Widowmaker heart attack

[Littlefeller]

My sister who is 10 years older than me and my closest sibling personally was within 10 or 15 minutes of dying from a heart attack yesterday.   90 plus percent blockage on left side of heart.  Triple bypass surgery. She is healing ok now, but a long road ahead.  Part hereditary, which is concerning (grandpa died of heart attack at 67) and part is lifestyle.   1 can be fixed, 1 can't.   It was a "Widowmaker" is what the Doctor said.  Thank God my niece (her daughter) got her to the hospital in time.....  Dad was adamant I keep getting check ups for my heart, wore a heart monitor and took a stress test before I turned 30, was on blood pressure medication before I was a father, and get a yearly checkup for CDL physical including blood work, but still a rude awakening of sorts.  Not many survive a "Widowmaker," do you know of anyone?

[Wes806]

Glad to hear she is doing ok now. 

[hickory]

Yes good friends son survived by quick action. 39 years old.

[Sledgehammer]

Glad she gets a chance to recover. I hope and pray that recovery goes well. 

[JaredT]

At 46 my dad had quadruple bypass, over 90% blockage.  He had a second heart attack 10 or 15 years later and has had the original bypasses redone. He is almost 81 now. 

[ray54]

Good to hear you sister is doing OK.

 

Had an uncle back in mid 60's keel over in a grocery store on his way home from a office job. Age 50. He had a son die of heart attack before 60.

 

In more recent time a 75 year old+ friend got a few more years. The doctor told him a good thing he did not live a mile or 2 rather from the hospital.

[Littlefeller]

Thanks guys I appreciate the responses and well wishes.  It is tough on me accepting that we all age and issues associated with this poke their ugly head up now and then, but we keep on trying to keep on keeping on.  I have said to a long established member here a while ago when his son needed heart surgery how much taking care of your heart meant to me, yesterday it struck home hard.  Thank you all

[hardtail]

My old bosses brother had one and survived, only 12% survival rate

[sandhiller]

I had not heard of that

Prayers for a quick and complete recovery.

Sounds like education is key in understanding and prevention or at least surviving.

Take care of yourself also Chris!

[axial_al]

Best wishes for your sister.  That is scary.

In January of 2022 I had a quad bypass and aortic valve replacement surgery.  Was lucky not to have had a heart attack.  I really had no symptoms either other than being out of breath after exertion that I attributed to age.  A new doctor didn’t like the way my long standing heart murmur sounded and the surgery was the result after dye scans, nuclear stress testing and and an attempt at installing stents.  My surgeon said I may have been able to live another three years at the most.  My dads side of the family is where the heart problems came from.  He died at 65.  I have never been overweight or smoked and am fairly physically active.  Rehab and recovery went really well for me and I am still actively able to get my farming stuff done.  The biggest problem I am facing now is trying to get my FAA medical certificate back.  After a year now of sending paperwork, lab and test results I still haven’t gotten it!  

[560Dennis]

Praying for speedy recovery 

[Hot Plug]

Glad too hear your sister is on the road to recovery..... you take care of yourself Chris ... Maintenance,  do the maintenance...... 

 

                HP

[nepoweshiekfarmalls]

My Uncle, who attended the Roundup with me in Grand Island,  survived one.  He had a stint installed and later a triple bypass.  Doing well these days.   Best wishes for your sister's recovery. 

[Jake19917561]

I read this yesterday, my uncle died of a heart attack this morning. He was 61 

[oleman]

I had a Niece in Law who was buried last month. My youngest sisters sons wife. She was around 45 YO and a Yoga specialist  with know known health issues.  A constant reminder that are no guarantees in life expectancy.

 

[Diesel Doctor]

The heart seems to be something doctors have figured out.

If you have any issues, or issues in your family, if not tested, please do so.

My mother died at 57 yoa in 1987 because they missed all her signs of plugged arteries.

This was before doctors knew a lot about the heart or women's differences vs men.

A couple years ago I had A Fib and the heart doctor fixed it with an ablation.

It was amazing what they can do today if they get a chance to diagnose you!

To many people are dead because they thought things were just fine.

 

 

[Littlefeller]

5 hours ago, Jake19917561 said:

I read this yesterday, my uncle died of a heart attack this morning. He was 61 

So sorry to hear this, you have my condolences 

[7and8and1456]

At age 68, I had an event with heart in March of 2020. Woke up at 1:30 AM needing to cough badly to get junk from lungs. I had a severe bronchitis and coughing for near two weeks that in hindsight was no doubt the Covid,  but this was just before they started calling it Covid. Had some discomfort in chest that I was certain was gas as the doctor who I saw for the bronchitis/coughing had prescribed a strong antibiotic that she said would "tear up your stomach" . It did cause a lot of gas, my belly was distended and tight like a balloon.  I got the coughing finished and then went to working on the gas pressure feeling. Finally took an alka-seltzer and burped like heck. Discomfort was totally gone. That was Friday morning. Finally went back to sleep after a few hours. Got up and did my morning farm chores but relaxed that day as I had been able to get little sleep for the previous week due to coughing. Took it easy Saturday but noticed that it was becoming difficult to pee. Doctor had prescribed something for lungs that had warning for persons with enlarged prostate. Saturday night I told wife if it was no better Sunday morning I needed to get to ER and get bladder drained. I do chores Sunday morning and I could not pee at all. Went to ER and got urinary catheter. Doctor comes in and ask how I felt, any shortness of breath, chest pain , dizziness, etc. ( heart attack symptoms). None I say. Well, EKG shows something going  on heart related so you are going to big hospital to get checked out. Loaded in ambulance that runs high speed with siren going the entire way. Get to hospital and I am rolled straight into heart cath room where the crew was waiting having been called in from being on standby. They immediately went to work and  installed a stint in the  left anterior descending ( LAD ) coronary artery of my heart.  Was told later by cardiologist that the artery , which is called "The widow-maker artery",  was 85% blocked. She asked about what I experienced over the past few days. I told her about the early Friday morning episode and she said , "That was a heart attack. You are a lucky man. Only about 10-15% survive what you experienced". Discharged from hospital on Tuesday, went to cardiologist office that week on Friday and was told by cardiology P.A. " Your heart is fixed, go home and do what you feel like doing". I felt like working, so I've been doing all the farm work just like I always did. Heart testing I've had done since the episode shows heart is going strong.

My daughter is a nurse practitioner and I asked her why I survived. She said , "Well daddy, you are strong, always had plenty of exercise from working, not over weight, you eat right and your heart was strong enough that it withstood being short on oxygen for a while because of the blockage".  I said, " So it took a licking and kept on ticking". "Yes daddy, it did".

[ray54]

Jake condolences to your family as well.  

Doctors are always getting better, still no help for some. My dad and uncles on his mother's side all had electrical trouble with their heart. It would just stop beating in the night and they were found dead in bed. My dad got a monitor put on at about 70. Doctor could not get him in the hospital soon enough. He had been as low a as 8 beats in a minute. With a pacemaker he lived to 92.

At 62 my gallbladder got in very, very bad shape, and infected. Spent 13 days in the hospital. In that mess at about day 6 or so, they had me walking for 100 feet up and down the hall. Got back in bed and hooked all the wires up, and everybody got in a dither. My heart had gone into A fib. With all the other places that hurt, I could tell no difference. Had heart doc there in 5 and I took drugs for better than a year. After a year and stopping drugs, they put a monitor on me that stayed 2 or 3 weeks. At which time it was taken off and told everything was good. Until something else shows no need of a heart doctor.

They tell me most can feel things are off when A fib starts. But I never could tell a thing but had so many other things that hurt. With all the complications just a summer to forget. 

[mike newman]

...yeah...its not a lot of fun....14 months gone,  early morning,  walked a mere 200 odd yds  from ute    to the Excavator....felt a bit funny.....it was a  Saturday...finished at 4 pm,, and as we were working on the next day...despite it being a Sunday, took a short walk around checking out  more  big rock for the River Protection job....again felt very short of breath, although there was plenty of air around......(.  ).Sunday morning at 5.00 a.m.    woke up with a increasingly painful chest..just got worse...Fortunately my son was working here at that time so off into ER at a great rate of knots ..this in the Hilux ute.....   (one and a half hours...)  .Had another 'attack''  upon arrival but that was   sorted quick time by the ER staff...Next day had a couple of culverts....(stents  !!) put into the old pump plumbing...and back to the Station three days later..

NO work for two weeks..they said..so eldest Daughter ran me around in the Hi-Lux  so I could bellow instructions  to the dirt crew who were involved with the substantial river protection works

Took about nine months to get back to where I was,.....but am going well  at the present time...no issues doing good long days in the Excavator

..I was a mere 79  at the time of the heart attack.......Dad caught me smoking at 12 yrs old...and the subsequent   fall out convinced me never to smoke again....ever....and I never got a taste for alcohol....evidently that  was  two of the  pitifully  few smart things I have ever   done in my life....

..I was very lucky....I knew  others who  were not so lucky.....

Mike

[hardtail]

Life mimicking biology, culverts, obstructions and flow, glad Doc sorted it out as you have many times 😊

[Rawleigh99]

I had a friend who had one a few years back.  The day before his daughter had taken a CPR class at school. That night she taught her mother cpr. The next morning he had his heart attack and his wife saved him with the CPR she'd been taught the night before. How's that for coincidence!

[Jake19917561]

15 hours ago, ray54 said:

Jake condolences to your family as well.  

Doctors are always getting better, still no help for some. My dad and uncles on his mother's side all had electrical trouble with their heart. It would just stop beating in the night and they were found dead in bed. My dad got a monitor put on at about 70. Doctor could not get him in the hospital soon enough. He had been as low a as 8 beats in a minute. With a pacemaker he lived to 92.

At 62 my gallbladder got in very, very bad shape, and infected. Spent 13 days in the hospital. In that mess at about day 6 or so, they had me walking for 100 feet up and down the hall. Got back in bed and hooked all the wires up, and everybody got in a dither. My heart had gone into A fib. With all the other places that hurt, I could tell no difference. Had heart doc there in 5 and I took drugs for better than a year. After a year and stopping drugs, they put a monitor on me that stayed 2 or 3 weeks. At which time it was taken off and told everything was good. Until something else shows no need of a heart doctor.

They tell me most can feel things are off when A fib starts. But I never could tell a thing but had so many other things that hurt. With all the complications just a summer to forget. 

Thank you, my grandpa had heart electrical problems and a pace maker too. I exercise regularly to try and keep my heart healthy, all sides have heart issues. My dads 60 and has beginning stage heart failure, on meds and goes in routinely to monitor it. 

[edwardporter1]

About a year and a half ago. Had a heart attack ending with a quad bypass. Lot of stress and smoked like a steam shovel. Dr said that me being active my life i had a strong heart and did little damage to it. For 3 months before i felt off but thought it was old age settling in. Nope. The few days before i was hauling water to an oil field up at 8000 ft elevation.Dragging 4 inch hose and chaining the truck in the wind and snow. Boom ifinally gave out. Fortunately my friend took me to the hospital got me stabalized for a 2 hr ride to Billings Mt.GOD was real good to me. He never left my side.

[cm228]

My mother had one last September or October. I just remember getting a message from my brother that dad took mom to the hospital. She had been cleaning in the morning and felt funny. Ambulance came out and checked her with ekg. They told her you look good to us but we’re not doctors. Naturally she didn’t go right away. Later she felt better and took a walk and did some weeding in her flowers. She didn’t feel good again, so dad took her to the er. They took her in right away and wired her up.  They told her you had/having a heart attack. And she needed to go to a cardiac unit. There were so many people around her asking questions and giving her forms to sign she didn’t realize she had signed a form for a helicopter ride to a cardiac unit in Allentown Pa. When the guys came in to wheel her out she asked where they were taking her as they strapped her to the stretcher. They said you’re taking a helicopter ride. She initially refused but they said you really need to get there now and we don’t get stuck in traffic. My dad’s sister was at the local hospital for PT and stayed with dad until my brother got there to go to Allentown. They took mom straight from the flight into surgery and put in a few stents. Surgeon told her later she was very lucky as it was on the widow maker artery.  She’s mostly back to normal now. I’m glad my brother is working from home since Covid to help get dad around as I was 2hrs from home with work. I don’t remember driving home as I alternated between praying and crying for 2hrs. It was one of the roughest days of my life. 
 

Matt