Jump to content

My Husband Had A Heart Attack


MomtoGiuliana

Recommended Posts

Hi All

My husband suffered a 100% right coronary artery blockage due to plaque rupture Thurs evening. He had sudden, classic heart attack symptoms (left-sided pain, sweating, dizzy) and we wasted no time getting to our local hospital, which is thankfully only a 5-minute drive away. It was the scariest 10 minutes of my life. He collapsed coming in to the lobby (refused to stay in the car and let me get help) and I still remember everything as if in slow motion--running into the lobby and screaming for help and an immediate code blue alert going off.

I was amazed by the efficacy and efficiency of the ER at managing a heart attack. He was diagnosed within minutes and treatment began immediately. They transferred him by ambulance, once he was stablized, to the cardiac unit which is 30 miles away. There they found the blockage with catheterization and placed a stent which fully opened the artery. By 2 AM he was in ICU in recovery. I brought him home today.

Cardiologist who treated him said he would have died if we had not taken the immediate action we did. Dr says he apparently has a genetic predisposition to plaque rupture as all the risk factors are essentially negative for him. Ron's father died at age 51 of a heart attack.

Long term he will be on meds to drastically reduce cholesterol, along with a host of other meds to reduce risk--and a new exercise protocol. Not much change can be done to his diet as it is already excellent. Fortunately he did not have heart damage.

I'm exhausted, overwhelmed and a little scared and numb. He's doing well. He says he feels normal and he has a very upbeat attitude. My biggest challenge now is ensuring he abides by the restrictions imposed by the doctor.

I feel like I have a lot of research to do to make sure he is getting the best care--it's my automatic response after my POTS experience, and also because I love him so much of course. Although I really like his cardiologist (he's Polish and I prefer the general European approach to medicine), who also happens to be partners with my EP.

Fortunately, my POTS symptoms have been minimal, but I am really feeling the need for sleep/rest.

It's been hard for Giuliana, but we have had a lot of support and she has had lots of attention and care from friends during this time.

Katherine

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow Katherine, that's quite a night you both had!!!! Thank goodness that you both took it so seriously and went straight to the hospital!!!!

I hope he does great from here forward. Nina

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh my goodness!!! That sounds like a scary night. I'm glad to hear that you were able to get your husband to the ER so quickly, and that the doctors responded effeciently. I hope that your husband recovers well and that the treatments and restrictions will be beneficial.

Rachel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tearose

Oh my, how scary, serious, and quickly things are going.

It is amazing that he was in the ER on Thursday and already he is on the mend and home with you. I bet he is determined to get well soon and you will have to remind him to take it slow and steady. I hope your daughter will feel better seeing daddy home.

You sure know how to handle an emergency and I am sure the summary you give only hints of the stress that was pumping through your body! Please go out of your way to take time to recharge yourself.

Keeping you in my prayers and wishing your hubby a speedy recovery.

best regards,

tearose

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OMG What a shock for you , but so pleased it has all turned out well and he's back on his feet .

Thinking of you all .

Willows Mike and Mark ....UK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tearose

Hi Katherine, tomorrow will be a week! How are things going? I suppose these days recovery is faster because surgery is less invasive. Is hubby able to be up and around?

I hope you are taking good care of yourself too.

update us briefly when you can,

best regards,

tearose

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ron is doing fine. He has been having a little complication with his bladder/prostate (urologist says this is not unusual after major stress/surgery). This is actually keeping him less active so I am glad of it! He?s being pretty good and resting?and I am strengthening myself with all the extra lifting, pushing, etc around the house/yard/garden. We have friends helping out too. You do find out who your friends are when something like this happens.

I am worrying, but fortunately Ron has a totally positive outlook. I am the one who tends to see the worst in bad situations.

I am so thankful for the cardiac facility in Salisbury. (Dr who treated him told us 80% of the US population is not close enough to such a facility to save the life of a person having a major heart attack like Ron had.)

Thanks for the notes of concern. I appreciate it greatly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

katherine,

i am sorry i am so late to respond. what a shock this must have been to the three of you. you really deserve a big compliment for your adequate reaction. i bet little g was in shock too and i'm glad to hear that she was taken good care of. i hope your husband will recover steadily and that you all will be able to enjoy life again soon! very best wishes form me and my family,

take care all of you!

corina :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Katherine,

This post literally made my heart sick. These things are so incredibly scary and upredictable. I would be a mess too! I would be the worrier too!

I cannot believe this happened. Wow. I know how careful you are about eating and living a healthy lifestyle.

I'm so sorry you had to go through this.

I was glad to just see an update that Ron is resting well and feeling quite upbeat.

You are right about finding out who our friends really are....I am glad you have some who are sticking around and helping out.

Thinking of all of you and I am so grateful for your quick thinking and the unbelievable medical care you received.

Love,

Emily

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! That is a stressful event. And it is probably at least 10 times more stressful than I am imagining. I'm glad that you were so quick to act. I hope that your husband continues to recover.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just read this tonight- I am so sorry for all of you- it sounds terrifying. I'll be keeping your family in my thoughts- take care of yourself-

Carmen

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone. Yes, it very stressful and scary. It was a very hard few days. We are slowly getting back to some semblance of normal. It is really interesting how some friends and family "get it" and others don't (the level of stress and the needs you have when something like this happens). I hope it has made me even more sensitive to others in the future. I do know now again that I have some great friends and neighbors.

The thing that scares me about Ron's condition is that he does not have a lot of plaque?plaque was 20 to 30% according to the cardio. The problem is that the way his forms it has more of a tendency to break off. So he cannot afford to accumulate plaque. Cardiologist said this is not likely the last incident given his age and this tendency.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Katharine, I am so sorry that your family is going through this. It sounds like a very scary thing to deal with. I'm a worrier, so I know I would be at my wits end. Please know I'm so sorry for your suffering, yours and your family's.

You have my thoughts, prayers and support.

Blessings to you and Ron.

Lindajoy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tearose

I was just thinking how it is a few weeks now and I hope your husband is nearly back to doing his regular activities of life.

Concern must be still on your mind, it would be on mine. I know sometimes the flurry of support goes away after the first two weeks. Just wanted to let you know I am still praying for Ron's complete recovery and that you continue to feel the support from us here!

best regards,

tearose

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks tearose. He is easing back into a normal life. I think the beta blockers might be affecting him b/c he said to me today he felt a little lethargic. His bp is running around 90/50, sometimes lower. The nurse at the hospital suggested he check bp periodically, so he's been keeping a log to show his doctor.

We still have friends calling, e-mailing, stopping by--many make offers of help and support. It does help. He still can't lift anything heavy or work in the heat. He's working at home, still not going out much, but he is driving short distances. Still resting in the afternoons. This week he's supposed to walk 10 minutes 3X a day.

I definitely feel support from you all here as I knew I would. :rolleyes:

Thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Katherine,

Wow, I'm really shocked to read this! I'm so glad everything turned out OK, and your husband is recovering.

I don't venture into the chit-chat part of the forum often, and I just caught this today.

I hope your POTs symptoms continue to stay on the mild side after this shock you just had. It's good you both have a lot of support, and it sounds like everything will be OK. I know your husband will be going through some adjustments, but I'm sure he can handle this knowing he was so fortunate to survive, AND with no heart damage-- :P

Big Hug to you---AND your family.

Maxine :0)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Maxine and Pat. Recovery is going very well, except he started developing an allergic reaction last weekend. Cardio said it was likely to the Plavix and it is likely to clear up...? He is on benadryl now along with everything else. Hoping it will resolve b/c Plavix is the best med to be on with the stent. Thanks again for your concern, everyone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Katherine,

Sorry for the late posting of well wishes. I really don't check out the other forums often. It sounds like he is well on the road to recovery and I wish you all well. I remember when my dad had emergency bypass surgery, came out of the blue, it's hard for the patient but it is certainly hard on the family too. It's a shock all around. You need to try to take care of yourself during this time also!

Hugs to you and yours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Thanks again everyone for your concern.

I wanted to update, if you are interested! Here's an e-mail he sent to me at work last Fri!

I just got off the phone with a nurse (Holly) at Dr. Tom's office, asking about my latest blood work panel and the Chol/HDL Ratio. She was totally amazed at how low all my number are now, and said that with these numbers it doesn't matter that my HDL is not where we would like it. The new Chol/HDL Ratio is 1.65, and that blew her away. She said I am in better condition than 95% of the people in this area and that (kiddingly) I'll never die... and that if everyone was like me they'd be out of business. She could tell that I don't eat animal fat and was happy I am going to work on raising my HDL. She also said I should not try to lose much weight due to my low fat content level.

I'm ecstatic!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...