Back from the dead, thanks be to God.

self in FR | 12/31/2018 | JimRed

[JimRed]

From my FReeper profile, with the latest update:

Heart attack survivor end of June 2011, stented, finished cardiac rehab and back to playing B'ball. Update: My cardiologist ordered me to have a follow-up stress test in May '17. The display showed an anomaly, so he recommended a catheterization procedure in July. The stent was blocked and other blockage was found and fixed. God has been better to me than I deserve. If you have not done so, HAVE A STRESS TEST. I had no symptoms like weakness or shortness of breath, playing ball 2-4 times a week and running a bit. Could'a dropped dead.

Update as of 12/31/18: I actually DID drop dead, playing b'ball the Sunday after Thanksgiving this year. Collapsed on the court, no pulse or respiration (they tell me). I was wearing a monitor at the time, a data-gathering follow-up on the prior problems. I was revived by the first aid squad's defib and kept in a coma for several days (they tell me). I then had a pacemaker/defib device installed, which appears to be working well. No ball for another two months, per the doc. Not supposed to drive, either; that's the most stressful part! Again, God has been better to me than I deserve!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Congratulations and thanks be to God!

There is nothing worse than to be sick and stuck in hospital. Watching the Cable and the hospital menu channel. Switching listlessly between the “The secrets of Oak Island” and “Below zero”, one about a corpse buried with treasure, another about freezing people buried with snow, 7 minuets of content stretched to 40 minuets of show! Yes, you may glean information on how to field dress a Musk Ox, but getting permitted is like applying to harvest Bald Eagle!

I digress...

Happy you are alive and well! (Look into taking Coenzyme Q10 and fish oil to help with your heart!)

[JimRed]

How old did you say you are?

Three quarters of a century as of October.

[JimRed]

The original surgeon told me that genetics is the controlling factor...

Dad was a career Army man and a smoker; died of a heart attack at 73. Mom passed at 95. Depends on whose genes I got.

[JimRed]

There is nothing worse than to be sick and stuck in hospital. Watching the Cable and the hospital menu channel.

As soon as they would let me do so I walked the halls of the cardiac care floor quite a lot, before and after the device was implanted.

[JimRed]

I read Jim Fixx’s book when it was first published, and was quite shocked when he died that way.

[xp38]

Splitting the difference you may have another 9 or 10 years. :)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

No more running for now! Sooner or later you should be able to drive. I had radio and would have listened to Rush or Levine, or other am programming, but no receiption.

Glad you are alright!

[suthener]

I started having a heart attack last Wednesday (the 26th) at approximately 8:00 am. I recognized it immediately even though I have virtually no medical history at 59 yoa. I called 911 and walked about 100 down to the road. For those that don't know, heart attacks can be freakin painful. I coded 15 minutes into the 30 minute ride. The ambulance met another ambulance and picked up their medic. They did CPR on me for 6 minutes and shocked me twice. At the hospital they cleared and stinted a 100% blockage. That's about as much detail as feel like getting into, but I will tell a quick funny story. One of my monitors was beeping and flashing while I was in ICU. I looked out and every nurse in ICU was looking at me. What I found out later (disclaimer; I'm no doctor) is that I had gone into V tach again. The reason they were staring at me was because when someone is V tach they're not supposed to smile at you and give you a thumbs up. They restarted my rhythm with medication instead of shock. I never felt a thing. One nurse asked another if she had taken my pulse. She said that since I was looking at her and talking to her she was pretty sure I was conscious. I'm typing this from my hospital room because I have not been released yet. Everything looks good, though. Happy New Year!

[trebb]

Jim Fixx decided that if x-amount of aerobic exercise was good, then 5x was better, 10x was better yet, and so on.........I think he overdid it.

[JimRed]

Hang in there and heal quickly, all the best for the new year.

[JimRed]

Splitting the difference you may have another 9 or 10 years. :)

I'll take it! I'll take it!

[suthener]

Thanks!