It didn't FEEL like a heart attack!

[Foiled Again]

Clearing brush - buy a couple of goats. Also Mow and Fertilize!

Don't wanna keep them? Say "mutton" and eat them!

Your blood pressure will be "all over the place" for a while - and if you smoke or need to lose 50 lbs you'll have to deal with fluctuations while you're getting off the ciggies and losing the weight. You're working toward a "new normal" - it's a process and takes time.

Best wishes for a continued smooth recovery! Paula

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Clearing brush - buy a couple of goats. Also Mow and Fertilize!

Don't wanna keep them? Say "mutton" and eat them!

Your blood pressure will be "all over the place" for a while - and if you smoke or need to lose 50 lbs you'll have to deal with fluctuations while you're getting off the ciggies and losing the weight. You're working toward a "new normal" - it's a process and takes time.

Best wishes for a continued smooth recovery! Paula

LOL all good advice! Love the goat thing. I may actually have to look into that. I see them for sale all the time right down the road.
Irony...I went on a heart healthy diet about a month and a half before the heart attack. Had lost 11 pounds (now 14). So the diet does not really change much for me. Not a smoker, cholesterol is fine. May have a sugar problem though. Guess I get more info on that this week.
Thanks for the wishes...

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

You Guys are scaring the ----- out of me! Most likely educating me. I have to go out this AM and clear brush, mow, water, trash, and polish a bit on the Curtis. 105 forecast and I live more than a 30 minute flight from any good hospital.

I know right! bottom line is the brush clearing, mowing, polishing all still has to happen. And you can't do it all in winter because that is our camping season in Texas... Definitely not trying to scare, but if you happen to feel a strange symptom...don't be stupid like me.

[Max Well]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

You Guys are scaring the ----- out of me! Most likely educating me. I have to go out this AM and clear brush, mow, water, trash, and polish a bit on the Curtis. 105 forecast and I live more than a 30 minute flight from any good hospital.

It's just not worth it to fight this heat. I'm thinking margarita and air conditioning!

Ken

[soldiermedic]

Chuck,

Sugar can be a huge problem, and I have it as well. I used to drink a ton of regular sodas. Two and a half years ago, my doctor told me my triglycerides (fat) in the blood was over 500. You want it under 200 to be heart healthy. I asked why and he told me that since my body couldn't use all the sugar I was drinking, it turned to fat. Add this to being type A, and having the stress of school and he said I was due for a heart attack or stroke within 5-10 years. I have since switched only to diet soda, but have been reading many research articles showing how diet soda sweeteners are largely increasing blood sugars and cholesterol....time for a new plan. Reducing sweets will definitely help in the long run.

Steve

[michelle50]

so glad that you are on the road to recovery-very wise words of advice for everyone. thank you-you may be saving someone's life right now. Get well soon.

[SilverRanger]

Chuck,
Thanks for sharing your experience, and that all heart attacks are not alike. That's important. I know, from experience, about second chances. Fortunately, I didn't have a heart attack. A few years ago, I worked out routinely (and still do), but it seemed to be getting harder each day. It began with some pain in my throat, and longer recovery times. But, after a short time, I felt normal. I thought I was getting out of shape so, like an idiot, I increased my workout, and it got worse. After a particular hard workout, I decided to schedule an appointment with my doctor. Long story short, I got a stent because of a major blockage. I learned a lot from that, and hope that others learn from your experience.
Good to know you're doing well.
Thanks again.

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by michelle50

so glad that you are on the road to recovery-very wise words of advice for everyone. thank you-you may be saving someone's life right now. Get well soon.

Wouldn't that be something. Wow.

Originally Posted by SilverRanger

Chuck,
Thanks for sharing your experience, and that all heart attacks are not alike. That's important. I know, from experience, about second chances. Fortunately, I didn't have a heart attack. A few years ago, I worked out routinely (and still do), but it seemed to be getting harder each day. It began with some pain in my throat, and longer recovery times. But, after a short time, I felt normal. I thought I was getting out of shape so, like an idiot, I increased my workout, and it got worse. After a particular hard workout, I decided to schedule an appointment with my doctor. Long story short, I got a stent because of a major blockage. I learned a lot from that, and hope that others learn from your experience.
Good to know you're doing well.
Thanks again.

Sounds like you caught it though. I think that is the point. Listen to your body and get your butt in there to be checked! You did like me, waited too long. I am afraid there are a lot of us out there.
Stents rock!

Originally Posted by Max Well

It's just not worth it to fight this heat. I'm thinking margarita and air conditioning!

Ken

mmmmm air conditioning!

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

Chuck,

Sugar can be a huge problem, and I have it as well. I used to drink a ton of regular sodas. Two and a half years ago, my doctor told me my triglycerides (fat) in the blood was over 500. You want it under 200 to be heart healthy. I asked why and he told me that since my body couldn't use all the sugar I was drinking, it turned to fat. Add this to being type A, and having the stress of school and he said I was due for a heart attack or stroke within 5-10 years. I have since switched only to diet soda, but have been reading many research articles showing how diet soda sweeteners are largely increasing blood sugars and cholesterol....time for a new plan. Reducing sweets will definitely help in the long run.

Steve

I had basically quit the sodas a month or two back. Funny, "there is an app for that...." I am an analyst by profession, so I love charts and numbers. (data to be more precise) There is a free app for your phone called "MY FITNESS PAL." That thing is cool. Set up your desired weight and timeframe to get there and it shows you your calories to make that happen. When you eat, you can scan the barcode and it automatically tracks all the nutritional values for you. Once you scan a soda, and see the numbers, it is dang hard to drink it! If no barcode, type it in. Like a McDonalds cheesburger. It will show you all the nutritional values (or lack of) that is associated with the product. So I have been using this for a while. (it was free remember!) Skye bought me the FIT BIT PLUS which is a glorified pedometer. Tracks steps, stairs, calories, sleep times, etc...and synchs back up with the app My fitness pal. Combined, they work well. You now have charts and graph to show weight loss, nutritional consumption, sleep times, and so much more. That works for me. Now I use it for tracking salt and sugars instead of focusing on weight. But bottom line, I lost 14 pounds in < 2 months. (and I also had a heart attack!)
And Steve, I happen to love chocolate!
So..no matter what you do, it can still happen, don't be stupid like me! Go to the Dr if you feel something weird.

[Skatiero]

Thank God you are okay. How scary!

[Lily&Me]

How frightening! Glad you are okay, and thanks for all the info.


Maggie

[bonginator]

So glad you found out in time and got the care you need.

Thanks for starting this thread. It is great info for everyone.

And for the women who may be reading this, here is a link to recognizing the signs of heart attack in women which are different than men's symptoms and also frequently ignored...

Cardiac Symptoms in Women

[casa3805]

Well,
Cardiologist gave me a full release to go back to work whenever I want. Which I have decided is NOT next week. Think I am going to take a week, now that the worries and stress are over and just spend it with my DW. She is in Wisconsin, speading the ashes of her Mom and Dad (a trip the Docs advised me not to take, even if it had been in the planning stages for a year) We will take a week to try and recharge each other and just absorb what has happened in the last couple of weeks. Dr also stated I had NO permanent damage to my heart. Unreal, I am a lucky guy.

Please dear Streamers....Don't be stupid like I was. It's kinda scary! (as others have also related) I had just turned 59 and I looked for every possible thing except a heart attack. Wrong ! ! I need to shift that thinking process a bit.

Ahh well...One more thing I can scratch from my bucket list. (-:

[SilverRanger]

Congratulations on the good news from the cardiologist, Chuck. Hoping you have a speedy recovery.

[Wooden Rivet]

Chuck,

Sure am glad you came out good.Keep on rocking.Hope to meet you guys someday.

Tom

[clbolt]

I'm glad you got to the hospital, and that you're on the road to recovery. I thought I'd share this story, because it also happened in Corpus Christi...

30 Years ago next month (July 19, 1982), I was visiting my dad, who was a police officer on the CCPD. He was at work when I got a call from his best friend asking me to come pick dad up. Apparently, my father had some sort of seizure and briefly lost consciousness. When the ambulance arrived, he was awake, and refused to ride to the hospital.

I got there, and my dad's friend made me promise that I'd take him straight to Memorial hospital. The problem was that I didn't know where Memorial was, I only knew how to get to Spohn. Dad said not to worry about it, he'd call his doctor, take a shower, and we'd go later. Later never came. I got him to the house, he made a few phone calls, complained about being nauseous, and then dropped dead.

He was 45 years old, and I was 17. I knew CPR, and started immediately. The ambulance showed up, and they worked on him for a half hour. THere just wasn't anything that could be done, and the next day I was planning a funeral.

I was on edge the entire year I was 45. I have the advantage of not smoking 3 packs of Salems a day, and of not drinking 5 6 packs of Lone Star a day. Still, I was never so relieved as the day I turned 46.

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by clbolt

I'm glad you got to the hospital, and that you're on the road to recovery. I thought I'd share this story, because it also happened in Corpus Christi...

30 Years ago next month (July 19, 1982), I was visiting my dad, who was a police officer on the CCPD. He was at work when I got a call from his best friend asking me to come pick dad up. Apparently, my father had some sort of seizure and briefly lost consciousness. When the ambulance arrived, he was awake, and refused to ride to the hospital.

I got there, and my dad's friend made me promise that I'd take him straight to Memorial hospital. The problem was that I didn't know where Memorial was, I only knew how to get to Spohn. Dad said not to worry about it, he'd call his doctor, take a shower, and we'd go later. Later never came. I got him to the house, he made a few phone calls, complained about being nauseous, and then dropped dead.

He was 45 years old, and I was 17. I knew CPR, and started immediately. The ambulance showed up, and they worked on him for a half hour. THere just wasn't anything that could be done, and the next day I was planning a funeral.

I was on edge the entire year I was 45. I have the advantage of not smoking 3 packs of Salems a day, and of not drinking 5 6 packs of Lone Star a day. Still, I was never so relieved as the day I turned 46.

I think that is exactly the point of the thread. Why the heck do we try so hard to tuff it out? We men are a very strange breed indeed! 17 and 45. Definitely a story that will stick with you for life. Thanks for sharing and so glad you are still kicking!

[HHaase]

I tell you, your body just KNOWS when something is off. Sometimes it just takes a while for the brain to recognize it. Mine always lets me know when I'm getting too much sugar with recurring headaches, and same with when I get dehydrated..... just a different headache.

I'm only a youngster by the standards on this forum, but I keep a close eye on my blood pressure and cholesterol at the tender age of 36 here. I've already lost Grandpa to a heart attack on my 16th birthday, my Uncle survived a number of heart issues (1 attack, two valve replacements).... then there's Dad! He was dealing with some high blood pressure issues, so they scheduled him from an angiogram. They told him two things when he finished it. First was "my god, look at the scars on your heart, I can't believe you survived a heart attack that massive." Looking back, he THINKS he knew when that occured, but isn't certain. The second thing they said was "we're going to get a transport to a different hospital, you're getting a quadruple bypass today".

Another close friend of Dad wasn't feeling well, and at the first signs of symptoms scheduled a cardiologist appointment. His heart attack came in the waiting room, talk about lucky.

So even though the doctors call me healty, I still get my regular checkups and keep an eye on my health all the time.

-Hans

[casa3805]

So, Doctors released me to go back to work, concrete work was finished in the yard and I was ready to go pull our Airstream out of the neighbors yard and bring it back home. We decided to celebrate my recovery and go watch a movie. Wrong...2/3rds of the way thru the movie (Savages) it all started over again. (exactly 1 month after the initial heart attack) So we go outside, I try to open the little bottle of Nitro and could not get it open, neither could Skye, we had to ask a passerby to open it. (Lesson 1 Get new container. DONE) Took a nitro pill and started towards the ER, had taken 3 by the time we got there and 911 called the hospital to let them know we were en-route. They were ready for us. And we do it all again, but this time they think it was a spasm on an artery caused by the trauma of the first visit. More meds and back home.
So...I guess this could keep sneaking up on me but I definitely learned from the first one. We got out of the movie and did everything right this time. No more waiting around and hoping it is something else. I was stupid once, but not again...
And I am tired of looking at my Airtream in my neighbors yard. That is coming home today (or maybe tomorrow).. I am afraid that watching Skye try to back that thing into our driveway might just do it for me.
Please listen to your body folks, it will warn you.

[mccrosti]

First, thank the good Lord that all of you came out on the other side somewhat intact. My Dad suffered a fatal heart attack at age 59 in 1989. There was nothing they could do for him. I am 57 and use VA care for my medical issues. My question to ya'll is this: How do you determine that you might be a candidate for a heart attack? What I mean by this is are there signs that manifest well in advance of heart issues? Dad was a heavy smoker and drinker, and I KNOW that those are huge issues when it comes to heart related episodes, and while I don't smoke nor drink soda I am getting to *that* age when you start looking forward and wondering "what if.."

Thanks for this non -Airstream conversation, it *is* relevant.

Dave

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by mccrosti

My Dad suffered a fatal heart attack at age 59 in 1989. There was nothing they could do for him. I am 57 and use VA care for my medical issues. My question to ya'll is this: How do you determine that you might be a candidate for a heart attack? What I mean by this is are there signs that manifest well in advance of heart issues?

Thanks for this non -Airstream conversation, it *is* relevant.

Dave

First and foremost I am not a Dr. Did not even sleep at a Holiday INN Express (I think the Airstream is way cooler anyway) So I can only tell you what happened to me. I was getting warning signs for about a week. Shortness of breath, pain in chest, and it felt like severe gas build up, like I really needed to burp. But as soon as I quit walking and sat down it all went away. So I looked for all kinds of other reasons. I am also 59. In hindsight, all those were pretty good indicators of a heart attack on the way. But I doubt everyone gets a week of warnings. I sure did not on the second one.
The Dr's all ask the same 3 things.
1: Do you, or have you ever, smoked? How long have you been stopped and how long did you smoke?
2: Do you have any stress in your life?
3: Do you have a family history of heart disease?

I am heavy (but not obese) and they never mention weight to me. Sometimes they ask if I drink but often it is not even a question.
In my case it was probably family history. "Probably". My mothers side has significant issues with heart disease.
So again, I need to say I am not a DR. But I think they can run some pretty simple tests to see if you have been having any issues with your heart.
Can't wait to get back in our Airstream.

[Gypsy Jo]

Please anybody that thinks they are having a bad gas attack as Chuck describes go to the doctor or emergency room.
My best friend, S.O. past away on Saturday from an apparent heart attack .
He had had symptoms but he had always had gas problems . I even told him about Chucks experience He did not take it seriously.Now he's gone.

So PLEASE if you have the symptoms it is better to go to the Dr. even if it turns out to be a gas attack better save than gone.
Jo