Advice for Heart Attack Survivor?

[chainfire]

Just had a heart attack at age of 39 on Sunday. I felt a little 'off' all day chalked up to shoveling snow every couple hours, when all the sudden I was sweating and dizzy.

On the positive side, beyond being a little tired and scaring my wife and mom to no end, I'm in fairly good shape. It just looks like the rest of my life I'll be on Plavix (maybe more stuff) and carrying Nitro pills around with me. Apparently I only 'stunned' a region of my heart and most of it will repair itself in time.

Does anyone have any experiences they can share for a new member of the trouble-ticker society? How long did it take you to recover from a ballooning or stent (my vein was too narrow and curved to stent it)? I have a stress test in a couple weeks...what happens during that? Any advise?

Thanks to anyone who has any insights into a scary situation.

At the ER, nothing seemed wrong when I first got there -they seemed to think it was just an anxiety attack- until some enzyme test came back high. They still told me it was nothing to worry about, but as a precaution they were going to send me to a top heart spe......t in another nearby facility just to be safe. I had the actual 'full-blown' attack while he was trying to figure out what was going on - even sedated it scared the crap out of me.

With no problems or life-style choices but the enzymes, the heart spe......t told me that he really didn't expect to find any issues or run into all the problems he had trying to save me and that I was luck to be alive. But alive I am, and happily so.

 

[ek.310]

My dad has a good friend some years ago who had a heart attack and he was 10 yrs older than u I believe..he was an "eater, drinker n smoker"
years later he is 40 lb lighter..thin n much happier due to lifestyle changes..best wishes!!

Ek.310

 

[JPM]

Well, I am lucky enough not to have had your experience so I can't give you any advice. All I can say is I'm glad you made it through ok and take care of yourself.

Best wishes to you and your family!

 

[Obsessed]

Well, I am lucky enough not to have had your experience so I can't give you any advice. All I can say is I'm glad you made it through ok and take care of yourself.

Best wishes to you and your family!

+1

Thank God you were smart enough to go to the emergency room, and that they sent you to the heart spe......t. If you were going to have a full-blown heart attack, that was the place to have it. Considering that, and the lack of major damage to the heart, it sounds like you're pretty lucky, all in all. Now just take good care of yourself.

 

[Gruder]

No tips from me, Chip, but we're glad to have you still with us!

 

[King of Kailua]

from what I understand you really should reduce your salt intake from now on. My father has had a "heart episode" a couple of times. Last year early Christmas morning was the last one. He's doing well now. I hope you are too!

 

[Sue]

Chip,
Very happy to hear you were where you were and that you can post to tell your story. My personal experience is thru my husband; his first diagnosed MI was at age 46; damaging 90% of his heart. He'd had earlier MI's but thought, not me-it's something else. Once the diagnosis was a gall bladder attack and he was sent on his way to see his own doc during the next week.

Meet with a dietician and follow any and all dietary changes. If you smoke, stop. Most major hospitals, if not all; have cardiac rehab. Attend the sessions and a specific excercise program will be spelled out for you.

If you are a high stress person, identify what stresses you and if you can't avoid the situations, find ways to temper them.

Listen to your cardiologist and your body.

Be good to yourself. Sue

 

[airplanedoc]

My dad had a heart attach at 39 as well. 30 years later he got a defibulator and a couple of stents

watch you salt intake


stress test is a walk/jog on a treadmill increasing in angle untill your heart acts up. They appear to be no big deal

Nitro pills will give you a headache that you won't believe, but they beat the alternative.

If they just put the stent in thru your leg, the surgery is overnight, dad has 8 stitches on both legs

 

[chainfire]

Thanks for the well wishes and input. I'm definitely going to limit my salt even more than I have been for the last year or so and just try to relax.

Since my blood pressure is normally low, my cholesterol is almost new-born baby low and I never smoked or did drugs (apparently cocaine causes many of the problems they see with folks my age) the doctor told me about all I can do now is take the drugs and stay rested. I guess my new years resolution has been set for me. Take care everyone.

 

[sandmountainslim]

Thanks for the well wishes and input. I'm definitely going to limit my salt even more than I have been for the last year or so and just try to relax.

Since my blood pressure is normally low, my cholesterol is almost new-born baby low and I never smoked or did drugs (apparently cocaine causes many of the problems they see with folks my age) the doctor told me about all I can do now is take the drugs and stay rested. I guess my new years resolution has been set for me. Take care everyone.

I suffer from hypertension and they doubled my meds last doctors visit I do not toot any blow, however I think it is my diet put me in this shape.
I hope all is well with U.
Wp

 

[MaxP]

I had a mild heart attack at age 52 (5 years ago).
Ended up in the cath lab getting astent. After all settled, people would ask how I felt. My answer, "Annoyed."

I don't smoke or drink at all. Not overweight, walked the dog at least a half-mile every day. I was watching my diet and my cholesterol levels were coming down nicely.

I was annoyed!

So, six weeks of cardiac rehab and a year of Plavix. From then on, three mornings of cardio at the gym. I intend to live a long time.

My advice. Take charge of your life and challenge every drug and every decison that a doctor wants to make for you. It's your body and your life. Don't hand total care of it a doc that sees 60 patients a day.

And Plavix... the sooner you can drop it the better. It has the same workings as rat poison.

Godspeed.

 

[Bertilak]

I had a heart attack at age 47. I am now 64.

For a number of years afterwards my cardiologists did not prescribe any medication. My cholesterol/triglyceride levels all remained bad. Diet and exercise didn't help. And I was fanatic about both. I was a runner before the heart attack, but lapsed for a few years. After my bypass surgery I built up my conditioning to where I ran 4-5 days a week anywhere from 3 to 9 miles a each time.

That did not help.

When I moved to a different state I got a new cardiologist who put me on an aggressive medication regimen. That brought my cholesterol/triglyceride levels to the top end of the normal range. I believe you should find a well-recommended cardiologist and follow his advice which I suspect will include more than just Plavix. Plavix is perfectly safe. Millions of people take it daily for long periods of time without problem. It is not rat poison. The other medications can be problematical -- I stopped taking one because of adverse effects. Others can make you very tired until you get used to them.

Trying to manage your situation through diet, exercise and wishful thinking will not work. The increases in doctors' ability to improve and extend the lives of heart patients has been pretty dramatic. Don't let all that go to waste.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

I don't know a thing about heart attacks and can't offer you any advice, but I'm happy you're all right.

 

[Kenno]

good to see your still with your family and friends. my dad died of a stroke. even though your blood pressure is low, sometimes when the stress is high the blood pressure can shoot up to very high levels and not be able to come down quick enough which puts a lot of pressure on your heart and veins.

try and eat olive oil, garlic, onions, fish and fruit n veg. the fibre tends to bind cholestol in the gut before some can get in your system, the garlic/onions and olive oil help break down any clots and help keep your veins soft and not hard so 1, clots have a harder time sticking to your viens and and 2, when the heart and veins are put under pressure they are more able to cope because the veins are soft and can better expand when the pressure is on to let the blood flow.

try and stay away from smokey environments, don't drink too much, learn to love your enimies and keep the road rage to a minimum, any kind of rage for that matter!

God bless,

 

[Badgers]

Thanks for the well wishes and input. I'm definitely going to limit my salt even more than I have been for the last year or so and just try to relax.

Since my blood pressure is normally low, my cholesterol is almost new-born baby low and I never smoked or did drugs (apparently cocaine causes many of the problems they see with folks my age) the doctor told me about all I can do now is take the drugs and stay rested. I guess my new years resolution has been set for me. Take care everyone.

It seems that you were in excellent health condition. May I ask what caused the heart attack? of course as long as it isn't anything private.

 

[Unknownsoldier]

Quite often, MI's etc. can be an inherited thing, I have a higher chance of heart disease due to my father and his father both having problems. My Grandfather had a heart attack in his 40s (I think), he put it down to indigestion and carried on with his lunch Say he was 40 when that happened his heart was still healthy and going strong at 85, so as long as you follow the programs and advise there is no reason why you should have any further problems in your life

Pills???? I thought Nitro was now in spray form as it's absorbed quicker???? My grandfather had pills he carried everywhere, but they swapped him to spray about 15 years ago.

ATB,
Tom

 

[chainfire]

It seems that you were in excellent health condition. May I ask what caused the heart attack? of course as long as it isn't anything private.

Unfortunately for me the doctor had no idea. One minute I was chopping onions for vegetarian chili, the next I was so light headed I couldn't think really straight.

I'm only hoping I can cut as many of the scripts they automatically seem to give anyone having heart surgery. My medication expert was saying after the stress test they should be able to have a better understanding of what I really need to stay on.

 

[crankymoose]

I had my first one 20 years ago, my bp was super high and as in your case the enzyme test came back positive and it felt like a car was on my chest, they never did find out what caused mine, I reduced stress (changed jobs, lifestyle and attitude) and haven't had another yet, most of what you hear is all common sense lose weight if you need to, take your meds, avoid salt avoid excessive alcohol watch your cholesterol levels, exercise, etc,

But having just lost my father to a heart attack right before Christmas here and it was his first ever although he was seeing a cardiologist for afib, my advice is make sure you have a good cardiologist not necessarily someone with a lot of awards on the wall or a big office or fancy titles, but by same token you don't need one who orders unnecessary or repeat testing all the time either but one who at least appears to care what they are doing and show a caring attitude in your health and not just treat you like a number during "routine" visits. Having a good personal doctor who works with the cardiologist is very important too.

 

[chainfire]

But having just lost my father to a heart attack right before Christmas here and it was his first ever although he was seeing a cardiologist for afib, my advice is make sure you have a good cardiologist not necessarily someone with a lot of awards on the wall or a big office or fancy titles, but by same token you don't need one who orders unnecessary or repeat testing all the time either but one who at least appears to care what they are doing and show a caring attitude in your health and not just treat you like a number during "routine" visits. Having a good personal doctor who works with the cardiologist is very important too.

My condolences go out to you on losing your dad. I hope you and your family pull through everything OK and this thread didn't bring up too many bad emotions for you. Heart disease really sucks.

 

[castlecraver]

And Plavix... the sooner you can drop it the better. It has the same workings as rat poison.

I'm sorry, but even though this is just the tiniest bit true, remarks like that are unscientific, sensationalist, and irresponsible.

OP: listen to your doctors. Find a spe......t you're comfortable with, get as many opinions as you feel are necessary. Your drug dosing decisions should be based on your individual case, history and actual test results, not internet misinformation.