Have a curious question for people with Heart Attacks

I was curious about something. I dont know how many of you have heard about my story. So here it is in short. I'm 27 now, almost a year ago while I was 35 weeks pregnant, I had a massive heart attack. 5 days later they had to do an emergency c-section and triple bypass on me. I now have a defibrillater and am doing good. My ejection fraction is only 25%. Its been almost a year for the HA (Aug 16th).
Anyway, I read a post the other day and she was talking about how from what she read she feels inevitable that she would have another heart attack. I know my HA was a different from most because the drs said I was 1 in 30,000. I had an anyursym that exploded and caused a tear in my valve which allowed blood to flow thru and made the valve swollen and just like a cholestrol HA, it had blocked up the valve and caused the heart attack. The doc never said I was going to have another HA but they never said I wouldn't either, but from what I have read on here, some of you have had a second or third HA. So my question is this:
How many of you have had just one HA and how many have had more? And how many more have you had? I'm just curious and I am going to ask my doc when I go in next if I am prone to having another one. Thank you in advance for responding.
Best wishes to all my heart sisters, Misty

By martzj
Posted August 11, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Report post

Hi Misty,

Your story is amazing in that you survived so much and now seem to be thriving compared to that. There are so many different kinds of heart attacks...so many variables that can come together. Your anyurysm (dissection?) could be an isolated event and may never have been a problem without the extra blood volume and pressure of pregnancy. Have you been told they found evidence of CAD anywhere? A rupture is not the same as vessel disease at all. I'm guessing you've already been advised to avoid future pregnancies to protect your heart? That was a close call. So glad you made it through all that Misty...and have that baby in your arms (smile)!

I had 4 heart attacks that I know of.....by 41. The damaged heart areas are slowly expanding but I've kept another attack at bay for 13 years now by doing my best to take the cardiac meds my system tolerates and stay vigilant (not obsessive) about continuing to push myself to learn. While I feel like I'm going to have another attack several times a month, I also know my particular symptom collection and how to ride them out.

Instead of more heart attacks I got married! : ) Which is just as exhausting but far more fun.

take good care,
Jaynie

By nanamo
Posted August 12, 2009 at 7:09 am
Report post

misty ,
1st off hugs to yo my dear

i have only had one massive heart attack none since thank god before my mi i had mini tia as they say but my full blown one on oct 20 1999 almost killed me the docs were amazed that i had survived it i to have a icd which this group helped me to name it and my husband came up with the name trigger have you named yours yet it helps belive me it really does......
i am so greatful for thsi website and the wonderful ladies on here you can learn and they and i can learn from one another

god bless
surviving heart disease one day at a time
with trigger04/08
for 10 years
nanamo

By Marietta
Posted August 12, 2009 at 8:56 am
Report post

I've had 3 heart attacks - i have 3 stents in place - i have had triple bypass open heart surgery and I am just 38. Sometimes that is just the way it goes. I think doctor's can help us to TRY and prevent other heart attacks....but they are afterall just human and can't prevent them all or predict them. I was told if you do XYZ this won't happen again...but I did XYZ and it did. This does NOT mean that you will have another one. Don't give up! Do what your doctor's tell you....sometimes they do get it right :)

By pclipper
Posted August 12, 2009 at 9:32 am
Report post

Hey Misty, re your question: gee, I never even thought about that (lie lie)! I do feel it's inevitable, but I have an aggressive hardening of the arteries, small arteries and probably spasms plus a family history, so I no longer worry too much about getting hit by a bus;-) When my GP and I talk about stress and she says, "in twenty years, will it seem important?" I think, I'm not sure there will be twenty more years.

In my case, my cardiologist told me, if I remember it correctly, that I had a 55% chance of having another heart attack, but with good diet and exercise and meds, that could be reduced down to 15%. A couple months later, the stents had clogged and I had a double by-pass. I felt so ripped off, as if I'd been lied to!

One thing is that I haven't had a second heart attack, quite, but I've become, like Jaynie says, vigilant but not obsessive, so I've gotten pretty sensitive as to what changes are occuring and I've a) been able to seek out intervention before we got there and b) been able to get more immediate attention and been taken seriously just by exhibiting my bypass scar. When I say this feels like it did before my by-pass, they don't start talking about stress or gallbladders! It helps!

The last time, I had gotten so sick of the whole heart patient thing that I wasn't sure if I was imagining things or being hypochondriacal when I happened to read a little snippet in a magazine. It was written by an ER nurse, saying right after Christmas we always get a bunch of people who have been in denial because they don't want to be sick at Christmas and I thought to myself, "You're right, I've been in denial. I'm having progressively increasing angina and I've been trying to ignore it, partly because of Christmas (when of course it's harder to eat right and abstain from too much booze and exercise when its cold and slippery outside, so it's all less convenient, at least here in the great white north!" So I took myself to emerge and they tweaked my meds, so in some ways the odds go up and in some ways they go down. (And a great big thank you to that ER nurse, wherever she is, for taking the time to point that out!) ;-)

The way I see it, no one knows when they are going to die, but we all know we will, and it is more likely that this will be how (I suspect that once you seperate out cancer, heart disease and pneumonia from cause of death the number of people hit by a bus or succumbing to some rare tropical disease is pretty small! For those of us in the young old and medium old and old old categories, understanding this is one of our life tasks. It doesn't seem fair for a younger person to have to work on this on yet, but maybe a glimpse will enrich your middle age, and like Jaynie says, your episode sounds like a once in a lifetime situation, rather than the result of a progressive disease.

It does seem to me if it is inevitable for everyone and part of a natural progression, then there has to be an upside, and of course it's difficult to find out what that is. Those who have had out-of-the body experiences apparently report that they felt kind of reluctant to come back. Anyway, so much for your question on something funny about heart attacks ;-) like the man said ... a funny thing happened on the way to the ER today... :-0 lol
oops, I see your question was about curious as opposed to funny, but thanks for the opportunity to muse out loud a bit!
Penny

By AlaskaGirl
Posted August 12, 2009 at 11:53 am
Report post

I've only had the one HA and had a CABGX4 at that time 14 years ago. Then, 1-1/2 years ago I had two med. stents installed in one of my original grafts. I feel super and I have no limitations in my life. I'm 62 and my original surgery was at 47 years old. So, it's not the same for everyone - each of us is different and our experiences are different - that's what's so difficult about this illness. It is unique to each individual! Otherwise, it would be so simple to diagnose and treat. So, it's an adventure to work through. AlaskaGirl

By Misty1482
Posted August 13, 2009 at 9:19 am
Report post

Sorry its taken me so long to write back..I actually wrote back yesterday but once I hit post my computer froze and I had to restart it and then it was time to clean house. I had to get everything up so that I could clean my carpets last night once the kids went to bed.
Jaynie, wow sweetie 4 HA? You have survived a lot. Good for you, you go girl. Thats awesome. What is CAD? I have heard of it, but I do not know what it is exactly. Yes I'm not allowed to have anymore pregnancies. We had actually decided for me to get "fixed" before all this happened, and then it kinda wasn't a choice anymore. The dr came in and said are you planning on having anymore children, and I said no so he said well thats good because your not allowed. Why ask then? They said it would be too much stress on my heart and it would come down to me or the baby and they would have to abort the baby. Plus the medication I'm on could cause birth defects. Your too funny... 'Instead of more heart attacks I got married! : ) Which is just as exhausting but far more fun.' I recently got married on Valentines day this year. We talked about putting it off due to everything that was going on with me but I said NO I'm getting married and this problem is not going to stop me. I was so determined...lol.

Nanamo, That is so cool that you named yours. I have thought about it and cant not come up with a creative name like yours. Any suggestions?

Marietta, wow 3 heart attacks? when did they do the triple bypass? Yeah I try to do XYZ and for the most part I do, I'm on a low sodium diet and I see things I know I cant have but I will cheat sometimes and eat it. They told me my ej should improve when I left hospital but it hasnt yet. I'm still hopeful it will and so are they which makes me a little more positive. Thanks for the support.

Penny, any humor is fine with me. I try to see the light thru the tunnel alot because if I dont, then I'll go crazy. I'm hoping that this is my only problem I have. I joke with my family and docs and tell them, I'm just getting this crap outta the way early so I can live the rest of my life without problems. I always joked with my doc whenever they say you didn't make this easy on any of us and say of course I'm not an easy kinda girl, I have to make things difficult. They would smile. They became more like family then just doctors. I was in denial for a long time. I didnt want this to be happening to me I wanted the normal life back. I still have issues with being in denial but not as bad anymore.

AlaskaGirl, that is wonderful you have had not one problem. That definitely gives me hope I will be ok. This group is the best thing for me, I'm so glad I found it and signed up. So many amazing stories and so many amazing women.

The guy in the picture with me and my daughter is my surgeon, Dr Merrill. He is no longer in Cincinnati with us he has moved to Jackson, Mississippi helping out at their University hospital. He is such a wonderful person. He came to see me from day one to day 13 when I got to go home. He came to see me anytime he heard I was having a hard time with anything. He was absolutely amazing. For some reason you cant see the guy to my right, but he was one of my ob/gyn doc and held my baby girl first after they got her out. His name is Dr Loftin and is also another amazing dr. He is still here at University Hospital of Cincinnati. If anyone sees Dr Merrill, tell him I said hi and give him a big big hug for me....LOL. we email back and forth every month or so, he is a busy man.
Anyway, thank you all for answering me so quickly and once again I'm sorry it took me so long to respond back. Thank you for the support.
Best wishes and hugs to all my heart sisters,
Misty

Welcome to Inspire!

Explore topics in this discussion:

6 replies

Add to the discussion

Group leaders

You