Heart attack at 35 :/

[rgrmedic]

No you don't. I had a massive heart attack and drove home from the gym while I was having it. I had no chest pain and even racked all my plates after doing my squats. I had the heart attack while squatting. Had 455 lbs on there and racked it all. I don't believe in leaving plates on the bar! So I did all of that while having a very bad heart attack and had no chest pain.

Holy shit.. what were you experiencing??

 

[rgrmedic]

No you don't. I had a massive heart attack and drove home from the gym while I was having it. I had no chest pain and even racked all my plates after doing my squats. I had the heart attack while squatting. Had 455 lbs on there and racked it all. I don't believe in leaving plates on the bar! So I did all of that while having a very bad heart attack and had no

 

[maldorf]

Holy shit.. what were you experiencing??

When the clot formed when I was squatting I felt like crap really fast. It hit once I racked the weight. I stepped back and then started to feel like I had to puke. That wasn't unusual though since I had that in the past when I hit squats hard. The different feeling I got though was a loud ringing in my ears and then it was if someone turned off the stereo in the gym. Then I realized I was pretty much deaf, couldn't hear a thing. Then it was like someone started to dim the lights, it got really dark in the room and tunnel vision set in. I sat down and tried to relax, control my breathing and not freak out. After about 10 seconds or so the sound and light came back on, like they were switched back on. Bam. After that I was feeling normal other than nausea. I think those symptoms were due to lack of blood flow to my brain. Im lucky to be alive really.

My thread I started after it happened:
http://www.professionalmuscle.com/f...heart-attack-age-38-follow-up-phils-post.html

 

[Delt123]

No you don't. I had a massive heart attack and drove home from the gym while I was having it. I had no chest pain and even racked all my plates after doing my squats. I had the heart attack while squatting. Had 455 lbs on there and racked it all. I don't believe in leaving plates on the bar! So I did all of that while having a very bad heart attack and had no chest pain.

Than how did you know? I've read your log vaguely as I'm still new here

Edit: answer is above

 

[Growthman]

No you don't. I had a massive heart attack and drove home from the gym while I was having it. I had no chest pain and even racked all my plates after doing my squats. I had the heart attack while squatting. Had 455 lbs on there and racked it all. I don't believe in leaving plates on the bar! So I did all of that while having a very bad heart attack and had no chest pain.

True vet right there. I train at a Golds in a metropolis on the West Coast. It always surprises me how many of these millennials here don’t have the basic gym etiquette to rack weights.

 

[HeavyDeads]

I had mine in the gym too, at the tail end of a great press workout. Got really nauseous and sweaty, which I didn't think was super uncommon. Then that feeling wouldn't go away, my chest started tightening, and my partner said I looked gray in color. Called the squad at that point and got a helicopter ride straight to the cath lab.

Was a close one in my case, and had I not been at the gym, I'd have probably just laid down and died.

 

[maldorf]

I had mine in the gym too, at the tail end of a great press workout. Got really nauseous and sweaty, which I didn't think was super uncommon. Then that feeling wouldn't go away, my chest started tightening, and my partner said I looked gray in color. Called the squad at that point and got a helicopter ride straight to the cath lab.

Was a close one in my case, and had I not been at the gym, I'd have probably just laid down and died.

I should have called 911 from the gym like you did but I was in denial. I didn't have any chest discomfort though and just figured I had pushed myself too hard. Most of the damage to my heart was probably done because I didn't go to the hospital right away. I drove home and went to bed. It happened around 9 pm and I went to the hospital at 3 am.

 

[maldorf]

Than how did you know? I've read your log vaguely as I'm still new here

Edit: answer is above

I didn't go to the hospital until about 3 am which was 6 hours after my heart attack started. I finally went because I could feel my heart rhythm was bad and my pulse was really weak. Still no chest pains, never have had them ever. So don't count on chest pain as an indicator. I did have a heart burn feeling later on, burning in my throat.
Another note, watch out for morphine. When I got to the er room they pumped me full of morphine and I ended up puking really bad. I told them I was feeling bad and they rushed to get something for me to throw up in. I felt better before that injection. It really made me sick.

 

[maldorf]

True vet right there. I train at a Golds in a metropolis on the West Coast. It always surprises me how many of these millennials here don’t have the basic gym etiquette to rack weights.

My favorite gym I used to lift at had an owner that was really strict about this too. If he caught you more than once not putting away your weights he revoked your membership and kicked you out! I loved it there.

 

[XstarchildX]

I didn't go to the hospital until about 3 am which was 6 hours after my heart attack started. I finally went because I could feel my heart rhythm was bad and my pulse was really weak. Still no chest pains, never have had them ever. So don't count on chest pain as an indicator. I did have a heart burn feeling later on, burning in my throat.
Another note, watch out for morphine. When I got to the er room they pumped me full of morphine and I ended up puking really bad. I told them I was feeling bad and they rushed to get something for me to throw up in. I felt better before that injection. It really made me sick.

That's so crazy that you held out that long. Glad you eventually got there though, brother.

I'm the same way with morphine. If I get to the hospital and they pump some of that into my veins, they immediately get the zofran going to control nausea, and then add a cocktail of other crap that keeps me from puking but gives me severe restless legs. I feel like I NEED to move them, and feel so uncomfortable. That is no fun at all.

 

[HeavyDeads]

I should have called 911 from the gym like you did but I was in denial. I didn't have any chest discomfort though and just figured I had pushed myself too hard. Most of the damage to my heart was probably done because I didn't go to the hospital right away. I drove home and went to bed. It happened around 9 pm and I went to the hospital at 3 am.

I'm grateful for my training partner, as he knew something wasn't right. When the squad arrived they couldn't even give me nitro, because my BP had crashed.

The helicopter ride took 6 minutes vs. the ambulance ride that would've take 12 minutes. They told my wife when she got there that if I'd have taken the ambulance, I wouldn't have made it.

Had I been in your situation or been home, I'd have probably done the same thing, and just laid down. I just wouldn't have woken up, lol. Thankfully, you were able to make it that long and still be here!

 

[maldorf]

I'm grateful for my training partner, as he knew something wasn't right. When the squad arrived they couldn't even give me nitro, because my BP had crashed.

Yeah. my bp was dangerously low. If I remember right it was about 60/40 or something around there. My pulse pressure was about 20 at best. I think I documented it in my thread. it has been 10 years so I don't remember. They pumped me full of dopamine at the hospital to get my BP up. I bet they did the same to you. I was on dopamine for about 2 days or more.

Your heart function is ok now, a fairly normal ejection fraction? Do you remember what artery was blocked, and im guessing it was 100%? Just curious. Mine was the right coronary artery, main branch 100%

 

[HeavyDeads]

Yeah. my bp was dangerously low. If I remember right it was about 60/40 or something around there. My pulse pressure was about 20 at best. I think I documented it in my thread. it has been 10 years so I don't remember. They pumped me full of dopamine at the hospital to get my BP up. I bet they did the same to you. I was on dopamine for about 2 days or more.

Your heart function is ok now, a fairly normal ejection fraction? Do you remember what artery was blocked, and im guessing it was 100%? Just curious. Mine was the right coronary artery, main branch 100%

My bp was right in that range too. Mine was a year ago (Sept 2017). No on the dopamine, as soon as they did the angio everything returned to "normal" pretty much right away. Including going from feeling like shit to feeling fine. Neat to watch the clog clear on the monitors as they did it.

Yup, normal function now, and no permanent damage, luckily. My last echo was in May, and ejection fraction was 45-50%. My right coronary artery was completely blocked (100%), angioplasty then a stent (femoral) in the cath lab. Left anterior was mostly blocked (75%) and two days later did another stent (radial).

 

[maldorf]

My bp was right in that range too. Mine was a year ago (Sept 2017). No on the dopamine, as soon as they did the angio everything returned to "normal" pretty much right away. Including going from feeling like shit to feeling fine. Neat to watch the clog clear on the monitors as they did it.

Yup, normal function now, and no permanent damage, luckily. My last echo was in May, and ejection fraction was 45-50%. My right coronary artery was completely blocked (100%), angioplasty then a stent (femoral) in the cath lab. Left anterior was mostly blocked (75%) and two days later did another stent (radial).

Wow, you were lucky to escape any significant damage. It was my right coronary too, 100%. Your lifespan probably wasn't significantly lowered.

Once they opened up my right main coronary it made no difference at all in my condition. After that it was a matter of my heart healing up and my body adjusting to the change. Probably why they had to use dopamine on me. The clearing out of my clot didn't help at all. In fact later on sometime it filled up again and I couldn't even tell. That artery was like a dead end road since all the heart tissue is dead there, so it just blocked up and clotted.

 

[HeavyDeads]

Wow, you were lucky to escape any significant damage. It was my right coronary too, 100%. Your lifespan probably wasn't significantly lowered.

Once they opened up my right main coronary it made no difference at all in my condition. After that it was a matter of my heart healing up and my body adjusting to the change. Probably why they had to use dopamine on me. The clearing out of my clot didn't help at all. In fact later on sometime it filled up again and I couldn't even tell. That artery was like a dead end road since all the heart tissue is dead there, so it just blocked up and clotted.

Yea, I was pretty lucky considering.

Wow, that's crazy. So did they have to re-stent it? Will that be just a continuous process (more frequently than say, me) of putting a new stent in? What's your ejection fraction? Has that improved since it happened?

I guess I should go read your full thread!

 

[maldorf]

Yea, I was pretty lucky considering.

Wow, that's crazy. So did they have to re-stent it? Will that be just a continuous process (more frequently than say, me) of putting a new stent in? What's your ejection fraction? Has that improved since it happened?

I guess I should go read your full thread!

They never put a stent in because there wasn't any narrowing of the vessel. The surgeon even said he tried to put one in but they didn't have one big enough to fit it. It was closed off 100% due to a blood clot, no atherosclerosis.

There is no need to try to reopen it because it will just fill up again. All of the muscle that is supplied is dead now, so when the blood flows down there it gets stuck in the vessel since there is nowhere to go. The capillaries are all gone, that muscle is long dead.

Ejection fraction is somewhere between 20 and 25%. It hasn't gotten better or worse really. Stayed about the same. It went up a bit the first couple of years but mostly just stable. Nothing to be done once that heart muscle is dead.

 

[ronnieron]

I had my heart attack when i was 34(just passed 2yr annivetsary). I had a 100% blockage of.my decending artery. I can still almost feel my chest pain.

 

[maldorf]

I had my heart attack when i was 34(just passed 2yr annivetsary). I had a 100% blockage of.my decending artery. I can still almost feel my chest pain.

The LAD? Left anterior descending. They call that "the widow maker". Wondering how long it was blocked. Do you also have a defibrillator now?

 

[MyNameIsJeff]

It was closed off 100% due to a blood clot, no atherosclerosis.

Wow that's really surprising to me, given that you were squatting while it happened.
Did the doctors provide an explanation for what could have happened? Maybe the extreme blood pressure spikes when lifting heavy ruptured some blood vessel? Maybe the clot formed due to pre-existing atrial fibrillation?

Atherosclerotic plaque being released during heavy exertion and then leading to the MI seems much more likely. In any case, I might just finally start taking a daily baby aspirin

 

[HeavyDeads]

Atherosclerotic plaque being released during heavy exertion and then leading to the MI seems much more likely.

This was thought to be cause of mine, plaque breaks loose, blood cells rush in, instant blockage.