It didn't FEEL like a heart attack!

[GinMame]

Hello Chuck,

I've been reading this thread with increasing interest as I go along. First, let me say that I'm glad to learn that your on the mend after all that you've gone through.

Secondly, let me say a big THANK YOU, for sharing all of this with us on the forums. I am 51 with a little extra tonnage and a high stress life over the past 10 or so years. I've been working slowly at making changes to diet, exercise, and lifestyle so that I can increase my chances live a long and energetic life. In fact, one of the reasons that the wife and I are getting into Airstreaming is to get away from all of the stress and learn to actually relax, there are days however when I wonder if the changes are even working... Yet, after reading your posting and those of our fellow Airstreamers, I have been able find the encouragement that I needed to keep up with the changes that I've made.

Thanks a million and best wishes for a continued smooth recovery and many many years of Airstream adventures.

Rion

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Warning for men with a hairy chest; Make sure that you shave your chest before getting an EKG. The most pain that I have ever had in my life, was while trying to remove those EKG pads. I think that they use super glue on them. The VET has adhesive remover to remove sticky tapes from my dog, but the human doctors just have you TRY to remove them.

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by bwoodtx

No, Skye, Please no tofu and bean sprouts at the Christmas rally!!

Just bring that cake you made last year. I'll eat Chuck's piece to keep him healthy for ya.

Skye says don't worry Bruce. I am not a tofu eater. For me, that is a big yuck. The flourless chocolate cake will be at the rally. (and now that we tested the oven, she may make it on site!)
Oh, and the coffee porter will also be there.

And I know...the trick is everything in moderation. My son-in-law asked Skye yesterday if the diet I am on is "horrible". The answer is NOT AT ALL. An "AIRSTREAM HEART DIET" (my new term for it because I figure it keeps me Streaming a lot longer) is awesome. Good food, great tastes, just very limited on fats, sugars and salt. And honestly fellow streamers, once you get started eating right and don't try to do too much at once, it really is easy to keep going. Oh and I just saw a portion of an info-mercial for a workout called "Insanity". People, that looks insane. I'm no body builder, walking and minor weights is as far as I want to go. But when I do go insane, I may give those folks a call!

[Gene]

Bob, they did shave my chest when they did a stress test and it happened so fast, I couldn't stop them. The problem is that shaving makes for microcuts and those are an invitation to infection. The stress test was done at a hospital across the street from the doctor's office. Hospitals are a good place to get an infection. Studies show it is better not to shave.

As for tofu, it can be part of a healthy, tasty and good meal. You have to be open to new things when you change your diet and it can take time to get used to anything. Imagine if you were raised a vegetarian and had to get used to meat. When I was introduced to tofu (bean curd in Chinese restaurants, but I didn't know that at the time; the word "tofu" is Japanese) by a girl friend almost 40 years ago, I didn't like it. After a while I realized I didn't like it because she was pushing it on me; once I realized that, it was fine. Changing attitudes is hard too.

Gene

[bwoodtx]

In light of the fact on how this thread started, i.e. Chuck's refusal to believe there might be something wrong, I saw this billboard while driving back from Ingleside, TX and it struck a chord. Now then Mods, I am NOT shouting, just capitalizing for emphasis. The billborad was as follows:

THOUSANDS OF MEN WILL DIE THIS YEAR FROM STUBBORNESS

And yes, it was an ad for male health awareness.

Makes a good point, huh?

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by bwoodtx

In light of the fact on how this thread started, i.e. Chuck's refusal to believe there might be something wrong, I saw this billboard while driving back from Ingleside, TX and it struck a chord. Now then Mods, I am NOT shouting, just capitalizing for emphasis. The billborad was as follows:

THOUSANDS OF MEN WILL DIE THIS YEAR FROM STUBBORNESS

And yes, it was an ad for male health awareness.

Makes a good point, huh?

How dare you call me stubborn Bruce! I still contend that I was plain ol stupid.
Back at work for 4 days now. Only needed 1 dose of nitro so far. Getting stronger every day. Stairs are still a bit harder than I expected so I use the elevator a lot. Baby steps...
Love the billboard!

[ALANSD]

Visit the site at trackyourPlaque.com. Dr William Davis is a well respected cardiologist...you can lean how to avoid stents, and cure heart disease while getting Off drugs. Do yourselves a favor it's great info.

[Savage68]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

Visit the site at trackyourPlaque.com. Dr William Davis is a well respected cardiologist...you can lean how to avoid stents, and cure heart disease while getting Off drugs. Do yourselves a favor it's great info.

Also, for all Vietnam vets: In 2008 I had my wake up call w a small heart attack which gave me a stent but then I found out it was caused by exposure to agent orange!
I am officially disabled due to that (a %anyways).

We eat very carefully, grow a lot of out own food, eat local, exercise and yoga! Wake up call time!

[ALANSD]

At 61 I went on low carb, adding more greens and other veggies to my diet. More good fats and absolutely no junk food, no wheat, little grains of any kind. I lowered my blood pressure to 115/70, took 15 lbs off an already reasonably trim body ( I am at my college weight) and added muscle with protein and a solid strength training routine.
I supplement with fish oil, vitamin K2, DHEA, COQ10 and feel great. Heart disease is in my genes from so many family members who died young due to stroke and heart attack. I hope to go for many more healthy years.

My point is with a little work and some real attention to diet, exercise and the correct supplements, you can avoid being stuck on a ration of prescription pills for the rest of your life.

[casa3805]

This thread has shown me that there are so many others out there with similar, or much worse, experiences. But I think we are onto a great part of it now. How to manage that diet. I had actually started eating healthy before the first one and have now lost 20 pounds. I am lucky to be married to a woman who is an excellent cook. She can look into a pantry or a refrigerator and dream up meals that are so healthy and soooo good. I only see peanut butter, ketchup, and olives when I look. Proper diet and exercise is the key. Boring, old, tired theme, I know...but I don't want to be stupid again.

Here is what a heart attack did to my thought processes. I no longer feel a pain and go "Aww, that's nothing." I can't help but jump to worst case and try to work back from there. Case in point;
Today I was in an early morning meeting. I had called it. As we held our meeting, I started to get hot. Really hot. Sweaty hot! And I am thinking, this is one of the symptoms I had during the heart attacks. I need to get my nitro handy, maybe I need to excuse myself now! But then I heard someone outside the office say "Has anyone put in a trouble call to get the Air-Conditioning fixed?" Jeeminey Cricket.....

It is good to be alive!

[52TailGunner]

I had my first heart attack on Aug 12, 1993. At first I thought I had the flu - upset stomach, felt like I was running a fever. I drove home from work at 10 am, fell into bed, woke up at 4:30, wife drove me to doctor, then hospital, they operated on me at 5:30. I've had 7 more attacks and sixteen procedures since.

Now we know the cause - Celiac Spru (Wheat gluten intolerance). Caused inflamed arteries. I haven't had any problems since the diagnosis (5 years).

Symptoms can vary widely. If it feels wrong - don't chance it - get medical help!

Thank you lord for allowing me to KEEP ON CAMPING!

Gary

[the_ugly1]

thank God you found out what it was. Glad your still around to camp.

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by 52TailGunner

I had my first heart attack on Aug 12, 1993. At first I thought I had the flu - upset stomach, felt like I was running a fever. I drove home from work at 10 am, fell into bed, woke up at 4:30, wife drove me to doctor, then hospital, they operated on me at 5:30. I've had 7 more attacks and sixteen procedures since.

Now we know the cause - Celiac Spru (Wheat gluten intolerance). Caused inflamed arteries. I haven't had any problems since the diagnosis (5 years).

Symptoms can vary widely. If it feels wrong - don't chance it - get medical help!

Thank you lord for allowing me to KEEP ON CAMPING!

Gary

So glad you made it thru the multiple heart attacks and procedures. You may have just helped me out some. At my last post all was progressing well, since then, pulse has dropped to low 40's, and we are trying to get it back up to something normal by adjusting meds. Stop this one, stop that one, add this new one, if BP goes up then double up on this other one... kind of mind boggling. And the BP/Pulse are not yet right. Pacemaker is the new buzzword I am hearing in the Dr's office...Still get minor pains in my chest and meds are not making a difference in that. I get tired very easily. Wore a heart monitoring harness for a day, back in for stress test today, blood work to check on thyroids and potassium. Ugh... Adjusted my hours at work, only working half days now. Have taken only one short trip in the Airstream since it all began and I think Soldier Medic and his wife were pretty worried and looked ready to spring into action as they watched the heat take a toll on me. (Thanks for the concern Steve and Amy!)
I am going to research the gluten issues. From my first glance, it looks like a difficult diet, but if needed...
Fellow Streamers, Heart Attacks are nasty, life altering, events. Please don't be stupid like I was.
Thanks for the post Gary! So glad you made it.

[LJH]

We are so glad you made it Chuck!That was a close one. Great info too. Mary +Larry

[Gypsy Jo]

Chuck
I hope they get everything worked out for you and you start feeling better.
I don't think you were stupid you are still alive.
Jo

[benjisgal]

Originally Posted by casa3805

So glad you made it thru the multiple heart attacks and procedures. You may have just helped me out some. At my last post all was progressing well, since then, pulse has dropped to low 40's, and we are trying to get it back up to something normal by adjusting meds. Stop this one, stop that one, add this new one, if BP goes up then double up on this other one... kind of mind boggling. And the BP/Pulse are not yet right. Pacemaker is the new buzzword I am hearing in the Dr's office...Still get minor pains in my chest and meds are not making a difference in that. I get tired very easily. Wore a heart monitoring harness for a day, back in for stress test today, blood work to check on thyroids and potassium. Ugh... Adjusted my hours at work, only working half days now. Have taken only one short trip in the Airstream since it all began and I think Soldier Medic and his wife were pretty worried and looked ready to spring into action as they watched the heat take a toll on me. (Thanks for the concern Steve and Amy!)
I am going to research the gluten issues. From my first glance, it looks like a difficult diet, but if needed...
Fellow Streamers, Heart Attacks are nasty, life altering, events. Please don't be stupid like I was.
Thanks for the post Gary! So glad you made it.

My healthy, 52-year old brother was experiencing similar symptoms and was just diagnosed with giant cell myocarditis. The outlook is grim. He has a life vest right now. It still is all new to us. What is so earth-shattering to me--it seems there are not many options out there except heart transplantation to prolong life. For the short-term, immunosuppression drugs and steroids---only to hold on for heart transplantation. The difficulty is to find a heart.

[casa3805]

Thanks for going on this roller coaster with me folks. I know this thread is a hard read. Aluminum is a great healer though. I'm pretty sure it is a scientific fact!
Great visit with Dr. today. No Pacemaker in my future.
Basically, I've been told to step up the exercise from 3 times a week to a daily thing. Moderate exercise, don't try to do a marathon, but get in at least a half hour every day.
I am soooo ready to go camping! Really, I can't wait to go further than 30 minutes from home. And I can see that on the horizon now!!

So once again, thanks for listening, and as always, pay close attention when your body is screaming at you. Don't be stupid like I was!

[xrvr]

glad to here the good news and thanks for the advise. Jim

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by casa3805

Thanks for going on this roller coaster with me folks. I know this thread is a hard read. Aluminum is a great healer though. I'm pretty sure it is a scientific fact!
Great visit with Dr. today. No Pacemaker in my future.
Basically, I've been told to step up the exercise from 3 times a week to a daily thing. Moderate exercise, don't try to do a marathon, but get in at least a half hour every day.
I am soooo ready to go camping! Really, I can't wait to go further than 30 minutes from home. And I can see that on the horizon now!!

So once again, thanks for listening, and as always, pay close attention when your body is screaming at you. Don't be stupid like I was!

Lance and I were discussing a Thanksgiving get together..

[casa3805]

OK with me. I will have to check with the wifey. Somewhere in your direction? Although this is the time to be at the beach. Blanco is right after Thanksgiving so it will be tricky tricky to pull off both of them so close together. But if there is a way....we should do it.