Marking another year …

M

It is that time of the year, where I once again mark an auspicious anniversary. On Sunday, January 3rd, 2010, at about 8:00 AM, I had a heart attack.

The morning began as usual, up at 5:00 AM, fed the dogs, had coffee and a light breakfast, a quarter cup of Grapenuts with skim milk. Then I headed to the gym, for an hour of cardio.

I felt a bit off on the elliptical trainer. I was just “blah”, and couldn’t get my pulse above 100 or so from the monitor. I did make the full hour, but I just wasn’t up to the 5 minute cool-down period. So I left the gym, feeling crumby.

I got home, and stepped into the shower. And it hit my like a ton of bricks. Shooting pains out the arms, and it felt like Dom DeLuise was standing on my chest. I stumbled out of the shower, naked, and wet, and walked down to my wife’s office. I told her I needed to go to the hospital.

911 was called, the ambulance arrived, and their prognosis was that I pulled a muscle.

Ha ha ha.

Fortunately, Barbara insisted on them taking me to the hospital. There they hooked me up to the EKG, and yep, I was having a heart attack.

Gulp.

A quick trip to the cath lab, a moment meeting the on duty cardiologist, and a stent was put in.

My wife was freaking out. I remember being worried that I might never see my dogs again.

The verdict: A 100% blockage in the descending node of the right coronary artery. A Taxus drug eluent stent was inserted, opening the artery, and then a trip to the ICU.

I was in the hospital for 3 days, and 2 weeks later began cardio rehabilitation. 3 days a week, of slowly increasing cardio workout, with telemetry monitoring in a carefully watched environment.

By the end of the cardio rehab, I was freaking out the other patients, as I was jogging on the treadmill. (I was running ~ 30 mile a week prior to the heart attack, hiking Blackett’s Ridge on the weekends, and even cycling).

8 weeks to the day after the heart attack I celebrated by hiking to the bottom of the grand canyon.

I got to add some evil medications that I will take for the rest of my life. Small penalties to pay.

Today, I mark the 6th year since the event. I still take my medicine. I track my blood pressure daily (mostly :-)), I try to watch what I eat. My weight could be better in control, but those damn beta blockers wreak havoc with the metabolism.

As anniversaries go, it isn’t a bad thing to mark off. It is certainly better than the alternative.

About the author

geoffand
By geoffand

Posts

Subscribe to Tralfaz via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4 other subscribers
January 2016
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Spam Blocked