HEART ATTACK #84

It has been months since we have talked about having a heart attack, and what happens or can happen during and after.  A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked for a long enough time that that part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies from the lack of blood flow.   The blockage is caused by a blood clot in the coronary arteries.  Plaque formed from cholesterol builds up in the coronary artery walls.  The plaque hardens and tears collecting blood platelets which form blood clots eventually blocking the flow of blood through the coronary artery.  The result is referred to by your cardiologist as a myocardial infarction.  A heart attack.  They can occur while you are asleep, during physical activity, being outside and active in cold weather, or after severe emotional or physical stress.

If you have had a heart attack and survived, yours and my chances of dying from a future heart attack are 4-6 times more than anyone else.  Almost 10% of us survivors will die from another heart attack within 6 years of the first one.  Most first time heart attacks (60%) occur to men and 70% of the first time men and women are 65 or older.  Over one-third of those having a heart attack the first time did not survive, and half of those died within one hour of having it.  Most heart attacks occur on Monday mornings, second is Saturday morning.  Most heart attacks occur during early morning hours, and most having a heart attack delay at least 2 hours before asking for medical help.   Mine happened very early on a Saturday morning and I waited about 4 hours before asking for help.   Chewing uncoated aspirin early in the beginning of having a heart attack can reduce damage to your heart.  How do you know you are having a heart attack?  Symptoms range from chest pain, indigestion, feeling like something heavy is on your chest.  A squeezing or heavy chest pressure, nausea, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, heavy sweating.   Any one or a combination of these symptoms should alert you to seek help.   Mine began over a period of time of infrequent chest pains.  Sometimes being weeks in between.  Yes, I did see a doctor, read my first couple of postings. Eventually, while sleeping, I awoke having severe pain in my elbow.  Yep in the elbow, no chest pain at all, at least not in the beginning, progressing over the following 4 to 5 hours.

There are some things I want to share with you.   The scary part was not the night of the heart attack, or the following 2 weeks in the hospital.  It was the first night home.  You are thinking, what am I going to do now if it happens again?  I hadn't appreciated until that moment, how secure I felt being in the hospital, only seconds away from receiving emergency medical help if needed.  I don't know about you but I do not remember a lot of the hospital day to day details, or the first weeks of being home.  I was so maxed out on prescription narcotics most of that time is fuzzy to me.   But at some point  within the first month or so of recovery I made a decision and commitment to myself and family. I was going to immediately make major lifestyle changes.   I was not planning on being one of those percentages who don't make it past the first 6 years or have a second heart attack.  Might not be so lucky the second time, so why take the risk.   So I began to enjoy eating fruit and oatmeal.  Started walking and accepted what I was going to have to do to get in excellent health.  I did not have to fret over it, thinking to myself "oh, what should I do?".   There is only one answer and you know what it is.   I did it, and you can do it.