[rodnryl]

Last May I failed a nuclear stress test and during the follow-up heart catherization in June they found numerous severe blockages, one was 90%, requiring me to undergo a quadruple bypass operation to correct them. A heart cath is the most accurate way to determine the damage you have on your heart and the location of the blockages.

I had fears and apprehensions about the surgery but was faced with the choice of having the operation or getting my affairs in order.

I had the surgery on July 11th and am now doing fine. It wasn’t as bad as I feared and I would recommend anyone that needs it to have it done before you have a heart attack.

I know that hard core survivalists will say I am doomed since I will need meds later during a SHTF time, but to them all I can say is that if you’re dead what will all the preps in the world be needed for? After I’m completely healed I’ll be in better shape physically than before for survival.

My symptoms were: Burning sensation in my throat while exerting myself, twinges in my chest area, chest tightness during stressful situations, and being abnormally tired at work. While researching info on heart attack symptoms I found out that an extended hiccup session can indicate a mild heart attack is ongoing. My brother had a heart attack and told me that he had hiccups for 6 hours one day prior to his big attack.

I’m only posting this because I know us guys try to shake things off and ignore the warnings. If you aren’t worried about yourself then think about your family you will leave behind if you die.

 

[madcritter]

Good post, and good luck.

 

[Tenfeathers]

Glad you came thru it well.

 

[ShaynaGirl]

Thanks for sharing this. Glad you are on the mend.

 

[CTStorm]

glad you shared this as my dad had a few heart attacks and almost all of his arteries are clogged now,I hope you heal up good and fast!creepy thing is I have been having a lot of hiccups lately and my family medical history is a bit scary,If I have a heart attack at my age I'd probably die from being to young,or maybe the opposite.

 

[rodnryl]

glad you shared this as my dad had a few heart attacks and almost all of his arteries are clogged now,I hope you heal up good and fast!creepy thing is I have been having a lot of hiccups lately and my family medical history is a bit scary,If I have a heart attack at my age I'd probably die from being to young,or maybe the opposite.

It depends on which artery is blocked. The main left artery is what the doctors refer to as the widow maker. I also had hiccups without reason prior to my surgery but the sessions weren’t as long as my brothers. The reason the body acts that way is your heart might be under stress but the body doesn’t understand where the problem is so it starts spasming the throat muscles.

I had two nuclear stress tests about three years apart, I was in denial from the first one. Both showed erratic ECGs but the second one showed during the nuclear portion that 1/3 of my heart was getting a different blood flow than the other 2/3 was receiving. That was the big warning bell for me. If you can have one of these tests done and pass it I wouldn’t worry. It's non-invasive other than they inject you with a dye to see the blood flow to your heart muscle before and after the exercise portion of the test.

By the way age doesn’t have anything to do with heart attacks. When I was in the Army I know of two young guys (23 and 26) that had heart attacks. One was a Ranger and in excellent shape. If you can have yourself checked out, at least you will know one way or the other.