I had a heart attack this weekend...please, please read.

It was not due to cholesterol or plaque, that was all normal. It was because something broke loose and got into the circumflex artery and platelets started sticking, causing a block. One cardioligist believes it was because of strenuous exercise. There is no way to tell for sure, but I just started my 3rd month abd am sending Chalean back. I can't take any chances. I can walk as much as I want after I heal. I just want to let others know that if you EVER have chest pains, PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. I started having chest pains Saturday morning and went to the er. It wasn't until this morning that they were 100% sure it was a heart attak. Innow have a stack of medicine that I will be on for a longtime.
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Wow. Glad you're still with us :flowerforyou:
  • momjmd
    momjmd Posts: 296 Member
    Wow. Glad that you are ok!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Thanks for this message. Many of us (me?) should probably check in with our doctors as we get healthy/fit.
  • kitkat4141
    kitkat4141 Posts: 379 Member
    Thanks for the advice and sorry you had to go through this. Take care of yourself.
  • MicaelaFW
    MicaelaFW Posts: 63
    thanks for the heads up.... really scary, but glad you are ok!
  • tbetts23
    tbetts23 Posts: 303 Member
    Wow! Thanks for sharing! Glad your okay!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
    Glad you went to the doctor right away and that you will be ok - great reminder that pushing too hard and ignoring the signals our bodies send is not a good thing - I've seen so many posts from people who think that exercising til they puke or get dizzy and almost pass out is a badge of honor. Take care!
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
    glad you are ok!
  • Romans624
    Romans624 Posts: 822
    That is scary. Did the doc say anything could have prevented it?
  • Bumdrahp
    Bumdrahp Posts: 1,314 Member
    Glad you are ok!!!
  • Glad you are OK.
  • taylor0204
    taylor0204 Posts: 357 Member
    Thanks for sharing. Take care
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    wow...glad you're ok!!!!
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    VERY sorry to hear dude! No matter what you do it hsows god and nature take over. Good luck to you and please keep me posted. I wish you the best and will pray for you.
  • mbajrami
    mbajrami Posts: 636 Member
    So happy you're going to be okay. Thank you for sharing.
  • stebben
    stebben Posts: 35 Member
    Hope you get better soon!! Thanks for letting us all know what the cardiologist said. I think we all push ourselves a bit too much and we need to learn to recognize the signals. For women jaw pain is a big one that most ignore. Take care and you will be up and about sooner than later.
  • samf36
    samf36 Posts: 369 Member
    Oh my hope you have a speedy recovery.
  • redcat17
    redcat17 Posts: 267 Member
    Thank you for sharing this with us. Please take good care of yourself and I hope you are doing okay.
  • nomayo
    nomayo Posts: 228
    I hope you get well very soon. Thanks for the advice.
  • californiagirl1950
    californiagirl1950 Posts: 714 Member
    That had to be so scary. Glad you were smart and went to the ER, may don't, especially women. Thank you for sharing this story with us and may the powers that be watch over you and make you strong.
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
    Glad you are ok! I hope you have a speedy recovery. Thanks for sharing. I guess it can happen to anyone!
  • lisabruce12
    lisabruce12 Posts: 77 Member
    Glad to hear you are ok!
  • Pizzagirl50
    Pizzagirl50 Posts: 112 Member
    Yikes. I get chest pain all the time while running. Making a doctors appointment tomorrow. You might have saved my life. THANK YOU for sharing your story.
  • Glad ypu are still with us! I had a heart attack in 08 and kept working, didn't go to the doctor for two days. No history in family and no warnings. We all heed to heed the signs we get and follow up with the doctor. Any shortness of breath or pains should be checked out.
  • Sumo813
    Sumo813 Posts: 566 Member
    It was not due to cholesterol or plaque, that was all normal. It was because something broke loose and got into the circumflex artery and platelets started sticking, causing a block. One cardioligist believes it was because of strenuous exercise. There is no way to tell for sure, but I just started my 3rd month abd am sending Chalean back. I can't take any chances. I can walk as much as I want after I heal. I just want to let others know that if you EVER have chest pains, PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. I started having chest pains Saturday morning and went to the er. It wasn't until this morning that they were 100% sure it was a heart attak. Innow have a stack of medicine that I will be on for a longtime.

    So glad you went to the ER and got checked and that you are still here...

    I had suspected I had heart problems for years. Pain in the chest (usually very sharp and I could pinpoint almost exactly where it hurt), that radiated into the left arm and lower portion of the jaw on the left side. Went to the doc, did EKG and it showed normal. So I went to a cardiologist and did a stress test. He indicated that the stress test was normal. I was still having pain and ended up doing a nuclear stress test (when they shoot you up with dye before and during the stress test). Came back indicating the heart was/is strong and bloodflow was/is good. Went on for about another year feeling this way before getting to a gastroenterologist... turns out I have pretty inflammatory GERD. Which sucks because I LOVE hot sauce.

    I still get these pains and I still freak the hell out. Even after taking Nexium on a daily basis. My biggest thing is now I am conditioned to brush the pain off as reflux. Not a good feeling at all, to know that I could potentially have a heart attack and not even know it. So I 2nd what you stress... if you suspect heart problems, go to the ER. Of course women may experience different symptoms which may not seem like a heart attack at all.
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
    all the ppl MUST take exercising seriously....
    I had this cousin, he was my age.. sooo into fitness and going to the gym and doing weights everyday. His heart couldnt handle and he died one hour after his workout.
    Glad and happy you are still with us!, but please to all the ppl that exercise a lot, specially if you do weights, take it seriously, go to the doctor and hire a personal trainer if possible.
  • Michellerawrrr
    Michellerawrrr Posts: 310 Member
    Thank you for sharing this very important message. Cheers to you and to many years of good health. My dad passed at the young age of 52 from ignoring symptoms. So glad you went to the ER right away!!
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Glad you are going to be okay. From the way you describe it, you had an embolism. That's basically a blood clot and they can happen for any number of reasons, breaking loose after surgery or other injury, atrial fibrillation, birth control pills, etc. Exercise is usually not to blame but it can make the problem worse when nobody knows there's a problem. My internship was in Cardiac Rehab and I highly recommend asking your doctor about putting you into a Cardiac Rehab program. There you will have exercise physiologists and nurses who monitor you while you are exercising to see how you are responding to exercise. They will start you out slow with just some light cardio exercises and depending on how you do, they may progress you up to more strenuous exercise including weight training. But, they progress you up to being able to do it in a safer manner then starting a program at home. I wouldn't send back that Chalene yet, though. They may very well get you to where you can do it eventually. One of my cardiac patients runs marathons, lifts weights, and is generally in better shape them most Americans, so I know it is possible to come back from a heart attack and be able to handle a little Chalene. :wink:

    16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
    9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
    Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
    ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
    NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
  • lou1618
    lou1618 Posts: 96 Member
    thanks for sharing , I think we sometimes will ignore signs like things because we think that since we are trying to more active and live a more healthier lifesltye that there's no way we could or would have an heart attack......hope u get better soon.
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    Oh my. I'm so happy that you are ok. It's rather ironic..... My father had a stroke in February after an Insanity work out. Before that, last year in May he had an 'episode' where he thought he was having a stroke and they diagnosed him with a complicated migraine and sent him home. Ironically enough he had done the P90x yoga disc that morning. We now believe that the first incident last year in May started loosening plaque causing mini strokes and then this past February, the morning he did the Insanity and had the stroke it finally broke free and it formed a clot on his baslar artery. He has both of those programs and ChaLEAN extreme. Needless to say he is no longer using any of them. He does the elliptical in the morning and walks at night and doesn't eat any fat other than the 'incidental' fats that he gets through cooking oils and such. This stuff is serious. He walked away with hardly any residual effects. He has a hole in his vision in his right side and gets dizzy spells which we believe is his blood sugars acting up because of the diet change. Interesting info....he eats hardly ANY fat....follows Dr. Dean Ornish's plan for heart disease reversal and he has lost 16 lbs since February!! He eats as much fruits and veggies as he wants. No nuts or seeds and no calorie counting. We are talking about a healthy 55 yr old man, it's crazy. Genetics plays a scary role too.

    So glad you are still around to warn others! Thank you and kudos to you for posting this!!!