Here's a link I would like everyone to read. Short, to the point, but not real sweet....

It's about heart attacks...please read and be very aware....the signs are NOT cut and dry.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/haws/haws.htm

-Kay

 

Sometimes you get home from the emergency room because even the 'experts' don't think the symptoms are cardiac in origin.

 

Great link and advice! Heart attack symptoms are indeed NOT typical and NOT the same for everyone. My 43 yr old hubby had flu-like symtoms(he just ached all over and had an upset tummy) the day before Thanksgiving but worked all day. Thanksgiving day, same thing. He just moped around with the blahs. I sent him to the shower before dinner to see if that would perk him up. He picked at his food through dinner and afterwards I found him lying in bed with terrible indigestion but no pain. My big clue was that his 42 yr old brother had died a few years earlier of a heart attack. Hubby had lost quite a bit of weight over the last 6 months or so and I knew someting was wrong but couldn't get him to see a Dr. He was otherwise healthy, never overwieght, not a drinker but a smoker. Anyway, he asked for a pepcid and some 7-up( his brother was sick to his stomach and also asked for pepcid just before he died) I freaked out and told him he needed to go to the hospital....being a man he refused. I repeatedly asked if he was in any pain and the answer was always no. Finally he said his jaws were hurting and I convinced him to go to the hospital.We were shocked to find out that he had had a heart attack the day before and was having the BIG ONE this time. He had 95% blockage in the main artery that descends through the left side of the heart. Would not have lived had he not gone to the ER when we did. It wasn't until in the ER that he began to experience any pain in his chest or down his arm. His blockages, there were 5 in all, developed from narrow arteries that he was born with, unknown to us until that day. Two stents and 4 days in the hospital was all it took to cure his indigestion! I can laugh now but it isn't funny. Everyone should be aware of the varing degree of symptoms related to heart attacks and most of all pay attention to your health and be prepared. It just might save someones life!

 

julesgue,

Thanks for posting. Reading your post brought back some memories that I had forgotten. They were from 22 years ago. My grandmother didn't feel good at that family reunion. More tired than usual, and still smiling at everyone and laughing. When they were taking her home, the big one hit.

She had 5 before the big one hit, over a period of two days. My grandmother didn't make it.

We all should have known something was wrong that day. I still remember the look in her eyes. They weren't as clear as usual. When everyone would ask her if she was okay, stubborn woman she was, she would say she was fine. Silly us, we never truly questioned it. Today, after all those years I know what tipped me off that day that something was terribly wrong... she was a stubborn woman with a sarcastic attitude, yet that day she didn't have anything biting to say to anyone.

We need to watch carefully for signs. I did not know the signs of a heartattack or stroke. I was raised by two well-meaning parents who tried to hide or keep all things unpleasant from us kids. Since there are still times I can't distinquish things I do one of two things: call the police, call an ambulance/paramedics. Whether to ask them how to handle a situation or to get them out there to handle it and make the decisions. I keep both the police # and paramedics # on hand for the questions, and use 911 when I'm not sure the situation can wait.

Kay

 

Patricia,

They sent my brother-in-law home saying that he may have had a mini-stroke. Whatever caused it, had disappeared (the word they used escapes me). Unfortunately he has made only one change in his life because of this. He still eats the same foods, smokes and drinks like a fish. The only thing different is that he does something every weekend now. Either camping or taking his family on a vacation trip. He may have a BBQ one weekend, etc.

I had thought of purchasing him a home blood pressure kit, but after discussing it with his wife and brothers, they said he wouldn't use it. That is probably true. His wife, well she is a "female dog" type woman (trying to use nice words). A nag, that's a good one. Seems she could 'nag' him enough to use it. Then again, this is the same woman who called me from work to ask me to go by and check on Danny. She said he thinks he may be having a heart attack. Check on him, yes, I met the paramedics at his house to check on him. It was 4 hours later before she made it to the hospital. Seems her work is very important to her. For this reason both my husband and his other brother check on Danny every day. Checking his color, his attitude, etc. This very thing has happened to Danny on more than one occassion. He really didn't want me to go in with him to talk to the admit nurse in the ER, but hey, I spilled the beans. I told them things that he didn't even know that I knew.

I also do genealogy and know causes of death for his family. The three big ones: liver disease (drinking), lung related diseases (smoking) and heart attacks/strokes.

My thoughts: If you don't care about yourself, fine. But hey, there are people out there (me, my husband, my mother in law, etc) that do care. DON'T do this to us if you can avoid it. DON'T lie to us or try to be brave and hide it if it is happening to you.

Ps. calls to the police, 911, fire department, and paramedics are FREE. visits from those are also FREE.

Kay

 

The signs vary wildly from person to person. The typical signs we all know about, preasure on the chest, left arm pain, jaw pain, are not allways present. Lucky for me, and unlucky for my brother, he had a major heart attack at 46 years of age. He had a quintuple bypass. I was worried about my own condition as we were both smokers, on the road eating junk food as our diet etc. I went to UCLA for an artery scan paid for out of my own pocket as these procedures are not tried and true, and health insurance will not pay for them. I was releived to get the results which stated my arteries were in fact better than normal for a man my age which was 38 at the time. At forty one, my wife and I had just been with one another, and I just didn't feel right. I have had chest pains, heartburn, jaw pain, malaise as far back as I can remember all caused by stress. Why was this time different, I felt it was different! though it really was simular to all I have experienced in the past. I just felt different this time though all were symptoms I had experienced before. I am not the typical man where I know deep down something is wrong, and do nothing about it. I will not run to the doctor at cuts that should require stitches, or colds etc. but this was different. I had light pain in my right arm, jaw, my teeth had been hurting for months though I had no cavities, I had light chest pain, but here again I had this all the time for years. Any normal man would excuse all this as stress, and get on with whatever was at hand. Knowing about family history, I followed my intuition, and went to the emergency room. I was in fact having
a heart attack!!! I was raced into the cath lab, and had an angiogram, angioplasty and stent placed in my Mid-Circ which was 100 percent blocked! This is not a major artery, but as I understand arteries is a very important one. I probably would have survived had I not gone to the hospital going about life as I had before with my heart all the while losing capacity because of muscle damage this artey would have caused. I would have eventualy had a major heart attack that may have laid me six feet under. I once saw a man at a dance out on the dance floor having a great time drop as if an elephant had knocked him over, dropped dead right there, and did not survive.
I now watch my fat intake, count callories, and have lost 40 pounds. I had to do something for myself as I have not been able to quit smoking yet, but this is next on the list. I knew for the last twenty years my cholesterol was very high, fluctuating around the 300 mark. Needless to say do not assume because you had one of these new scans that are heavily advertised you are in perfect health, you may not be!
My elderly aunt at 89 years of age asked me one evening when my wife and I were putting her to bed if it was hot. I told her no, the temperature was just right, this from a woman that was allways cold. I had a clue staring me in the face, and I actualy thought about taking her to the hospital, but just becasue she felt hot? No probably nothing. I should have followed my instinct that time as well, because when we checked on her an hour or so later she had passed away. The coroner later informed us she had a major heart attack. She had never had any heart problems, but then again she was like the typical man in this respect. She would never go to a doctor unless forced by ambulance, or by a family member, and then it was a hard task at best. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR INTUITION!!!! We all have it, use common sense, better safe than sorry. Your heart may kill you if you don't!!! Sincerely Tom

 

Tom,

Thank you so much for posting! Don't risk it, follow your intuition, and remember that sometimes you don't get a second chance.

Kay

 

I frequently hear it said that there cannot be a heart problem because the person has no history of heart problems. This perspective ignores the situation that until a heart problem is detected, there is no history of heart problems.

 

It is scary to think that until you actually have a full blown heart attack is when it is considered.

Keep on top of yourselves everyone. Know thyself!

Kay

 

just read this one. have a little story to tell. im one of those people who is never sick. dont get colds or flu .nothing. was careful to watch for breast cancer cause thats what ran in my family. im into staying healthy not a nut though. anyway, i started feeling tired but heck i was 48 working full time and going to school until 10pm and had a social life. then i started bleeding . nothing to be concerned about i was going through menopause. 2 and1/2 months . ended up in hospital for anemia of course. good thing i did they found an anerysm 7cm wide and 21cm long .purely by accident. i felt fine. nothing like that ever in my family. never went to doctor but just had been for school check up. im an herblist and it may sound strange but my doctor said it was a good thing i was because after surgery i didnt need any meds. i was healthy except foranerysm . low cholestral low blood pressure no plaque build up in arteries. so the moral is you never know whats going to happen. just pay attention to what your body is telling you. iwould have but i was too busy . and no insurance. try to find someone to do open heart surgery when you have no insurance. but ive now been filited as my daughter says and have a dryer hose for an aorta .not fun but alive. still cant work been 8 months by i try.

 

Actually the proper dose is one adult aspirin chewed or four baby aspirin chewed. It is important to chew the aspirin rather than to swallow them. The aspirin reduces the clotting which slows the formation of the blockage which is developing rapidly in the case of a heart attack.

Rapid intervention can prevent damage to the heart muscle. It is still important to seek emergency medical care to correct the problem.

Glad you were on top of this. How did you know you were having a heart attack?

 

I found out Saturday that my mom only has 30% bloodflow to the entire right side of her body. She is 68 years old, always been active (until the last couple of years) and she quit smoking over 20 years ago. Mom's cholesterol has never been considered dangerously high, only slightly elevated the past 3 years or so. In the last two years she has been to NUMEROUS cardiologists, pain control centers, neurologists, etc., etc., etc. Still her blood pressure would go to 200/100 and then practically crash at 70/50. She has had several episodes of atrial fib and has passed out on more than one occasion.

A brilliant internal medicine physician cared enough to check her arteries using doppler and discovered her current situation. The artery to her right kidney is 60 percent blocked. NEITHER of her parents had any heart disease. They had physicals yearly and both were quite elderly when they passed away. My mom learned (too late) that her damage was due to smoking over 30 years of her life. There is so much blockage that surgery is not an option for her.

I am the only smoker left in our family and I am 48 years old. I have smoked over a pack of cigarettes a day for 22 years. I have made a firm commitment to stop smoking when I go to bed tonight. I have tried before and know I could have been more successful if I had re-routed my thinking. I tended to concentrate on my discomfort rather than what I would be gaining by quitting. I think I have a tough job ahead, but I know I can do it. I would be happy to have a "quit buddy" from any one of you who has tried before and not been successful. My friend and I are doing this together and would welcome anyone else who would like to join in.

Starting to smoke was not easy. It tasted nasty, made me cough and I was pretty sick to my stomach. I kept trying to smoke and unfortunately, I succeeded. I am willing to give that much and more effort to quitting. I know that people do it every day and that if I really needed cigarettes, I would have had them in the nursery when I was born.

The only reason people don't succeed at quitting is because they stop trying.

 

are these two related by any chance .. im sure if one is tense and stressed it does affect our heart .. why does hypertension happen and what can be done to control it..

 

Now I am not sure about you, but I find it so hard to diet and to lose weight. The weight loss programs and diets that I have tried are just so boring. They are also very hard to implement as they are asking me to give up foods which I know that I will not be able to. What we need is a weight loss program which is actually fun to implement.

My name is Steve Hill. My own weight problems began when my parents decided to turn vegetarian. I was eleven years of age at the time and basically decided to give it a go as well. My mum cooked the meals you see.

This was twenty-one years ago, at this point there were not many different options of food for people who were vegetarians. I was not at all impressed with the food I was given and missed eating meat in a big way. I would normally be hungry after meals and would then start to eat snack type foods. I only gradually put on more weight and people did not really comment for a couple of years.

As soon as people did notice, it was like a vicious circle. They would taunt me at school, I would come home all depressed and would then comfort eat, to make myself feel better.

A few years ago I went about looking for ways to help me to lose weight. I tried many diets but without success. I have to say it was not that anything was wrong with the actual diet, it was that, that particular diet did not suit me.

I am the type of person who needs to enjoy something to keep my interest in it. This is why I found school a struggle. Well that is my excuse anyway.

The Fun Way To Lose Weight

On a Saturday night a few years ago, I went out for a few beers with a good friend of mine (Dave). We were having a good chat during which I told him about my mission to lose weight. I explained about how as yet, I had not found a suitable weight loss program.

Dave suggested that I should take up a sport, something competitive which I could get my teeth into. I thought about what he had said and agreed that this could be the way to go.

I asked him if he would like a game of tennis three or four times a week. Dave stated that this might be a bit much as he played six a side football twice a week.

He did not want to let me down however, and then asked if I would like to join his six a side team. I will give it a go, I replied.

I came home rather drunk, but also rather pleased with myself. I now had a weight loss plan which I was sure would work. There will be no quick fix, however this amount of exercise, over a sustained period of time, must have a positive affect on my weight, my fitness and my health.

With this program, I am also able to basically eat what I want, when I want.

It did take quite a while as I had predicted, to reach a weight I was happy with. This was not a problem however, as I was having fun on the way.

I continue to play not only tennis and football, but many sports. This is no longer to lose weight but because I enjoy it.


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