- May 23, 2000
- 1,386
- 0
Hi all,
Just wanted to share a story with you all. I took my dad and brother-in-law on a camping trip last week. For almost three days, my dad complained that his arms were bothering him. He said it felt like they were blown out just like they feel after a good work out. He popped some Tylenol and I didn't think much of it after that. After two or three days of complaining, my dad went to bed early and wasn't feeling very well. I was obviously concerned, but figured he'd let me know if he needed any help. After he turned in, my brother-in-law's father told me that my dad had told him the pain was starting in his chest and moving out to his arms. My dad hadn't told me because he didn't want to ruin the camping trip.
Once I heard this, I woke my dad up and drove him 40 miles to the nearest Emergency Room. The EKG and chest x-rays came back normal, but his blood test wasn't. They found that his heart was releasing an enzyme called tryponen (sp?). Apparently the heart releases this if it is starving for oxygen or gone through some trauma (I know some of the docs on the board can explain this better than I can).
They found that my dad had a mild heart attack at some point during the week. After an angiogram, the doctors decided that he would not need an angioplasti procedure but would need to change his lifestyle.
My dad is a big strong guy (6', 265lbs.). His biggest problem was that he ate anything he wanted and didn't exercise much. All of that is changing. Before being released he went through diet and exercise education. He's on his way through a 12 month program that will teach him the proper things to eat in order to keep his heart healthy and extend his life.
I'm not here to preach to everyone about eating right and exercising. I just wanted to let everyone know how scary the situation was and how glad I am that he's alright. I just hoped that maybe some people would read this and think twice about what they eat and how much they exercise. I'm only 30 (feel like I'm 50) but I know it has sparked an increase in my exercise ritual and closer inspection of exactly what I'm eating. With a couple of basic lifestyle changes, almost everyone can decrease their chances of having similar complications...regardless of their age.
Thanks for reading.
Love ya' dad! You rock! :aj:
Just wanted to share a story with you all. I took my dad and brother-in-law on a camping trip last week. For almost three days, my dad complained that his arms were bothering him. He said it felt like they were blown out just like they feel after a good work out. He popped some Tylenol and I didn't think much of it after that. After two or three days of complaining, my dad went to bed early and wasn't feeling very well. I was obviously concerned, but figured he'd let me know if he needed any help. After he turned in, my brother-in-law's father told me that my dad had told him the pain was starting in his chest and moving out to his arms. My dad hadn't told me because he didn't want to ruin the camping trip.
Once I heard this, I woke my dad up and drove him 40 miles to the nearest Emergency Room. The EKG and chest x-rays came back normal, but his blood test wasn't. They found that his heart was releasing an enzyme called tryponen (sp?). Apparently the heart releases this if it is starving for oxygen or gone through some trauma (I know some of the docs on the board can explain this better than I can).
They found that my dad had a mild heart attack at some point during the week. After an angiogram, the doctors decided that he would not need an angioplasti procedure but would need to change his lifestyle.
My dad is a big strong guy (6', 265lbs.). His biggest problem was that he ate anything he wanted and didn't exercise much. All of that is changing. Before being released he went through diet and exercise education. He's on his way through a 12 month program that will teach him the proper things to eat in order to keep his heart healthy and extend his life.
I'm not here to preach to everyone about eating right and exercising. I just wanted to let everyone know how scary the situation was and how glad I am that he's alright. I just hoped that maybe some people would read this and think twice about what they eat and how much they exercise. I'm only 30 (feel like I'm 50) but I know it has sparked an increase in my exercise ritual and closer inspection of exactly what I'm eating. With a couple of basic lifestyle changes, almost everyone can decrease their chances of having similar complications...regardless of their age.
Thanks for reading.
Love ya' dad! You rock! :aj: