On a clear summer day in 2004 when I was sixty-four and to move from my apartment to a small house, I had a heart attack. I felt sick to my stomach, then had a cold, clammy feeling; finally I felt as if my upper body were being aired up, like a tire. I was at home by myself, and I dailed 911. When EMS wheeled me into ER, an RN friend was on duty. “What are you doing here,” she asked. “Oh I came out to see if you ever really work.” Then I flatlined for the first time and gave her and everyone else on duty a real workout; they worked on me from about 4:00 p.m. until about 9:00 p.m. while I flatlined another eight times. Finally I was stabilized, and shipped out on a helicopter bound for an area hospital with a cardiac care unit. When the chopper landed on the roof of the hospital, I remember being pulled out by a man who I later learned to be my cardiologist, then I knew nothing until I woke about two days later. I learned that my family had been given a dire prognosis: I wasn’t expected to make it through the first night and if I did, I might be brain-dead because of the number of times that oxygen had been removed in order to use the paddles on me yet again. I couldn’t believe all that had happened to me.
I had been trying to take care of myself better and had chosen to cut down on the amount of meat that I was eating (I had begun eating veggie pizzas, for instance), and had given up pork completely. However I continued to smoke cigarettes and drink coffee, which I later learned are both enemies of the heart and especially the mature heart; both cause the heart to beat faster thus wear out sooner. I had gotten my cholesterol count down to 160 without anyone bothering to run the blood test required to check it, but I hadn't counted on tar and nicotine getting into my arteries, too. I learned that I was (and am) very, very lucky to be alive and I immediately became very grateful that I was/am.
After EMS picked me up from my apartment, I have never smoked another cigarette. I love coffee but I gave that up too, and that includes decaf coffee. I have continued my war against cholesterol by continuing to give up not only pork but beef, too; my diet consists entirely of chicken, turkey, and fish, and alot of the time I eat only veggies. I have futher assited my heart by giving up chocolate (caffeine) and carbonated drinks, even though we are told that chocolate is good for the heart. I don’t know who dreamed that up because chocolate has caffeine in it, and the caffeine in chocolate is no better than it is in coffee.
Right after my heart attack I went through a cardiac rehab program at my local hospital that lasted about three months and seem to helped me regain my strength. Afterwards I began a walking program, and continued lifting weights as I had done in the original cardiac rehab program. During the four years that have passed since my attack, I try to exercise at least thirty minutes each day, gradually working out each area of the body so I will remain as strong as possible.
I learned the hard way about the importance of drinking water. When I left the hospital, I was told that I had to take the medicine that I had been given for the rest of my life. Each dose of medication required a big drink of water, but I hadn't previously drank alot of water, so I forgot about it. One day my heart rate went way down, and from that EKG, I learned that water can effect my heart rate. So I will say to whomever is reading this: DRINK LOTS OF WATER!
QUIT SMOKING. If you gain weight, so what? Would you rather be slim and die or gain a few pounds and live? Take your pick. No one can make you do anything; you have to do it for yourself.
If you are concerned about yourself, use the Internet and learn all you can about what you can do to help yourself. Go to the American Heart Association Web site and read everything there. Go to WebMD and do research there to learn more about what you need to do. Learn to prepare and eat good food, learn to create an environment for yourself that promotes good health, and whatever is necessary, remove the stress from your life. Who needs that?
After you read the info at the American Heart Association Web site, follow their advice and CALL 911 if there is any reason to think that you might be having a heart attack or stroke. You might make a mistake by going to the ER, but at least you’ll have another chance to do so, too. DON’T WAIT!