Open letter to all Freepers, Matters of the Heart

7-21-2011 | Battle Axe

[Battle Axe]

I found my good friend dead on the floor on July 18, 2011. Life will never be the same.

He had been in an automobile accident 9 days before, but the autopsy showed he had severe coronary disease with multiple blockages. The EMTs said he had been gone for 3-4 hours.

Please don't let this happen to any of my FreeperFriends.

He had no symptoms of heart trouble other than a little high cholesterol. Treatment with diet and exercise put the numbers back in good territory and he could pass a stress test better than I could.

What he needed was a heart catherization test that would have shown the blockages. But that test was never suggested. They say I have two more weeks to wait until the final determination of what happened. He was only 65.

[Battle Axe]

Please everyone take care of your heart.

[Jemian]

I am very sorry for your loss.

[Jedidah]

So sorry, Battle. Thanks for posting to remind us.

[napscoordinator]

Thank you for this message. It needs to be repeated and repeated over and over again. We get so caught up in our lives of family, work and entertainment that we forget about taking care of our bodies. Sorry for your loss. God Bless You!!!

[Freeper Fanatic]

Sorry you lost your friend.
Best wishes and prayers to all your families.

[fortheDeclaration]

I am sorry for your loss, but why would that test be suggested if no symptoms were present?

[deweyfrank]

God bless you and your friend Battle Axe. My condolences. I too am 65 and thanks for the reminder,

[Battle Axe]

You are all so very kind. It looked to me that he was cleaning out a box of old papers and got up out of the recliner, turned off the A/C and then tried to walk into the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom and just didn’t make it. I think he went to his knees and then over on one side. His glasses were still on his head, not broken or ajar. I don’t think he hit the floor very hard. It looked like he didn’t move after that. So it was very quick and hopefully painless. He was so afraid dying would hurt too much.

Many other friends have commented that they have watched relatives struggle for months on end with painful diseases. This was better for him, but a real shock to me.

BA

[narses]

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[presently no screen name]

Thank you. Are you saying he brought down his cholesterol so all was good in that area but he still had blockages? And very sorry for your sudden loss.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Two months ago, my 38-year old cousin died in bed when his heart simply stopped. Turned out he had an enlarged heart that no one (including my cousin) even knew about.

[Huskrrrr]

I’m very sorry for your loss. Thanks for the message.

[umgud]

No one should have to find a friend this way. Sorry for your loss and pain.

[bigbob]

Very sorry for your loss. Friend lost his brother in law last night, age 52, heart attack while driving. Luckily no one else was hurt but it wasn’t his first one either. Sad.

[RonBush]

I am sorry for your loss.

I have the same question someone else asked: If the doctor didn't tell him to have the test, how could he know to have the test? If he had no symptoms, how would the doc know he needed the test?

I have read that over testing can be as bad for your health as under testing. There are false positives that lead to more tests and many of the tests can have some danger. It is all very confusing. In the end I just have to trust my doctor.

Diet, exercise, lower stress, keep weight down, don't smoke or drink. These are the things we can all do to protect our health.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I am so sorry for your loss. How difficult grief is.

I just had a Cardiac Dopplar done. It is a sonogram of the carotid artery to see how much plaque there is. My internist recommended it as I am taking statins and he wanted to use this as a way to determine how aggressive the statin regimen should be. as it turned out, I had normal arteries for someone of my age. so now we will keep a moderate amt of statin med.

It is such a simple test. Just a sonogram, not invasive.
I recommend it to anyone on or considering statins for cholesterol.

[cubreporter]

it was better for him and for that we thank a merciful God. We will keep you in our prayers as well. It was definitely a shock for you and will take some time so...take your time, grieve and don’t aplogize. You need the time to grieve. May you find comfort in the fact he left this earth quickly and looks like painlessly. I’m sure his last thoughts were of you!!! May he rest in peace.

[Faith]

Thanks for your message of caring and concern. I am very sorry for the loss of your friend. May God comfort and uphold you.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Please see my post # 16.

[StayoutdaBushesWay]

Heart caths are in themselves dangerous, it is the gold standard but risky nonetheless. The doctors will do it to rule out false positives from less invasive tests or in an emergency where often times they will have an angioplasty ready to go. It's not a good idea if the person is asymptomatic as it can shear off a clot and cause an embolism.