OT - anyone here ever had a heart attack?

[Pickdust]

 

No, but I watch closely at what I eat. I actually read the food labels and the indgrediants in the food that I eat. I also work out 4-5 days a week. BTW, I am 21 years old.

 

 

I just turned 50 and have been doing the same for the last 20 years. I also have a full check up each year to see which way the pendulum is swinging.

 

Never too early to start annual monitoring of the basics.

 

I'm convinced that a sedentary lifestyle is the biggest contributor to health problems as one ages.

 

PD

[misterhinkydink]

I just turned 50 and have been doing the same for the last 20 years. I also have a full check up each year to see which way the pendulum is swinging. Never too early to start annual monitoring of the basics. I'm convinced that a sedentary lifestyle is the biggest contributor to health problems as one ages. PD

 

 

For myself it's genes.

[hawkhuff]

Yep. Tip-top shape as far as heart-rate, cholesterol etc...

 

 

That's not the whole picture.

 

James Fixx was the guy who wrote the book on running back in the early 70's. He was a young man who routinely ran marathons.

 

He keeled over one day from a massive MI during one of his runs. He was a young man at age 52 but an autopsy revealed his arteries were all clogged up from atherosclerosis. His father died of an MI at 35 and his mother at 42.

 

I reiterate, history is important.

[Emprov]

That's not the whole picture. James Fixx was the guy who wrote the book on running back in the early 70's. He was a young man who routinely ran marathons. He keeled over one day from a massive MI during one of his runs. He was a young man at age 52 but an autopsy revealed his arteries were all clogged up from atherosclerosis. His father died of an MI at 35 and his mother at 42. I reiterate, history is important.

 

He also felt that he didn't have to watch his diet, ignored doctors warnings, etc... I read that there were a ton of warning signs for him but he wrongly felt that, because he did so much cardio, he'd be fine.

[flatcat]

I had a brush with this this year, sort-of.

 

As part of the clearance process for the State Department (I passed the Foreign Service exams last year), you get tested every which way but Sunday. They gave me an EKG, which revealed a Left Bundle Branch Block. After more testing, my ejection fraction (the percentage of blood that's pumped out by your left ventricle, and a key indicator of heart health) was 37. For healthy people, it's typically between 60 and 80. I had a friend who had an MI in January - his was 30 when he got to the hospital.

 

But the nuclear dye didn't reveal what is typical for most - like 90% - of people who have a LBBB, which is that I'd had a "silent heart attack", an asymptomatic heart event that killed off some swath of the muscle. So my cardiologist did a catheterization to confirm his findings.

 

What he found was that, to quote him, "...you have the heart of a 25 year old". He also said "You have no sign of cardiac disease whatsoever." My arteries were clear, the heart muscle is strong.

 

So his best guess is that I had an infection that killed the nerves on the septum side of my left ventricle. The muscle's fine. The nerves aren't.

 

I wasn't in danger of a heart attack - I was in danger of congestive heart failure. My heart is in great shape. It just doesn't beat right. And I've never felt any sign or symptom of this condition whatsoever - only that I used to get tired, but anyone would be tired living my life.

 

So the strategy is to treat me as if I'm someone who's had a heart attack, even if I haven't had one. I'm on a beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor. My EF is above 50. I can't do physical labor for more than 3 hours or so or I can't catch my breath. I get tired at about 3pm and it's a force of will to stay awake after that (which of course I have to do because it's the middle of the day). I need to find ways to exercise more frequently so I'll stop being so tired all the time.

 

This was a fluke thing, and it was a fluke they found it. Whether I end up being a diplomat or not, I guess I'll always owe the State Department because if it hadn't been for them, I never would've had the EKG.

[Zamfir]

I had a brush with this this year, sort-of. As part of the clearance process for the State Department (I passed the Foreign Service exams last year), you get tested every which way but Sunday. They gave me an EKG, which revealed a Left Bundle Branch Block. After more testing, my ejection fraction (the percentage of blood that's pumped out by your left ventricle, and a key indicator of heart health) was 37. For healthy people, it's typically between 60 and 80. I had a friend who had an MI in January - his was 30 when he got to the hospital. But the nuclear dye didn't reveal what is typical for most - like 90% - of people who have a LBBB, which is that I'd had a "silent heart attack", an asymptomatic heart event that killed off some swath of the muscle. So my cardiologist did a catheterization to confirm his findings. What he found was that, to quote him, "...you have the heart of a 25 year old". He also said "You have no sign of cardiac disease whatsoever." My arteries were clear, the heart muscle is strong. So his best guess is that I had an infection that killed the nerves on the septum side of my left ventricle. The muscle's fine. The nerves aren't. I wasn't in danger of a heart attack - I was in danger of congestive heart failure. My heart is in great shape. It just doesn't beat right. And I've never felt any sign or symptom of this condition whatsoever - only that I used to get tired, but anyone would be tired living my life. So the strategy is to treat me as if I'm someone who's had a heart attack, even if I haven't had one. I'm on a beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor. My EF is above 50. I can't do physical labor for more than 3 hours or so or I can't catch my breath. I get tired at about 3pm and it's a force of will to stay awake after that (which of course I have to do because it's the middle of the day). I need to find ways to exercise more frequently so I'll stop being so tired all the time. This was a fluke thing, and it was a fluke they found it. Whether I end up being a diplomat or not, I guess I'll always owe the State Department because if it hadn't been for them, I never would've had the EKG.

Wow. Hope it all ends well for you, both heart and job.

I don't recall ever getting an EKG in the middle of all the tests that Medical Clearances had me do with my doc.

[Mudbass]

Are you kiddin? I have two teenaged daughters.

[timmerz]

Are you kiddin? I have two teenaged daughters.

{pales}
Poor {censored}er....say no more!

[lumpy555]

a few yrs ago i was at work,couldnt seem to catch my breath or couldnt seem to ,say breathe deep . also it felt like someone was poking me in my adams apple,err,throat area,so i went to the plant infirmary-hospital fer you younguns!, and they put those leads,on my anckles,belly,heart area,under the arms,anyways they called it a rhythem strip 7-leads,the nurse looked a little scared and said LUMPY! OMG! YOUR IN A FIB!! it is called atrial defibulation,where the top half of the heart was vibrating,the bottom half was pumping,there supposed to work together! top half beat,then bottom half beat kinda staying in a perfect rythem. now i was39-yrs old,high b.p.,300lbs,BUT! i been an athlete all through hi school,football,weight trainer,wrestler,then as i approached 37-38-40-ish yrs old i fought a few local toughman competetions,TOTALLY SUCKED ,as im a lover,not a fighter,so they tell me. man i was in the ccu at the hospital for 3-days,as patients were droppin out like flies!! i had a LOOOONG TALK TO GOD ABOVE,and i hoped he heard me!!! man,i thought being in half-assed shape i be alright also my cholesteral is around 124,sooo i feel a little safe but i often wonder if it was my TIME TO GO ,or not.thank god for the man that invented a solution to convert a patient to normal rhythem,as the ccu nurse said it hasent been out that long,and the guys now a millionare!! i wanna tell him thank you!!! lumpy!

[james on bass]

Well, I'm feeling better today, not that I was ever feeling bad. Just some weird pressure is all. No other associated pain, but still a bit of pressure. Spoke to a friend at work today who had 2 heart attacks a couple years ago. He ignored the first, but had a lot more of the symptoms, just weak ones he ignored. Still should go see a doctor in the near future though.

[Psilocybin]

A couple years ago my best friend died of a heart attack at age 27.

[ezstep]

While we are all espousing medical exams, check out your family history on colon cancer - the easiest form of cancer that can be prevented. My aunt developed colon cancer, so Mom got checked. She had it, too. So my oldest brother got checked...had three polyps (sp??). I got checked...had three polyps. Two years later, had one, two years later, zero. Supposed to go back in this spring.

BTW: cholesterol readings are 113.