OT: Something went a bit haywire....Make sure you keep

on top of it. I'm 51, Worked everyday doing something,always has anual check, blood work,cholesteral check and on medications to control what needed controlled etc. Seemed to be tired most of the summer, getting stuff done, just more tired. Was going to get up around 5:00 am on Sept 26 and start drilling about 900 acres wheat. Woke up about 3:00 a/m. with a bad burning pain that ran from inside of each hand across the chest. Couldn't get rid of it. Woke wife, took and aspirin and went to the ER 20 miles away. Had a very mild M/I. Was flown to Loveland, CO Cardiac hospitol at daylight on the 26, Doc's thought a stint &/or ballon or two whould cure problem. Went into surgery 9:00 on the 26th. Woke up in ICU after 4 days touch and go. Got out of ICU on Thursday. Came home on Sunday the 4th. Don't know all the details yet except I had a 5 way bypass and some left heart damage. 1 plugged 100%, 2 @ 90% 1@80% & 1 @ 75%

Don't worry about me. But for God's sake all you people on the board both men & women make sure you are taking care of yourselves. I thought I was in pretty good shape. My problems started shortly after my last anual check in Dec. 2008

That should not have all happened since 12-2008.

I think indications have been missed in the past.

Dan, based on what you told us and assuming that your family history is not positive for heart problems, you are too young to have had this problem. That is unless you have not been living a health life style. Anyway, what is done is done. Until 1967, bed rest is what was prescribed for a problem like yours. You have been given a second chance, please do not blow it.

What a jolt you must have had. Bless your heart.
A person gets hit with so many possibilities of health going down hill quickly. Hope you get better and take care of your self. Went to see the Dr today(my anual physical) and had a extra long talk about the wifes problem with venofer.My sugar (diabetes) is unsteady so now I"m going to take another fast acting insulin 15 min before meal. NO SIDE EFFECTS> .Makes a person who has troubles (health wise) take a second long look at life and the changes that the human body goes through almost daily. I sure hope you do fine and re-regulate your life style so you can continue on this earth doing what you love. May the Good Lord Bless you and keep You from harm.!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOU.

NE SOTA. Might not be anything he did to promote his problem. The body can (on it's own)produce such things as CHOLESTEROL in huge amounts that can and does create heart problems.
That happened to the wife. Please be carefull not to chastise when the whole story is not available.
LOU

Stay on top of everything. I thought I was because when dad had his first 4 way at 60 I went to an internal med and cardi dr. and got started with lowering the high colestral all the such. Regular check ups, stress tests and all. Yes there is harding of the arteries on my dad's side. He's had 2 bypasses, 4 and a 5 way with no heart attacks and he just turned 80. Just take whatever means needed to stay on tp of it. Don't assume anything. Dan

Hi Dan,

Glad too here your doing better.

Have you finished with the salt withdraws yet?

If not your wife & kids may want too read thru the Nat. Heart Assoc. website so they'll know whats going on with you.

I had a very tuff time with sodium withdraws. I fired a nurse and a Doc before I left the hospital, not that they didn't deserve to be fired but the way that I did the firings was uncalled for.

T_Bone

Aloha,
Good to hear that you are ok.

Mahalo,
doogdoog

Hi Dan,, I hope things are looking better for you now, that's a lot to go through,
Thank the Lord He has given you some more years to be with your family,

you must live in Colorado, I did live there for 16 years, now I just visit CO from time to time,

zeke

I went thru that in 2003 and feel great now. Sometimes its in our Genes. Take it easy for a while so you don"t pull the breast bone apart.

Get healed up Dan.

We need yer kind.

Allan

Glad to hear things went as well as they did for you. Hope the improvement continues. Als hope you never have to change insurance, because you now have a major "pre-existing condition" that'll cost you big bucks to get coverage for.

Wife had a quad bypass at age 34 back in '96, so I know all about the insurance thing.

Good to know that you made it through OK.

Be sure to follow your doctor's advise on your physical therapy that may be necessary.

Went through the same thing with my father.

Two stints took care of his problem; thankfully no bypass surgery was needed.

You take care of yourself.

"My problems started shortly after my last anual check in Dec. 2008"

That's the same mistake I made. Noticed some unusual vision problems in one eye but didn't take it seriously enough soon enough. Ended up losing most of the sight in that eye due to a retina problem.

As you said, stay on top of things and if something changes get it checked out asap. The first step in reducing health care costs is to avoid problems or at least catch them early, rather than trying to get someone else to pay for the problem after it becomes a major issue.

Been there, done that.
Glad you made it. This is a warning to all here.
First:
If you are smoking, quit NOW.
Second:
If you are eating sausage and eggs every morning, or such a diet, you've got to change your whole life style.
Men should go to their doctor more.

Coloken , 20 years since 4 by-pass with staph infection, who wears a ICD. (thats a pace maker with a built in zapper).

My wife had quadruple bypass in June of 2003. She went from not knowing she had a problem to the OR in less than 12 hours. Been doing great since.

Total bills were over $100K, and it cost us out-of-pocket $1200. We had (and still have) Nebraska BCBS. I get nervous with all this talk about health care overhaul.

I had the same thing when I was 51,5 bypasses.One thing you want to do is look on the food labels and see how much sodium is in the food you eat.You have to lower that so there may be 2 things that are the same price but one has 40% of the amount you can eat in one day the other might have 10%.It will surprise you to see how much sodium is in food you buy.My guess is that right there is a big part of the problem because a couple of years ago doctors started saying something about it and sodium levels dropped in some foods like potato chips and bologna because kids were dying of heart attacks.You want to watch your blood pressure too so get one of those machines if you dont have one and check it a lot to see if its going up or down.That will help your doctor know how much blood pressure medicine to give you.You also want to exercise.Walking is good.Just have to start slow and build up.I had to use a cane for a few months because I couldnt walk when they worked on me and couldnt write and couldnt even see very good when I woke up in ICU 4 or 5 days later.I fell down the first time I tried to walk in the hospital but in a few days I could walk with help and walked out on my own.You want to take some fish oil which helps and I got some liquid vitamins which helped.You need to ask your doctor about that stuff but mine told me to take that stuff.I still had to go back 3 times to get more stents.Diet has a lot to do with it.They will say its genetic or I smoked and of course that was blamed for it.I was in the hospital with a woman that was 57 and had never smoked who got bypass surgery.Smoking is bad for you,but clogged arteries is an epidemic.Some say its additives in food,but of course no doctor will agree about that.Its smoking,eating salt,to them,and while this stuff is bad for you,your arteries are still getting clogged even if you cut down and quit smoking like I did.After that and the 5 bypasses and the vitamins I had a bypass collapse and started having congestive heart failure.My feet would swell up,I also had angina and was taking 100 nitro pills in 3 days.When I went to the doctor he put me in the hospital and put another stent inside of a stent to open one of those bypasses.That helped a lot but I still have trouble and take a nitro pill once in a while.I also take blood thinner and cant stop taking it.If you are taking Plavix and stop taking it,you can have problems,like blood clots in your lungs that can be fatal.I tried a few months ago to quit taking Plavix and in 3 days started having problems so the doctor told me to keep taking it.Its taken 3 years but my blood pressure is finally down like it should be.Just that there helps in how I feel.Ive taken a few different blood pressure medicines,different doses,and what finally worked is a 25mg pill in the morning and 25mg pill at night of Metropolol.Also a water pill.So after 3 years my blood pressure is finally under control but it was a struggle.Then it seems like your kidneys work better,you arent so tired all the time,and if you exercise you loose some weight and feel even better.Since you had surgery you need to get checked for Diabetes especially if you start having problems because you can get it from the surgery.I lost about 40 pounds and was drinking a glass of water every 30 minutes then started going into shock one night before I found out I had diabetes.My blood sugar was like 580 and it should be under 100.I had to go to the hospital to get it down.Im the only person in my family thats ever had diabetes.Im starting to feel like that dog named lucky.Im also happy that I can tell you this stuff because I have some friends I went to school with that are dead now.One died 2 years ago and was the same age as me 54.One of them didnt smoke and died of a heart attack last year.Another one drove a snowplow for the state died a couple of weeks ago and was younger than me 53,not overweight,but he had some other problem too.Seems like everybody I know has high blood pressure.All of us used to drink a lot.Actually I think my health went down hill once I quit drinking.I cant drink taking some of the pills that I do for Diabetes.Any way thats what I can tell you about it.Im no doctor but you have to kind of help them out by watching your blood pressure and what you eat.Bypasses help you some,but they might not cure you.Even the way you are built has something to do with it.That could be where the genetics come in,but it sure seems to me that anybody is liable to get heart disease.

Happens quick don't it. I've wound up in ICU twice in the past 12 years. Feeling OK,then wham,flat on my back in the hospital. That's why all I can do is feel sorry for people who think the only reason they were born is to "work hard til they die". It's gonna happen to them sooner than they think. Get some rest. I found out the hard way that things will get done whether I'm out there or not.

My neighbor behind me woke up during the night trying to get his breath. Instead of calling 911
his wife took him to the ER at the local hospital and had to wait a good while before being seen. I told her she should've dial 911
and they would've seen him right away. After several bypasses he's doing ok. He was in his early 40's when this happened. Everyone needs to have a complete physical every year and that should include an EKG plus the blood workup and a colonoscopy when you hit 50. If there's a family history of rectal cancer or bleeding you need to have it done sooner. I'll soon be 77 so far no heart problems. My wife and I were swimmers and we swam at the local community college for over 20 years until they quit using chlorine in the pool and everyone ended up with jock itch. Hal