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Health scare! Surreal Monday.

@LemonWedge I'm Glad you're still here to tell the tale...

a couple of years ago now
My dad kept burping, had indigestion constantly
just before my dad went in for a quadruple bypass

a few months prior, he's a stubborn SOB
He's 5'-8" 165#
with all the crap he ate for years I don't know how he kept thin
he had smoked for 40 years,
filterless Lucky Strikes & quit,
eats a big bowl of Ice Cream probably every other day, a qt a week
eats like 4-5 cookies the days he doesn't eat Ice Cream
always at night like 9:00pm
eats fat literally, like the fat on a prime rim/t-bone etc.
(when he's away)
eats fried foods a lot, red meat like it going out of style
(when he's not here)
eats sweets & chips etc./junk food
(he's the polar opposite of me)
whatever he does it's compulsive, it's overdone
(replacement I assume for Booze & cigarettes)
A compulsion to put stuff in his mouth constantly,
a hand to mouth syndrome
just like most people, have with smoking & drinking issues

He's drank a quart min. or more of rotgut whiskey for 60+ years/daily,
still recovering Alky (not very successfully)
I'm surprised he has made it as long as he did...
(I assume)
He didn't think he could die, even with me constantly warning him...

At one time they did attempt a stint,
it was no go arteries were way too hard
& collapsed they couldn't get it thru,
they went thru the groin...

He had just come home from an RV trip
I know he drinks binges every time he leaves here
I don't allow alcohol in the house for that very reason,
he can't control it...
He was sleeping one night after getting home, from a 2 week trip
looked like ****, all worn out,
I asked; "if he was OK"
he said; "just tired after driving"
he kept burping constantly
(after his binges he does that often)
& later got up said;
"he had bad indigestion, was having trouble breathing"
(he has COPD so that part wasn't anything new, life long abuse)
I wasn't taking any chances
I got him dressed, loaded him up & took him to the ER,
when they were taking his pulse that said;
"he was going into cardiac arrest", rushed him into a room
they did echocardiograms/exrays etc. etc. etc.
Nurse/Dr. came out & said he was going into surgery immediately
7hrs later, a quadruple bypass & a replaced valve with a pig valve...
6 months of rehab, had to learn how to somewhat talk, chew, walk again
the anesthesia was/is really bad on the humans' brain/neurological system
they had to 'keep him under' for more than a week,
he had the shakes like you can't believe, it was sad to watch & see
(all self-induced BS)
because he was going thru major detox from alcohol abuse,
long story...

he's doing fine almost 2 years later he's 85 now

he's my perfect example of 'how not to treat your body'
he lucky to still be alive

-------------------------------------------------------

I'm no lil' guy I'm (or was) 6'-2" & 240-250#
I have a good BMI mass index even at that weight,
'Big Boned Norwegian/German' (my dad was the runt)
been that way for most my adult life, fluctuate between 225 & 250
since I was 18 y/o
I get checkups "usually" the past 10 or so years, once a year
or min. every 18 months to 2 years, prior
I get an "all good from the Dr."
knock on wood
I try to keep busy & stay in decent shape, work out some, walk some
I don't eat fats, drain of fats when cooking,
I don't even drink alcohol much (for obvious above reasons)
I don't drink sodas, or eat a lot of sweets, chips or junk foods,
I try to eat veggies/fruits often,
I do like a lot of veggies/fruits, so that helps
I eat way more fish, a lot more chicken & turkey,
than beef or pork now etc.,
that last part was hard, I love red meats

I'm going to be 62 in July... so far so good
I hope I didn't just jinx myself

you only have one body, treat it well

Wall of text length to gander.png
 
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Wow I’ll admit today( before reading this) I made an appointment for some weird issues I’ve been having pre covid, I’m nervous about them but my appointment is next Friday.. I’ll try to be better .. you on the other hand opened my eyes a little bit more.. thank God your here! Good luck and take good care. We all need to do it most of take better care of others and our iron than ourselves.. God Bless !
 
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Glad you are okay and thanks for the message. A lot of us think "that would could never happen to me".
 
@LemonWedge Your Angels are watching you!! GLAD YOUR BOUNCING BACK!! 2016 mom (70yrs then) had stent Ramus 1, her LAD TOTAL 100% block with same "bypass arteries" formed over time just like you: needs stent at circumflex, cant do it, too small to stent, complication from diabeties: 5'8 120lbs, never a smoker or drinker. Eight yrs now, still going but just slower. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!! GOD & THOSE ANGELS ARE WATCHING OVER YOU!!
 
good to read, you'll be ok.
i have my own issues............ we all get something as we age
 
Glad they saved the day for you! Scary situation.

Please tell us how have you been feeling for the last year or so? Down on energy? Running out of breath? Anything changed in your ability to work or exercise?

to be honest, I would have told you a week ago that I felt great. I don’t believe I had noticed a shortage of energy, but I am excited to see what the future holds for me. I may find myself in a month or two feeling 10 years younger (???). Time will tell.
 
Glad you got it taken care of in the nick of time! THIS is the other side!
Now, so everyone here will understand what you went through, and go get checked.
I'm 67, never smoked, drink very little, weigh 258lbs., and feel great. The Blizzard of 2021 didn't kill me.
1. 3/4/21: Went to my Dr.'s office for annual blood draw and Lipid panel. Everything looked good.
Saw a pamphlet in the waiting room for a C.A.C. test that would cost me only $75.00. What a deal! I want one!
2. 3/11/21: Went in for C.A.C. (Calcium Score). Took 45min.
3. My Dr. called me and informed me that my Calcium score was 568! Ordered a Nuclear Stress test.
4. 4/23/21: Had a Nuclear Stress Test.
5. 4/26/21: Saw my new Cardiologist!
6. 4/30/21: Checked into my local Hospital and had two Stents placed in my L.A.D! Wrist entry. (aka, The WidowMaker) Stayed overnight.
7. 5/11/21: had an Echo Cardiogram taken.
8. At Home with no restrictions.
9. I have severely altered my diet, and now eat Heart Healthy.
I did not have any pain or shortness of breath. NO SYMPTOMS!
Get a C.A.C!
NOW!

if ever there was a testimony that should get your attention, this is it! Thanks zyzzyx!
 
to be honest, I would have told you a week ago that I felt great. I don’t believe I had noticed a shortage of energy, but I am excited to see what the future holds for me. I may find myself in a month or two feeling 10 years younger (???). Time will tell.
I have friends that say they were running low on energy or getting weak for no reason just before having problems like this.

hope you are new and improved!
 
Hi all. Mods please leave this here as even though it’s not directly race related, I’m intending to speak to my compadres that hang out here.

I had a horrible day on Monday, one I’m still not sure I believe. Woke up at midnight with what I thought was indigestion. It quickly became horribly painful and I unbelievably spent 5 hours pacing my living room searching for ANY sort of relief. The pain continued to get worse until I felt literally like I was at the end of what I could stand. Finally, in the midst of a manic state of mind, I had a single moment of clarity and told my wife I needed to go to the emergency room immediately. At the time I thought I was dealing with a ruptured ulcer.

Once at the Hospital emergency room, my wife checked me in while I paced the room in uncontrollable discomfort. They took me in and the the first thing they did was run an AKG test on me. They also gave me some antacid (I had obviously tried plenty of that already with no effect). They sent us back out into the waiting room to wait for results. Well, Seconds later before I had even reached a chair, a team of physicians rushed into the waiting room and urged me to follow them as quickly as possible. Once back behind the door, they informed me I was having a heart attack.

An entire team quickly got me into a room full of expensive looking machines, and started running tests in quick order. I found myself suddenly terrified, as all those around me were clearly operating in an extremely serious manner. I looked over at my wife just as they began wheeling me out. She was crying and that was the moment it really hit me. This could be it, I may not make it through this. I was now starting to get some relief from the sedative they had administered, and found myself taking some personal inventory. It was as real as real could be, but it was still hard to believe what was happening.

into the OR, I was informed that they were going to install a stint. At this point I heard what felt like the best news of my life.... a simple statement from one of the nurses: “Youre in the right place, just hang on for a few more minutes, youre going to be okay”. I have no idea who said that to me, but I cannot even begin to describe how comforting it was to hear. Thank you with all of my heart to whoever that was.

once fully sedated they began the stint placement process. Modern medical technology is unbelievable. They went in through my wrist, and the “scar” is basically just a pin-prick. Long story short, from that moment on everything was good. I spent 3 days in the hospital, and I’m home now.

My plan is to skip this weekends race, as I just really don’t feel ready to climb into the car and make a pass just yet. While I’m sure I could, I’m trying to be responsible and keep my long term health at priority #1. For reference sake: I am 55 years old. Lean at 5’8” 160lbs. Lifelong Non-smoker. Not a high-stress person, in fact most would describe me as “easy going”. Healthy family history, both Mom & Dad still alive, active and very healthy in their 80’s. Why I found myself in this situation is a mystery. My Dr said: You are now my poster-child for “It can happen to anyone”.

The issue was a 100% blockage of my LAD artery. This is the main artery that supplies blood to the lower left ventricle of your heart. Luckily, my body had somehow built a system of auxiliary veins around the blockage. My cardiologist told me “while this auxiliary veining was as impressive as I’ve ever seen, They carried just enough blood to keep you alive. No more, no less. Make no mistake, you’re lucky to be alive”. I believe Angels from heaven put those veins there, and I’m not speaking metaphorically. I fully believe that God and God alone kept me alive through this ordeal by taking a presence within my body and doing what he and he alone knew would keep me safe.

If you don’t already, please make a point of seeing a Dr regularly and follow through on all of the testing they offer you. Also, I am going to suggest that an active relationship with our lord and our savior could just be the most important relationship you have. In my case, I would not be here today without him.

Happier than ever to be here; best wishes to all!
LemonWedge.
 
Best Wishes!!!!!!!!!!!!

You May Get To Like "Balance Of Nature"...........Nutritional Supplements...............
Nutrition is key!
MoPar2Ya!
 
Thanks for sharing your experience, I'm glad you had a good outcome! It seems when we get to our 50s that is when the issues start to crop up. I have a couple friends who have had strokes in their 50s.

Like dodgeboy440 said above, I've been getting really into nutrition and supplements that last few years. A couple years ago my cholesterol was high and my nurse practitioner wanted to put me on sterols. I asked if it would be reasonable for me to try diet and life-style changes for a few months first and she agreed. I worked at it and got my cholesterol checked again a few months later and was told I no longer needed to be put on meds, I had gotten my cholesterol levels low enough on my own.
 
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The Cholesterol numbers were all good in my case. Triglycerides = 76.00, Direct HDL =39.0, Cholesterol =148.00.
The C.A.C. told a different story. I've changed my diet radically, and will see what the numbers are in a few months.
 
That's interesting. I've read a lot of stuff saying that they aren't even sure that high cholesterol contributes to heart problems and your data kind of backs that up in a weird way - you had potential heart problems while having low cholesterol numbers.
 
That’s crazy. Glad it all worked out LW!
 
As I read this I lay in the cardiac recovery ICU. Today is my twentieth day. My daily routine is breakfast with my neighbor, a local sheriff's deputy. On April 27 we were leaving the restaurant when I felt like being hit with a wrecking ball.
Long story short, we were less than five minutes from the hospital. They took me back immediately, eased my pain and air lifted me to the central hospital. I was comotose four days on life support trying to stabilize me for surgery. I received one valve and three bypasses but remained in never never land for six more days.
Hopefully I will be going home next week.
This is a subject no One wants to discuss out of fear or ego. I guess no one wants to admit they are mortal. At 73 I'm in excellent health, active, no smoke, alcohol or drugs.
I had warning signs but contributed them to post covid symptoms as did my doctor.
Never leave the ones you love without letting them know and try to get right with God above for your name may be on the "Bring them home list" today.
Be thankful for the life God has given you and pay attention to what your body is telling you.
Gary
 
Wow! Glad you're ok. Definately take care of your health. The car will be there when you are ready. At 55, you have lots of time left with the Wedge and the wife! Get well soon.
 
As I read this I lay in the cardiac recovery ICU. Today is my twentieth day. My daily routine is breakfast with my neighbor, a local sheriff's deputy. On April 27 we were leaving the restaurant when I felt like being hit with a wrecking ball.
Long story short, we were less than five minutes from the hospital. They took me back immediately, eased my pain and air lifted me to the central hospital. I was comotose four days on life support trying to stabilize me for surgery. I received one valve and three bypasses but remained in never never land for six more days.
Hopefully I will be going home next week.
This is a subject no One wants to discuss out of fear or ego. I guess no one wants to admit they are mortal. At 73 I'm in excellent health, active, no smoke, alcohol or drugs.
I had warning signs but contributed them to post covid symptoms as did my doctor.
Never leave the ones you love without letting them know and try to get right with God above for your name may be on the "Bring them home list" today.
Be thankful for the life God has given you and pay attention to what your body is telling you.
Gary

wow.... makes me feel real fortunate. Thanks for sharing, Pushrod. Best wishes for a recovery that offers quality of life! Great advice as well; working on those items on a daily basis is a goal for me.
 
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