Things aren't allways what they seem ; health (cardiac) related

[johnnycharger]

Hi Ron
it sounds like being good at your job helped save your life also. I'm glad you were smart about it and went to the hospital too many people just think "ahh it'll be fine" and it isn't.
Im glad you had a positive outcome!  Thanks for sharing! 

[Charger_Dart]

Glad to hear you are recovering and the procedure was a success. It is amazing  what they can do today vs. the past with the new technologies they use today. I can't believe you were able to help me with my engine troubles this week with all this going on - WOW!! & Thanks.

[Mopar Nut]

Glad to hear you're ok, thanks for a eye opener.

[NHCharger]

Wow Ron, glad you're OK. Glad you didn't do what 95% of the rest of the guys would have done- wash a few more pain pills down with a beer or two.
Going to miss you at Carlisle. I owe you a steak dinner and a case of beer for all the advice and guidance you provided during my engine build.

[R2]

Hi Ron,,,
Glad your ok,,,,
That cath study looks like a proximal LAD lesion?  aka the widow maker,,,,right where I had a issue,,,,
Glad you acted on the pain.

This will be my first year going to Carlise,,,Alan and I will attend,,,, maybe we will come pick ya up if you can't drive  

Stay healthy,,,,

Doug.  

Ps,,, I hope you don't mind,,but I found some pics from Norwalk , Bristol,  over the past few years 

[R2]

[R2]

[kamkuda]

Ahhh The Black Pig.  Good Times.  Hopefully we can all go to Norwalk this year.  Glad you are on the mend Ron.

Those blockage pictures sure tell a story.

Cheers Rob

[tan top]

crikey Ron  ,  scary for sure , glad your ok & on the road to recovery !!   my uncle had to have a stent or stet thingy fitted , & he is  A ok now !! thanks for sharing your story !!

 

[1970Moparmann]

Glad your okay Ron!   

[dyslexic teddybear]

Thanks for posting the warning.

As we get older, it's easy to miss the important warnings among the various age related aches and pains.

Good you are ok.

[68charger440]

It's good karma coming back to you for all of the help you provided to all of us for so many years.  Even after such a scary life changing event, your altruistic reaction was to reach out and try to let your experience help others.  That speaks volumes about you as a person. 
Best of luck to you in your recovery!

[8WHEELER]

WOW, good call Ron  Glad to hear you were taken care of well, and your doctors listened to you, that is sometime's the hardest
thing to accomplish. Man shoulder pain, thank god you know your body, and your family's health issues. I get shots in my shoulders
every three months, so if that happened to me I would be six feet under, pushing this wheelchair for 29 years, takes a toll, but the
shots really help, when other meds do nothing as in your case.

No driving or working out for four weeks?  that is cruel and unusual punishment.... I know not being active is really going to kill
you mentally, but at this point, your going to have to try and put up with it buddy. I know I speak for all of us when I say,
we want you to hang around for a long time      

So one other plus for us is, lots of free computer time for our Ron to help us out     keep us posted my friend 

Dan

[billfury]

I'm glad to hear that it all worked out for you Ron. I was hoping to meet you and thank you for helping me out with the set up for my motor. Maybe next year.  Relax and feel better.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Damn Ron, just saw this thread (after I posted in the Firecore thread asking if you will be at Carlisle this year)  Im glad you acted quickly on your initial feelings.  Im sure your training helped in the decision.  Sadly others simply disregard early signs until its too late.
Good to hear you are on the mend. 

Be well my friend! 

[squeakfinder]

   Best wishes. Glad you caught it early. On the bright side, you'll be able to spend more time on this forum.   

[FlatbackFanatic]

Glad your going to be OK. Been there done that, mine was 95% blocked, so it actually wasn't a heart attack. But still, it makes you think.
You'll be back to what you were doing in no time.

[Dodge Don]

Wow Ron, just saw this. Glad you acted on it and had it checked out and are on the mend.

And you didn't have to sell your car or go bankrupt to cover the medical expenses

[ITSA426]

Glad all is well Ron.  Be sure to take your Plavix or Clopidigrel as recommended. You absolutely don't want to run the risk of restinosis.  If you got a drug eluting stent you probably won't need to be on it forever.  My bride worked in stent marketing for one of the big manufacturers when I had a heart attack, about 15 months ago, so she was able to ask intelligent questions.  She discussed my options and made sure I got the best stent available at the time.

I had 100 percent blockage of the circumflex artery.  The symptom was a severe back pain that ran from elbow to elbow.  My (former) family doctor sent me to get physical therapy for the back pain.  I went to my chiropractor and he told me to go to the emergency room.  There is no history of heart issues in my family.  My weight is OK and all my blood numbers were good.  I told the ICU doctor that I didn't think I was having a heart attack and that my regular doctor assured me it wasn't a heart attack.  He told me, "I'm your cardiologist and you're having a heart attack".  One likely issue, I'm told, is agent orange exposure more than 40 years ago.

I said all that so anybody else reading this can be aware of the possibilities even if you don't think it will happen.  

[GPULLER]

Good to hear your firing on all cylinders Ron!  Take it easy and heal up.

The symptom was a severe back pain that ran from elbow to elbow.  My (former) family doctor sent me to get physical therapy for the back pain.  I went to my chiropractor and he told me to go to the emergency room.   

I have a friend that is a chiropractor, its crazy that doctors will send a patient to him for, when they need to get to a good doctor and get checked out.  He's told me those stories before. 

[PlainfieldCharger]

Wow Ron, just saw this, incredible your skills are! fine-tuning all types of engines,  says it all... thanks for all you do!

[Firetodd]

Ron,
As many others have stated on this thread, thank goodness you decided to go in and also asked to clear any cardiac issues!! Too many guys on the job have cardiac issues and don't recognize them quickly, or stupidly try to ignore symptoms. You have helped so many on this forum, including me and my silly questions. Thank you for all that you do to help us all out. Now is time to help you - rest and mend. If you need anything at all, let us know! BTW, you even researched my spark plugs while recovering! You're a good dude.

[firefighter3931]

Thanks guys....appreciate the well wishes. 

I'm feeling fine and sleeping well at night....better than I have in a long time and wake up totally refreshed   

Glad all is well Ron.  Be sure to take your Plavix or Clopidigrel as recommended. You absolutely don't want to run the risk of restinosis.  If you got a drug eluting stent you probably won't need to be on it forever.  My bride worked in stent marketing for one of the big manufacturers when I had a heart attack, about 15 months ago, so she was able to ask intelligent questions.  She discussed my options and made sure I got the best stent available at the time.

I had 100 percent blockage of the circumflex artery.  The symptom was a severe back pain that ran from elbow to elbow.  My (former) family doctor sent me to get physical therapy for the back pain.  I went to my chiropractor and he told me to go to the emergency room.  There is no history of heart issues in my family.  My weight is OK and all my blood numbers were good.  I told the ICU doctor that I didn't think I was having a heart attack and that my regular doctor assured me it wasn't a heart attack.  He told me, "I'm your cardiologist and you're having a heart attack".  One likely issue, I'm told, is agent orange exposure more than 40 years ago.

I said all that so anybody else reading this can be aware of the possibilities even if you don't think it will happen. 

Thanks for posting that 426  ....really illustrates how we can be fooled by symptoms that don't fit the "norm" and even general practionioners sometimes misdiagnose stuff. Glad to hear things worked out well for you & FlatbackFanatic. 

I'm housebound for now so you guys will be seeing more of me here at least for the next few weeks. Hopefully i don't wear out my welcome. 


Ron   

[69rtse4spd]

Just read this, glad all is OK. The older I get the more I think that I can do what I did when 20, not. Will have to listen to my body better from now on. Get well.  . 

[Dino]

Holy cow buddy, I missed this completely and I'm real happy you got your butt down to the ER!

You were getting close to experiencing what they call the widow maker.  It is very true that there is a genetic predisposition with this and it can, and does, happen to the healthiest of us.  A coworker had this happen not two years ago, he's one of the healthiest people I know and it hit him just like it did you but he too was smart enough to go to the ER.  Got a stent and some meds and he's back to doing his marathons and all that stuff. 

The heart muscle is resilient, don't worry about the damage, it'll fix itself for the most part and you can make it stronger with exercise once cleared by the cardiologist. 

The signs for an MI are way more diverse than having the classic left arm pain.  Many people will have pain in the neck or jaw before an incident.  You were smart to go and get yourself checked out or we could have had an entirely different thread going on.

I don't want you to worry yourself crazy though, you got it in time and beat it, the odds of it happening again after this procedure is miniscule.  Don't go nuts or extreme on exercise or diet, just have a healthy balance in life.  Remember hld cholesterol is good, ldl is bad.  Don't let the blood work numbers throw you off.

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