So I had a heart attack today

[Badger]

Was in Court a bit after 9:00 this morning for a bond hearing on one of my clients. I was given the nice news from the judge in Chambers that she was willing to let my guy out on house arrest. I went out into the courtroom to start filling out the form on the computer and felt pains in my chest. I thought it might have been a moment's indigestion or cramp and would go away after a few seconds.

But nope. The pain kept getting worse, I suffered shortness of breath, had some difficulty walking when I went to the water fountain in the hallway outside and back, and felt stabbing pains in my fingertips. I went to the bailiff and advised I needed a medic. Fortunately the hospital was rather close by so they got there quickly. They ran an ekg and wheeled me out on a gurney. A bit embarrassing to happen in front of numerous professional colleagues, but what can one do..

Though I was hoping it might have just been angina - admittedly I'm not even entirely sure what angina is, but I just keep hearing it referred to as a frequent false alarm for heart attacks. Maybe a panic attack? I've rarely had one and never with physical symptoms, but my hopes were there. Alas, the paramedics told me in the ambulance that from the results of the EKG that sure enough I was having a heart attack. They scooted me off to the hospital for a quick procedure. When I say quick I mean very quick. From the time they moved me from the ambulance gurney to the ER table the entire matter was done in maybe 20 to 30 minutes. They stuck a stint up into my heart through my leg near my groin - let's just say I got something of a Brazilian treatment- and quickly knocked out the blockage. The pain went away Within just a minute or two. It was somewhere from around a seven on a scale from 1 to 10 down to a barely a one almost immediately.

I'm now sitting in a hospital bed where I'll be kept overnight for monitoring and go home sometime tomorrow morning or afternoon depending on when the doctor makes his rounds. The before and after pictures of my heart show one - artery? Ventricle? I got C pluses in high school biology - was completely blocked off, but the after photo shows it being as wide open as a four-lane highway. I have a slight tightness in my chest still, but I am infinitely better.

Lol! A few minutes after I called my wife I texted her at 9:38 this morning to let her know that 911 was on their way. This is when I was still in court and before the medics arrived. At 11:10 a.m. I was on the phone with a prospective new client from my hospital bed who ultimately hired me for a minor traffic case. Lol lol! Nothing Stops me!

EDIT: truth be told it's a was a very sobering incident. I'm only 53 years old. Too young for this s***. All I can think about on the ambulance ride over and until they completed the procedure was about my little boys. One just turned 14 and the other turns 12 and about 6 weeks. I refuse to let them go this early. There is some heart disease history on my mom's side of the family, so despite being a non-smoker I'm going to have to make some Lifestyle Changes. 60 plus hours a week or not, I'm still going to have to Now find 20 minutes a day for at least a brisk walk on the treadmill which I did for some time until the demands of work necessitated that I just couldn't take that time during the afternoon. Now I have to.

My dear slightly hippy-ish wife has already laid out an entire list of vegetables we will now be eating more of.

But yeah, it's still now sinking in as I sit here. That may have been the scariest hour of my life.

[TheReckoning]

Good to know you’re alive and kicking, Badger!

Always take this stuff seriously, and get checked out- it may have been a minor one now, but sometimes smaller ones can be foreshocks.

[TPIG]

How scary! So happy to hear the situation was taken under control quickly. Glad you're better; praying for you!

[fhtagn]

Regardless of any issues we have had in the past, I'm happy to hear you are okay and from the sounds of your post, seem to be recovering well. You and your family are in my prayers as you continue recovering.

[PSOL]

Hope you make a speedy recovery. Get rest my dude

[dead0man]

uggg, that sounds terrifying.  Hope you're back on your feet soon.

[Pink Panther]

Thank God it was sorted out, and good luck with your recovery, man.

[Beet]

Badger, you're a good man. Try not to stress out over the world too much, we are all going through it.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Happy to know you are doing well now and I wish you a speedy recovery

[Middle-aged Europe]

sh**t. Get better, man.

[afleitch]

I'm glad you got seen to and I wish you well on recovery.

I had a coronary artery spasm at 26. It didn't require an intervention but it was effectively a small heart attack. Your mind races through everything and I know how scary that can be.

Lifestyle changes with diet and exercise can help. I'm glad you have your wife's support

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I'll be praying for you!

[Alcibiades]

Damn, that’s scary. All the best with your recovery!

[Utah Neolib]

That sounds truly terrifying. I hope that you have a full recovery!

[支持核绿派 (Greens4Nuclear)]

Hope you have a quick recovery! Glad to see you’re still posting here

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Glad to hear that you’re doing better!

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Good to hear that you're doing better.

[TDAS04]

Glad you’re better, wish you a speedy recovery!

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Oh no, Badger! Will most definitely be thinking of you.  

Just as a little bit of a PSA for us all (and one, as usual, that nobody asked for): the Hollywood-clichè "clutch the chest, keel over" stereotype isn't always what happens with heart attacks.  

MI's in men may begin as a sensation similar to indigestion.  If it progresses to shortness of breath, cold sweats, numbness in the extremities, squeezing pain in the chest (angina) that radiates to the neck/jaw, etc., seek medical attention immediately.  

Infarctions in women don't always involve acute chest pain (though they can).  For some reason, female heart attacks may begin as stomach pains, dizziness, or isolated pain in the neck or jaw. Still, heart attacks in women are typically accompanied by cold sweats, shortness of breath, and so on.  

Oh and if you suspect a heart attack, call 911 first, then make sure to CHEW Aspirin rather than swallowing it whole. Chewing helps deliver the Aspirin much faster to your bloodstream.  

Know the signs, folks.  And get better soon, Badger!

[Xing]

Glad to hear that you’re doing better, Badger. Experiences like these are terrifying. Take care of yourself, life is precious.

[SnowLabrador]

That all sounds terrifying. I'm very glad the situation was brought under control quickly.

[Badger]

Oh no, Badger! Will most definitely be thinking of you.  

Just as a little bit of a PSA for us all (and one, as usual, that nobody asked for): the Hollywood-clichè "clutch the chest, keel over" stereotype isn't always what happens with heart attacks.  

MI's in men may begin as a sensation similar to indigestion.  If it progresses to shortness of breath, cold sweats, numbness in the extremities, squeezing pain in the chest (angina) that radiates to the neck/jaw, etc., seek medical attention immediately.  

Infarctions in women don't always involve acute chest pain (though they can).  For some reason, female heart attacks may begin as stomach pains, dizziness, or isolated pain in the neck or jaw. Still, heart attacks in women are typically accompanied by cold sweats, shortness of breath, and so on.  

Oh and if you suspect a heart attack, call 911 first, then make sure to CHEW Aspirin rather than swallowing it whole. Chewing helps deliver the Aspirin much faster to your bloodstream.  

Know the signs, folks.  And get better soon, Badger!

Excellent point, pqg. Every single thing you described with the exception of sweating is exactly what I experienced.
According to the docs here actually chewing and swallowing children's aspirin, usually like 280 mg tablets per day, can help you avoid heart problems long-term. Ditto for a glass of red wine, two if you're male, a day.

Also, both heart disease and cholesterol buildup are very much driven by genetic factors. The latter almost entirely. Diet and exercise won't get your cholesterol down at all, and one really needs to rely on medication. The perfect American response! The point being though if you have that kind of history please get yourselves checked out by a doctor early on

[KaiserDave]

That's horrible, I'm glad you're doing alright Badger. Wowee. It's a good PSA for all of us, thanks for sharing and I hope your recovery goes well.

[7,052,770]

Here's to you being alive today and for many years to come!

[Vice President Christian Man]

I'm sorry to hear that, I'm glad that it wasn't any worse. You'll be in my prayers for a quick and smooth recovery.