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My early holiday present - a heart attack

sangha

sangha

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I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Even though I said this in the other thread, I'm very glad you are okay Sangha, and that you are recovering quickly. :)
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, sangha. Stay well.
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Glad you are going to be ok and sounds like things should end up well for you. Get well soon(or weller).
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

You are fortunate to have recognized the symptoms and acted swiftly. Too many of us procrastinate. I'm glad your prognosis sounds excellent. Smooth sailing, Sangha.
 
So glad you're okay. My neighbour had a heart attack a few years back and he now walks about 7-8 miles a day.
All the best and wishing you a speedy recovery.
 
Get well soon, dude. Don't sweat it. My dad had six heart attacks over his lifetime.
 
Glad to hear you're recovering. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Greetings, Sangha. :2wave:

Believing, as I do, that everything happens for a reason, I was pleased to read that you were exactly where you needed to be at the time you had a heart attack - and it was not a coincidence that you were there when you could have been so many other places! Good luck to you in your recovery, and I hope this means that we'll be seeing you here on DP for a long time! *BIG HUG*
 
polgara said:
Greetings, Sangha. :2wave:

Believing, as I do, that everything happens for a reason, I was pleased to read that you were exactly where you needed to be at the time you had a heart attack - and it was not a coincidence that you were there when you could have been so many other places! Good luck to you in your recovery, and I hope this means that we'll be seeing you here on DP for a long time! *BIG HUG*
Click to expand...

Yes, as odd as it sounds, I really am very fortunate. Not just being near a very good hospital, but also because of all the dear friends and family I have to support me through my recovery and the fact that, aside from this, Im pretty damn healthy.
 
:shock:

wow, so glad that you were able to get immediate and excellent cardiac care and now know what to do for yourself

best wishes for a quick and complete recovery

I think your early holiday present was actually that you survived and are here to talk about it. :mrgreen: :thumbs:
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Take care of yourself! This forum can't handle a more right-wing lopsided skew. ;)
 
i'm sorry that you're burdened with this, especially around the holidays. i hope that you make a full and quick recovery, Sangha.
 
Holy **** man. Glad you are ok. Good luck with recovery.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Wishing you the best Sangha. Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery from me to you.
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

I did not see the other thread, so this is the first I've heard about your heart attack. OMG, how scary, so very glad you are now recovering. You've always been one of my favorite people. It sounds like you've got a sound plan going forward to get your strength back. Please continue to take care of yourself. *hugs*
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

I know where you are coming from. Doctors, nurses and staff...especially those in cardiac care...are some of the most saintly people I've met in my life. Do what they say. They'll keep you going.

Oct 2015 I almost checked out due to congestive heart failure. Essentially, that means my body had built up so much fluid my heart couldn't pump blood because of the back pressure. I knew something was wrong when my pulse was going a mile a minute and I barely had the strength to walk to the bathroom. It turned out my pulse was in excess of 130 bpm and I had AFib on top of it. They got me back under control. The Afib went away, but now...even with my meds...my heart rate is quite low. 40 bpm is now my resting norm. My heart will never fully recover, but right now I don't have any need for a pacemaker. I almost got a defibrillator implanted...by my ejection fraction rose to the mid 40% area, so I don't need that. Like you, I now walk...almost daily. But I'm good. I even hike in the mountains at the 7-8 thousand foot level.

Medical technology, techniques and medicine is amazing. You'll be fine. Welcome back to the land of the living.
 
_Sal said:
sooooooooo Sangha did they place you on a cardio diet?
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The doctors havent said anything about diet yet. They were more focused on getting me stable enough to be discharged. All I got about dr,iet was some standard printouts that Im sure they give to all their heart patients.

However, theres a lot of heart disease in my family so I know a lot about what my diet should be and what I need to change and Im sure the doctors will go into that when I see them on an outpatient basis
 
Mycroft said:
I know where you are coming from. Doctors, nurses and staff...especially those in cardiac care...are some of the most saintly people I've met in my life. Do what they say. They'll keep you going.
Click to expand...

You can be sure I will. And you are right about their saintliness.I was deeply touched by the care they provided which went far beyond merely attending to my physical needs. It was truly compassionate care

Oct 2015 I almost checked out due to congestive heart failure. Essentially, that means my body had built up so much fluid my heart couldn't pump blood because of the back pressure. I knew something was wrong when my pulse was going a mile a minute and I barely had the strength to walk to the bathroom. It turned out my pulse was in excess of 130 bpm and I had AFib on top of it. They got me back under control. The Afib went away, but now...even with my meds...my heart rate is quite low. 40 bpm is now my resting norm. My heart will never fully recover, but right now I don't have any need for a pacemaker. I almost got a defibrillator implanted...by my ejection fraction rose to the mid 40% area, so I don't need that. Like you, I now walk...almost daily. But I'm good. I even hike in the mountains at the 7-8 thousand foot level.

Medical technology, techniques and medicine is amazing. You'll be fine. Welcome back to the land of the living.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I *will* be fine. Im lucky. Things could have been much worse

And glad to hear you ended up OK too. We are truly blessed to be living in a time like this.
 
Mycroft said:
I know where you are coming from. Doctors, nurses and staff...especially those in cardiac care...are some of the most saintly people I've met in my life. Do what they say. They'll keep you going.

Oct 2015 I almost checked out due to congestive heart failure. Essentially, that means my body had built up so much fluid my heart couldn't pump blood because of the back pressure. I knew something was wrong when my pulse was going a mile a minute and I barely had the strength to walk to the bathroom. It turned out my pulse was in excess of 130 bpm and I had AFib on top of it. They got me back under control. The Afib went away, but now...even with my meds...my heart rate is quite low. 40 bpm is now my resting norm. My heart will never fully recover, but right now I don't have any need for a pacemaker. I almost got a defibrillator implanted...by my ejection fraction rose to the mid 40% area, so I don't need that. Like you, I now walk...almost daily. But I'm good. I even hike in the mountains at the 7-8 thousand foot level.

Medical technology, techniques and medicine is amazing. You'll be fine. Welcome back to the land of the living.
Click to expand...
glad you are recovering well Mycroft
 
sangha said:
The doctors havent said anything about diet yet. They were more focused on getting me stable enough to be discharged. All I got about dr,iet was some standard printouts that Im sure they give to all their heart patients.

However, theres a lot of heart disease in my family so I know a lot about what my diet should be and what I need to change and Im sure the doctors will go into that when I see them on an outpatient basis
Click to expand...
lots of heart disease in my family too...I will be shocked if I go out any other way

hang tough
 
sangha said:
I mentioned this is another thread, so I thought I spell it out in more detail before people get more worked up about it

Early one morning about two weeks ago, I was waiting in my car outside an apt building in Upper Manhattan for a business associate when I started experiencing the classic symptoms of a heart attack (ie chest pain, dizziness, pain in left arm, etc). Coming from a family with a long history of heart disease, it didnt take long for me to recognize what was going on, so I called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

I was fortunate, if only in *where* this happened. Because this was Upper Manhattan, I was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is one the nations best heart hospitals. The doctors there quickly determined that, of the three main arteries at the top of my heart, two of them had become blocked. One was only partially blocked and had become so slowly over time, which had allowed my heart to compensate asymptomatically by relying more on the other two. However, when a 2nd artery became blocked (both suddenly and completely), there was neither enough time nor coronary resources for the heart to compensate for the lack of the blood flow, and the muscle tissue near the top of my heart suffered damage.

To deal with the problem the doctors made an incision in my groin and threaded some sort of medical device through the artery there into the blocked artery where they installed a stent to open it up.That ended my heart attack but not my stay at the hospital. I wont go into all the gory details, but my stay there was a lot longer than most heart patients because I had a number of complications (namely hospital-acquired infections)

The doctors tell me that the heart muscle itself, while damaged, is recovering remarkably well. They have cited all sorts of numbers about capacity, blood flow, etc, that make it clear that I can look forward to a normal active life at some point in the near future. However,there are two main issues that I have to deal with.

The first is pretty predictable. I just had a heart attack so my heart is not performing at its usual level. My heart rate is very low. I have to work at getting it up, mainly with long strenuous walks, which is not a problem for me. I have always like to walk around. I just have to up my game a bit to make sure they are strenuous and extended enough to kick my hearts base rate up a few notches.

The 2nd issue has to do with the electrical signals that get our hearts to pump. In a normal heart, this signal comes for a section near the top of our hearts. This part of the heart was damaged and is not, at this time, sending any signal to get my heart pumping. Fortunately, our bodies incredibly complexity has given our heart a fail-safe ability to generate a signal from the mid-section of our heart and that is whats keeping my heart beating right now. This isnt desireable or feasible long term, but given my hearts strong recovery so far, the doctors are pretty hopeful that normal electrical signalling will return as my recovery progresses. If not, a pace maker will have to be installed. Either way, the doctors sound confident I will return to a normal and active life within few weeks.

So thanks to all of you who have (and others who will, Im sure) expressed concern and offered their best wishes. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Santa believes in you ,sangha ,get well soon!
 
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