Heart Attack Warning Signs

i have always said that if heartburn won't go away with a half teaspoon of baking soda and water, it's angina and get help quick.

 

my heart attack hit with no warnings.i've thought about it and thought about it,but i had none.it started with about 10 minutes with non-stop burping.the thing was,i hadn't eaten anything for about 14 hours before.then i dry heaved twice,then at the end of that,i broke out in a cold sweat,i mean soaking wet,dripping sweat all over.after a few minutes of that,that's when the first pain hit.wasn't in the center of my chest,but under the armpit down to the bottom of my ribs.i was getting ready to go to work when this all started,and was waiting for a cab.was going to try to cancel the cab and go to bed for awhile,but he showed up.so i sat on the couch deciding what to do.decided to stop by the er and get checked out,and then would go to work.tried to pick up my shower bag,and laptop bag,but i couldn't.went out and told him to take me to the er.things got worse on the 1 mile ride there.walked in and kinda fell across intake desk and said i think i'm in trouble.immediatly wheeled me back,and hooked me up,but they had trouble getting the moniter patches to stick because i was still profusely sweating.thats when pain really hit,front and back.dr. tells me i'm having a heart attack right now.10 min. started me taking asprin,and nitro,and pumping morphine into me.10 minutes from when i walked in the door i was up in the cardiac cath lab.i mean it was somthing out of er running me through the hallway shouting at people to get out of the way.they knocked over a janitors mopbucket.had to pull a pt off the table to put me on.multiple blockages,some formed natural bypasses,opened others,had some sort of defect,i blockage was very close to the widowmaker.wheeled me across the hall to recovery and put the pt. interupted back on the table.called the boss,he didn't believe me at first.my broth. calls me and i was on the phone with him when pain started again.not bad at first,then it strarted getting worse.the nurse comes in looks at my moniter and says uh-oh! a few minutes later the dr comes in and says i gotta go back in.pain is worse than the first time,tell my bro i gotta go.rush me back across the hall,having to pull the woman off the table again.i apologized to her as we passed in the hall.i got in there and the artery collapsed around the stent.halfway through that,i heard things get very tense,and quiet.i ask should i call for a priest,and they said they think the hospital chaplin could give last rites.then i feel myself passing out as the doctor shouts shock him.if you've never been defibrillated while concious,i recomend u dont.it's like getting hit between the eyes with a sledgehammer,plus i saw lightning.they put a 2nd stent in.spent 2.5 days in icu and about 4 in a monitering room.this was july 11th.i'm still waiting to go back to work.maybe early february.thats my story,and sorry it's solong.

 

Never second guess any chest, back, or jaw pain. Dizzyness, sweating, it should all be watched.

 

Sorry this is so long, but the posts made me want to share MY story about my heart issues!

At age 33 (in 2001) I had MY first heart attack. I had been having uncomfortable pains in my chest for a week. But they came and went, and felt more like I had pulled a muscle or something somehow, so I blew it off.

Then one night, wife and I had just finished dinner. I took a shower and got out, got dressed to go watch some TV. While sitting there the pain came back but was more like a steady pressure that made it seem like I was having trouble breathing. I went into the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face, and I too was soaked with sweat! I turned to tell my wife "something is not right", and then I went down in a heap like a limp noodle. The pressure/pain was directly in the center of my chest, and felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest and squeezing the air out of me!

She called 911, paramedics arrived in 3 minutes, hooked me up to their portable EKG and said you're definitely having a massive heart attack.

Took me to the ER, they immediately hooked me up to IV with morphine as the Nitro and aspirin were not helping. The morphine did finally (love that stuff).

While I was in the ER the attending doc came in and asked me outta the blue "Has anyone ever told you that you have diabetes?" I said "Well, no sir, I haven't even been to a doctor for a checkup since high school, and that up to this point I have felt perfectly fine." He told me my blood sugar was at 390, and my Triglycerides were over 1400. He was almost in shock!! By the way I was also at around 250 pounds.

Went on up to cath lab, had 2 stents put in left descending artery. Almost 90% blocked. Felt like a new man for a while.

Then had another attack in 2003, another in 2006, and another in 2008.

Each time was due to new blockages forming. One was from the stents occluding on either side in one artery.

My latest adventure was this year in March age 42. I kept having those tell tale signs, but took nitro and the pressure went away. But it would return, so I went to my cardiologist after a week.

His nurse came in and ran me on an EKG. She came in the first time, read it, and said hmm, this cant be right. She left the room with the tape then came back. She said "let's try this again." She ran me again, same result, did an excited sigh like "ooooh", left the room and the doctor came in and looked me and my wife in the eyes, and said, "I don't think you need an ambulance just yet, but you need to get to the nearest hospital ASAP you are having a heart attack, and apparently have been for over a week!" I was like ####!

Drove my wife and I over to the hospital which was about 3 miles away. (FYI, this is NOT recommended in the middle of a heart attack). We made it OK. I walked into the ER and told them my name and that my cardiologist sent me over. They rushed me into a room, stripped me down, took me to a cath lab, hooked me up and determined, I had 100% blockage, and that all the stents I had (9) were no longer working and more were not possible.

So, at 42, I had a quintuple bypass. Scariest thing I have ever been through. They actually did me "off pump" which meant they didn't stop my heart while doing the bypass, which was a good thing. Also the scars are very minimal these days. I have a long noticeable one on my left forearm, one down the center of the chest, and 2 small incisions on my right leg by me knee. So this surgeon seemed to have his shiznit together. They basically used lasers and rather than stitching the wounds they used some kind of glue that just sealed the incisions. The only major discomfort I had was the chest post op of course, they had split my sternum in half and pulled my chest apart. Makes it a little tender for quite awhile. I was on some powerful Lortab for that, which while it worked beautifully to keep my pain minimal, it can be very addicting. I took it for 4 months, and it was hard as HELL to kick off it. Had very bad withdrawals! Heavy night sweats, could NOT sleep at all, barely could eat. The slightst pain just made my body say "take a couple more". Had a VERY hard time ignoring that impulse. But thankfully got off those.

Now, the only discomfort I have is from the wire inside that they tied the bone back together with. Sometimes you can feel it poke a little, but not too bad.

So definitely, if I could recommend anything to you guys, especially since you sit for so much of the day while driving, and don't get much of a chance to be active.

Is to have your blood sugar checked regularly. (Diabetes and Heart Disease sort of go hand in hand).

Get your cholesterol checked regularly also.

Eat less fatty or fried foods, cut out sodas and sugary drinks, etc.

Exercise whenever you get a chance to keep that blood flowing and burn off fat. It also lowers your blood sugar. Maybe take a brisk walk around your trucks for a few laps when you stop.

The part that shocked me the most, is for 33 years, I had NEVER been sick or felt bad, and then suddenly WHAM! I was almost taken out.

So I agree with the CP 100%, there are no symptoms for a heart attack they just happen. But, one can be prevented with regular check ups, proper precautions. No smoking, eating right, and exercise. It sounds so cliche and all, but I have to admit, it will help keep you healthier!

I am down to 170, I still eat SOME crap but nowhere NEAR as often, usually just once or twice a month as a "treat", and I still smoke now and then. Still trying to kick that monkey off. But only 1 or 2 smokes a day, if that, rather than 3 packs a day! I am almost to that point of total smoke free. By January 1st my goal is to never light another one up.

But, I am hopeful that it will add a few more years back on to my life.

 

We all need to exercise for sure