My new stent

[Montecfo]

So, I had some chest pains mowing the lawn Friday. More discomfort than pain, but since I had a heart attack and got first stent 12 years ago, I paid attention. I went inside (after overcoming my natural instinct to "finish the lawn" first) and then to the ER.

Doctors were dubious that I had experienced a cardiac event, since I had a "clean" stress test in February, after my first ER visit of the year, complaining of a different chest pain. They decided at that time it was not a cardiac issue and released me after observation.

[As an aside, I appear to be a healthy active guy who hikes, swims and does not need to visit ERs.]

This time I assured them that SOMETHING had happened. Anyway, my blood tests eventually showed heart enzyme levels rising indicating "heart stress". So they decided to do heart catheter and found 90-95% blockage in my left anterior descending coronary artery, adjacent to stent #1. Yes, that's the one the call the "widowmaker".

So, I am feeling very happy to be alive. I did not suffer a heart attack. I am also reminded we, ourselves, are the most important advocates for our own health, not doctors or anyone else.

I would encourage everyone to listen to your body and take symptoms seriously. Cardiovascular disease is #1 killer of both men and women in the US, and this is underpublicized in my opinion.

And is this my RE catalyst? Already have the FI covered. I have recently been viewing my job as "working" for me but it's a good time to re-evaluate.

 

[Nemo2]

Good advice..thank you...hope you make the 'right' retirement decision. Good luck, healthwise, too.

 

[omni550]

Wow...scary. Glad you listened to your body and are now OK.

omni

 

[MichaelB]

Good thing you insisted.

 

[REWahoo]

And is this my RE catalyst? Already have the FI covered.

If you can't hear that second stent screaming "RETIRE NOW!", you need to get your hearing checked.

 

[braumeister]

If you can't hear that second stent screaming "RETIRE NOW!", you need to get your hearing checked.

+1

You've been a member here for a couple of years. Surely the message is sinking in by now?

 

[Oz investor]

So, I had some chest pains mowing the lawn Friday. More discomfort than pain, but since I had a heart attack and got first stent 12 years ago, I paid attention. I went inside (after overcoming my natural instinct to "finish the lawn" first) and then to the ER.

Doctors were dubious that I had experienced a cardiac event, since I had a "clean" stress test in February, after my first ER visit of the year, complaining of a different chest pain. They decided at that time it was not a cardiac issue and released me after observation.

[As an aside, I appear to be a healthy active guy who hikes, swims and does not need to visit ERs.]

This time I assured them that SOMETHING had happened. Anyway, my blood tests eventually showed heart enzyme levels rising indicating "heart stress". So they decided to do heart catheter and found 90-95% blockage in my left anterior descending coronary artery, adjacent to stent #1. Yes, that's the one the call the "widowmaker".

So, I am feeling very happy to be alive. I did not suffer a heart attack. I am also reminded we, ourselves, are the most important advocates for our own health, not doctors or anyone else.

I would encourage everyone to listen to your body and take symptoms seriously. Cardiovascular disease is #1 killer of both men and women in the US, and this is underpublicized in my opinion.

And is this my RE catalyst? Already have the FI covered. I have recently been viewing my job as "working" for me but it's a good time to re-evaluate.

LOL ,

my MRI nearly took out the cath lab. registrar , they took the scan , i get a comforting smile ... we'll get your results back in a half an hour or so

so i wander to the magazine rack to find an interesting read and am just about to sit down ... the registrar , comes back very pale ( even for a blonde babe )

'you have an appointment with the cardiologist at 8 am tomorrow morning and i have confirmed it ..BE EARLY ( that consultation was over at 7.50 am ) then she turned away as said follow me we are going to have a long tak !

... do you know what an aneurysm ( yes i did and so apparently did the stunned staff who were all open mouthed )

anyway long story shortened two weeks later i have an Angiogram ( and intending to implant a stent ) the cardiologist looks around instead taking a LOT of images , and backs out without implanting the stent , and refers me to his superior , ... but the good news it you have no aneurysm only an unusual lesion so i have bumped you up the priority list .


my little adventure has been full of twists and turns so far ( and probably more to come )

 

[corn18]

Glad you are ok! Heart attack survivor here. 3 big arteries were 80-90% blocked. 3 stents. Been back to the ER 3 times since, but only added 1 stent to the collection. Next step will likely be open heart surgery of some sort.

Kindof a PITA, these chest pains. I have my nitro and take it on occasion and if the discomfort/pain passes, I move on. But the penalty for being wrong is death.

 

[Red Badger]

If you can't hear that second stent screaming "RETIRE NOW!", you need to get your hearing checked.

+1.

FWIW to folks here... I had a HA and subsequent stent about 15 years back. My first indication was undue fatigue after climbing a couple of flights of stairs. Later that evening, I had pain, but it was more like my collar bone than my chest. Over the next couple days, the pain migrated to just below my neck and really became unbearable. So, I went to my primary care office, but as soon as I uttered "chest pain," I got the instant backstage pass. Doc gave me a nitro pill and the relief I felt was confirmed by an EKG reading a few minutes later. So, off the the cardiac care wing.

Anyway, like OP said, listen to your body. I walked around for three days with a ticking time bomb in my chest (what a dumb ass - - - like I've said previously, God protects me from me on a regular basis). ... Since then, there are no bad days. If I wake up on this side of the dirt, it's all good from then on.

 

[corn18]

My HA happened in 2015. Interesting looking back at all the warning signs that were there and I ignored them.

2012 - Age 46, 50 lbs overweight and time to fix that. Went on diet (254 lbs)

2013 - started exercise, down 50 lbs

2014 - started power lifting and running 5k's, down 70 lbs (got down to a low of 178 lbs). Applied for some extra life insurance in a ladder to get me out to 78, so 3 term policies. Got the physical and was sure I would get the lowest rate as I was a fitness machine. But it came back that my cholesterol was 311! WTFO?!? I had always had high cholesterol since I was 18 (240 ish) when the Navy started testing me, but never that high. I ignored it and moved on.

2015 - competitive powerlifting and 5k's, now sitting around 195 lbs and 13% body fat, I was ripped. I hit my personal goal of lifting 1,000+ lbs total in the big 3: Bench (235 lbs), squat (370 lbs), deadlift (485 lbs). 5k time got down to 23:54. I also started biking and would regularly do 25-30 mile rides 2-3x a week.

Started noticing pain / pressure in my chest and left elbow. Sometimes after working out, sometimes just lying on the sofa. I ignored it and moved on.

2015 - May, this is when the party started. I was in Tel-Aviv on business and felt like crap. Fatigue, worst indigestion in the history of ever, chest pain, arm pain. Nothing a lot of Motrin and gas-x couldn't fix. Was waiting to board my flight from Tel-Aviv to Paris and felt dizzy. Got up to board and barely made it on the plane. Then came the pain. And the nausea. Threw up 3 times before takeoff. Thought this might be a bad thing. We took off and I spent the next 7 hours in excruciating level 10 pain. I kept moving around the entire time trying to make it go away. It did not. Landed in Paris and took some more Motrin and gas-x and guess what I did? I boarded my flight from Paris to Cincinnati. Felt a little better so I slept the entire flight (glad to be in lay flat business class). Landed in Cincy and drove home.

Told my wife I had bad indigestion and went out that night with friends to eat mexican and drink margaritas. We all decided I had gull bladder problems.

Got up the next morning to work out and bam!, we need to go to the ER now. Got there, express ticket to the cath lab and 3 stents. Doc said I am idiot and should be dead.

As I look back, I wonder why they have probed by butt so much in the last 10 years but had not once taken a look at my heart.

 

[Oz investor]

Glad you are ok! Heart attack survivor here. 3 big arteries were 80-90% blocked. 3 stents. Been back to the ER 3 times since, but only added 1 stent to the collection. Next step will likely be open heart surgery of some sort.

Kindof a PITA, these chest pains. I have my nitro and take it on occasion and if the discomfort/pain passes, I move on. But the penalty for being wrong is death.

my instructions are quite precise , if i think i am having a problem RING THE PARAMEDICS FIRST then try the nitro ( i suppose a distraction while i am waiting ) i am guessing the nitro won't play nicely with the other medications . and i will need treatment after taking the nitro regardless of other factors

but so far i haven't needed the paramedics which is a damn shame the local team normally consists of 2 or 3 cuties ( almost a temptation to ring for no major reason ).

 

[Walt34]

So, I had some chest pains mowing the lawn Friday. More discomfort than pain, but since I had a heart attack and got first stent 12 years ago, I paid attention. I went inside (after overcoming my natural instinct to "finish the lawn" first) and then to the ER.

That's about what happened to me too, but I did finish the lawn since I'd never had any heart issues. I didn't actually have a heart attack but I had to stop three or four times on a hill to catch my breath that I didn't have to do that a week prior. Sitting or lying down, even light exercise, I felt fine. Naturally it was Sunday, so Monday I called my doc and he scheduled me for a stress test the next day. Then he calls back and said I was to be admitted via the ER "out of an abundance of caution". Had the stress test, and the next day was the cath and I ended up with two overlapping stents in the LAD, which was 90% blocked.

Dodged a bullet, four years ago now. Almost every nurse commented on the fact that I'd come in before the heart attack. Evidently most guys wait until they're on the floor to call.

 

[W2R]

I know this is unpopular with some guys, but I'd like to say a few things as a PSA for those who might consider it.

Could I urge our forum members over 50-55 years old to stop mowing the lawn for exercise? Mowing the lawn, by nature, is an hour or so of relatively intense exercise once every week or two, so I personally think it is hard to build up one's physical capabilities that way. It probably stresses the heart just as much every week as it did the week before.

A major cause of death is heart attacks, especially for men. Personally I like men and don't like seeing them die any younger than they have to. The same is true for women, but IIRC men are more likely to die of heart attacks.

A lawn guy doesn't cost much compared with medical bills.

Join a gym, where there are personal trainers keeping an eye on you and who often have EMT certification as well (and who will call the EMTs and have them there immediately if needed in any case). At the gym, you can exercise more regularly and at lesser, saner levels if need be.

Said with caring and appreciation of our male forum participants.

 

[Helen]

Montecfo, thank you for sharing your story and for your important words of wisdom. I am glad you are still with us!

Do what you love, love what you do. Life is way too short.

 

[Helen]

Actually, W2R, according to the CDC the leading cause of death for women in the US is heart disease.

https://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2015/race-ethnicity/index.htm

 

[W2R]

A major cause of death is heart attacks, especially for men. Personally I like men and don't like seeing them die any younger than they have to. The same is true for women, but IIRC men are more likely to die of heart attacks.

Actually, W2R, according to the CDC the leading cause of death for women in the US is heart disease.

https://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2015/race-ethnicity/index.htm

Oh OK! I didn't know that and thanks for the CDC link.
I looked up the CDC link for males, and here it is for those who are interested in comparing:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/lcod/men/2015/race-ethnicity/index.htm
Although they are indeed more likely to die of heart attacks than women, the difference is not much and you are 100% right that heart disease is the number one cause of death for women as well.

Well, I stopped mowing at age 56, and I am doing everything I can think of to take care of my heart. Given the information you provided, then I'll extend my warnings, with equally heartfelt caring and appreciation, to the women over ages 50-55 in our forum too.

Aw, I can't help it. I have a soft spot for our forum members. We have a great bunch of intelligent, worthy, good people here. And I think that if they thought about it, most would trade the small amount that a lawn guy and gym fees cost, for the possibility of a few more years of life.

 

[JoeWras]

I know this is unpopular with some guys, but I'd like to say a few things as a PSA for those who might consider it.

Could I urge our forum members over 50-55 years old to stop mowing the lawn for exercise? Mowing the lawn, by nature, is an hour or so of relatively intense exercise once every week or two, so I personally think it is hard to build up one's physical capabilities that way. It probably stresses the heart just as much every week as it did the week before.

I don't think it is bad if you do other significant exercise regularly. Right? I know up north, snow-shoveling heart attacks are no joke. It is the only exercise some people get once a year, and it kills.

Back to mowing. One mitigating factor may also be the exhaust fumes. Very nasty stuff, high in CO, etc. I've switched to battery power primarily because of this.

 

[Oz investor]

a gym

not before 2022 for me ( doctor's orders ) in fact i don't put my feet up enough now ( according to the doctor )

and the closest i have got to an actual attack ( so far ) was the 2nd of Jan. 2017 where i sat at the computer logged into the share trading platform and saw the credit balance

... What the . ..??

How the ?

oh Social Security has given me a disability pension just 5 days after the medical review and two months before the stent was implanted

i was in shock for the first part of the trading day ,

it was then i finally realized even the government thought i was sick

BUT DEFINITELY go and have a full physical .. while you are healthy enough to admire the nurses

 

[Walt34]

I don't think it is bad if you do other significant exercise regularly. Right? I know up north, snow-shoveling heart attacks are no joke. It is the only exercise some people get once a year, and it kills.

I did ask my doc about this, and his response was that since I go to the gym 3 - 4 times a week I'm good for snow shoveling, just don't get carried away and take breaks. Another tidbit I learned at the gym is DO NOT hold your breath when moving a heavy shovelful of snow or any other heavy weight. This causes a huge spike in BP that can trigger a heart attack.

 

[Oz investor]

sorry i forgot one detail , i had approached Social Security hoping to get a health-card to reduce the medical expenses and subsidized medications


*** I heard the call to do nothing. So I answered it.***

mine was more of a firm demand by a fill in GP ( not the normal one )

HHmmmm tap tap tap on the computer ..

HHmmmm Cardiomyopathy ... lets see you have a 50% chance of living another 10 years

HHmmmm .. i wonder what caused that ??

goes and have these tests ...

those tests found a blockage , 2 weeks later it was an aneurysm and two weeks after that a lesion

 

[samclem]

This time I assured them that SOMETHING had happened. Anyway, my blood tests eventually showed heart enzyme levels rising indicating "heart stress". So they decided to do heart catheter and found 90-95% blockage in my left anterior descending coronary artery, adjacent to stent #1. Yes, that's the one the call the "widowmaker".

In 1968, my dad got sick at work and the doc there told him to go home and get some rest. My mom wouldn't hear of it, drove him straight to the nearest ER, where they found he was having a heart attack. Her persistence probably saved his life. In a coincidence related to ongoing commemorations: My dad was in Good Samaritan hospital in Los Angeles for his heart attack, and Bobby Kennedy was shot that day and brought in while my dad was being treated. RFK was declared dead in the room across the hallway from my father.
A few years ago I had chest pain and went to the ER, largely due to all TV and radio spots I've heard over the years about not blowing these things off. Where I went (a USAF hospital), they took it very seriously and I got a thorough checkout despite having no history of heart trouble, good BP, etc. It turned out to be nothing. But the chest MRI they did found a nodule in my lung--which also turned out to b nothing. Once they start running tests, they find stuff even if you are fine.
I'd be really suspicious of an ER department that didn't fully check out a person with known cardiovascular issues who presents with chest pain.
This stuff is as serious as--well, you know.

 

[Montecfo]

Actually, W2R, according to the CDC the leading cause of death for women in the US is heart disease.

https://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2015/race-ethnicity/index.htm

Helen,

Thanks for amplifying my statement to the same effect and providing links.

As far as exercise, no one should do exercise they are untrained for, particularly heart patients. Full disclosure: the first discomfort I felt was on a power walk a few days before. It was not nearly as intense and I allowed myself to think it was due to my fast pace. But it sensitized me to the issue, since it was the classic exercise discomfort that fades at rest.

And I stopped and got help so avoided HA. I will consult with doctor regarding this, of course.

 

[RAE]

I know this is unpopular with some guys, but I'd like to say a few things as a PSA for those who might consider it.

Could I urge our forum members over 50-55 years old to stop mowing the lawn for exercise? Mowing the lawn, by nature, is an hour or so of relatively intense exercise once every week or two, so I personally think it is hard to build up one's physical capabilities that way. It probably stresses the heart just as much every week as it did the week before.

Stressing the heart on occasion is not necessarily a bad thing, assuming you also do other forms of exercise regularly, and eat a healthy diet, so that the heart is not already impaired. I still mow my lawn and shovel snow (at age 63), and I'm not too worried about it. In the case of the OP, he apparently had significant arterial blockage before mowing his lawn.......he just didn't know it. Had he not felt pain while mowing the lawn, there would have likely been another event of some kind (in the not-too-distant future) that would have triggered the same type of pain (and ER visit). So in some ways you might say he was fortunate that he got indication of the problem before the blockage had progressed to near 100% (and was smart enough to get to the ER right away also).



I think a better approach than giving up activities like lawn mowing is to have an annual blood test, and pay close attention to things like your triglyceride/HDL ratio, which is a very good predictor of heart disease (it should be less than 2.0, but less than 1.0 is best). Another good test to have done is the CRP (C-reactive protein) test, which is an indicator of the amount of inflammation in your body. If there is any indication of a problem with either of those tests, it might be a good idea to have a calcium scan of the heart done. I think those typically cost about $200 or so, and the results can be a good indicator of the amount of arterial blockage (if any) you have.


I'm not trying to downplay the risks of heart disease, by any means. I just think there are other, perhaps more important things people can do (besides giving up activities like lawn mowing) to monitor the condition of their heart, before serious problems arise.

 

[Nemo2]

I still mow my lawn and shovel snow (at age 63)

Still?

 

[aja8888]

Still?

Believe it or not, I just came in and started reading this thread after mowing my lawn (quick trim for the party Wednesday). It's 90 F out and I needed a cold drink. In May I had my annual physical and an EKG, which was a good result. Maybe I have good genes? Maybe I am lucky?