2 Years ago today...

[Cruiser25]

Hi to all you lovely folks out there in cardiacland, just stepping into the shower this morning at 7.15 & occurred to me that exactly 2 yrs ago today, I'd just arrived back on the coronary care unit, having been rushed to the cath lab following waking up having a a heart attack. Weird to remember the bewilderment, looking around the unit, no pain (still full of morphine from Paramedics & Ambulance crew), wires everywhere, people waking up, staff going about their everyday jobs... Then the nurse was there "here's your meds", "I've got meds?", how naive that sounds to me now, must have sounded pretty daft at the time...blame the morphine!

So begins the journey, I had no warning, was active, fairly good diet (or so I thought), normal BMI but did have family history of heart trouble, I was even on statins, just not high enough dose I guess. So it transpires I suffered an Inferior Stemi, 100% right coronary artery blockage, turns out a bit of a doozy. They put in 2 long stents into the RCA emergency rapido style & I was fixed, well mostly. Anyone else fascinated by the process?, I ended up asking the Cardiologist about the images left on the screen as I shuffled off the cath lab table (really uncomfortable!). "is that me?"... he told me about how one of the images was a look down the newly opened artery! wowzer! Anyway 2 days later 5 more stents into the LAD artery, ironically by the same Cardic guy. I was chatting to him whilst he was operating inside my heart, surreal, & he was happy to chat along as well... even called me metal micky as I got off the table this time, mind you he did say I looked remarkably better than when he'd seen me before, in the middle of my HA.

Must acknowledge, I was very lucky, the response from everyone from the 999 services to the nursing staff, everyone worked hard to save me... lucky the v badly blocked LAD artery held out when the RCA completely blocked otherwise I wouldn't be chatting to you fine people.

Meds... usual Beta Blocker, ACE Inhibitor, Aspirin, Anti-Platelet & big dose of statins. I've continued to have the meds reviewed and reduced as I've recovered and got fitter, lost some weight etc. There's been ups and downs, still occasionally get v tired, I'm left with impaired heart function and yes I'm lucky. I've worked hard to stay fit and disciplined with my diet, but still have a few well chosen treats ...

Future...who knows, I'm healthy, fitter than I was pre HA, still get tired at the end of the day, work FT, still attend a post rehab fitness class (same but harder & more intensive), "if you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got!" so I push a bit when I feel fit and able. take it easy when it's one of those off days. I go to Parkrun on Saturdays when the weather behaves, exercise at home when it doesn't. For those stats people out there my ejection fraction measures at 41%, only a 3% improvement from the HA damage, this is permanent damage, RCA blockage was high up so more heart muscle was starved at the start, but I'm trying to maximise with caution, what I have & what I can do, not mourn for what I've lost or can't do...as I say I'm lucky & I'm thankful.

Sorry for the long post, good things can come from some really dark places when we're thrown into these events, yes the demons can creep into our thoughts, I attended Trauma Therapy late last year, waited 18 months for it & worth every second, if you're struggling with the mental side, which can be massive, refer yourself or ask your medical professional to refer, it can be a big win.

last thought..." if you don't try, you don't know & if you never try...you'll never know"

Good luck out there, lighter nights are in the way...

[Looking_4_support]

thank you, really encouraging to read for a newbie like me.

[Cruiser25 in reply to Looking_4_support]

Thank you, seems like only yesterday I was the newbie, good luck with your journey,

[Looking_4_support in reply to Cruiser25]

Thank you.

[WeeHoolet]

Thank you, Cruiser25. Amongst all those med's are doses of determination and optimism. You've come a long way🏃‍♂️

[Cruiser25 in reply to WeeHoolet]

Thank you

[Hidden]

A Great inspiring post, great to hear your experience and it gives us all hope that there is a life after these events.

[Cruiser25 in reply to Hidden]

I must admit the early days were the hardest, wasn't until I found this forum, it began to change..

[GFFF]

great post & good to know you are doing so well. My STEMI was a few months before yours so good to compare to other hearties journeys x

[Cruiser25 in reply to GFFF]

Thanks, must admit I'm really surprised how well I've been, only one real worry early on when I was taken in to A & E, but all tests were fine, just a blip, h.oping you're doing well also

[BobbyB1962]

Great Post. Sounds like you're doing really well. My HA was exactly 1yr before yours, to the day! Happy anniversary!😊

[Cruiser25 in reply to BobbyB1962]

Happy 3rd anniversary to you, hoping all's well with you.

[BobbyB1962 in reply to Cruiser25]

All good now thanks, though at the time it was all pretty traumatic. Especially as it was mid-pandemic and there I was having to undergo a 4 x CABG and not allowed any visitors! 🙄

[Cruiser25 in reply to BobbyB1962]

OMG, that's tough, no visitors & CABG is proper hard core hearty. I'd had the dreaded you know what only the week earlier & although clear was treated as a bit of a leaper by one of the sisters.... until my wife got involved, that attitude then changed v quickly, decided then & there I'd better get well quickly, never want to invoke the wrath of the wife, joking aside she's been just brilliant, we're celebrating 36 yrs married in April she's my strength, floors me with just a look 😂

[BobbyB1962 in reply to Cruiser25]

Congrats on 36 yrs, wow! Someone on the ward I was on had you-know-what just before I was due to be discharged & although I tested negative, rules at the time meant I had to self isolate when I got home! By that time I was beginning to feel someone really had it in for me 🙄🤣

[gorillaqueen]

Hi cruiser25 very interesting reading your post love your attitude. My hubby has had 2 heart attacks the first back in 2002 and then another in 2014. After the first one he had to wait 3 months to have a stent fitted but when he had the second ( which was worse) he was rushed by ambulance to the William Harvey Hospital and within 30 minutes after arrival he was in the Cath lab having two more stents fitted into the same artery. This was approx 6.am and by lunchtime he looked a different man and wanted to come home. We were both amazed and obviously very happy at how things had progressed medically since his first H.A. He is 82 now and like you extremely grateful and happy to be given another chance at life, to be able to enjoy life. Take care best wishes 😊

[Cruiser25 in reply to gorillaqueen]

Brilliant outcome, modern protocols now allow for such rapid treatment & the turnaround is amazing...82 wow well done, all the best.

[gorillaqueen in reply to Cruiser25]

Thank you best wishes 😀

[Hidden]

Thank you for yr amazing story of what can be achieved.Im 9wks post aortic valve replacement surgery in Oxford, toddling along as best I can, rehab classes are not available to valve patients in my county so Ill make my own arrangements, got a well loved rowing machine here but still banned from it lol, cant wait for Spring but enjoying the winter snowdrops whilst time passes, onwards upwards never give inTake care

[Cruiser25 in reply to Hidden]

I thought rehab was for all us hearties, I'm in the E Mids & seems to be for all, hope you get sorted. The first person I chatted with that first day of my HA was a valve replacement lady & I was amazed she was up & about in the ward just a few hours after the op! That's when I learned everything's different now & the old tv interpretations are way way out of date when it comes to heart events, were always learning...

[Hidden in reply to Cruiser25]

Thanks for replying, I was in ICU first day then onto CT ward and forced out of my bed into a chair a day after op but not on my feet till the next day when they take the youknowwhat piping out and you have no option but to walk to loo lolLuckily in Oxford the heart unit is very modern with single ensuite rooms either side of a long space for the nurses stations and that space became our racetrack when we had to get out and do our walking, some people were amazing in how well they could walk, mine more of a slow toddle, but now 2+ months later Im gathering speed ha ha

Take care x

[BEATbump]

What an uplifting read. Thank you.

[Cruiser25 in reply to BEATbump]

Thank you

[Qualipop]

Wow, what a great post. Metal Micky sounds about right. That's a heck of a lot of stents. It just shows what a p ositive frame of mind can do. I love that comment--"if you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got!"

[Cruiser25 in reply to Qualipop]

Thanks Qualipop, I was lucky I got a Cardio bod who was also a bit of a personality as well, but boy was he the boss in that cath lab! I think his confidence reassured me as well, still can't believe they made me climb onto and off the table having a major HA, feel a little robbed I don't set off the detectors when we go on holiday 😜

[Qualipop in reply to Cruiser25]

I don't think those tables even lower . I'd have loved a cardio man like that. Mine was one syllable. No, stents don't set off alarms.