heart attack

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vitamindart

vitamindart

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I had a heart attack on December 3rd. I am a pretty healthy guy ( just turned 43 ). Eat lean, low carbs, most days a salad ( no dressing ) for lunch. Regularly went to the gym.
I am having a hard time since the attack & stents being put in. Do rehab twice a week.
Mentally having a hard time bouncing back. Wondering if any of you guys/gals have had a similar experience? Right now have little interest in working on any of my own cars.
 
vitamindart said:
I am having a hard time since the attack & stents being put in. Do rehab twice a week.
Click to expand...

Stay on the meds and keep up the rehab, you probably need to rebuild heart muscle, as that improves so will how you feel.

vitamindart said:
Mentally having a hard time bouncing back.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear ya. Facing ones own mortality like that is quite enlightening to say the least..

I didn't have a heart attack, but was diagnosed with congestive heart failure back in Sept., 3 separate procedures in the cath lab and 4 stents later I can relate.

I still can't return to work, and may never be able to, but, I'm still here and I feel 100% better than I did.

Keep at it, you will overcome it.
 
Sorry to hear that, I know how you feel, I started having problems back in May and found out I have degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis in my neck requiring surgery, I had to leave my job of 22 years which I really loved. I haven't felt like working on my car I have plenty of new parts collected I would love to put on it. I feel like the guy in the twilight zone episode, time at last, but now I can't do it.
 
Heart disease doesn't discriminate & you can still have a heart attack. You can be as healthy you can possibly be & still get hit, ask me how I know.
 
I was lucky....I guess. The Doctor said that the 3 arteries that were (70, 90, 90) percent clogged were too small to stint even though it hurt like hell many times day. So I searched the internet for answers. The Doctor gave me Statins, nitroglycerin, nitrate pills, metroprolol, etc, etc. I asked him what I could do about my condition he said to just keep taking the pills for the rest of my life. I said, "BULLSHIT!!". The pains would hit me sleeping, sitting at the computer or just doing nothing. If I tried to do anything physical it would knock me into the dirt. Worst part about it is that once that pain hits you it leaves you really sore for days left arm, shoulder, chest). After tons of internet research I started eating totally different, exercising every day (elliptical). Yes it hurt, it hurt really bad. I would have to take the nitro under my tongue just to able to exercise for 5 min.

Long story short (2 years later). I am now off of all the pills, I can exercise for as long and as hard as I want to. I can do anything, run, lift weights, strain, whatever. The Doctor bitched me out for stopping all the pills but I found a way to beat the odds. I changed Doctors (heart specialist) twice because they all said the same thing, "Never stop taking the pills". They don't know JACK!!

Just so you'll know, the pain was totally unbearable and it would hit me many times a day and wake me in my sleep.....VERY SCARY, so I know what you're going through. The heart can actually grow new arteries and you can also unclog your arteries. But it's not easy or painless.....but I'm FREE!!

FYI - I have always been skinny and always exercised so I'm not sure what happened but I have an idea!!
 
vitamindart said:
Wondering if any of you guys/gals have had a similar experience? Right now have little interest in working on any of my own cars.
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I never mentioned it on here, but yea.
Same thing in December of year before last, but it didn't change much as far as attitude or mental condition as I am still the same slightly twisted sense of humor person I was before.:D

It was kind of weird in my case because it really didn't bother me in the least.
I woke the Wife at 4 in the morning with a cup of coffee after waiting hours to see if it cleared up on it's own, but nope.
After she woke up for a few I told her we should probably go in.
Took the Dart to the ER.
The nurses commented on my "whatever" attitude about the heart attack in the hospital, and after being in there for two days I told them to get the paperwork ready because I was leaving.
I am 62 and have smoked most of my life (almost 50 years) so I know damn well it's coming some day just like everyone else at one time or another, but what real difference could it make to change now?
They actually agreed with me on that.
Took the meds for about a year and told the Wife I wasn't going to live on pills, so every day is a free extra day now, and THAT can help your attitude going forward.
We both could have easily died and we didn't, so everything from here on is extra.:D

In my case I think it only made me more determined to have a little more car time with friends.
As far as possibly dying goes, it's easy.
Everyone in history has succeeded so far, so it's not like it's hard.:D
 
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I had a blockage at 43 had to travel to the Cleveland Clinic to have it removed.. 5 months prior I lost my same age cousin to a heart attack.. been 25 years since. You need to take stock of family and friends first. Appreciate people around you that need you, and you need. I looked at it as a wake up call. God Bless, good luck.
 
vitamindart said:
I had a heart attack on December 3rd. I am a pretty healthy guy ( just turned 43 )………..… Mentally having a hard time bouncing back ....
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Well, please don't just throw in the towel. Ya' gotta' believe there's a future after events such as these.
I know a guy that was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer in October 2010, 53 at the time. They removed half of the colon and he got a free appendectomy per the Doc. The follow up MRI bought out he had an aneurism in his ascending aorta. It wasn't "large enough" to operate for and just had to watch it.
After his first chemo session on a Friday that December, (still 2010), the Monday morning after he had the wife take him in for possible heart attack. It was determined it wasn't an attack, but the roto rooter camera found the "Widow Maker" was being pinched over by another vein causing a 90% blockage. They couldn't stent it at the problem area and he had to go in for open heart. They did a single bypass and re-tubed the aorta.
He jokes "but hey, it got me out of chemo therapy".
So late February 2011 he's out running the snow thrower, not just his driveway but the neighbors as well. The wife wasn't too happy with him!
He seems to be doing OK these days.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. Not ready to toss in the towel, just a little frustrated. Think I may thin the herd of cars and time I devote to fixing the piles.
spend more time enjoying Family & Friends. We were all shocked when they told us one was 100% blocked and a couple others were 85% plus.
They fixed the 100% that day with a couple stents, had to go back on Christmas Eve for them to work on the others ( one more stent ).
Felt horrible between surgeries, barley could make a trip up and down the stairs without a nap. Much Better after the second but, still not myself yet.
 
So sorry to read this. Adding you to our prayer list. Is there anything I can DO in the meantime?
 
Demonracer said:
Heart disease doesn't discriminate & you can still have a heart attack. You can be as healthy you can possibly be & still get hit, ask me how I know.
Click to expand...

Yeah, a friend of mine passed with a major coronary. He was young, fit and took care of himself. While out on a jog, he keeled over.
 
vitamindart said:
spend more time enjoying Family & Friends. We were all shocked when they told us one was 100% blocked and a couple others were 85% plus.
They fixed the 100% that day with a couple stents, had to go back on Christmas Eve for them to work on the others ( one more stent ).
Felt horrible between surgeries, barley could make a trip up and down the stairs without a nap. Much Better after the second but, still not myself yet.
Click to expand...

Well, you were right where I was, I had 3 blockages, one at 100%, one at 90% and a couple others that were very close together (they considered it one) at 70%.

I'm assuming you're on similar meds as I am, and I can tell you it takes a bit to acclimate to them. They messed with me for weeks.

Give it time, if they were successful you WILL start feeling better.
 
Could be anybody. I went to the Cleveland Clinic a couple months back with my niece. Open heart surgery. 32 years old, never smoked, drank, healthy diet, certified personal trainer, and massage therapist. Come to find out she has had this problem since birth. Amazing that she lived as long as she did, before they diagnosed it. First trip back for a checkup and they gave her a pacemaker.
 
vitamindart said:
I had a heart attack on December 3rd. I am a pretty healthy guy ( just turned 43 ). Eat lean, low carbs, most days a salad ( no dressing ) for lunch. Regularly went to the gym.
I am having a hard time since the attack & stents being put in. Do rehab twice a week.
Mentally having a hard time bouncing back. Wondering if any of you guys/gals have had a similar experience? Right now have little interest in working on any of my own cars.
Click to expand...


It was a real eye opener for me, fortunately I got a warning by having symptoms. The first episode I had three blockages, one of which was the widow maker. It was 95 percent. Took me quite awhile for me to get back to 100 percent. I too was kinda in a funk for about 6 months.. Cardiologist told me it’s normal and that the alternative being bypass is harder to bounce back from.

A little over a year later I had another episode. Again I went through the same process but I bounced back. In September I again had another episode. I guess the way to look at it is to be proactive by loosing weight, eating right and remain aware that you have cardiovascular disease.
 
6 or 7 years ago. Thought it was food poisoning.
Sick for a week. Found out a year later it was a heart attack. Dr said they didnt want to go in, figuring it was bad and could cause mor damage. Here, eat these pills.
2 cholesterol meds and 2 blood pressure meds.
Tire easily and body aches constantly.
I hate taking pills.
 
I had my first one 2 weeks before my 41st Birthday.Full Blockage that damaged the bottom third of my Heart.It takes a long time to get your strength back.1st day home thought I would walk out to the mailbox( 150 feet) and get mail. Almost didn't make it back to the house. I pushed the rehab as hard as possible and ate right for the 1st time in my life.Within 3 weeks I was up to a mile a day and was in the shop doing small jobs on our Race Car that we had just started to build. Thank your lucky stars you survived..Many don't
 
BTDT, OP. Not as young as you.... 58. Yeah, it was a real mental changer for a long time. Sort of a constant "now what do I do" & "will I ever do fun things again" state of mind.

Try not worrying as much as you can; stress is a real load on the heart. Then look forward to the re-hab to get as much as your heart's strength back as it can; that is going to set the tone for the rest of your life. Don't worry over the meds at all right now; the all have a purpose and you need them for now. (Like Statins... they are your friends in keeping the bad cholesterol down.)

Just keep on the program right now, and realize it does the best for you as it can be in these early days. Don't fret over any life changes; they may not be so in your case. You will find what is what later one; it took me 3 months to go back to any sort of work that involved climbing, and even thin I had to go slow; and almost 2 years to really get things settled out, and a couple more to get meds adjusted out.

Sounds like your diet was good. Focus on the fats like a hawk; the latest big study has now OK'd eggs, as it has finally been realized that food cholesterol is not a source of blood cholesterol. It is the fats when processed by the liver that results in the bad cholesterols, particularly the trans and saturated fats. I learned to read the food % labels like a hawk, and have pushed bad cholesterol levels way down.

Your interests will come back with time; give it plenty of time and it will come.
 
I was lucky, at 62, had chest "discomfort" that stopped the minute I ceased the exertion that caused it (did not have an attack). Went in for tests found a 90% blockage a centimeter from the widow-maker, got one stent. Couple of other blockages in the 40% range, treating with meds. Intensive cardiac rehab for three months, phase two cardiac rehab since Labor Day. Dropped 20 pounds, eating better, still on meds, and will likely be for a long time, but I feel great and have much more energy, and cholesterol is about one third the level at the time of my event.

In my case, doc said it was heredity - my father had his first heart attack at 32, but smoked most of his life, drank most of his life, no exercise, nor worried about diet - but that generation didn't know nor care about taking care of their bodies. Bypass surgery at 50.

Give it time, yeah the meds are a pain, but maybe I am lucky, no side effects and no "funk." This event spurred me to retire earlier than I had planned - should be done working by end of February, it is true, these wake up calls give you pause to think about what is really important.
 
RustyRatRod said:
So sorry to read this. Adding you to our prayer list. Is there anything I can DO in the meantime?
Click to expand...

RRR I really appreciate the offer , as of right now I am good.

Taking it one day at a time, walking 30 minutes a day ( that's all rehab will let me do right now ), watching labels even more than I use to.
Trying to eat less food with labels all together and Making sure I take my meds consistently.
 
vitamindart said:
RRR I really appreciate the offer , as of right now I am good.

Taking it one day at a time, walking 30 minutes a day ( that's all rehab will let me do right now ), watching labels even more than I use to.
Trying to eat less food with labels all together and Making sure I take my meds consistently.
Click to expand...
Walking 30 minutes a day is a GREAT start!!!! Those food labels are tricky, they read "no sugar added" because the sugar was in there before they got the product OR "NO Sugar" then have a a sugar substitute in the fine print. About 90 percent of what's in the grocery store isles is bad for you.
 
vitamindart said:
Thanks for all the feedback. Not ready to toss in the towel, just a little frustrated. Think I may thin the herd of cars and time I devote to fixing the piles.
spend more time enjoying Family & Friends. We were all shocked when they told us one was 100% blocked and a couple others were 85% plus.
They fixed the 100% that day with a couple stents, had to go back on Christmas Eve for them to work on the others ( one more stent ).
Felt horrible between surgeries, barley could make a trip up and down the stairs without a nap. Much Better after the second but, still not myself yet.
Click to expand...

Let me tell you a little story that you may realize the correlation for your life and attitude going forward.
The Wife and I went on an out of state trip for a week in the Dart, and the first couple of hours into the trip I was listening to every sound the car made and hoping that even though I drive the car daily and had no issues with it I still couldn't shake the part about getting farther and farther from home with it.
I even got to the point that I was calculating towing costs from where we happened to be at any point even though I had done everything to the car that should make it a trouble free trip.

I realized that focusing on what might happen on the trip was causing me to not enjoy the trip.
Once I convinced myself that whatever was going to happen was going to happen no matter how I stressed about it, and just threw it all to the wind so to speak is when I really started enjoying the trip.
It ended up being one of the most enjoyable times I have ever had on a week long drive.

Do what you can to make your chances the best they can be, and try to enjoy the trip more from here on out. :D
 
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