Glad to be reading this today!

Take care of your self, find religion, treat others with as much grace as you have been afforded.

You got a second chance.

HK Ag

That's a truly harrowing story, and we are all glad you're alive to tell it.

As a (retired) cardiologist, I would like to add a couple of items if people are actually looking for professional advice on how to survive a massive heart attack/cardiac arrest.

1. The most important factor in surviving a cardiac arrest is the earliest possible use of a defibrillator. Where is that defibrillator? It could well be in the ambulance of the local fire department, not in a hospital 45 minutes away.
Or even better: it could be in your lake house, or your neighbor's. I would like to think that if I still had such a house, I would have an AED right there--but I didn't when I had a remote vacation home. Now I do.

2. A 911 call is almost always the fastest way to get definitive help to you. An ambulance with advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), or if necessary a LifeFlite helicopter, could reach you far sooner than your wife/relative/friend can drive you to the ED. Had the v fib (not defib) arrived 15 minutes earlier, you would not be here to tell the story.

3. You were really lucky. My job is to encourage decreasing the need for good luck. I'm working with our local fire department to get an AED (automatic defibrillator) put in our Fine Woodworking Association's woodshop. Previously I've donated to a local church group to help buy AED's to put in churches; the SDFD takes care of training and maintenance.

God bless you.

SJTill, thank you for that advice!

Glad to hear you are still on this side of the dirt!

This post actually motivated me to go and make an appointment at a cardiologist I've been wanting to switch to for a while now, one that my Dad has been going to for 20+ years now.

His father died of a sudden heart attack in 1957 when my Dad was only 12 years old and my Dad ended up having a quintuple bypass in 2003 at age 58 so I'm sure I need to be really careful and get regular checkups going again.

I’m all ready to go but are you saying waiting for the ambulance would have been longer?

Glad you made it. That’s exactly how my father described his MI’s
He was 32 for his first, 52 with his last. Listen to your doctor and extend your second chance. Best wishes.

Scary stuff. I had one 90 days ago, not as serious as yours but bad enough. Placed two stents. Glad you made it through that. Take care of yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I’m all ready to go but are you saying waiting for the ambulance would have been longer?

Chest pain from real MI, if you go by car, and you suffer a Vfib along the way, game over, as Dr. goodheart said. No matter who is driving. That is the number one reason for abulance transport.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I’m all ready to go but are you saying waiting for the ambulance would have been longer?

Chest pain from real MI, if you go by car, and you suffer a Vfib along the way, game over, as Dr. goodheart said. No matter who is driving. That is the number one reason for abulance transport.

No shit! This is the lecture I got after driving MYSELF to the ER. I was very lucky back in 2006 when my heart attack happened.

Good advice on the ambulance. I live 15 minutes from a major heart center. I still called the EMTs and was treated in route. Don't take a chance on driving.

Glad you are ok.

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Stlhead,

^^^^^^^^^^^

- Deleted as this post was referencing the above post.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ronin1069,

Glad to hear you made it and appreciate the words of wisdom.

A year ago, I had to take a mandatory First Aid/CPR course from my employer. One guy spoke up and explained his first heart attack. A month later, I woke up at 10:30 PM with unusual symptoms re. the heart. Woke my wife up (a nurse) and told her I thought we needed to go to the ER.

20 minutes later, we are at the ER and I'm getting blood drawn. Sure enough, a heart attack. Next day, I had a stent implanted. A month later, I was having a heart valve replacement (expected for 7 years).

DO NOT hesitate to go to the hospital when you have chest pains, difficulty breathing, or a difference in your heart beat.
This could save your life!

My doc on releasing me from the hospital instructed me to carry nitroglycerin tablets with me always and I do... I have a small pouch on my belt with a bottle of them. Just behind that pouch is the spare magazine for my P239. I carry both with me every day.... even when I don't have the P239 with me.

quote:

Originally posted by odin:
A year ago, I had to take a mandatory First Aid/CPR course from my employer. One guy spoke up and explained his first heart attack. A month later, I woke up at 10:30 PM with unusual symptoms re. the heart. Woke my wife up (a nurse) and told her I thought we needed to go to the ER.

20 minutes later, we are at the ER and I'm getting blood drawn. Sure enough, a heart attack. Next day, I had a stent implanted. A month later, I was having a heart valve replacement (expected for 7 years).

DO NOT hesitate to go to the hospital when you have chest pains, difficulty breathing, or a difference in your heart beat.
This could save your life!

I could never remember the acronym for a heart attack. A doctor tried to teach that acronym plus another one for something equally critical.

You had to take a mandatory CPR/First Aid course? Is it part of your job description? In the military, we were required to but, as a civilian, I declined to participate even though I still remember the steps and and have kept up with the changes. It was always voluntary in the jobs I had after the navy.

Glad you are ok.

quote:

Is it part of your job description?

Yes! We need to take a FA/CPR/Defib course/refresher every 2 years. I work in Federal buildings where there are lots of civilian traffic.
Need to be prepared for anything!