So, I Had A Heart Attack On Sunday
No, this isn't one of my patented thread titles™
I was loading up some yard waste into the truck...it was hot as hell even at 10am...finished up, came inside to cool off...felt some soreness in my chest...then I felt some pain in my left armpit, then some pain in my left bicep, then forearm...instead of cooling off, my sweat got heavier...then I got some pain in my jaw...told my girlfriend I was going to lay down...took an aleeve as I was pretty certain I just strained something...
Eventually cooled off, aleeve kicked in, and a hot shower took care of the rest...sat down for lunch, turned on Redzone, fired up the Kindle and I was good to go...slight little chest pain again in the third quarter, but hell, you dont heal a heart attack with a hot shower...
Monday, head to work, no issues...later in the morning I'm in the staircase heading for the third floor and there's that damn twinge again...then later in the day sitting at my desk another twinge...ok, this isn't cool...but, I felt better after a shower...
Tuesday morning, I thought about all the people who previously ignored symptoms like I had...even those who didn't ignore their symptoms and ended up in an early grave...so my girlfriend showers, I shower, as she is getting ready I ask her to take me to the hospital...I get admitted...two hours later I'm in the Cath lab getting a stint...80% blockage in my RCA...
Scary Part 1) had I waited another week, I probably wouldn't be typing this...
Scary Part 2) had I seen a cardiologist a week earlier, he would have given me a clean bill of health. I had a full workup down three months ago with my pcp...
So, for the next year or so I'll be supporting the pharmaceutical industry...glad I've got great insurance...
Bottom line, don't ignore the warning signs.
@"BarrNone55" said: I think my next moniker will be "Tough To Kill"...two time cancer survivor and now this...Lol...Tough old bird. Sorry to hear it, but at the same time, glad to hear it....you know what I mean? Scary.
Yeah, it still hasn't set in...like it happened to someone else..but, as I look at the small pharmacy on the bathroom counter, it's starting to get a bit real...
@"BarrNone55" said: That's the weird thing, I pretty much felt fine afterwards...I think that's why it's so easy to ignore what's going on...it's wasn't a chest grabbing, "Elizabeth I'm coming " type thing...felt more like muscle soreness two days out from a heavy workout...Thanks for the fred flashback! =)
A good lesson for all, even if it doesn't seem like much get it checked out. My dad was to the point of being pale and always weak and drowsy when he went in and they had to do a triple bypass with a valve replacement. Turned out he had suffered "many" small attacks, what ever the hell that meant, but he was barely alive when they got started.
Hard to kill huh...I think we will call you mason storm
What a close call Barr!!!! I imagine the shock of the situation is still fresh for you, but I'm so glad you chose to not ignore those signs. I also hope you are relaxing and taking care of you right now, sitting back and taking life a little slower, enjoying things.
Bob Harper is a testament to the very sobering fact that absolutely anyone can have a heart attack, even someone in incredible shape (which is what saved his life for sure).
@"BarrNone55" said: I think my next moniker will be "Tough To Kill"...two time cancer survivor and now this...Lol...if you were a cat youd have six lives left.
@"AGRforever" said:Plenty to take him deep into old age! :)@"BarrNone55" said: I think my next moniker will be "Tough To Kill"...two time cancer survivor and now this...Lol... if you were a cat youd have six lives left.
@"BarrNone55" said: That's the weird thing, I pretty much felt fine afterwards...I think that's why it's so easy to ignore what's going on...it's wasn't a chest grabbing, "Elizabeth I'm coming " type thing...felt more like muscle soreness two days out from a heavy workout...Face death and still give us a good flashback laugh (tho you may have missed many under a certain age..) Glad you are OK, thanks for the warning.
This is the scary part:
had I seen a cardiologist a week earlier, he would have given me a clean bill of health. I had a full workup down three months ago with my pcp...We like to think getting checked makes us "safe" for a while, clearly it doesn't. BTW, what do you mean by pcp? Assuming you don't mean angel dust.
That's scary, for sure. Good thing you listened to yourself & went to hospital.
@"BarrNone55" said: That's the weird thing, I pretty much felt fine afterwards...I think that's why it's so easy to ignore what's going on...it's wasn't a chest grabbing, "Elizabeth I'm coming " type thing...felt more like muscle soreness two days out from a heavy workout...Be grateful it wasnt the widow maker as they call it. Hope you got a good set of medical staff giving you great advice moving forward
Thank god things went ok. Heart attacks can be so subtle. I bet you’ll be Johnny on the spot if it happens again! Such things are an eye opener. I had a small stroke in March and fortunately went in immediately. I lost some left side vision for a short time and went deaf on the left side so I figured something was up! Turns out I have a genetic clotting issue that makes me clot extremely fast. I use to think it was pretty cool to heal so quick but it turns out it’s a bad deal! Long story short, my already pile of drugs became bigger. I ended up so lucky too and have come out of it well. Had serious fatigue for 4-6 weeks after but other than some movement issues with my left leg all is good.
Happy to read you are doing well.
@"BarrNone55" said: I think my next moniker will be "Tough To Kill"...two time cancer survivor and now this...Lol...BAgoesfor50+
Good think you are a tough old bastard. Glad you came through.
Damn dude. I skipped over this thread several times assuming the title was just the typical BN hyperbole or pun. I was a bit shocked when I started reading it and it was really about you having an actual heart attack. Scary stuff.
And thanks for posting this. I'm the same way - just ignore whatever the latest old-age body breakdown symptom is and assume it will pass in time. I guess the stick-head-in-sand strategy has its limits.
Very scary, glad to hear you made it to the hospital before something really serious happened. Best of luck with the recovery and everything moving forward
Wow. I normally don't click on the "change o' title threads"... didn't think Sundays game was that close... but finally did on this one. Glad you got checked out... only a man would think a shower would fix heart attack symptoms... =)
What did they suggest giving up to prevent future blockages?
@"BarrNone55" said: That's the weird thing, I pretty much felt fine afterwards...I think that's why it's so easy to ignore what's going on...it's wasn't a chest grabbing, "Elizabeth I'm coming " type thing...felt more like muscle soreness two days out from a heavy workout...Reading this (and your original post of course) is disturbing. I was visiting my dad in MN last summer and as we're eating dinner he started coughing. Stops eating and kind of sits hunched in his chair. At first I'm laughing because I thought something went down the wrong tube but then I realize it has nothing to do with food. He's not coughing now, and his face is completely red. When I saw he was sweating profusely (I mean like it was beading on the tip of his nose) I realized something was wrong. And then he goes, "I can't get any air in. My chest feels tight."
I went to grab the phone and call an ambulance but he got really pissed and - hate to say it - convinced me not to. Starts going, "It's not a heart attack! Stop it!" Has a happy ending since he's "fine" today, but I've always wondered if it was a minor one.
@"BarrNone55" said: Primary care physician...Good answer because you have no need for angel dust right now.
@"Bezerker88" said:Wow. I normally don't click on the "change o' title threads"... didn't think Sundays game was that close... but finally did on this one. Glad you got checked out... only a man would think a shower would fix heart attack symptoms... =)What did they suggest giving up to prevent future blockages?
I'm on Plavicx, which will help prevent further plaque build up and MIGHT reduce existing build up...Mayo is saying there are some non prescription supplements that have shown to reduce plaque...I follow up in a month and we'll get a better idea for a plan going forward...I'm cutting down obvious things to be more healthy...
@"KingBash" said:@"BarrNone55" said: That's the weird thing, I pretty much felt fine afterwards...I think that's why it's so easy to ignore what's going on...it's wasn't a chest grabbing, "Elizabeth I'm coming " type thing...felt more like muscle soreness two days out from a heavy workout... Reading this (and your original post of course) is disturbing. I was visiting my dad in MN last summer and as we're eating dinner he started coughing. Stops eating and kind of sits hunched in his chair. At first I'm laughing because I thought something went down the wrong tube but then I realize it has nothing to do with food. He's not coughing now, and his face is completely red. When I saw he was sweating profusely (I mean like it was beading on the tip of his nose) I realized something was wrong. And then he goes, "I can't get any air in. My chest feels tight."I went to grab the phone and call an ambulance but he got really pissed and - hate to say it - convinced me not to. Starts going, "It's not a heart attack! Stop it!" Has a happy ending since he's "fine" today, but I've always wondered if it was a minor one.
Stubborn old bastards need to be dragged in by their hair because they will die first before getting help.
Sorry to hear Barr, glad you caught it and are feeling ok!
It's a good time for a Vikings 42 Packers 6 ass kicking tomorrow!
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