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Does anyone here on board know any heart attack survivors? Or had one themselves-any advice on how they dealt with it?

(Please tell us this is not about you?)

Of course it depends on the extent of the damage, but a heart attack is not necessarily the end of the world: however it IS a heavy-duty wakeup call.

RC, my blacksmith (the guy who shoes my horses) had a heart attack in February.  Then he had triple bypass surgery.  He was off work for about six months BUT he was told he was exceptionally healthy and fit to start with.  Now he is back at work shoeing horses.  (Keep in mind this is a man who has always pushed physical limits in spite of injuries and high blood pressure: so perhaps not overly cautious or even sensible!)

I think the key factor in recovery was HE DID EXACTLY AS HE WAS TOLD TO by health care professionals.  LOTS of check-ups and advice.

Be under the care of a doctor; cooperate with monitoring progress; be optimistic and BEHAVE YOURSELF.

My Dad had a heart attack in 2000 at the age fo 74.  He had several stints put in, and he made a full recovery and is still going strong 12 years later!  Follow the doctor's advice and eat healthy, get plenty of exercise, and avoid unnecessary stress.

I went to the hospital Wednesday-they got me on nitro pills.
Im supposed set up an appointment with a cardioligist.
I dunno-this is scaring the s**t out of me.
The fancy word for it is "acute myocardial infraction".  :lookingup:
I call it "notsocute mys**t inpain!"  :tongueout:

Ronnie, I am sorry to hear this and will keep you in my prayers.

As Newt said, this is a MAJOR wake-up call.

I've known more people than I can count that have had heart attacks.  They are very common.

Best of luck and please keep us informed.

Dammit Ronnie we want you to stick around for a long time: make that appointment.

Of course it is scary!  Knowing exactly what your condition is and how to deal with it HAS TO BE better than not knowing.  Getting the information and advice and following it are the first steps to becoming healthier and stronger.  The sooner the better.  Living with the fears is only going to increase your stress level; not to mention it is just plain torture!

Make that appointment, ask plenty of questions and be good!    

I strongly urge you to make the appointment and ask a lot of questions to the doctor.

All I can say is if something does not feel right then call the ambulance, even if it is a false alarm that is better than a heart attack untreated.

There are diet to avoid heart disease but anything heart attack related should be handled by a doctor!

Unless you have been there done that! Got the T-Shirt and are just looking for like minded people to communicate with.

Had one two years ago. Needed a small stink put it. Been okay so far...

Here's to your continued positive recovery! 

My Dad had open heart surgery a few years back-but we dont talk too much.
I will take you guys advise-I love and trust you guys.  :smile:

And maybe to reading my post before I send it! Oy...

You need to quit smoking.  Quitting the drink is probably also a good idea. 
And the word is INFARCTION not infraction.  You may have already had a "silent heart attack" which are also common and though you may have felt ill one day, you may not have had seriously disrupting symptoms. 

We love you.  Please move quickly, get advice, and follow it.  Cut the crap.  Once you're dead, you're done.  Live. 

I had a heart attack at the beginning of 2010.  I didn't even realize I was having one.  I had chest pains for two days, but I thought I just pulled a muscle or something.  I even spent some time snow-blowing my driveway while my heart attack was in progress.  Coincidentally, I had a routine physical the morning after the chest pains stopped.  I told my doctor about the pains and she ran some tests.  About 2 hours later she called me at work and told me to go to the emergency room because the tests shows that I had suffered a heart attack.  I ended up getting a cardiac catheterization, which showed that the blockage was in a narrow branch of an artery.  It was too narrow to insert a stent and I didn't need a bypass.  So, they just prescribed some pills.  Since then, I've been eating healthier and exercising and have lost more than 50 pounds.  Luckily, I suffered very little damage and am living a very normal life with no restrictions on physical activity.

When I was in high school, my father had basically the same experience that Burgomaster had. He had chest pains and ended up going to the hospital because, what the hey? It really freaked me out because they pulled me out of class with nothing more than "Your father has had a heart attack!"

So, it turned out that he had a minor infarction. "Minor" in any case should be translated as "Holy crap, I need to change things or I am just about to die."

My father was a habitual smoker for almost all of my life, and kind of overweight. Both things you should get rid of if you can.

There's a happy ending to this. After the heart attack, my father gave up smoking. No relapse or anything. Habitual smoker, heart attack, never smoked again.

That was almost 20 years ago. My father is alive to this day. Long story short, when your doctor prescribes a healthier lifestyle, TAKE IT. In fact, switching to a healthier lifestyle is something you should do right now. You do not want to find that you've been living unhealthily because you're sitting on the wrong side of a heart attack.

A heart attack is not necessarily the end of the world, but it's pretty close. Most of the time it is the end of your world, because the end result is the end result. But if you're willing to do the work and change, and the initial heart attack didn't end you, there's no reason that you can't go on living past the initial insult.

It does take a drastic reconstruction of your eating/smoking/drinking habits. But if you're willing to do that, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of your life.

That is almost EXACTLY what happened! I wstarted getting pains Monday morning-and it got real bad Wednesday-so bad I called 911.


I'll never drink a drop again in my LIFE. I had a 2 5ths of booze in my freezer-I poured 'em down the kitchen sink.
The smoking is gonna be a little harder.
The overweight thing will be easy-as I'm not overwight at all-and I get lotsa exercise on my job.
Healthy food-not a problem there....I dont eat fast food,drink soda pop but once in a blue moon-giving up Jujy Fruits will be hard.  :bluesad:
I been ok this weekend-get tight in the chest if I do eo much-aint seen my doc yet-cuz of the dam holiday weekend...gonna go today.

You sound like a man on a mission. :thumbup:
Why did you stick booze in the freezer?

To make it cold!

Hope all is well RC. 

First of all....please talk to a doctor and let him help you. You're a great guy and I like you very much.
(((HUGS!!!)))

As for me,I had a mild heart attack on Palm Sunday in 2010. I'd gotten ready for church and I had really strong pain on the right side of my jaw so I told Alan I wanted to go to the emergency room. They tested me and said I hadn't had a heart attack but sent me down to Providence in Waco for a Heart Cath....after that was done Monday morning they informed me I had indeed had a mild heart attack. I had 5 blockages and two couldn't be fixed with stints so my Cardioligist decided to do 5 bypasses to fix the problem all at once. Since then I have really adjusted my diet and take a cholesterol pill along with a Niacin suppliment....working together they help the cholesterol globs stay very small and pass through without clogging up my veins.

Quitting smoking and most drinking would help you out as well. And don't panic if you start to feel pain....stay calm and take the Nitro. I realize staying calm is hard but this is a wake up call,sweetheart. :wink:

Take care of your heart RC I know I've been trying to do a better job of taking care of mine (I'm told by the doctor I have one, but most people disagree). Not getting any younger you know...

Eight years ago last month my dad went to the hospital, thinking he was having a heart attack. Turns out some crazy chick he dated tried to poison him. Shrug. A day in the life...

Newt's right my friend, don't pass start and collect your 200 bucks..go straight to the doctor!
Why?
 Because as one whose life was recently saved from the test I got before it was too late,  (but for a totally different condition)  I will totally agree that knowing is better than NOT knowing. Knowledge definitely is power...
 

Well-I went to the cardiologist on Dec.4....just got out of the hospital today after having a quadriple (that's 4-count,em,-4 bypass. I'm gonna be outta work for a while-so I guess I get to hang out here and bug you guys during the day!  :wink:

You can bug us all you like but: OMG: A quadruple bypass?? I hope all is well and PLEASE take care of yourself, Ronny  :smile:

 :buggedout:  I am SO GLAD you let the 'mechanics' look after you Ronnie!   It's a win-win: you got fixed up and we not only get to keep you, but we also get an RC posting fest while you recover!   :thumbup:  Take care, young man.

Take care of yourself RC.  Don't strain that heart.  No loving for the next three weeks, then just light affection!

Rest up and take it easy during recovery.

Good to hear you got that all taken care of and it turned out well RC  :thumbup: Now take it easy...and watch some crummy movies and tell us about them :smile:

Glad to hear the surgery went well.


RC's Road To Recovery Reviews.

Well, that's OK, because you're in our custody now and we'll make sure you behave (well, somewhat anyhow  :wink:) and I hope you enjoy your rest! 

Best to you, Ron.  I'm glad you got through it. 
We all love you. 

Man, Ronnie, sorry to hear about the surgery, but glad it went well.  Now behave yourself, obey doctor's orders,
and GET WELL!

I'm 28, and I turn 29 on Feb. 28, 2013.

I drink a couple nights a week (usually 3 nights a week, with a good amount of beer.) I work in a restaurant and eat there numerous times a week (fried chicken, burgers, onion rings, etc.)

A history of drug use, and I've noticed a few times recently tightness in my chest and shortness of breath.

I'm scared sh*tless.

Well, don't be scared s**tless.

If you have good health insurance, by all means see your doctor and see what he says.

However, creating a healthy life-style for yourself is never a bad idea. There are two things you can do immediately that will turn your life around.

One, pay attention to what you eat. You don't have to go gonzo vegan. Just pay attention to what you eat. I'm increasingly disgusted with "nutritionists" selling complicated eating plans. The best advice I ever heard is this: "Eat what you want. Not too much. Mostly plants." If you can do that, you are ahead of the game.

The second piece of advice, and I find this the more important one. Exercise. You don't need to enter into some boring exercise plan where you run a treadmill three times a week. But you should just get yourself out there and do things that will make you sweaty. It doesn't matter what it is, just get out there and do things that will make you out of breath. Run, ride a bike, kick a soccer ball around. Just get out and exercise.

The human body is incredibly complicated, but it's complicated to keep you alive no matter what you do. Eat right and exercise. It's not a universal panacea, but it's the closest you can approach. It really is not any more complicated that that. Eat right and exercise.

Not sure where I heard it, but it's also said that the shortness of breath is also a sign
of either type 1 or 2 diabetes. In terms of cardiac issues though, I believe it could either be signs of potential congestive heart failure or a condition called angioedema which also includes (but not limited to) swollen joints as well, indicating water retention, which places stress upon the heart as it pumps harder as a result.

Or so I have read...hope I'm right on this medical info, but if not, my apologies.

As soon as I get paid I'm scheduling some appointments. I've no insurance at the moment so any office visits and/or testing is quite expensive.

Well we're wishing you luck, mate  :cheers:

Sadly, insurance is affordable for only some while the rest of us have to jones it.

Even sadder is that some insurance companies WON'T pay because thier main goal is to increase profits for their shareholders. I'm not saying anything new here, but insurance companies are always a tricky slope because it'll be a cold day in hell before they shell out for anything.  :bluesad:

I had insurance at one point.

Wish I still did, cause you're screwed without.

Yeah, it's sad that profits come over people these days and it seems that that's never gonna' change  :bluesad:

So whatever happened with your shortness of breath HG?