Heart attack question

I have been near three people when they had a heart attack. At the office we had a fenced parking lot for the staff. Right on the other side of the fence line was a small house with a patio with chairs etc. this was about 50 feet from the back door of the office. An elderly man routinely had coffee in one of the chairs each morning. One morning I saw him walk out of the house and turn to sit in the chair. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. I was CPR trained. I spoke to the medical personnel who came to his aid and told them what i saw. I was told that he was dead when he hit the ground.

I also took my wife and father to the hospital as they were having heart attacks. Classic symptoms of chest discomfort, weakness, arm pain, etc.

Everyone is different, learn the signs, listen to doctors.

Good info and advice here.

This is a great reminder to get CPR trained and to have your family and coworkers do the same. CPR/AED and first-aid training are a great way for you to help others, but the only way for you yourself to get help is to encourage others to take the training and stay current with it.

The training is quick and simple. Renew your training year after year when it expires (every two years?) to get up-to-date and also to relearn through repetition.

I appreciate you wanting to get some actual experiential advise from your peers. And you have gotten some good advice.
As a person who experiences angina almost every day, my advice is to make a list of questions for your cardiologist, get an appointment for a consult.
If he/she doesn't have time for all your questions find a new one.

Jesseannie

Some background.

I'm a former paramedic / rescue and I have had 4 heart attacks plus 5 vessel bypass surgery. I also can get chest pain on excertion. I absolutly hate going to the hospital as a patient. I see this issue from both sides.

First no two patients are the same regarding the amount of pain or ability to function. I have witnessed far to many patients saying nothing was wrong and as I'm watching the monitor thier heart stops.

My best advice to you is this simple rule.

If you experience any type of chest pain STOP what you are doing and try to sit down. Then take one nitro tablet under your tounge. If the pain gets worse call an ambulance and get help.

If the pain starts to subside after the 1st nitro but does not completly go away after 5 minutes take a second nitro.

They used to say three nitro 5 minutes apart and if still having pain call an ambulance. But in my experience if you need the 3rd nitro you should be checked out. So if after 2 and still pain I'd get help.

Again if at any time after taking the nitro the pain gets worse get help and don't wait.

I have learned to live with my heart issues and I know when to get help. For 80% of my chest pain I can get relief by simply stopping what I am doing and resting no need for the nitro. When I do need it I rarely get to 2 tablets.

My best advice is if you get chest pain and your not sure what to do please be smart and get help.

You can live a good life with heart issues you just have to be a little careful.

If you do end up needing stents don't worry to much about the procedure. The only discomfort is the local numbing shots in the area where they are going to insert the catheter. I have never felt the wires etc as they are inserted. You can get an overall body warmth when they inject the dye but that is about it.

I wish you well and hope things get better for you.

Dave

Many years ago now I was trying to get some RED Cross class for our office of 20-people. Something different as I could see some burnout with the workforce. Boss said no, and that was that. Then came his close call of having a full-blown HEART ATTACK.

He asked if anyone had CPR training, and I was the only one. My daughter was a college student and working with the RED Cross. The whole office and drivers which brought in another 30-folks who were Part Time and full time. He paid for all the RED Cross Classes and fees for CPR, First AId, and this new thing at the time call a deregulator. He also added some other on-site safety training.

The point here I'm trying to make, and I think your doctor as well who has not got a lot of time to explain all things in detail. If you are trained you can help yourself "SHOULD YOU HAVE TIME TO DO SO" Look at all of your options as not all heart attacks happen in the same way. The simple fact is you have an issue. What are you going to do about it, now that you know? Wait for the inevitable to happen? or do something to help yourself and maybe others? The next step is yours to make or not. A simple 30-min walk each day can improve your overall health. Address your fast food eating habits. Who knows you may change your life and live. After all God in the Holy Bible only gave us the answer to one of many questions we have of the Bible.
Deuteronomy 30:19
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

So bottom line here you see the only option you may have, is yourself. What are you going to do? PAIN or not when it happens you will know and may have the time you need. Train yourself to be ready and get the folks around you trained.

If it where you and I alone and I knew you had a heart issue. Enven if you were out cold. I would stick a pill into your mouth and adminster CPR. Defebulators can be costly, but carrying it with you might be a life savor. I'm no expert just a fellow RV'er.

Heart attacks can be very mild, to debilitating. If the DR says not sufficient to install stents, then At sometime most likely you may feel a little chest pain, tightness. At the first sign of anything take one of the pills and stick it under your tongue. Which is probably what the DR suggested in perhaps a different way. After years of chest pains, a quad bypass in ‘98, two stents (one no longer working), I carry a bottle in my pocket or on a keychain all the time. They work well and quickly to quell the pain.

If one doesn't do it, my DR says try up-to three and then call 911.

Everybody is different... What happened for one might not happen for another. So many different types of attack too.

I had a parent experience a heart attack in front of me, they were totally disabled by it. One moment walking around, then sitting on a chair, then slumped over unresponsive. No way could they have self administered anything.

If your cardiologist felt you will be able to self administer treatment, trust their judgement. Or seek a second opinion from another Dr.