Health issues can sneak up on us without warning. It's crazy to think that 8 years ago I was in the hospital with a close to exploding heart and several other medical issues that finally caught up with me.
This is a long read...sorry.
Three weeks ago, I had a heart attack. I thought that was something that could never happen to me. Everyone that knows me was stunned. I am very active, eat well, *thought* I had no warning signs. Thought. Truth was, I ignored them. Truth was, I wasn't eating as well as I believed either.
For the last year or so, maybe two, I'd noticed after eating lunch and going for my (one of three daily) mile long walks, a bit of a burning every once in a while, which I thought was surely indigestion from walking too soon after eating (and eating too fast). It would always go away in a minute or two. Big mistake.
On this day, I didn't go for a walk, I had to run errands after finishing my lunch. I got back, sat at my desk, and the burning started. This time it was more intense, and started radiating out into my shoulders, then down to my elbows. I started sweating - and it wasn't going away. I got up, walked up and down the hall a bit, trying to decide if I should have my coworker call the on-site medic. I still had that "ah, I'll shake it off, I'll be fine" guy mentality fighting against my judgement. I wasn't short of breath, dizzy or faint, but something did feel weird. Finally I had that moment of realizing I needed help, and got him to call.
Took an ambulance ride, and along the way they did an EKG and couldn't see anything wrong, so that was at least comforting. The burning kinda would go away, then return a little less. At the hospital they did some blood work, and it didn't look like I'd had a heart attack...at first. Later blood work showed that I may have, so they kept me over night and did a sonogram the next morning, and it indeed showed that my heart wasn't moving quite as far as it should be. That earned me a catheterization, and sure enough, they found not one, but three blockages in some branches of my arteries (luckily not any main ones). Got some stents put in. No other disease detected, thank god. Spent another night there, then they sent me home. After a week of doing mostly nothing, then gradually building up to taking walks and doing light chores, I actually feel really good. I start "cardio rehab" tomorrow.
Now when I say fit, I really mean it. Two days before, I kayaked two miles UP a flowing river and back down in 90 degree heat (yeah, probably not smart either at 56). I walked 4 miles every day. 50 pushups before bed. 10 minute of weights every morning before work (used to do more, but really just trying to maintain muscle these days). Every weekend in the summer I'm either boating or fishing or running RCs. Don't smoke, only drink moderately at most. Here's the thing though...this stuff RUNS IN MY FAMILY.
Ten years ago my friend who was 65 at the time had some of the same kind of discomfort, and got a full body scan done. They found major blockages, in fact his arteries had re-routed around them (same thing actually happened with my mother). They told him he could live like that, but wouldn't have his full cardiac capacity, or get a triple bypass. He got the bypass. He told me that I should get a full body scan too when I hit 50. I had planned on it, but you know, kept putting it off, putting it off. I really hate dealing with doctors and hospitals, I don't trust them much for starters. Finding good ones that are both honest and competent seems hard any more. Even dealt with a few that seemed psychotic at times. I tell you though, if I ever had any advice for anyone, is don't ignore burning in your chest. It could be heartburn - but maybe not. I was told at the hospital that the same set of nerves gets triggered, that's why people can't tell the difference a lot of the time.
The best advice I can say though (not that I'm really in a position to be giving it given how I ignored and put off stuff) is to get a scan for plaque/blockages when you hit 50. Apparently these things start in your 20's and 30's, and a lot of people have them without knowing it until something happens.
