Here I am...Kicking and Alive

**Cass** · 08-13-2009, 02:37 PM

Last friday my son Jacob and I went to do a water line foundation break about 20 miles from my home...All went well pigtailing out of the foundation with 3/4 K copper and packjointing back on to the polly that had broken right at the foundation...we started at about 10 AM or so and pulled away from the job at about 3 PM...traveling home I was about 1 mile from my exit when I started getting extreem pressure on my chest...but that was the only symptom...I told my son I was going to go to the hospital which was at the next exit up about 4-5 miles to the emergency room doors from where we were and if I passed out to take the wheel and keep going...He said pull over and he would drive but I didn't want to take the time...I made it to the emergency room and got out...that was the last thing I remember until I came to with a forced breathing tube in me keeping me alive...they had to restrain me because I started kicking and trying to remove the tube...so they upped my Diprovan (Michael Jackson) and put me back out...next thing I remember was waiking up at 2AM monday with a different breathing tube in me...after a couple hours they removed it...and I just got out today Thrusday...My heart stopped 3 times and they had to use 200 Jewles by-phase on the paddles to get it started all three times...I had 100% blockage on the main artery...it is called a widow maker heart attack...because it is so rare to come through it...they told me that since the Hospital opened about 2 years ago I was the only one they can remember making it through...

Just a little up date for ya all...now I am going to go lay down and rest.

Cass

**Thatguy** · 08-13-2009, 03:30 PM

http://www.askbootshealth.com/__data...01_default.gif

200 joules equals the energy dumped into a person by three 45 cal. handgun bullets or three fatal doses of radiation. I didn't think those machines went that high.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defibrillation

I'd say they had just about given up on you.

Do your chest muscles hurt from this?

If the hospital will tell you how many heart attack patients they see in two years you can literally compute your odds of having survived this.
If you're 50, you almost became the 0.6% of 50 yr. olds who don't get to see 51.
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html

Since I prefer to die with my boots on I hope I opt for the three bullets.

**Terry** · 08-13-2009, 03:36 PM

Pretty scary.
I'm glad you made it though.

Dang, you're just a year younger then me.

I've been taking fish oil capsules lately.
And eating more fish.

Ok, I forgot this morning, thanks for the reminder.
Way more to think about as we get older.

It's nice you had your son there to help out.
Terry

**Cookie** · 08-13-2009, 04:31 PM

Cass~~

I am going to rub your head and buy a lottery ticket! You are the luckiest man in the world.

Cookie~~

**FloridaOrange** · 08-13-2009, 04:51 PM

Glad to see you made it, now the hard part; amending your lifestyle/diet to hopefully avoid a repeat.

**Cookie** · 08-13-2009, 06:05 PM

Stats wise, this won't happen again, he really has no worries. He will go for regular check-ups and scans, and will have continued good health.

Just a tidbit of info here for anyone interested, Aspirin has many benefits, including not only for the heart but for the colon as well.

Keep kicking Cass!

You rock!

**master plumber mark** · 08-13-2009, 06:11 PM

I think that is what is called a "wake up call"

you were really very lucky..... have they done a stint or something like that to you..???

did you see a white light or something??

please try to take care of yourself...

on a more personal note...

They put me on colestoral and high blood pressure medicine back in april....
I was weighing in at 205... and I was wheezeing like an old mule

then my wife and sister forced me to go on a jenny Craig diet
and basically pestered me every day since about my wieght

and now I am down to 186... and I am trying to get down to 175

went to the doctors on tuesday and he cut the blood pressur med to half....

I feel a lot better too...

every day this week I have installed 3 water heaters...
today two water softernes and one heater.....

I think if it were not for the diet I would be in deep trouble too...

try to take care of yourself,
pace yourself...take it easy...

**Thatguy** · 08-13-2009, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by Cookie

Aspirin has many benefits,

Just 'cause I had a blood clot in a leg vein they wanted to put me on rat poison
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warfarin
but I take the 81 mg. of aspirin instead.
Possibly I take slightly longer to clot now from a wound.

Then they did a whole workup and found I had some slight genetic predisposition to clotting. . .???

"The Last Well Person" is a pretty good book on the practice of modern day medicine.

**Cookie** · 08-13-2009, 07:04 PM

I'll look into that book. Is this it? http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1753

http://www.heart.org.in/diseases/echocardiography.html

**jimbo** · 08-13-2009, 08:10 PM

Holy pipe wrench, Batman! Glad you are back on board!

Heart thing has me a little concerned now, but not like that! I had a routine physical a few weeks ago. Didn't want to go in, but she wouldn't renew my metformin again without a check-up! So she slaps an ECG on me and it's "oops". Didn't want to hear "oops"! She said...OK, BUT.....

What the bleep is "but" , so I have my appt at cardio today and he says same thing. OK,,, but, some irregularity in the ST segments, whatever that is. Just because age (65) and diabetes are risk factors, they will check it out. I now have to have an echo cardiogram and then a stress test.

Film at 11:00.

**Cass** · 08-14-2009, 03:52 AM

Originally Posted by Thatguy

http://www.askbootshealth.com/__data...01_default.gif

200 joules equals the energy dumped into a person by three 45 cal. handgun bullets or three fatal doses of radiation. I didn't think those machines went that high.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defibrillation

I'd say they had just about given up on you.

Do your chest muscles hurt from this?

If the hospital will tell you how many heart attack patients they see in two years you can literally compute your odds of having survived this.
If you're 50, you almost became the 0.6% of 50 yr. olds who don't get to see 51.
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html

Since I prefer to die with my boots on I hope I opt for the three bullets.

I am 56 so the odds were even less that I would make it....I have a lot of fractured ribs from the CPR they gave me...pretty good pain when I cough ...the CPR doc. cam up to see me and he told me that while he was giving me the CPR he looked over at my son who was watching and thought of his own and said nope this guy has to make it....I'm not giving up...the 200 Jewels is the max. the machine will put out...but being by-phase it is 200 / phase...I think I will pass on the .45s

**Cass** · 08-14-2009, 04:05 AM

Originally Posted by master plumber mark

I think that is what is called a "wake up call"

you were really very lucky..... have they done a stint or something like that to you..???

did you see a white light or something??

please try to take care of yourself...

on a more personal note...

They put me on colestoral and high blood pressure medicine back in april....
I was weighing in at 205... and I was wheezeing like an old mule

then my wife and sister forced me to go on a jenny Craig diet
and basically pestered me every day since about my wieght

and now I am down to 186... and I am trying to get down to 175

went to the doctors on tuesday and he cut the blood pressur med to half....

I feel a lot better too...

every day this week I have installed 3 water heaters...
today two water softernes and one heater.....

I think if it were not for the diet I would be in deep trouble too...

try to take care of yourself,
pace yourself...take it easy...

They installed a stint on the 100% blocked artery and my other 2 have a 60 and 40 % blockage...they say they will deal with it using Plavix and other drugs...

The thing that helped me was I quit drinking my 1 qt. or more a week of vodka and my 3-4 packs a day of smokes back in the late 70s...haven't touched them since and as far as shape I was fairly good shape for my age...not the best but good...all that helped but the biggest thing was being at a ER with a cardio unit was what made the difference...right time right place...you know the montra...Was God overseeing the whole thing and orchrastrating it...I don't know...one day I will....

**Cass** · 08-14-2009, 04:29 AM

Rugged, I am salavating for some of that tender cut chicken slathered is gravy...

Well I am on some powerfull narcotics (Dialoted) sp? for the pain and it is starting to kick in so back to the couch I go...talk to ya all later.

Cass

**Cass** · 08-14-2009, 04:31 AM

Originally Posted by Cookie

It could be, genetic. I think maybe, once people hit a certain age, or younger due to family history certain tests might want to be done to rule out any potential problems. Worry, stress, and anger should be called diseases, they are very destructive forces. Sometimes, like what happened to my dad years ago, the meds they put him on for high blood pressure caused him to become depressed and angry; once, the doctor changed the meds, he was fine. The first meds was really counterproductive to him.

I'll look into that book. Is this it? http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1753

http://www.heart.org.in/diseases/echocardiography.html

They did say based on my physical condition most of it was genitic...not to much can be done about that....