I'm retired: Author, Lecturer in Computing, Pianist, Sailor, survivor, living on my own and enjoying life. What more do you need to know? I'm still very active person, in the middle a house renovation project at the moment, I walk as much as my body will let me, and very much my own person. I volunteer 3 days a week at the nearby NT house bringing it alive with classical and romantic piano music, and occasionally encouraging young people with a master class in techniques.
Old Codger: I'm retired: Author... - British Heart Fou...
Old Codger
Written by
mikealford
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71 Replies
•
Hiya, welcome, and 'what more' I'd like to know is the heart health issue leading you to this forum
Oh wait, one more thing - Chopin or Handel? I lean towards baroque piano and violin (had to give up playing decades ago owing to mild rheumatoid arthritis). Oh, alright, I also enjoy ACDC and am not embarrassed to say so
Ahmm, Chopin? Handel? Einaudi, Messenet, Elgar, Rach, Armstrong, etc., occasionally Chopin, but Handel never unless playing the church organ! I had a HA, which is what led me to this forum, but I'm a survivor, took 6 aspirin at the time! Music is okay, whatever the composer, it's what you like as an individual. I pick music I like to play, and when I perform, I play in a romantic style and tone; for me it's about feelings.
What brings you here?
Hoping if I chance upon you in NT property in the next couple of months you'll be playing carols.
6 aspirins sounds interesting - or were they they 75mg ones?
Carols? Humbug! Romance is life! I've brought audiences to tears, carols never do. I enjoy bringing inspiration to people. Trelissick is a nice site to visit, good walk etc.,
Yes but a good bit of community singing lifts the spirits and makes a community.....
The house has a choir and singers for Carols, so whilst I agree with you, I personally don't play for them. Shirley plays. We have a number of people who play at the NT site, so I am not alone. Some play old time musicals, others rag time, etc., etc,
Agree completely. There are some truly moving instrumental Christmas pieces as well - I love it all!
Music is life, I agree.
If music be the food of life, play on 💖
Without my piano, i would be lonely. Don't get me wrong i am on my own out of circumstance, not choice, but i find i can lose myself in my piano and it takes my mind into a different world, a universe of love and romance, like no other.
I wanted to learn guitar many years ago when at school, sadly there was no tutor for it. Last few years I’ve bought a couple of Tongue Drums and adore playing them. I was brought up with my parents liking different types of music and I’ve inherited the joy of different types.
Good for you! Do what you enjoy! I love showing young pianists techniques to improve their playing, encouraging young mums to not give themselves hostage to the children, and continue to create music. It can be great antidote to our stressful world. Keep it up!
300 mg dispersable. Told by a consultant many years ago, you won't die from aspirin, but will from heart attack. So informed choice which might have saved damage!
will remember that for when i have my next heart attack.
Well my dear, I was at my father's bedside at the time. He had what I had, a silent heart attack, in fact so silent that he didn't recognise the indigestion feeling, and suffered as a result. Result, he died at 92, which left mum on her own. Mum lost her marbles after that, and died at 96. I'm only 73, not ready to go just yet!!!
I love Handel's organ works but his piano piece Minuet in A Major is stunning (to me at least).
I have multiple heart conditions beginning with Rheumatic Heart Syndrome (as a consequence of childhood rheumatic fever after strep throat) - see my profile for the laundry list.
Six aspirin, WOW - 75mg or 300mg? I'm always careful to have a 300mg in my pocket for 'just-in-case'.
300mg of course, you don't want to do things half hearted.
me too - 300mg in purse at all times.
So 6 aspirins is the totality of your treatment? No stent, or surgery? Was the aspirin cure your own idea?
No. I wish the Aspirin was all; i needed 3 stents from Trliske hospital.
I am confused, where does the aspirin come in, is this addition to drugs the cardio prescribed or instead of.
I took 6 x300mg aspirin at the onset of HA, before the 2hour journey to the hospital. If i hadn't, i may now well be not here to talk about it. The aspirin thins the blood enough to help blood continue to flow pass the clot, as you are aware.
My mistake I must have missed that along the way. Dyslexia Rule KO!
Incidentally how did your heart attack feel, mine was a complete non event and was shocked when they told me I had had one. Not like the end of Dr. Zhivargo at all.
Dull ache in chest, slight pain in jaw. On scale 0 - 10 about 3. Wasn't going away so took aspirin in case. Ecg showed normal, when reached hosp blood showedTrop was off the scale, immediate rush to cath lab complete block RAD. Cleared clot put in two sel stents.
Cricky, why did it take so long to get to the hospital?
Ambulance was on a break. Took 45mins to get to me, they ummed and ard about whether i was having ha, then another 45 mins to hospital, then wait for blood test. Soon adds up. Ecg didn't show more than 1mm variation, and it has to be greater than 1mm to be a ha!
Oh I see, I thought that you perhaps lived somewhere remote and had to get yourself to hospital. Was it the paramedics who gave you the aspirins?
No i took the aspirin when i felt chest pain. Paramedics were complete waste of time. They dithered, wouldn't make a decision because the ECG didn't show more than the specified variation, so i made the decision for myself and asked the ambulance crew to take me to hospital, which they did.
Were the paramedics aware you had taken the 6 aspirin?
• in reply toLezzers
I think the recommendation is to chew one 300mg aspirin.
Lezzers• in reply to
That's what I thought & certainly my experience. Surely the paramedics should have taken Mike to the hospital purely on the strength of the amount of aspirin he'd taken. I know aspirin helps if you're having a heart attack but 6 is a lot. Would that affect an ecg reading, I assume not?
My husband was told by 111 to get me to chew 1 300mg aspirin end of May. My para’s were great and they’d come from a long way.
That does seem to be the recommended dosage. I hope you're doing well
I'm doing great thanks. My health greatly improved by my cardiologist, who with great skill, saved my life. I now forget it, take the minimum of drugs, only aspirin, and Losartan, i refuse to take beta blockers, my choice, and live and enjoy life, giving pleasure to others tho' my music. I have just bought an old ramshackle house and currently renovating, always active, just slower that's all. Must be getting old!!
Each of our experiences is unique. My problem was that nobody, paramedics included, thought i was in a life threatening situation, so they saw no sense of urgency. Its not that they didn't care, it's that they were convinced they didn't need to act.
Yes 111 always suggest a 300mg aspirin, if you have chest pain. It's std treatment. Your paramedics realised you were very unwell, and treated you appropriately.
Yes, it's 300mgs for unstable angina and suspected acute coronary syndrome.
Aspirin prevents your blood clotting so taking over the recommended dose is not a good idea.
Under normal circumstances i would agree, does nasty things to your stomach, so i hate even taking 75mg.
As none of us are registered practicing healthcare professionals I suggest we should be guided by the professional and NHS guidelines.
300mgs single dose for suspected Acute coronary syndrome.
1 to 2 ( 300mgs ) tablets every 4 to 6 hours maximum of 12 tablets in 24 hours for pain relief
nhs.uk/medicines/aspirin-fo...
Yes absolutely, agree entirely!
mikealford• in reply to
The normal dose as a painkiller is 600mg. But you can't overdose on aspirin, like you can on paracetamol. Before Nsaid they used to give loads of aspirin. One old medical book i had recommeded taking aspirin until you got ringing in the ears for arthritus. Then it stated no more than 35 in any one day! How times have changed eh?
Actually a person can OD on aspirin, it just takes thousands of mg to do it, usually in a suicide attempt and usually quite a lot of the swallowed aspirin are vomited back up within ten minutes of swallowing the pill bottle. I lived in the US my entire working career and also did volunteer work in hospitals (my late husband was a surgeon, being a 'wife volunteer' is part of the territory) - saw quite a number of suicide fails and a few successful ones who'd used aspirin to do the deed.
At the time in the US (and possibly still, I retired home to the UK in 2010) one could purchase 100-200 tab per bottles of aspirin.
Here in the UK the most aspirin a person can buy at a time is 32 - I'd laugh if it weren't so sad anyone becomes so depressed suicide seems the only solution but at least here a potential suicide has to go to such lengths to obtain enough to commit suicide-by-aspirin the wish to die wears off before the needed amount is accumulated.
I'm sure you are correct, but the sheer quantity is rediculous, you have to want to die, not something you will do by accident. However not to be recommended!
Yes i told them. They didn't seem too bothered to be honest.
Were you already taking aspirin for a heart condition?
No i didn't have a heart condition, in fact i had no condition of any description.
When my husband had his HA I had no idea that giving aspirin was recommended, good job you had some in the house. Are you still taking aspirin?
I carried 6 dispersable aspirin in a little tin for years after my father had a HA. His consultant suggested it would be a good idea. Then it happened to me, and so i had them to take. I take 75mg once a day, and losartan 25mg. That's it.
Hi Mike. I'm tempted to change my name on this forum now!!!
All the very best to you xx
What to? Jagger? Elvis? Lemmi? 😀
See my reply to mikealford - although I do rather like The Stones!!
Hope things are good with you. xx
I'm not sure if your handle is male, female or gender neutral? So i wouldn't dare make a suggestion. Still won't be playing his music tho' Nothing personal, you understand. Michaelj can stick his neck out tho'.
Hello Mike. I can't say I'm a Handel fan either! Don't ask me why that name sprang to mind. I think hubby asked what my handle would be on this forum and I just typed in Handel!!
I'm an old (ish), confused woman!!! xx
Dolly then is should be!!!!!!
Do not diss the Handel!
ETA - I'm rubbish at emoji insertion, the smilie and the kind of shruggy grin one are the best I can manage. I would have added a 'tongue in cheek' one if I could have. But, er, I do like Handel. If you do change your name, give a thought to Paganini (do a youtube search Or Vivaldi, or...then again, if you like the Stones (who doesn't?!), baroque composers may not be the thing!
I really don't take any notice!!! I just typed in Handel when hubby mentioned 'a handle'! I've got a lack of imagination I think!!!
Hope you're well xxx
Tolerable well, as me old Gran used to say, thank-you for asking! Hope you're better than 'tolerable'
'Plenty more worse off' as my old Granny used to say! Ok apart from diabetes, cancer and a hubby with a mended heart and 2 hernias!!!
We just plod on! xxx
Hello !
Another welcome to the Forum ! Great to be musical . What a gift ! I wish I were , but I'm not .
Thank you for the welcome. Being a pianist was not my choice as a child, my parents made me learn. I resented it at the time, but now i realise it was a good thing they gave me. Today i guess it would be abuse, but i don't see it that way, because i wasn't old enough to appreciate the skill i was learning. I play not with a gift from the gods, but with the skill and training my teacher and my parents gave me.
Hello Mike
Is that Alford, Aberdeenshire or Lincolnshire ?? just an enquire !!
Cornwall, i believe the family originates from west
Hi Mike, also a pianist and heart sufferer, just curious how did you get into playing for the NT house, did they advertise or did you approach them?
I volunteered as a room guide at Trerice as a room guide, then noticed a piano at Trelissick. I spoke to the Visitor Experience Manager, and she set up the system for me. I log onto the NT site and book myself on to a slot or shift.
Cheers Mike.
MichaelJHHeart Star
Hello and welcome to the forum! It was rather remiss of me not to welcome you previously!
No worries!
Welcome Mike, I am not a musician of any kind, but always enjoy listening!
Good, music is what keeps us going. Performing is much more than just playing, it's about pouring your emotions directly from the gentle stroke of the keys to all those around you, like leaves scattering the emotions of those listening in the Autumn breeze.
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