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Add me to the list.......Heart Attack

dkmc

Diamond
Like some other members, I had the experience now as well. The warning signs can be easy to ignore.

A heart attack does not always come as pain in your left arm. Mine was between my shoulders in my back. Last Thursday 11/17 After some time of denial, and increasing discomfort, I decided it was time to go to Urgent Care (they were closing and getting ready to lock the front doors) where they hooked up the wires and saw problems on the Electrocardiogram. An ambulance ride and 45 minutes later, I was at the hospital, in the Cath lab getting 2 stents installed (one artery 100% blocked) in an expedited fashion. Then 3 more stents installed yesterday, (another artery 90% blocked) 4 days in ICU total. Funny thing, that Thursday morning I was in the middle of no where picking up a cement mixer from Marketplace. I worked pretty hard getting it on the trailer and was worn out from using the come-along. Shortly after I got home with it, the discomfort started. Discomfort NOT pain. Pressure. Uncomfortable feeling, not pain. So very lucky it happened here at home. Doing much better now. One of the doctors said, 'With heart issues "Heart Attack pain" means any pain from your navel to your head, not just sharp pain in your left arm". My message is, do not ignore it or brush it off.
 
I was helping the old guy next door build/repair the fence on his pool ,which is also the divider.........anyway ,he was sort of slowed right down to nothing,and looked grey in the face .......I said to him he looked like he might be having a heart attck,and said all he needed was a cold drink........I rang the ambulance ,and next day he s having a quadruple bypass.(free medical here)
 
If you want to be pro-active get a CCTA.


If that shows any moderate blockage go for an angiogram, while they're at it they can place stent(s) if needed.


Good thing you didn't ignore the symptoms!
 
Being on the younger end of members here, this post made me pause. We bust our asses to have a heart attack at 55? I’m not certain of your age, but generally f-that scenario.

Sent this to the wife, a pharmacist. She said of me (all of us):
“You need greens, almost-vegan diet with salmon.
Work out 5x per week enjoyable exercise.
Stress reduction.”

That last one is easier said than done eh. I find myself more often saying “IDGAF” when pressured by customers to have everything done yesterday. For what? I roll my eyes when I see people listing “works well under pressure” as an asset. Good for them. They’re just telling people they’re tolerant to piss-poor time management at the expense of their own health.
 
Wow. Glad it worked out. Did you have any prior indications of the level of blockage either from physicals or lagging stamina?
The day before I had an 'episode' but milder pressure between my shoulders at my back, then pressure between my neck and shoulders, it moved around. For many years at the end of the day I'd get similar milder pressure and back pain, I thought it was just my back getting tired from standing at machines all day. I'd go in the office, recline in my high-back office chair, put my feet up on the desk so they weren't a lot lower than my head. In 5-10 minutes time, the pain would subside and I really believe it was muscle fatigue in my back. This 'pressure' felt very similar. It came on and went away. But the next day (Thursday) it came on a bit harder the eased off. I didn't want to, but as a test, I went up the 16 stairs to the upstairs, and it came on again harder. Then it wasn't going away......that's when I unhooked the trailer from the SUV in anticipation of needing to actually GO and DO something about it. Within 10 minutes, I said "LETS GO" to my girlfriend, and we were off to Urgent Care. If I waited another 10 minutes, it might have not worked out.
DO NOT WAIT FOR THE CLASSIC 'LEFT ARM PAIN'......YOU MIGHT END UP DEAD WHILE YOU WAIT.

As far as psycals, etc, I haven't been to a doctor in pretty much ever. Only for Gout diagnosis and anti-inflammatory pills for that.
 
Glad your around to tell about it.
Sharing info helps others.
My Dad passed away from a heart attack.
He always thought he had indigestion, for years.
He did have bad stomach trouble all his life.
By telling others, it might save someone else.
I have weird symptoms before, and wondered what if???

If you don't mind saying, what is your age?
I'm almost 57.
 
Glad your around to tell about it.
Sharing info helps others.
My Dad passed away from a heart attack.
He always thought he had indigestion, for years.
He did have bad stomach trouble all his life.
By telling others, it might save someone else.
I have weird symptoms before, and wondered what if???

If you don't mind saying, what is your age?
I'm almost 57.
Just turned 63 on 11/9. No playing in the shop for a while, and I can lift max "1 gallon milk jug" for the next 3 weeks, so plenty of time to share thoughts here in interest of helping others.
.......to be continued
 
I got a coworker (and friend) out right now, had 95% blockage in his neck. Just got the text from his ole' lady that they are heading home from the hospital now, just in time for thanksgiving. He's only 51. Thanks for sharing dkmc and glad you made it to the other side of your ordeal, stay safe fellas and happy Thanksgiving.
 
I got a coworker (and friend) out right now, had 95% blockage in his neck. Just got the text from his ole' lady that they are heading home from the hospital now, just in time for thanksgiving. He's only 51. Thanks for sharing dkmc and glad you made it to the other side of your ordeal, stay safe fellas and happy Thanksgiving.
I'd be very interested to hear your friends symptoms.
 
Just turned 63 on 11/9. No playing in the shop for a while, and I can lift max "1 gallon milk jug" for the next 3 weeks, so plenty of time to share thoughts here in interest of helping others.
.......to be continued
I'm always looking at people that have a heart attack from non- typical symptoms.
My Dad, his 3 brothers, and my grandpa all died of heart attacks from the ages of 59-62.
Thanks again for you info.
Prayers for a full healing.
 
I got a coworker (and friend) out right now, had 95% blockage in his neck. Just got the text from his ole' lady that they are heading home from the hospital now, just in time for thanksgiving. He's only 51. Thanks for sharing dkmc and glad you made it to the other side of your ordeal, stay safe fellas and happy Thanksgiving.
I'd be very interested to hear your friends symptoms.

I had "Amaurosis fugax" twice in my right eye five years ago at 57, was like a curtain came down and clouded out the top half of my vision, bottom was clear. Went to the emerg the second time after consulting Dr. Google, since I was otherwise healthy they sent me to an Ophthalmologist that sent me to a Neurologist for an ultrasound. The Doc said "we're trying to book you in for tomorrow, your right Corotid is 99% blocked". Got the surgery four days later and the surgeon took photos to show his students it was so impressive, said he couldn't believe I didn't have a massive stroke.

Was always fit/healthy with low colestorol but family history trumps all apparently. Father died of a heart attack at 59, most of my aunts/uncles on that side had strokes/heart attacks and my younger brother just had one a year ago. That's what prompted me to get the CCTA & angiogram, no stents (yet) but at least I know where I'm at.

Enjoy the day, lol!



 

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17 years ago I had classical heart attack symptoms, and told my wife I needed assistance. She took me to urgent care. They told me many times that I should have gone to the emergency room. They summoned an ambulance for me. I ended up getting 5 bypasses. Please get yourself sent to the emergency room.

Best wishes --- Allen Anway
 
At 62 I felt like I was going to have a bout of the shits until I realized the discomfort was higher up in my abdomen. After a helicopter ride to Austin Heart, I got 3 stents in anterior descending artery.
For a number of years I have had a brief feeling of squeezing spasm of esophagus. Usually less than a minute or so. Last December, at 76, it didn't go away. Wound up with a roto rooting and stent in the "widowmaker". Tried several balloons before going to the roto-rooter. 99% blockage.

Asked what happens to the ground out plaque and not got a good answer yet.

Coming up on a year on Plavix. Be glad to get off that stuff. I mean, where the fuck did that bruise come from? I didn't run into anything that I know of.
 
.....Continued. In the possible interest of helping others.

Where do I start?
This may grind some gears, but here goes.

More and more people are learning that the health care industry is not necessarily interested in your health. I will not take the Statins they prescribed. Or the blood pressure medicine prescribed 'matter of factly' without consideration. I am pre-diabetic, yet the food they brought me was all Carbs and sugar! Carbs turn into sugar btw...The nurse said it was the 'Heart Healtly diet program'. I didn't eat any of it, my GF brought me the proper diet IMO (which includes red meat and fat).

A year ago exactly on the day after Thanksgiving we went to a Keto diet, I lost 17 lbs in 4 weeks, and continue to loose incrementally. My BSL went from an average of 155 to 105. Very little Carbs and as little sugar as possible. Yes we cheat once in awhile. Yes we both continue to feel so much better without the carbs and sugar. My heart attack was not caused by my diet or lifestyle from the past 5 years, but from the last 60 years and also hereditary conditions.

The drug companies need to keep you sick and treat the symptoms to keep you buying their pills....oh, and also the side effects the pills cause. This can be quite controversial as much as politics. The best advise is, if you disagree, You do You. But do put effort and research into your health, there is much information available on the 'net.
This is just scratching the surface...
 








 
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