Winter in Maine brings many bumps in the road, especially with frost heaves. Last Wednesday, along came a bump in our Life's Road. I had a call from my dh at work, after school, which was very odd, since he wouldn't call me unless it were important. I knew he had scheduled a dr. appointment for 2 that afternoon, so figured it must be related. He was being very vague, but to make a long story short he had gone into the ER at 11:30am and a blood test had shown that something was going on with his heart. Little did I know what that meant, and it still wasn't clear when I got to the hospital, but then as a bit of time passed, it came out that he had had a heart attack and was being transported by helicopter to a heart unit at another hospital. WHAT???!!!! I guess I got into a bit of my own adreneline rush then!
He is now fine; it was a mild attack and the blockage was in a spot that did not need to be/could not be stinted without causing more damage. So, now we make some dietary changes, as well as some lifestyle changes. At 51, this was a wake up call (for both of us), and we are praising God that it was not worse and is treatable.
I am so glad that God knew all abut this beforehand; he had mentally prepared my son & I for it, so though it was a shock to have to face it, we discovered as we talked, that we really weren't surprised that it had happened.
Heart attacks happen at any age. Know the signs. My husband didn't have "pain". He had what he called a "sensation", sort of a burning feeling on the surface of his chest and some back pain/achiness that he thought was from shoveling snow, working on a plugged sewer at our rental property, putting logs into the back of the pick-up and then unloading them, etc. So we joke now about his "sensation" and "episode" - such vague terms he was using, but it was very real, and could have been worse had he ignored it longer than he did.
My advice: Be aware, and if you suspect something, get checked out!!
6 comments:
Praise God all is well! I will keep you guys in my prayers!
So glad things worked out. Heart problems run in my dh's family and recently he has started in on high blood pressure. We've decided to make health changes now..and to be aware of the signs! Early detection is the key! Praising God with you.
oh, how scary. i'm glad your husband is okay. thanks for reminding us that this can happen to any one at any time. we can't take our or any loved one's health for granted.
....so thankful Jamie...
and you are so right...the February's Marth Stewart has a great article about women and heart disease...I plan to copy it when I go to the cardiologist....
Deby
My husband had open heart surgery to removed thee blockages, this happened at the end of September. He also went to the doctor because of a vague symptom. When walking up hill he had noticed he would have a moment when he would feel a weight in his chest, again not painful. He would stop and within a few seconds the discomfort was gone and he would continue walking. Neither of us realized just how serious a symptom that was.
He had good cholesterol readings for a non diabatic but now we know that LDL should be less than 100 for diabetics. In addition to medication, we've gone on a more restricted calorie diet. I've lost twenty pounds! and now I have a cholesterol level of 203, HDL 46.
Stay with the diet, eventually it will be a normal part of your lifestyle.
Thank you all for your kind words and stories shared. It's so nice to know we are not alone in this new journey.
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