First A Stroke, Then A Heart Attack. What's Next?
February 21, 2008, at 49 years old, I suffered a TIA. My experience was very scary to say the least. I totally lost my vision, balance and was unable to speak. It began at work and worsened as the evening progressed.July 25, 2016, at 57 years old, I suffered a Widow Maker with 100% blockage of the LAD.
Now I take more pills than I had ever thought I would.
Here's the hardest part of all of this; I have been an athlete my entire life/ In middle school through high school I played Baseball, Football and Basketball. I Boxed through my days in the military, and when I finished playing the game, I began officiating it and work my state High School leagues for the past 29 years, College leagues for the past 5 years, and even have worked Semi Professional ball recently. I spend hours weekly in a gym, am in better condition than some of the athletes I work with on the fields and courts, and somehow ended up as my life's hystory has given me.
Here's what I have to say about that...WTF!
I have never been over weight, have a great diet, and as I said before, am in fantastic condition.
When I experienced the TIA, my doctors said I needed to eat better. When I discussed my diet with them, they said I shouldn't smoke. I don't! So they said I should maybe exercise more. I discussed with them my routine. Their response was this, "Well, that's probably the main reason you survived this so well."
When I experienced my Heart Attack I got a stent and my doctors said I needed to eat better. When I discussed my diet with them, they said I shouldn't smoke. I don't! So they said I should maybe exercise more. I discussed with them my routine. Their response was this, "Well, that's probably the main reason you survived this so well."
I look at things this way instead. I now have 3 birthdays. The day I was born 9/2/58, 2/21/08 and 7/25/16. I believe I am a cat, metephorically, and still have 4 lives left. At the rate I am using them, I will be done at the ripe age of 80.
Was I scared each time? YES. Do I still have concerns? YES. Do they control my life? EVERY MINUTE. Have I changed the way I do things? NOT AT ALL. Here's why; My TIA was caused by a PFO in my heart, and my family has a history of Cengenital Heart Disease. Seems I have no options but to live on the best way I know how.
Here's my only problems right now. Prior to my TIA, I used to get migraine headaches. I am once again getting them, and this time more frequently than before. Does this mean I should expect another stroke soon? Then, I never used to get heartburn, but had an episode that lasted a couple of days, so I went to an emergency room to get it checked (thought I was having another heart attack). It was indegestion. Now I ended up slightly embarrassed by being over critical of it. You all know what I am talking about.
That is my story. I do live life every day like there is no tomorrow, and it scares my family more than it does me because they feel I am wreckless. I feel I am alive.