Folks Of Interest SERIOUS AS A HEART ATTACK

Glad ya pulled through, having someone keep an eye on ya for awhile is a damn good idea! Keep in touch and listen to the doc's. Joe

 

No more alignments get well real soon !

 

Everyone supported what I did. An extra 5 minutes the trip would have killed me.

Signed up for the hospital portal so I can check appts. my medicines ad ask questions.

 

Someone is watching out for me, I'm sure if it. Possibly my departed wife? I did promise myself to get a physical once the Ford was together

 

Too many rodders seem to cashing in their chips lately. Take care of yourself.

Gary

 

I come from tough stock, my dad had his bypass at age 74 and lived to 96, but the heart finally got him (congestive heart failure). I was an active weight lifter until my 2011 car accident, slowed me down a bit after that. The surgeon said the rest of my heart is in good shape, no valve or other issues. Tomorrow the nurse should be here early I hope to look at a couple of drains. Followed by PT to get me going again and possibly cardiac rehab.

Definitely pays to listen to your gut when a couple of things feel off. I had a little time after work on Friday so I made up a banking 101 set of instructions using Paint and Works, stopped at the bank and broke a CD in case I was not getting paid for a while.

 

I see I'm not alone. 12-15 for me. Had a stress test, they sent me home. Had the test because I knew my idle mixture was getting janky and had to check. All reading, if it ever says "LEFT ANTERIOR DESCENDING" get help. They shouldn't have let me leave. Docs call that one "the widow maker" and mine was over 99% done. Surgeon who did the stent (long story, 2 days later!) said I wouldn't have made the night. 6 weeks later 2 more stents. I idle fine but lack top end. No matter though, beats the livin fuck out of the alternative. Now I take cholesterol meds, eat right, way less tobacco and I look at things a little different. After a lifetime of enviable cholesterol numbers the real culprit was PARTICAL SIZE. I never do or did anything to excess. Eat right the majority of the time, never a heavy smoker, never a drinker, no soda pop, and fast food is poison in my view. There's gremlins in your DNA that might get you so be aware. 2 days of suffering when I went to the ER left me damaged so your heart doc matters too. ASK QUESTIONS! Glad you're still here to share your story, that was mine. Its longer but I've said enough. Like Mel said in "Scarface", "...every day above ground is a good day." Didn't do him any good though

 

Take it one day at a time. God Bless!

 

Crazy tale you have shared with us. My heart center I'll be going to is in town and I'm used to seeing ambulances leaving the place. My dad got yanked off his stress test and right to the ER.

Mine was called the widow maker too. No real horrible symptoms, just steady state and a pain down my shoulder and collarbone... go time. I have about 10 things I take for medicine, but 5 - 6 will drop out in time. No idea on any of my stats prior, but everything is good now. Gotta eat a bit less, more lean and cut out the soda.

Got appointments for next week, got hung out to dry as far as a visiting nurse goes (big bone to pick with my health insurance when the dust settles), have had PT twice so far. A few pains where they stripped out a vein (2" scar) and I guess where my ribs were spread. The big incision really doesn't hurt. So my pain is on the slight side. My top end is not good, I'll be going into a cardiac outpatient rehab, I'll know more next week.

 

After my attack in 2008, I went to cardio rehab.
I was AMAZED to see how many folks dropped out of rehab, saying "I don't need this rehab any more".
Oh, but you do.
Getting the top end back is not easy, it is not fast, BUT with your due diligence, you'll get better, stronger, day by day, much like baby steps ........ but it does get better.
A heart attack is the FIRST step in changing your BAD life habits.
Follow the directions of your doctor and health care providers.
If you choose not to follow good advice / help, well, that leads to a "dead end".

 

I'm glad that you have seemed to have come through this quite well. My best wishes for a speedy recovery; it sounds like you are doing well.

After reading all of this. I am kind of confused about my own condition. About a month ago, I had a heart scan. The result was a "coronary artery calcium score" in the 90th percentile, making me, in the words of a nurse who called me, a "prime candidate for a heart attack". That was last month. I do have an appointment for next Monday to see my regular doctor, not a heart specialist. After reading all of this, it seems that time is of the essence in cases like this. I am troubled that they are waiting a month before even seeing me. I hate getting my medical advice from a Hot Rod forum, but this don't seem right to me.

 

Yes, time is of the essence.
As a 2008 "survivor", I wonder why you are now seeing a primary care doctor, instead of a heart doc. ? ? ?
If you do NOT have a current heart doc, here are a couple of tips for HAMB guys.
A CLINICAL cardiologist is a heart doc who sees folks in his office.
An INTERVENTIONAL cardiologist is a heart doc who sees folks in his office, plus does heart caths and stents.
A heart surgeon does bypasses, valves, transplants ..... the bigger jobs.
My heart doc is an INTERVENTIONAL doc, with surgeons within his group, if more work is needed on my ticker.
Years back, I began with my family doc (primary care physician), was then set to a clinical cardio doc, who then sent me to an interventional cardio doc.
Three docs .... can you guess how much info is lost or misinterpreted between 3 docs ?
Much easier for me (and my doc) to work with the interventional doc.

 

^^^^ True. I didn't know how run down I was until I had a heart attack, 2 weeks before my 42nd birthday. I just turned 51 and I feel great.

Best of luck for a speedy recovery.

 

My dad was seeing a regular doctor in Florida who just gave him nitro pills. I did have a stress test in 2007, regular treadmill which is 75% accurate. My insurance wouldn't go for the thallium stress test at the time. I have a new heart doctor, the last one to see me in 2007 is retired.

Good luck to all on here. At the very worst you can do is go to the ER on a false alarm, it happens a lot. But they will at least screen you on the spot.

 

You have a Sexually Transmitted Disease in addition to a heart attack?

Just kidding. I assume you meant Short Term Disability. Take it easy and follow orders.

My doctor had me take a stress test over a year ago when I told him I was short of breath after climbing 3 flights of stairs. They told me to walk on the treadmill as long as I could then lay down and hold my breath as they scanned by chest with ultrasound. I thought I was gonna die before I got my breath back. I got home about 4PM. My Doctor called at about 6PM. Not his office staff but my doctor himself. He asked if I had any chest or arm pain, told me to get to an emergency room if I did as soon as possible. I started to worry a little.

He said he wanted me to see a Cardiologist. The next day the Cardiologist's office called in the morning to schedule an appointment for the following week. By noon they called and said they wanted to see me that afternoon. I started to worry a little more.

When I saw the Cardiologist he told me he wanted me to have a heart catheterization and I agreed to do it. He told his nurse to schedule it. She left to call the lab, came back and said they could get me in next week. He called the lab from the exam room and told them he wanted it done the next day. I started to worry even more. He told me they might have to open the arteries or install a stent.

The next day I had it done. After I was back from the Catheter lab the doctor who did the procedure came in and told me he didn't find anything wrong and I had the cleanest arteries he had seen in a long time. What a relief!

I had to see the Cardiologist the next day and he confirmed the findings. He had looked at my cholesterol levels which were very low and always have been. He asked me about the stress test. I told him they told me to walk the treadmill as long as I could. He said they've been told to watch the heart monitor and stop when the heart rate and blood oxygen gets to a certain level. He said there are people like me that take going as long as possible literally and will walk until they drop. Then the lack of oxygen makes the heart go wild. What a relief.

 

I lasted over 59 years, but to be truthful had the angina since my late 30s. Every check up, stress test, blood test kept saying OK. About this time last year I noticed I needed to stop and catch my breath doing things I'd always done without that need. No matter what I did I didn't have the high gear grunt I've always had. That's what got me concerned, the rest is nearly a comedy of errors that finally got me into proper care. 1st heart doc, "I dunno, I'll have to check my schedule, maybe Monday, maybe Tuesday..." as I lay there suffering. By the end of the 2nd day I was in another hospital. That doc saw fit to take me right off the ambulance gurney, toss me on the slab, a minor sedation and they went to work. No interview, admitting, nothing. Truth be told it was the most frightening thing I've ever felt. I was truly terrified and told him so. "You're ok now, just try to relax..." If I ever see that 1st doctor anywhere I'm liable to permanently wrinkle his shirt. Heart medicine is no place for a smug primadonna.

 

Your heart tested OK, but you don't mention what the cause was for your initial shortness of breath and what was done to remedy that issue.

 

Good to hear your are doing better/hang in there Highlander

 

I mentioned an interventional cardiologist, also mentioned the primary care physician (general practitioner).
My "late" cousin was under the care of her primary care physician for YEARS, with stress, chest discomfort, etc.
She was given this pill, that pill, etc., over the years, by this general practitioner.
She loved her doctor.
She ended up in an ambulance, heart attack, going to the local hospital, east of Cleveland, Ohio.
The hospital did little to "problem solve" her issues, but they did keep her alive.
Since she was alone (husband had passed away), I had her transferred to Cleveland Clinic, Cardiology Division, for a second opinion.
The C.C. Cardiologists met with me, they examined the records/ notes of her general practitioner.
Over the years, while under the care of the general practitioner, the blockages in her heart created damage to the heart muscles, and, because of the degree of damage to the heart muscles, nothing could be done to rectify her problem.
She passed away, 10 days later.
Get the correct doctor for whatever problem you may be experiencing.

 

My Brother in Law (mid 50's) had hist first last weekend. Made a run to the parts store. Felt a bit tipsy walking out. Sat in his truck for awhile. Felt better, so he started driving home. Started to feel really ill right as he was coming up on the Fire Station. Pulled in, knocked, they sat him down to take his vitals and he went into cardiac arrest.
He said the last thing he remembered was a bright white flash, then seeing a high speed film of all of his activities of the previous day. He was dead for a moment.
Firemen zapped him back, got him to the ER for a stint and he's home now (minus his cigarettes) starting his recovery.
I've lost 6 coworkers in as many years to heart attacks. All Males in their mid 50's and all were fatal first time heart attacks. I've heard your first can be very severe and lethal.
I'm in my mid 50's and just vowed to get in for a full check up. Haven't been to the Dr. in years. Wife and kids need me too badly to mess around.

 

I was moving my residence to another town with less good hospitals so decided to take advantage of one free yearly checkup from medical insurance on 4/27-2016 (great date LOL). They did blood tests to start things off and the doc came streaming out and said you aren't going anywhere HUUHH ?? Now they can tell just from a blood test if you are having heart problems and I was no attack YET but bad news.

Got all prepped within an hour of arriving for a checkup, doc was going to do the balloon catheter thing on the heart arteries but got about a foot in my arm ( I was awake) and stopped pulled it out and told me things are so messed up it was time for OPEN HEART SURGERY RIGHT NOW!!!

Long story short they went in and did the triple bypass and I bet they wished I was in a coma because when I came to in the recovery room and they tried pulling out the breathing tubes I knocked a couple over because when they pulled on it I couldn't breath but couldn't tell them because of the tubes in my throat.

They tied my hands to the bed but forgot my legs and the next time I kneeded one of them in the head so the sneaky bastards slipped something into my IV that calmed me down and they pulled it out finally still feeling like I was being waterboarded.

My sister is a nurse and said crap like this happens a lot that is why the beds have the arm and leg restraints already attached LOL.

4 DAYS later I drove myself home and 11 days later I had to check and found my equipment to provide ladies with a pleasant experience (you know what I'm trying to say without being too gross right LOL) still worked fine

4 months later I'm back to lifting the same amounts of weight on my cable weight machine and feeling fine. The doc said wait 3 months before any serious lifting and it worked out fine. Funny thing situps, crunches and other stomach work came back to old standards in a week but the weight increases took about 3 weeks to come back after a 3 month layoff.

The doc made one mistake he said the heart is the only organ we can rebuild just like a car engine. You now effectively have the heart of an 18 year old and if you stop drinking, smoking and running around with loose woman it can last another 40 years but if you keep doing what you were doing it will only last to 20 more.... since I was 66 at the time I decided to go with the 20 year route

So this long story leads to one thing IT NO LONGER TAKES ALL KINDS OF TESTS TO CHECK YOUR HEART ONLY A SIMPLE BLOOD TEST SO GET YOURS CHECKED NOW. I had no pains or symptoms and if I was not moving I would probably be DEAD the doc said all my problems were on the right side which is the worst side and a heart attack WAS COMING AT ANYTIME AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL.

 

My symptoms for a while were so elusive and I ignored some of it too. A little shortness of breath while at the gym, hit the rescue inhaler. Sometimes a Tums fixed me right up. My wife got sick with cancer in 2013 and we lost her in 2014. I was not taking care of myself, but I did want to get a physical this year. I felt pretty crappy right after she died but moved forward like an idiot.

Bum tickers are mostly on my mom's side of the family. If you reached 60... you were old. My dad's side they were a bit healthier. I'm fortunate to escape with a healthy heart.

I finally have a nurse stopping by this morning, check my vitals and look at the wounds. My insurance carrier is being real nice after dropping the ball so bad. I have a few home PT sessions to go and after I see the cardiologist I'll see about a rehab program. Major milestone, I was able to feed the cats this morning.

 

Hang in there I'm feeling great after only 4 months.

 

Bob
I am glad things happened the way they did. It a lot of ways you were fortunate. I look forward to reading more of your updates on your'59.

 

Glad to hear that you are on the road to full recovery. My son in law passed away in his sleep in NC at 50 years of age. For the rest of us PLEASE get at least a yearly checkup. You will never know what is going on otherwise.

 

Believe it or not, these replies seem to help in a way that's not found in medicine. We're mostly the kind who live our lives with a measurable degree of bravado, even in our upper years we feel that invincible thing in the back of our brains that we had in our youth. It's this hot rod/history/racer thing that keeps us young and helps us focus past the daily grind. The reality is our chassis gets weak, our lube system isn't as effective, sometimes we consume extra fuel to "feel better", or like the mechanic's car we just keep it running enough to be "safe" but little else. Hearing what our folks have shared in this topic (thanks for starting it '396) opens another form of bravado. Gives that little voice in the trunk some volume,no? It's not a bad thing to take the time and get a proper service check. I mentioned looking at things different and I was being honest. I walked all 3 days at Hershey this year. Don't have an app for my phone to say how much or how far, but I did a bunch. Even on a hustled up walk back to meet someone at my car (of course I had to be at the far end of the meet when called) the crusty old vertabrae were more of an issue than my heart now and that's a story as good as midnight street race. I wish all of you, and bobss396, the best for the years ahead. Just think of all those glorious cars and parts you have yet to find. Keep that shit running right or one of us will get em before you...

 

Being old and fat is the likely cause.

 

HIGHLANDER,
Your words are so very true, I think your words speak for many of us. Thanks !

 

Wow! Glad it didn't get you and things are coming back. They will come back only slowly and there will be some that doesn't......just go slow and, other than being sure to enroll in and diligently do cardiac rehab at the hospital, bide your time. and keep at it It isn't the end of the world. I'm also a survivor, did cardiac rehab which helped, got a medical back so I could still fly, and enjoy life. I wish you nothing but the best and the patience to keep on keepin on. Been 12 years now and still lovin life. You do the same Bob.

 

Well.....here's mine, I live in a little town in the interior of british Columbia where there is a hospital that will keep you alive, then send you off to the big town for treatment.
Sunday September 11, this year, last month, 12 o clock in the afternoon, didn't feel good, arms hurt, elephant sitting on my chest, sweating like a pig, got my woman to drive me six miles to the hospital, walked in, said I didn't feel well. LUCKY, a heart specialist team of paramedics were visiting from the big town to pick up a woman who was stable, looked at me and went crazy, two shots of nitro under the tongue did nothing, so a shot of morphine, nothing, then another, I puked up my lunch, they bundled me up, lights and siren to the big town, (Penticton), into icu, nurse stationed in my room till midnite when the pain finally stopped. 8 shots of morphine total, nitro drip for twelve hours, wasn't fun, I was scared shitless.
My new heart doc came in the next morning, told me and my woman that we did everything right and I was a lucky man, I told him the medics did everything right, I was a bystander, he said without them, I'd not be here. Next morning, the 14 off to Kelowna for an angioplasty, got a stent, back to Penticton, stayed the night. Now have an irregular heartbeat, a really bruised up arm, bruises on my belly from shots, both inner elbows bruised from iv's, no power left in the tank, this has beat the shit out of me. Only now, a month later, I'm feeling better.
Me? Never smoked, no cholesterol problems, no high blood pressure, eat right, shouldn't have happened. I don't get enough exercise, but that's all, gotta see my new heart doc on Monday, had a stress test, it went well, now I don't worry about dying, but....my first night home was scary, I didn't want to go to bed, no monitors, just the old lady, I stayed up till I couldn't, then said screw it, hope I wake in the morning.
I'm the iron man to my friends, never scared of anything, that's how I got the name, The Troll, but this tuned me up big. I was scared, realising it could have been my last day but for some serious luck.
Something like this will change your life, it's changed mine.