Surviving a heart attack

The day that I suffered my heart attack started out as a normal day. It was February 26^th, 2008. The previous year had been a ‘little’ stressful planning my escape from a marriage that was not a healthy situation for any involved.

Looking back now, I do realize that there were many warning signs that I was heading towards heart problems that I simply ignored – after all who has heart attacks at the age of 42? The symptoms that went ignored were heart palpitations from time to time and the feeling as if my heart would skip a beat and it would take my breath away. These episodes wouldn’t last long and I just blamed them on the stress of being newly divorced and dealing with the separation issues that go along with the process.

Everyone knows how women act just before giving birth.  They do what is referred to ‘nesting’ and scurry around getting things in order for the arrival of that new baby.  I can only describe the events of that day as such.  I spent the whole day cleaning bird cages and thoroughly cleaning my house – top to bottom.  I felt GREAT all day long.  I have to wonder if my sub conscience knew what was about to happen.

That evening I was working in my office and was on the phone with a potential client.  I had dropped some papers that fell behind my desk.  I stood up and reached behind the desk to collect them, and that is when I felt that first flutter that took my breath away. 

I finished with my phone call and headed outside to smoke a cigarette, I figured it was just stress and that cigarette would make it go away.  DUMB THOUGHT!  I stood on my front porch and took a few hits and then headed back into the house.  The flutters had somewhat subsided so I thought I would continue on with my evening.

I headed back down to the basement to enjoy my clean house and knit for awhile while watching television.  While sitting there knitting it became apparent that there was a good chance that something was seriously wrong.  The thought of a heart attack did cross my mind so I headed back upstairs to look for some aspirin, as I had always heard that if you are having a heart attack that aspirin will possibly save your life.

I rummaged through the cupboards and even searched my car because I was sure that I had some somewhere.  It was then that I started to break out in a sweat and feel very nauseated and suffered a stabbing pain in my back.  The symptoms would come and go.

I received another phone call from a friend of mine and had to cut the call short because of the palpitations and shortness of breath.  I did not mention to her what I thought was happening, because who would believe that I was having a heart attack.

I hung up the phone and yelled for my 15 y/o daughter.  I told her that I was not feeling well and she needed to take me to the doctor.  It was 8:30 p.m. and obvious that the ‘doctor wasn’t in’ and I told her to just get her shoes on and do what she was told.

We headed into the hospital.  We were not even to the end of the street when I started to black out.  I just kept praying that I would make it to the hospital as I didn’t want this to happen while my daughter was driving.  When the waves of pain and darkness would hit me I had the urge to cough.  So I kept coughing and that would ease the symptoms.  Little did I know that when you are having a heart attack that coughing too can save your life?

As we neared the hospital the symptoms had subsided and I considered having my daughter just turn around and take us back home.  I decided since we were there I might as well go in and get things checked out. 

My daughter dropped me off at the Emergency entrance and I instructed her to go park the car.  Upon entering the hospital, I went to the check-in window and let the receptionist know that I thought I was having a heart attack.

The things that happened next are quite a blur.  I remember laying in the hospital and my kids being around me.  I remember being told that I indeed was suffering from a heart attack and that they had one hour from the onset of the symptoms to correct the problem and lower the chances of permanent damage to my heart.

Those that know me know that I am VERY fearful of flying.  Being in the line of work that I am in, I often joke about my wings being severely clipped so I can’t fly.  So imagine my panic to learn that not only was I suffering a heart attack at the age of 42 but they were about to wheel me onto a helicopter to take me to the nearest heart center.

I laid there on the stretcher and tried to stay calm.  Knowing that getting worked up at this point would not be beneficial for my condition.  I just kept my eyes closed and pretended that this wasn’t really happening as they wheeled me onto the helicopter.  I did peek one time and saw the ceiling of the helicopter was claustrophobic close to my face, and quickly closed my eyes and left them that way until arriving at the Heart Center.

I was taken into a room where the procedure would be done to stop the pain and hopefully prevent permanent damage to my heart. I remember the doctor standing next to the bed and telling me all of the risks of undergoing this procedure. I didn’t want to hear about it, I just wanted the problem fixed.

Apparently I was slightly sedated after that and barely remember much of what happened next. It could be that it is one of those human phenomenon ways of coping with stressful events. I do remember being wheeled to my room with my three daughters at my side.

I was told later that they put a stent in my heart to open up the blocked artery and that the procedure went well. Apparently the blockage was caused by a blood clot and I would have to take a blood thinner for the next year and an aspirin a day for the rest of my life.

Looking back to ‘pre-heart attack’ days, I realize there were things I should have done to prevent this from ever happening.  One of the big things that haunts me to this day is that I was scheduled for some blood work which included a cholesterol test and I did not follow through.  I have to wonder if I would have followed through with those simple tests if I would have dodged the whole ordeal?