style tattoo work. I was known as the tattooed guy while in a coma.

I too had a struggle with the breathing tube as I woke up and my hands had mittens on so I couldn't pull out the IV. They said that if the tube had to go back in, that would be the problem. Finally they took it out and I had a sip of water... better than my first cold beer. I had some sort of tubes in at the base of my collarbone that I was not even aware of when I woke up. Those came out the same day.

I was running a fever and they had ice packs stuffed everywhere, crotch, armpits and forehead. My one foot had some markings on it which is something nurses do to keep track of something they do in the ER. I thought I lost the tattoo on one foot and they gave me a new one.

Sponge baths were okay, they never dwelled much on my privates. Slowly I realized I had a piss tube in place which came out the next day. The level of care was pretty good for the most part. There were a couple of floating-turd nurses on the over night shift.

 

Pretty much what happened to me, same symptoms etc. Except my dad drove me to the hospital (we were actually driving right past it at the time) and the woman behind the counter told me to have a seat in the waiting room... there I sat for half an hour... pale and sweating, huge pain in my chest getting worse, couldn't feel my hands. A paramedic walked by and my dad told him he thought I was having a heart attack. The paramedic said, "call 911" and walked away. I was thinking that I wasn't the only one who was going to die in the waiting room that day.

 

What does a "turd nurse" do ?
Does she work for a proctologist ?

 

Get better soon.....................

 

Good one, maybe she did work for Dr. Longfinger on the side.

 

LOL

 

My first heart attack happened on the drive home from work. I was close enuff to drive myself to hospital.. Second happened at work. Again close enuff to get myself to hospital.. Third was after a day of working on my backhoe.. Being a heart attack veteran of sorts.. I felt it coming on and had my ex-wife drive me to emergency.. Fourth happened at a Outlaw Sprint race. Had my buddy take me to hospital.. I now have five stents. Supposed to have surgery on heart. Lower third of heart muscle is dead.. Cancelled twice because doctors "Didn't like my numbers".
Have about 40% heart usage. That has slowed me down a bit.. But still get in a bunch of hours per week on my toys.

I have never smoked. About average weight and I do sit ups and swim for relief of back problems.. Just part of my family tradition I guess. My mother had couple of heart attacks and my father had five strokes (I've had one also).

 

Had you’re still with us, that is too close for comfort. May you have a quick and complete recovery!

 

Some scary stories here, glad everyone is still with us. A most life altering event. I had PT this morning and it kicked my ass. Just walking outside, down the block and back twice. Less than a 1/4 mile. I see improvement though and I have my bad days and good days. I have been warned not to push it too far.

 

Woke up at midnight last night, had to piss. Couldn't get back to sleep, pain in my groin and back got worse and worse. Finally at 4am I drove myself to the hospital. Crawled in. 6am diagnosed via scan with 8mm (friggin metric system, had to convert it to 5/16") kidney stone. Doc said if I don't pee it out in a week they'll go in after it. Not life threatening but hurts like hell.

 

First kidney stone at 31, several since. One was a "jack stone," like playing a game of jacks inside your bladder but without the rubber ball. Hellish pain, but rather that than those heart attacks. So glad you survivors out there are still grassy side. Did learn one thing about that first kidney stone: First shot of morphine didn't do anything to relieve the excruciating pain. Second shot didn't either, but I no longer cared. Realized, "Oh, that's what this stuff does so well!"