So where does one start with a blog like this? Well let me start off by saying that I’m intending this blog to get some dialog started about health issues, primarily the heart, but whatever you may find relevant to post.
Lets start off with a question and my story.
Is 43 to young for a heart attack? Obviously not since I’m writing this.
It was a week ago today. Yes, one week ago. June 14,2011. I woke at 11:30pm with the most horrific chest pain. I play hockey and have always been a physical person so my pain tolerance is very high, just work through it was my motto. Well there was no working through this. This was pain so intense that A) it woke me up, B)had me fighting for breath, C)had me speechless, and finally D) reduced me to tears.
I shouldn’t say it all started a week ago, because that’s not 100% accurate. My current life change started a week ago, but my situation started years ago.
First of all, I’ve more or less lived the last 23+ years on a carte blanche attitude with my health. As long as I felt okay, no worries. First if you’re living that lifestyle right now, let me just say that you are most likely a ticking time bomb.
I ate pretty much what I wanted, I went on diets here and there and my weight toggled up and down from time to time, but never obese or severely overweight. I really like food, so diets never lasted more than 6 to 9 months. I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol in my late 20’s and was on and off meds since then. I also like to drink, I enjoyed cocktail hour, love a glass of wine, a good beer, just sometimes a little too much, a little too often. Now on top of all that here is the real kicker I smoked, with a few exceptions when I quit for as long as a year, pretty much the last 24 years.
My cardiologist commented to me after surgery, not the worst he’s seen but pretty bad for a 43 year old. And guess what he said when I asked why so bad? “Smoking” Smoking as bad as it is and we have all seen the commercials, PSA’s, read stories, seen news reports, but really never looked into it real hard and deep. The progression of cardiac issues in smokers is anywhere from 2.5 to 10 times the rate of non-smokers, depending on a variety of issues, including genetics, lifestyle, health habits, etc.
Anyway the Sunday prior to my heart attack I was playing hockey and noticed some really bad chest pain. It however felt like a bad case of textbook acid reflux, which subsided later that evening. During the following two days I noticed an uncomfortable tightness in my chest and a lot of gas, thus did not attribute it to much of anything. Tuesday evening before bed I had several bad episodes that seemed to pass relatively quickly, still didn’t think much of it. Then Tuesday night it all came undone and would not go away. I literally was scared, and had every right to be.
Needless to say the emergency room took me right in and once they looked at my blood pressure an astounding 193/156 with a heart rate at 120 – yes I still remember the numbers because I couldn’t believe I was alive with numbers like that. The rest is history – nitro under the tongue, nitro paste, aspirin, iv, and admitted to the cardiac ward.
Then I received my angioplasty and a stent in my left anterior descending artery. The thing is it all could have been avoided or partially avoided. If your reading this pay attention to the doctors, you’re not invincible. Your body can only handle the abuse for so long and then it gives in.
I can honestly tell you that living with acid reflux and indigestion for so long, I totally missed the impending heart attack warning signs. They seemed like the usual. I however did not miss the heart attack. That was pain like I’ve never felt, not any of my broken bones, or even a GSW hurt like that.
So please post your story and any advice you might have. Post any tips for living a better healthier lifestyle. I hope this takes off and people feel free to write, not just about heart issues but any health issues.
