Almost Missed ECH and Birthday

[Lynn Sheeley III]

August 4th is my 59 birthday and the ECH is only weeks away.

Two weeks ago I had classic heart attack symptoms on the way to work--someone sitting on my chest, clammy sweats and stange feeling in my arms. My wife and I car pool, so she took me to the ER.

They found nothing and were going to get me scheduled for a nuc stress test and send me home. The 2nd blood test 4 hrs later showed minute enzyme levels, so a quick trip to the cath lab for a dye test and 2 stents later plus 2 weeks of rest at home, and I am back at work feeling great and starting cardio rehab this afternoon. The doctor said I probably wouldn't have made it thru the week.

If you Google widowmaker, you can get the full story. I've had low energy for at least a year and had a stress test last year finding nothing. Moral of the story is listen to your body, it will tell you when you need your plugs changed.

And if you have any gut fat, you might want to think about your lifestyle. 2 weeks on low fat diet and I'm down 10 lbs.

Each day is now just a little bit sweeter. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Sept.

[Roy Lock]

Lynn your story should serve warning to all of us. Heart conditions are not limited to those who are overweight or under excercised. It strikes all.

I once had a job that was very stressful. That lead to high blood pressure and that ultimately lead to heart troubles.

So, here are statistics to remember. Only 50% of those who have heart attacks survive the intial heart attack. Of that 50% only 50% survive the first year.

After I had my heart attack, 5 fellow coworkers had heart attacks. NONE SURVIVED. I saw the hand writing on the wall. Did some quick math and retired. My blood pressure went down 30 points within the first year. My doctors and friends say I haven't been as relaxed in many years.

[Mark Pribanic]

Lynn,
Good to see you are feeling better. Hope to see you & #IV at the Bulli Brigade again this year.

Here's the link to the thread on thesamba:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=282006

Also, thanks again for shooting the footage of the carabus last year!

Mark