Happy to be alive, but it's still tough.

[gmp5]

Hi I'm Gracie had my heart attack 10 months ago at the age of 60. Had 100% blockage of my LAD from a blood clot. Had a thrombectomy with stent placement. My cardiologist told my husband if they hadn't already been in my heart at that exact time that it happened I would have never survived.

What has made me angry is I started having chest pain and not being able to breathe, called 911 within 5-10 minutes. Got to the hospital very quickly and the ER Doctor watched me go downhill for hours before calling a cardiologist. I kept telling the nurses I knew it was a heart attack. I have a strong family history Of heart disease, but I had no history of high blood pressure, no smoking, no reason for this to happen. I ended up with stage 3 heart failure, EF of 30, multiple episodes of V-tach. Went home on a Zoll life vest for 4 months and in August had an ICD implant.

While all this was going on I lost my job of 40 years because I missed to much time even though I had months of benefit time saved up. I have a very ill disabled husband who had just gone through having an ileosotomy with multiple complications a few months before this happened. In fact on the day of my heart attack we were getting ready to take him to a follow up doctors appointment an hour and a half from home. Thank goodness we hadn't left the house yet.

I lost our insurance on both of us and went quite a few months with no income. Applying for disability and trying to afford health coverage in America is a nightmare. Finally those issues are better.

I just got to start cardiac rehab yesterday, which I am so thankful for. My cardiologist wouldn't let me before this because my heart was to unstable. I have been told I can't survive another heart attack so that makes me a little nervous.

I am happy to be alive, but life is very different, not the retirement I had hoped for. I get very tired easily, takes forever to get housework done. I'm adjusting but still get frustrated.

[craigscave]

Glad you are doing better and hope your husband is good as well, I too had heart failure and had a stent put in 4 months ago, my prognosis was different then your but we are in the same club.

Luckily living in Canada we have free health care and Un-Employment Insurance that has really helped me being off work for so long, plus I don't think that I could afford seeing the doctors I have to see right now, if I were in the states. I too worry about having another heart attack, this doesn't run in my family cancer and diabetes do so I was keeping an eye on those and not thinking anything about my heart so I smoked for 44 years more worried about my lungs then anything, gladly I have stopped smoking.

I'm sad to hear that your company didn't stand behind you after all those years service, hope you do have a great retirement and no problem for the rest of it and if The Donald wins south of the border you all can move to Canada lol.

[gmp5 in reply to craigscave]

Thank you. I'm happy to hear from people going through this too. I am doing better now but it's still scary. I hope you do well also and have a good life ahead of you. I am truly worried about the future of the US!!

[sca2013]

Sorry you're going through all of this. That all has got to be really rough. Wishing you all the best gong forward.

[gmp5 in reply to sca2013]

Thank you, I'm doing better just still getting use to my new life.

[jackiesj in reply to gmp5]

gmp5....good to hear "New Life".That is true isn't it.It is getting others to realize I am not the person before....another good word....FORWARD...somedays I feel I'm dying and others I feel that it is all doable...spring..thank you for coming....