cardic arrest and heart attack

thank you it happed so quick,he has 2 stents in his heart ,he is walking in house and going upstairs 2 a day as goes to lay down afternoon .sits outside 5 min or so and looks a lot better than in weeks ,He has been treat on loads of drugs for polymyalgia rheumatica.Is crp has been going up for weeks and more pain in his legs .now they seam to have almost gone ,he has to have scan nin 6 weeks then will know if muscle has come back at all ,

how does this all effect you for flying they said 3 months 

You really have to rely on Dr's advice, listen closely, do not be afraid to ask questions, write them down as they occur to you, and take a list of questions with you to your appt, in that diary.

The Dr's I have found seem to be most helpful if you are showing an interest in getting well again, getting onto a really good diet, taking your tablets, exercising as posting above.

Tablets - make note of any side effects you feel you are getting even good side effects, I have shared all this info with our Dr's, and they have been wonderful and most helpful with getting husband into rehab unit, taking his own blood pressure, and pulse, weighing himself. 

Also lots of lectures on eating correctly, and charts to help us with eating correctly, we were not really going along wrong, as neither of us are huge, but we did need a little adjustment in diet as just not as active has he was before he got sick.

We have not gone flying at all since husband got sick, but now that has all changed again since his pacemaker installed, have to re-learn what he should be doing or not. Lots of questions for the pacemaker checkup in two weeks, and the result of that checkup.

It is not flying that's the problem but getting travel insurance. No company will want to know so soon after cardiac arrest

thank you ,he is walking in house ,and we have stairs ,and he sat out a little in sun and walked to the gate ,we had visitirs who stayed 2 hours and the talking ,had a effect his voice was low and said he felt as he had a bit a fluid ,he has rested all day ,just walked in house and stairs his voce has come back and he says his chest ok that fluid feeling has gone ,his hands feel cold and he his feeling colder then he used to , i am so very frighted .

did you have cardiac arrest ,as he has pmr it was the last thing we though 

the large muscle in his heart is damaged they say normal at this time he has a scan in six weeks we are hoping meds worked and some has come back  

No cardiac arrest but other problems that frighten them. They just work from a list and certain conditions they don't care how mild or how bad they are. You have to be honest with them as if a claim for anything arises they will not meet it when they get your records and find any they were not told about any however minor.  

Have the Dr's put him on higher dose of blood thinning tablets since his surgery, those will make you feel cold, my husband complains of the same cold feeling.

No sitting in draughts, get him to wear a ski cap, husband has a couple of black ones that he loves, they do seem to help, and in the evening when there is no chance of visitors he wears his dressing gown, robe over his clothes for a few hours, or even on very cold days he gets around the house with his robe on.

Fluid in his lungs, thats where the weight yourself every morning when he first gets up, and record in diary, more than 2 kilo change go to Dr with the record in diary.

Is he on fluid tablets, with fluid restriction as well, sometimes you can get a little too low in your fluid balance, especially if you are doing a little more than usual, and maybe even sweating if it is a hotter day than usual, and that can affect the way you feel. I would doubt he would have fluid on lungs if he is on fluid tablets.

I can understand where you are coming from, first the Dr's have saved his life with the stents, just a matter of getting well now, and that includes you as well.

You and i both have had the most terrible shock with our husbands being soooo terribly unwell.

I try not to look back to much, or dwell on what has passed, nothing we can do about that now, but what we can do is look towards the future, living the best life we can, making some fun for ourselves, getting out and about, having friends visit as above.

You just quietly be your husbands advocate, and if you think the visits are too much for him tell you friends to move on, I use words like he has to sit down now, or have his afternoon rest, most people take the hint.

Finally - we went and got some counselling about the whole, through the heart rehab program our hospital runs, very helpful with learning to cope with the changes that had been landed on us, both of us sat in together, we learnt about why the depression, how our brain copes with trauma, the fear or flight feelings, and why we have this built in, and also learn't that it is an ancient part of our survival against those sabre tooth tigers that are planning to have us as their dinner, and not some lack of moral fibre, as per old movies.

thank you tried not to read much but read most  cardiac arrest do not suvive 12 month ,thats knocked me back althogh i belive family had 2 and servere heart damage and still her 5 years since pleant have heart attacks but not many  cardiac arrest trying to find more but worried too

Straight out ask your Dr, although you will see from my story below, predicted 30 days or less, is now 5 half years, and this is from one of the top surgeons at Prince Charles Heart Hospital, Brisbane, soo even the top specialists can be wrong.

He seemed to be amused when he saw my husband at Easter, and said oh saw you the first time a couple of years ago.

I corrected him to 5 years much to the students and junior residents, that were with him horror, they are terrified of this particular specialist, consultant although it is nice to have him on our side, he does not see public patients, or very few soo we have been lucky to see the man himself.

Nurses always surprised as they never see him on the wards either, but he has always been very nice to us, and is willing to talk to husband as a friend, or thats the way it feels.

Told us heart muscle damage can take along time to heal up, first results at six weeks will give them a starting point to watch him from, with regards to his ejection fraction I suspect, prior to that I would think any measurement of ejection fraction would be a waste of time due to bruising and immediate damage.

Husband went from 23% in hospital, to 36% to 51%, and then started slipping back to 41% and then 36% ejection fraction, at 35% you rate a pacemaker to help support your heart, he achieved that at 36%, and then awaiting appt, when he collapsed in the week before easter as previously mentioned.

Some of the tablets they have given him, I asked chemist to explain what the tablets do at the hospital, so I understood what and why, your husband will be on the same tablets, or the like to help support his heart in its healing process, they do work, but they dooo take time.

Scan I supect will be an echocardiogram, just the same as pregnant women have to look at baby inside.

I don't think that your cardiac arrest stat is in any way correct from people I know. In fact one of my consutants in his late 40's went into cardiac arrest over three years ago. His wife and young daughter did CPR until paramedics arrived to continue it. On the way to hospital he had five heart attacks.

I've watched his improvement and weight loss over the past two years.

thank you for your time in replying it means a lot ,and good to hear a positive my husband has done this site in ref with his PMR and it gave a lot of support .did not think i would use for anything like this .so thank you

He was back at work in six months and with his family did a charity walk.

although dont want to say a lovley story ,it is a very special one ,a long road you have both traveled and still together .How strengh and faith have a big part .You both have had that ,also a inspration for others .My husband is of strong will and determination ,hes been walking around the house done 46 steps sat a couple min then kichen and back .

5 years ago he was put on steroids for polymyalgia rheumatica ,dident know much about it ,but after 6 months of trying to reduce got a bad head could not brush hair even with baby brush ,Suspected Gait Cell Artiritis ,(swelling to artries in head can cause blindness quick or worse steriods put to 60 mg ,test shown negative but anything can hide behind steroids .Refered to rheumatology ,doc who was leaving that week put him on methotraexate no test no time ,he was rushed into hospital reaction very ill .then tried on azathioprine not as ill same effects all this to reduce sterionds he had got down to around 15 mg .a locom doc again no interest gave him 12 months lower a bit not bothing to lisen .he left yet offered another locom we refused ,a regular doc who was concered and good gave him another drug mycophenolate it had effects so given a stomach protector .then was not happy that still only got to 9 mg steroids so another pet scan ,that showed no PMR but seronegative arthritis but on another drug sulfalzine ,also now concern re  iron level and inflomatry bowel maybe crohns or colitis .another doc talked re other meds or increase in steroids told him no symptons of either and trying to decrease steroids ,answer ,are but a diffrent condition .did he not hear ..steroids.. med no just told same day stop taking sulfalzine due to his mouth ulcers by the way another locom doc ,his pain incresed in legs sat sun no enegegy more pain .Tuesday worse day of our life .the ambalance men and hospitals involed was brill and given us faith in some doc and hosp again . also this site and people who take the time to reply ,gives u hope .take care .He has just walked to end of path and back 80 steps in total thank you 

Yayyyyyyy, he sounds as though he is doing very well, not too hard though, if hes gets too short of breath he must stop and or just go a little slower.

My huband has just taken off for his 3 k walk again, hes looking good and is full of energy.

I can relate to arthiritis, as that is what I have, sero negative as well fo rheumotoid, my specialist tells me she thinks I have prosaris arthiritis.

as I have had prosaris on my skin my entire life, also have had a double hip replacement in the last two years, completly worn out, made a huge difference to the pain levels I experience, almost no pain killers, after 10 years of pain killers previously, specialist when he finally saw me, was shocked my local GP had not reffered me previosuly, said he should have seen me 5 years earlier.

I have been taking MTX for about 10 years now, and also have added leflonomide, at a low dose as I cannot tolerate higher dose, nearly died of high blood pressure, really really scary, and Dr's denying the leflonomide could be the cause. Only thing new that had been added in the last 10 days. I rang the drug company and asked them, they ripped into the Dr's and told them in no uncertain terms to stop the patient taking it, a rare but unwritten up side effect for about 2% of patients, chemist and I have since had a laugh, a few weeks after my run in with the tablets a warning came out from the drug company.

I try to keep my wheat intake very low, seems to help the less what I eat the less arthiritis I have, have also been taking to others about taking tumeric, big write ups here in australia about how it has been helping arthirits patients, a fellow pateints has had amazing progess in just a few days, and he has a really bad RA, sudden onset, and has been fighting to stay oy out of hospital and away from the really nasty medications.

glad to hear he has reached his goal bri did 90 steps today ,and walking arond house and doing little things ,were in yorkshire uk ,guess u in us.

sounds as u too have suffered ,know what pain bri been though .most of pain gone since heart attack .hope its frightened it off .take care ,

 

Look up Scarborough, Margate Beach, Woody Point, Redcliife Peninsula,  North of Brisbane Queensland, we live close to Margate Beach up on a hill behind beach, we get the sea breezes, with the changes of tide in Moreton Bay, out to the East of us, and are also lucky enough that we are high enough to also see Brisbane skyline in the distance. Lovely spot, but a nightmare for commuting to the city, two hours or close each way, the traffic is soooo bad, so glad I am now retired and living on benefits for the last five years, later this year turn 65, so we can then get old age pension.

 Scarborough, we are 2 hours from the coast of   Scarborough, uk

guess u are australia.will do .Bri has walked on the street not far but trying your methord; thank you for your support today hard as Tuesday ,dont think i will like Tuesdays ,i have sent u a private message .found this site is good for a diet sheet .Not had much support from the nursing  community since we got home .so it has meat a lot to have support here thank you