I had a heart attack

[Jimmy9190]

It started at 7am this past Friday, I woke up sweating with bad pain in the center of my chest that started shooting down my left arm. I thought it might be bad chest congestion because the day before I had a sore throat and sinus problems like I was catching a cold but that was not the problem. The pain kept getting worse, felt like someone had a giant pair of vise grips locked on my heart, it was the worst pain I have ever felt, I thought I was fixing to die. I woke Mrs. Jimmy up and she got the ball rolling pronto, she had the paramedics here at our house in less than 10 minutes. The ER staff did some tests but were "still not sure it was a heart problem". I was in terrible pain despite being given morphine and fentanyl. The cardiology docs found that I had an artery on the right side of my heart that was almost 100% blocked off. Friday night they did a catheterization and put a stent in the artery, restored the blood flow and saved my life. They kept me under observation and I got out of the hospital at about 3pm yesterday and today I am tired but very glad to be alive. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would have a heart attack. I am only 53, don't smoke or drink and we eat a fairly healthy diet. We are starting to take a real close look at nutrition facts on the food we eat now and I am looking online for low salt low cholesterol recipes. I thought I was healthy as a horse, but have now learned I have to make some changes. My reason for posting here is to let you all know, watch what you eat, avoid salt, fats and other garbage and get some regular exercise. You never know what can happen, and you have to take care of yourself. The worst part of it all was seeing my wife so scared and upset. I thought I was doing OK, found out the really hard way I was not.

 

[StevieC]

Glad you are ok. I went through similar with my dad when he was in his early 60's Same pain, and they put a stent in one of his arteries... They did it through Angioplasty through an artery in his leg and then sealed it with a collagen plug so he could go home the next day. He also eats well and avoids all the garbage. I think it's just genetics when diet/exercise are in check.

 

[Nick1994]

Whoa! Glad to hear you're ok. I can't imagine what that must've been like to go through.

 

[PimTac]

Good to hear you are on the mend. Sometimes these things are genetic. If you have a family history of heart disease then that might be the case. The advancements in treating heart attacks in the last 10-15 years have been nothing short of amazing. They can actually stop the attack in the cath lab. Same with strokes. Time is the important factor. Good luck to you on the road to better health.

 

[JustN89]

Glad to hear that you were taken care of. Heart attacks are scary, no two ways about it. My dad had a heart attack last year (age 47), but he never knew. It happened while he was asleep and wasn't detected until he went into the doctor's office for a procedure completely unrelated to his heart. They noticed an abnormality in his heart beat and sure enough, he had had a heart attack. Scary stuff. Hope your new diet plans help.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Livers make cholesterol to patch up damaged arteries like the DPW in the high road. Then only if your eating non familiar synthetic fats in excess its YOUR fault. Stress is a major factor.

 

[John_K]

Originally Posted By: StevieC

Glad you are ok. I went through similar with my dad when he was in his early 60's Same pain, and they put a stent in one of his arteries... They did it through Angioplasty through an artery in his leg and then sealed it with a collagen plug so he could go home the next day. He also eats well and avoids all the garbage. I think it's just genetics when diet/exercise are in check.

My Dad was Jack LaLanne and Euell Gibbons rolled into one and he had clogged arteries so I think it is often genetic.

 

[ls1mike]

Glad to hear you are ok. That is really scary.

 

[AZjeff]

Glad you're still here. You didn't mention doing any regular exercise. Sounds like you've got the other concerns under control, cardio exercise is key. Good luck. A year ago my next door neighbor got up at 4 am to go to work, has a massive HA and died on his floor with his wife attempting CPR. He was on his feet all day and he took care of some properties on the side so he was active but wasn't getting "good" exercise. He was 50.

 

[dustyroads]

Glad you're okay. Scary stuff for you and your wife. I know a guy who's son died of a heart attack at 18 years of age. A healthy athlete that nobody would have suspected with a heart problem.

 

[Superflan]

Maybe I would understand, but likely not. I understood when I crashed my bike because I was obviously going too fast in a tight bend and I could have passed out because severe spleen rupture and emergency taking a while to get there... I’ll try not to hijack too much on the OP thread though

 

[Tosh]

Thanks for the warning, Jimmy! Yikes, at 53...

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

"All forms that perish, other forms supply, By turns we catch the vital breath and die"

 

[demarpaint]

Scary stuff for sure. Glad you're OK.

 

[Schmoe]

Dang!!!!! Glad to hear your alright.

 

[ZZman]

Whew.... Try adding some Mobil 1 oil to your diet to clean out the sludge.

 

[69GTX]

Glad you're ok Jimmy. I asked my doctor a year ago why don't they do routine scannings for blockages like this during an annual physical...or at least every 5-10 years once past 40-50? Unless you have enough risk factors piled up they just won't do it because of costs. In my case, they wasted money doing EKG tests on me the last 10 visits...why not just one look at the arteries instead? While I don't have all the negative markers they require, I've had higher blood pressure since my early 20's (now 63)...and for 10 years there I was 50 lbs over-weight and getting too little exercise. Today I'm much better at doing the right things the past 9 years though. I'd still love to know how my arteries look so that what happens to Jimmy, doesn't happen to others. It shouldn't have happened to Jimmy. Hey, they spend plenty of money doing colonoscopies and the sort, why not an occasional check of the arteries? Half of the heart disease out there has little to no relationship to cholesterol/diet. Isn't that worth picking up early?

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: Superflan

Life happens, sometimes unfortunately. Wife upset? Why?

She was scared and worried for her husband's well being. Spouses do that. At least mine did, when I had a TIA in my bedroom at 5 AM once.

 

[Tdbo]

Glad to hear that you are better, Jimmy. Diet and exercise can help, but sometimes, you can't beat genetics.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks for your replies and support. It was a scary and bad time. I am resting here at home, no idea when I will go back to work yet. I can't even drive until the cardiologists give me a clearance for it. My job has a high level of stress and pressure to meet deadlines and time standards, and my commute is pretty bad too. I don't know yet if I will go back to work or find another job. So far my boss and her boss have been very understanding and sympathetic, but the everyday stress could have had something to do with this. Unfortunately, I have very little family history to go on. I have never met my father, and my mother died of leukemia when I was 12. I was raised in a group home in Georgia. I know my mother's older brother my Uncle Harold had heart trouble and I am pretty sure my older brother had heart trouble and high blood pressure too, but he refused to get it treated. He committed suicide about 10 years ago. Maybe it is genetic in my case, but I have no way to find out. For now I will just follow doctor's orders and take it easy, then start a heart-healthy exercise program. I am very glad to be alive.