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Myocardial Infarction, subsequent bypass surgery (1 Viewer)

Was awakened in the middle of the night, it felt like a giant weight on my chest. Got out of bed, walked into kitchen to get a glass of water. Went back and sat on the edge of the bed. Weight turned to chest pain, then pain down my left arm. Woke my wife abNd told her that something wasn't right. She drove me to the hospital, and I walked into the emergency room. They did an EKG, then took me to cath lab. Did an angioplasty on the immediate threat. Multiple blockages. Started serious med cocktails and took me to ICU.

 
51 years old, 6'4" - 235 pounds. No prior health problems. Cholesterol numbers good, no high bp, no serious warning signs. Non-smoker outside occasional cigar, moderate drinker, ate good (little prepared foods, no fast food, etc.).

 
Heart attack--4/2

Quad bypass--4/6

Discharged from hospital--4/11

Red ### from sitting around recuperating--4/18-present

 
you're a tough sob. but dont try to do too much. it's okay to relax and allow yourself time to recover. it's just part of life. take 'er easy for a while

 
What Kev-said.  It is a measurement of how well your heart is actually pumping.  If it is below a certain threshold after an MI, you could be at risk for Sudden Cardiac Arrest, which is obviously a bad thing.  If you have results of an Echo or Cath report from when you are in the hospital, it should be on there.  Could be labeled as just EF or possibly LVEF.  35 and below is the area of concern.

 
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Treynwreck3 said:
Will have to inquire specifically, but cardiac surgeon (aka God) says he knocked it outta the park.
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They really are two separate things.  You can have had a successful CABG surgery and still have low EF, it isn't uncommon.  

When you had your heart attack there was ischemic damage done to a part of your heart due to lack of blood flow.  The CABG was done to help restore blood flow into your heart.  However if the damage to your heart has weakened it, your EF could be low, despite a good surgical outcome.  One hospital near me has a policy where all cardiac surgery cases that have a low EF get preventative care to help address the risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.  I'm not trying to scare you, just educate you.  PM me if you want more details but please know I'm not making this up.

 
Do you work?  If so, how long you taking off? How's your wife dealing with this?  Been talking about making any changes in your life?  How's your mental outlook?

 
I work from home, consulting. I am taking the rest of the month off and will slowly work back into a schedule. My wife has been great. She is a trooper taking care of everything. I didn't realize what it takes to run this zoo until I couldn't help at all.

Life changes are already happening. Going to change eating habits, even though they weren't all that bad. Exercise. As soon as I am able, big walking regimen. Ride less, walk more.

Looking at this as a new chance. Want to see my kids and their kids grow up.

 
Treynwreck3 said:
I work from home, consulting. I am taking the rest of the month off and will slowly work back into a schedule. My wife has been great. She is a trooper taking care of everything. I didn't realize what it takes to run this zoo until I couldn't help at all.

Life changes are already happening. Going to change eating habits, even though they weren't all that bad. Exercise. As soon as I am able, big walking regimen. Ride less, walk more.

Looking at this as a new chance. Want to see my kids and their kids grow up.
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I have a lot of experience with this.  Had my first MI thirty years ago when I was 27, followed by a quad-bypass.   I've had two more MI's since then, and I've had a stent put in.  My EF is now 35%.

My advice is to take off at least another month or so, if you can arrange it.  Looking back, I'm sure I was dealing with huge mental gyrations and maybe even some depression for a few weeks after each event.  The problem is that you don't know you're going through that until you've moved on from it.

And your plan to walk more is exactly what I did.  I bought a Husky pup and over the ensuing years we put on hundreds (thousands?) of miles.  Best thing ever.  From there I moved onto long distance bicycling, putting on hundreds of miles a week, and even competing in triathlons and several 200-mile bike races.  Biking also was great for my mental outlook, as it gave my a lot of time to think through things.

And I like your idea to reevaluate things and make some life changes.  In my case I totally de-prioritized work and put more emphasis on family life.  But, if you're like me, be aware that as the years go on you forget about the importance of sticking with the life changes and it's easy to slip back into your old ways.

Good luck.  

 
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Polish Hammer said:
They really are two separate things.  You can have had a successful CABG surgery and still have low EF, it isn't uncommon.  

When you had your heart attack there was ischemic damage done to a part of your heart due to lack of blood flow.  The CABG was done to help restore blood flow into your heart.  However if the damage to your heart has weakened it, your EF could be low, despite a good surgical outcome.  One hospital near me has a policy where all cardiac surgery cases that have a low EF get preventative care to help address the risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.  I'm not trying to scare you, just educate you.  PM me if you want more details but please know I'm not making this up.
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Saw my cardiologist this morning for first follow up. He said that my EF prior to CABG was 55. Apparently we caught the MI early enough that there was limited permanent damage to the heart muscle overall. His prognosis overall was "quite good".

 
Treynwreck3 said:
Saw my cardiologist this morning for first follow up. He said that my EF prior to CABG was 55. Apparently we caught the MI early enough that there was limited permanent damage to the heart muscle overall. His prognosis overall was "quite good".
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Glad to hear!  I hope you continue to get healthier and make the changes you need to sustain that.  Good luck!

 
Bills are rolling in. Due to some pretty good insurance, my out-of-pocket is limited to $5,500. Wife talked to the insurance company yesterday. Hospital bill presently stands at $315,000. Anesthesia is an additional $16,000. Haven't seen the cardiac surgeon's tab yet. I can only imagine.

Good thing we have the ACA! ?

 
Treynwreck3 said:
Bills are rolling in. Due to some pretty good insurance, my out-of-pocket is limited to $5,500. Wife talked to the insurance company yesterday. Hospital bill presently stands at $315,000. Anesthesia is an additional $16,000. Haven't seen the cardiac surgeon's tab yet. I can only imagine.

Good thing we have the ACA! ?
Click to expand...
Thanks, Obama!

 
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