don't wait

[Buffalo Bif]

Family member had a heart attack last week- don't panic they are fine, likely better now than they have been in a couple years. They had some chest pains for a month prior and ignored them or tried to reason them away. They missed a second symptom (sweating) because pains all occurred on 90+ degree days. Doc said they dodged a bullet in a very real sense- 99% blockage in a heart artery.

They were in the hospital for less than a day, the incision is 1/8 inch long. We've all cut ourselves worse than that. Don't worry about the cure- this is not our fathers' world.

Unless you've been hit, kicked, punched or fell down, your chest pain requires immediate attention. There is no chest pain that is going to go away or heal. Please don't wait.

[scotia carver]

HI Brian
That is good advise, i am a heart attack survivor,I never had a chest pain, mine was numbness down my left arm from the shoulder to the tips of fingers, I knew it was a sign of heart trouble, drove myself to ER, was admitted to hospital ,nine days later I had a triple bypass and have been in good shape for the last thirteen years. One needs to know it is all not just chest pain
Bruce

[Bob K.]

Excellent advice, Brian! Regular checkups are so important. I think we all know someone who has died of heart disease...my father did.

[Buffalo Bif]

Good to know, Bruce, info I did not know.

[Spiritwolfe]

Classic sign: numbness down one arm

[scotia carver]

Forgot to add
One year after the by pass surgery, I had five TIA's in a week,back to Halifax had the carotid artery cleaned, another thing to add to your list to look for, I knew I had that problem before the heart attack.I now have one prescription, lipatorr, I use ibruprofen and aspirin for all the joint pain.
Bruce

[Claude]

After a couple of shortness-of-breath episodes that I thought was my asthma acting up, my doctor sent me to a cardiologist. A week later, I had a quad bypass. No numbness, no heart attack. I was lucky!

[pallin]

We all need to be physically active, regardless of age - walking, biking, swimming. Sorry guys, carving doesn't do it. I developed chest pains fifteen years ago while mountain biking up a local mountain - 2000 ft. gain in 5 miles. After angioplasty with stent I've had no recurrence. I'll be 84 soon.

[Spiritwolfe]

We all need to be physically active, regardless of age - walking, biking, swimming. Sorry guys, carving doesn't do it. I developed chest pains fifteen years ago while mountain biking up a local mountain - 2000 ft. gain in 5 miles. After angioplasty with stent I've had no recurrence. I'll be 84 soon.

That's good news pallin. It's quite a slope of elevation you were biking.
I'm almost 57 and I am very active. I walk 3 to 5 miles a day, swim and bike ride. My heart rate still sits around 50 beats per minute
Low blood pressure too. I stay very active