I'm back from the dead.

C. Bormann · 02-10-2013, 01:50 AM

I just wanted to let everyone know that I had a massive heart attack three weeks ago. Some of my good friends here on the forum already know from my facebook page, but others missed it and are just hearing about it through the grapevine.

I won't go into all of the details because it is a long story. I went to my doctor in the fall and he set me up with a Cardiologist to do a stress test on my heart just after Halloween. Even though I felt their was serious problems during the test the doctor said my heart was fine and gave me the impression that I waisted his time. In late December when the air turned dry and cold I started having spasms in my lungs with the pain radiating into both of my arms. I returned to my family doctor and we decided that I will need to go to Philadelphia for a lung biopsy. He was setting up the appointment in Philly but wanted me to get the blood work done right away and to have another CAT Scan done of my chest. I went for the CAT Scan on Friday Jan 18. On Sunday Jan 20 I woke up with my lungs in pain at 6:30 AM. The spasms usually last 2 to 5 minutes but this one lasted for about an hour. My thought was to call the doctor on Monday to expedite the biopsy. But 5 minutes later the pain struck me again. I went to the emergency room and less than 8 minutes of being in the exam room, I had a massive heart attack. They had to shock me twice to get me back. They rushed my to a nearby hospital with a Cardiac Cath Lab and sucked out a large blood clot and opened up a blockage in the main artery that feeds the heart with two large stents. I'm told that this artery rarely blocks because the two smaller ones usually block first. So, if I wasn't already in the ER when I crashed, I would have died.

Overall I am doing well, but I will have to wear a Life-Vest (which is a personal defibrillator that I wear under my clothes) for the next three months. Then they will evaluate if I need a pace maker. Right now I am told that the main muscle of my heart is working at 30%. The other problem is that I am on three blood thinners and I have daily nose bleeds. Some only last 10 minutes but several have been for two to three hours and one lasted for over seven hours and I finally went to the ER to have it cauterized. I actually have had my nose cauterized three times within a week.

So, I ask everyone to please take your health seriously. If you suspect a problem, then have it looked at. Because I look at life as "One ticket, one ride."

MrYac · 02-10-2013, 01:54 AM

don't think we've ever spoken here, but glad to hear you mad it through that. good thing you were smart enough to go to the hospital, i've known people who kept saying "i'm fine it's nothing" until it killed them

C. Bormann · 02-10-2013, 02:00 AM

My father is like that. He had appendicitis and wouldn't go to the hospital. Finally at 10:30 at night I gave him two choices. 1) Get in the car and I will take him to the hospital. Or 2) change out of his pajamas and then get into the car and I will take him to the hospital. He reluctantly choose #2. At 7 AM they removed his appendix.

Alex655321 · 02-10-2013, 02:19 AM

Good Advice and glad you are still with us !!!

risingstar · 02-10-2013, 08:22 AM

Wow... I'm glad to hear you trusted your instincts on this. I hope things improve soon.
As we're the same age, hearing things like this generally hits home too.

Underdog07 · 02-10-2013, 09:32 AM

Amazing. Glad you were in the right place (finally) and that you now are getting the care you require.

And your advice is dead on. Any abnormalities need to be fully vetted until you get a conclusion as to why.

There was a great radio commercial series re strokes. It's a guy in his office with his hair on fire telling his co-workers something like "yeah, maybe I will get this looked at later"

joefixit2 · 02-10-2013, 10:13 AM

Glad to hear that you are still with us, hope your heart starts to get stronger.

**nbr3bagshotrow** · 02-10-2013, 10:48 AM

Glad tohear you are doing well. Being sort of a hypochondriac, i go in whenever soemthing does feel right. Annual checkups are routine. I want to be around to see my grandaughter grow up and to be there for my kids (who are going through their own trials) and wife.

Saturday_Knight_Surfer · 02-10-2013, 11:48 AM

You were lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
Atheroma has probably reduced the caliber of your coronary arteries but not enough to see any ECG abnormalities during the stress test back in november.
I hope everything will be fine for you in the next three months and after.

C. Bormann · 02-10-2013, 02:10 PM

I feel that when I took the morphine for the pain, it reduced my blood pressure to a point that my heart couldn't function with the blockage.