Some may have noticed my absence for quite a while now. I've not ridden is some time. I still have my bike, but barely put a thousand miles on it over the last year. Work got in the way, too much overtime and not enough time for, well, life in general. My new wife (of 3 years) and I had/have a 5 year plan so we can retire early (me at 59 and her at 55). We were going full speed, then March 6, 2020 came. The ONE day I decide I AM going to ride to work, I put my lunch in the side bag, suited up, and was about to put my helmet on to depart to work.
My wife caught me in the garage and demanded I help her get a file to attach to an email because she had to have it in by 5:00pm and couldn't get it to work. I told her "I'm going to be late" but she insisted. Lucky for me she prevailed. As I was working to get the file to attach I had a sudden case of heart burn. I've only had heart burn once in my life 15 years ago so I knew what it felt like. She saw the frown on my face and saw me swallow hard. Quick back story; most of the men in my family die of sudden, massive heart attacks in their late 40s and she was aware of that fact. So, she immediately asked if I needed to go to the hospital. I told ner, no, I just need some heart burn medication. She had something of some sort and gave it to me.
A few minutes passed and all of a sudden it felt like someone hit me high between the shoulders, burying an axe in my spine and left it there. The pain was more than I could stand. I told her then, "you need to get me to a hospital". I don't remember getting in her car or half the drive to the hospital, but remember the 2nd half of the drive. The hospital was so new that the furniture in the ER waiting room was not fully assembled. I told the lady at the counter I think I might be having a heart attack. She said, "take a seat over there and we'll get with you in few minutes". OH BOY, she evidently didn't think a heart attack is severe. She made a phone call and the double door busted open with 4 or 5 folks who rushed me inside. They hooked up an EKG, started an IV in each arm, gave me aspirin, nitro glycerin, and called the Cardiologist. They transmitted the EKG to him and he said "you'd better get him on a helicopter to me or he is not going to make it; you had better get him to me because he won't last if I drive there". That one comment, as relayed by the ER doctor to my wife, set her into total panic mode.
So, within minutes the helicopter, who was in the area, dropped in and I was on my way to Denton. Seven minutes later they rolled me into the CATH Lab and the doctor injected dye and was looking at my beating heart on a screen. He showed me and said, "you're having what we call a Widow Maker's Heart Attack. You have a 100% blockage in the main artery going to your heart. I can't believe you are not coding or at least unconscious". He said, "it appears to be a blood clot". I exclaimed "WELL GET THIS F#$%KNG THING OUT OF ME". Several folks laughed and they put me to sleep. I was in and out during the procedure and can recall some of the process and feeling the pressure of the tool going into my femoral artery and some of the comments he made but it is foggy. After he was done he said we got it out, you have a strong healthy heart with a very small amount of plaque around the walls of the artery but that is normal for a man you age. He said we did find a blood clot and it is removed. He put in a stent and said I would be on blood thinners for a year until the artery engulfed the stent; then the platelets in the blood will not even know there is anything there and won't try to clot against it. I was in and out in 48 hours. They had me stay an extra day because they were concerned about the femoral artery clogging and didn't want me bleeding out through that area. I felt great after the sedative wore off a few hours later and was ready to go to work. Both the doctor and my wife said NO! So I rested 3 more days and went back to work.
I went in for a follow up appointment 2 weeks later and the doctor said he did a debrief with 3 other surgeons in his group. They watched video of the procedure and said there was another artery with some blockage. He had to go back in. So, a week later back in I went. The original time I was in took 20 minutes. This one took 3 hours plus. He checked EVERY artery and EVERY chamber of my heart. He found nothing, said I was golden. I was in and out in 5 hours.
Now, the words he told me and my wife I only wish he had told me; "You had probably not ride your motorcycle while you are on blood thinners. If you have an accident, you could bleed to death". sigh...........
So.......no bike rides for another year; although, I've taken it out a few times to keep it running and, well, it HAS to be ridden, right? I've not gone on any ride of any length. Now I concentrate on the hospital bills and back to our 5 year plan to retire.
So, some in here know of my motorcycle accident where I got run over by a car and by all rights should've died then, and now this. Google Widow Maker's Heart Attack. Evidently only about 2% of the folks survive it. The doctor said it is because most people pass out and the symptoms occur while they are unconscious then they go into cardiac arrest; never to awaken again. I don't think LUCKY quite describes what I am. Blessed maybe? How is it that all the things lined up where I was not on my motorcycle to pass out on my ride to work? I'm not sure of the exact word or words to describe it. God has me here for a reason, maybe it is staring me in the face screaming at me, but I don't know what it is, or don't hear it. I hope soon I know the purpose He has for me.
Ride safe my friends!!
P.S. I did have a complete physical and stress test 9 months earlier with no abnormalities noted.
My wife caught me in the garage and demanded I help her get a file to attach to an email because she had to have it in by 5:00pm and couldn't get it to work. I told her "I'm going to be late" but she insisted. Lucky for me she prevailed. As I was working to get the file to attach I had a sudden case of heart burn. I've only had heart burn once in my life 15 years ago so I knew what it felt like. She saw the frown on my face and saw me swallow hard. Quick back story; most of the men in my family die of sudden, massive heart attacks in their late 40s and she was aware of that fact. So, she immediately asked if I needed to go to the hospital. I told ner, no, I just need some heart burn medication. She had something of some sort and gave it to me.
A few minutes passed and all of a sudden it felt like someone hit me high between the shoulders, burying an axe in my spine and left it there. The pain was more than I could stand. I told her then, "you need to get me to a hospital". I don't remember getting in her car or half the drive to the hospital, but remember the 2nd half of the drive. The hospital was so new that the furniture in the ER waiting room was not fully assembled. I told the lady at the counter I think I might be having a heart attack. She said, "take a seat over there and we'll get with you in few minutes". OH BOY, she evidently didn't think a heart attack is severe. She made a phone call and the double door busted open with 4 or 5 folks who rushed me inside. They hooked up an EKG, started an IV in each arm, gave me aspirin, nitro glycerin, and called the Cardiologist. They transmitted the EKG to him and he said "you'd better get him on a helicopter to me or he is not going to make it; you had better get him to me because he won't last if I drive there". That one comment, as relayed by the ER doctor to my wife, set her into total panic mode.
So, within minutes the helicopter, who was in the area, dropped in and I was on my way to Denton. Seven minutes later they rolled me into the CATH Lab and the doctor injected dye and was looking at my beating heart on a screen. He showed me and said, "you're having what we call a Widow Maker's Heart Attack. You have a 100% blockage in the main artery going to your heart. I can't believe you are not coding or at least unconscious". He said, "it appears to be a blood clot". I exclaimed "WELL GET THIS F#$%KNG THING OUT OF ME". Several folks laughed and they put me to sleep. I was in and out during the procedure and can recall some of the process and feeling the pressure of the tool going into my femoral artery and some of the comments he made but it is foggy. After he was done he said we got it out, you have a strong healthy heart with a very small amount of plaque around the walls of the artery but that is normal for a man you age. He said we did find a blood clot and it is removed. He put in a stent and said I would be on blood thinners for a year until the artery engulfed the stent; then the platelets in the blood will not even know there is anything there and won't try to clot against it. I was in and out in 48 hours. They had me stay an extra day because they were concerned about the femoral artery clogging and didn't want me bleeding out through that area. I felt great after the sedative wore off a few hours later and was ready to go to work. Both the doctor and my wife said NO! So I rested 3 more days and went back to work.
I went in for a follow up appointment 2 weeks later and the doctor said he did a debrief with 3 other surgeons in his group. They watched video of the procedure and said there was another artery with some blockage. He had to go back in. So, a week later back in I went. The original time I was in took 20 minutes. This one took 3 hours plus. He checked EVERY artery and EVERY chamber of my heart. He found nothing, said I was golden. I was in and out in 5 hours.
Now, the words he told me and my wife I only wish he had told me; "You had probably not ride your motorcycle while you are on blood thinners. If you have an accident, you could bleed to death". sigh...........
So.......no bike rides for another year; although, I've taken it out a few times to keep it running and, well, it HAS to be ridden, right? I've not gone on any ride of any length. Now I concentrate on the hospital bills and back to our 5 year plan to retire.
So, some in here know of my motorcycle accident where I got run over by a car and by all rights should've died then, and now this. Google Widow Maker's Heart Attack. Evidently only about 2% of the folks survive it. The doctor said it is because most people pass out and the symptoms occur while they are unconscious then they go into cardiac arrest; never to awaken again. I don't think LUCKY quite describes what I am. Blessed maybe? How is it that all the things lined up where I was not on my motorcycle to pass out on my ride to work? I'm not sure of the exact word or words to describe it. God has me here for a reason, maybe it is staring me in the face screaming at me, but I don't know what it is, or don't hear it. I hope soon I know the purpose He has for me.
Ride safe my friends!!
P.S. I did have a complete physical and stress test 9 months earlier with no abnormalities noted.
