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So, I Had A Heart Attack

MFS62 Jun 25 2019 11:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 25 2019 11:44 AM

Was working around the yard, hauling bags of mulch, and felt pain in the throat and left arm. I knew they were classic signs of a heart attack and went to the emergency room. They inserted a catheter and looked at my heart and saw three blocked arteries(one fully blocked and two partially blocked). They will be treated with diet and exercise and I'm home now. Phew! Later

whippoorwill Jun 25 2019 11:32 AM Re: so, I Had A Heart Attack

What? I'm glad you checked it out!

Lefty Specialist Jun 25 2019 12:01 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Geez. Glad you're OK. (From now on, hire somebody to do the mulch.)

41Forever Jun 25 2019 12:05 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

So glad you knew the signs and got help. Godspeed on your recovery, my friend!

kcmets Jun 25 2019 12:14 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Glad you're ok too. Those bags weigh like 50 lbs, take it easy.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 25 2019 12:33 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

get well soon

Edgy MD Jun 25 2019 12:55 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Feel better. Good job recognizing the signs.

MFS62 Jun 25 2019 01:07 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Thank you all. Later

Frayed Knot Jun 25 2019 01:34 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Welcome to the club. New guy has to buy the beer for the next meeting. Yours sounds about as different from mine as they can be -- both the early warning signs (my first clue was waking up in a hospital several days later) and the specific conditions. Diet and exercise are always good, plus I'm sure you'll have a fistful of meds prescribed as well. Rest up.

MFS62 Jun 25 2019 01:45 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Yes, forgot to mention the meds. Lots of them, too. I'd make a joke about we both gotta' have heart, but that was a song in a show about the MFYs. Later

Lefty Specialist Jun 25 2019 01:45 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Rosie O'Donnell did a comedy special about her heart attack a few years ago. She cites a statistic that 90% of men call 911 when they first feel symptoms coming on and 75-80% of women do nothing (like she did, figuring it'd go away). That's an amazing statistic.

Frayed Knot Jun 25 2019 01:52 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Yeah, I think women have been conditioned to think that heart attacks don't happen to them, that they're strictly for the y-chromosome set and therefore their symptoms must be indicative of either something else or nothing much.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 25 2019 02:41 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

I figured it'd be the other way around because everybody knows that men are the bigger pussies when it comes to going to the doctor. Anyways, get well quick MFS62 and if I was you and was looking to ditch some stress, I'd keep the mulch. Ditch the Mets, instead.

Double Switch Jun 25 2019 02:56 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Lefty Specialist wrote: Rosie O'Donnell did a comedy special about her heart attack a few years ago. She cites a statistic that 90% of men call 911 when they first feel symptoms coming on and 75-80% of women do nothing (like she did, figuring it'd go away). That's an amazing statistic. Women's heart attack symptoms are not entirely the same as men's, so it's good to review this for the women in your life.

MFS62 Jun 25 2019 03:19 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=14136 time=1561495270 user_id=68] Anyways, get well quick MFS62 and if I was you and was looking to ditch some stress, I'd keep the mulch. Ditch the Mets, instead.

Thanks all. That was my wife's suggestion, too.

Later

Frayed Knot Jun 25 2019 03:26 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 26 2019 12:21 PM

I was going to mention the differing symptoms thing. Also, due to traditional roles throughout much of history, men tended to drive themselves towards more attacks: smoked more, drank more, ate worse, more likely to be in stressful and/or unhealthy job situations, etc. (probably all still the case although not as lopsidedly so in recent years) This tended to steer the medical community almost exclusively towards the study of men and heart attacks while acting as if there was little to nothing to be learned from doing the same about/for women. Ergo women often don't know what the signs are and doctors didn't always pick up on them even if they did.

Edgy MD Jun 25 2019 03:35 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

=MFS62 post_id=14125 time=1561491931 user_id=60] Yes, forgot to mention the meds. Lots of them, too. I'd make a joke about we both gotta' have heart, but that was a song in a show about the MFYs. Later

No sir. That was a song in a show about beating the Yankees.

MFS62 Jun 25 2019 03:37 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Good point. I'll blame it on the meds. Then FK, we gotta' have heart. Later

whippoorwill Jun 25 2019 04:39 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Lefty Specialist wrote: Rosie O'Donnell did a comedy special about her heart attack a few years ago. She cites a statistic that 90% of men call 911 when they first feel symptoms coming on and 75-80% of women do nothing (like she did, figuring it'd go away). That's an amazing statistic. That's a perfect description of how I'd be

Frayed Knot Jun 25 2019 08:05 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack Edited 3 time(s), most recently on Jun 26 2019 06:15 AM

This might be as good a time as any to advocate for as many of you as possible knowing, and being willing to administer, CPR. The folks who determine such stuff recently stopped recommending that mouth-to-mouth respiration be given in association with chest compressions after determining both that M-t-M made minimal difference and that it was probably keeping more folks from participating. So now that the SOP is chest compressions only it's easier than ever to know and to administer. Basically you just need to know two things: Hard and Fast. Hard - because all those years of evolution designed our rib cages to protect our hearts (and lungs) from idiots interfering with them. So you want stiff arms in order to get some body weight behind it (not with bent elbows using hand pressure like doctors on TV shows that allows them to continue to recite dialog). The worst thing you can do by pumping too hard is crack a rib or two and that's not such a bad thing (particularly given the alternative) as it might even give more play in the cage and make it easier to pump. Fast - because your compressions won't move the blood around as efficiently as normal heart pumps so the standard 70 or so beats per minute need to be jacked up to more like 100 bpm, a pace which is conveniently (and likely coincidentally although I've yet to check this out with Barry Gibb) right about the pace of the Bee Gee's STAYIN' ALIVE so that's an easy way to remember and maintain the proper pace. If you get tired (and you likely will) tell someone else what you're doing as you're doing it and have him/her take over for a minute or two and then switch back if necessary. This wouldn't have been applicable in MFS's case as his didn't involve a stopped heart and seems more like a case of blockage built-up over time until it signaled warning signs in advance of shutting down. But it almost certainly saved my can and you never know when it might come up. Even if you think you're not old enough and aren't a candidate (I didn't think I was either*) someone you know likely is or maybe even someone you don't know and just happen to be near. It's not hard, it's not complicated, and a person whose heart rhythm has been interrupted and has stopped breathing has, without quick attention, a life span measurable in minutes - as in single digit ones. The whole idea behind this is that manual compressions moves the already oxygenated blood around in order to keep the rest of the body (particularly that gray matter) from starting to die until the heart can be restarted. After calling 9-1-1, CPR is the first and most important thing you can do to make sure that that collapsed person has even a chance to survive. * my view that I was too young, too in shape, and far too good looking to have an M.I. wasn't matched by the doctors, although I'm not sure whether they were disagreeing with my medical knowledge or my self-assessment ... or possibly both

Frayed Knot Jun 25 2019 08:05 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 26 2019 05:59 AM

... avi wuz here

Double Switch Jun 25 2019 08:21 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Thank you for advice so good you posted it twice. Now I have Barry Gibb in my head (not that there's anything wrong with that) and am thrilled to learn I can skip the MtM part after dialing 9-1-1 and putting the phone on speaker so both arms are free to administer CPR. Obviously, I did not already know this, so what a day for great information.

Edgy MD Jun 26 2019 07:56 AM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

I had cause to be a responder at a cardiac collapse last year. Being Baltimore, this woman's companions' initial response in trying to revive her was to smack the shit out of her, bringing the attention of the Edgys and a couple of other denizens of the Home Depot parking lot. Fortunately, a legit paramedic stepped up and started in with the compressions — strong, locked elbows — while a Gold's Gym type dude made it clear to the companions that if they slapped the woman one more time, he would break their necks. I volunteered to do respirations, and as the paramedic said yes, I suddenly realized that I hadn't been trained since Boy Scouts, circa 1980. I resolved to fake it until I make it, or at least, until somebody more qualified than myself stepped up. Upon the first respiration, I had my second shock. My mouth hadn't been that intimate with anyone else's but my wife's for a LONG time. And the shock of a foreign pair of full lips, wide open and pressed hard against my own, robbed me of any force in my first breath. It seems stupid now, but I surprised myself by feeling a little dirty (and my wife was right there). It was nothing, but it was an unexpected thing that briefly threw self-conscious me off my game, nonetheless. So just be prepared for that when you get a chance to play hero. Fortunately, after two or three more breaths, I detected a faint exhale. And the paramedic stopped his compressions as he detected a somewhat strengthening pulse. We heard ambulance sirens in the distance and I just resolved to keep her airways wide open until the pros arrived with their medical shit. But then, as the adrenaline wore off, came surprise #3. Based on a more than a handful of outward signs, along with her sketchy-ass companions, this woman was a likely drug user, and this being Baltimore, likely an intravenous drug user. I started thinking, "Well, I guess I have to get me an HIV test, and keep my hands off my woman until I do." I went in a week later to my doctor and he said, "There's not really a quantifiable risk from that kind of contact, you Reagan-era, homophobic, AIDS paranoiac, but if it's keeping you up at night, sure, we can order a test." I trusted him and I passed on the test. But you know, I feel like you all have the right to know before you open any more of my posts.

HahnSolo Jun 26 2019 10:29 AM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Feel better man.

MFS62 Jun 26 2019 03:38 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

=HahnSolo post_id=14244 time=1561566582 user_id=63] Feel better man.

Thank you.

Later

MFS62 Jun 28 2019 01:33 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Just went to the cardiologist for my post-hospital checkup. Went to pick up my appointment for the next visit and to schedule my cardio rehab. The person checking me out had a Mets calendar and a Seaver poster. First time I've had a smile on my face for days. Later

whippoorwill Jun 28 2019 02:02 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

I'm glad :)

Frayed Knot Jun 28 2019 05:16 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

Cardio rehab was kinda fun. Well, at least useful if not quite flat-out fun. It's like a forced exercise program that not only eases you back into things but hopefully gets you into something you'll keep up on your own in order to avoid a future episode of whatever it was that put you there in the first place. The one I was in (and probably most others as well) have a work at your own pace thing to it. Obviously not every cardio patient is of the same age or had the same overall conditioning going in to his/her problem and certainly not the same coming out. Being younger and less compromised than most if not all in my class (despite nearly dying I came out of it essentially undamaged) it meant that I wasn't held back by some remedial in-chair "exercise" or some other type of thing which would have been of no use to me. I mean, yeah, I probably shouldn't have used all that as an excuse the time I kicked the cane out from under that old guy with his breathing apparatus and yelled "Move it Gramps!" when he was in my way on the indoor track, but I had a pace to keep up man!

MFS62 Jun 28 2019 05:38 PM Re: So, I Had A Heart Attack

So, that was YOUR picture on the wall. Later