The Past 24 Hours

Give us the update and Godspeed brother!

He will be at the hospital until Thursday as they want to watch him as there was a few things that occurred which caused some concern but they said it will be okay.

Jeffrey, prayers to you both. Glad you didn't wait to call! I hope for a speedy recovery.

Thanks Val so am I.

Prayers !

Jeff,

Hope all is well by now and your partner will be sooner than you think! Scary stuff!

Rich

Yes heart issues can mimic many other things. I hope he is doing better, and be careful for a while.

Thanks everyone and he will be fine. Now if he will actually get more exercise than he gets it will be a good thing.

Thanks also allowing me to write about what is going on.

Sorry to hear of these troubles Jeffery . Kudos to you for acting quickly, & may he continue to heal peacefully.

Wow ... Jeffrey ... prayers that he will continue his improvement!!! What a shocker that must have been for you both!!!

wow... scary, glad he's getting better.

sending healing thoughts.

Glad he made it and is on his way of recovery. Please wish him all the best.

I hope he heals quickly. That is sure a cautionary tale though.

what were his symptoms btw?

and i suppose its good it wasn't ebola?


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

That's a busy 24 hours. Glad to hear your partner is on the mend!

What a day, Jeffery! I know how scary a close call can be, and am glad to hear the positive prognosis. Heart trouble can be very sneaky; I'm glad you guys didn't decide to wait it out.

I'll be thinking of you both, and hoping today is a much more ordinary day for both of you, and for your friends.

Prayers coming your way, Jeffery for both of you.
Flu shots cannot givey ou the flu but they do lower your immune system for several weeks.....so anything that isn't quite right during that time should be taken seriously!
Glad you acted quickly and appropriately.

The symptoms were:

-Cold chills
-A Fever
-Nausea
-Vomiting
-Shaking from being cold
-Left arm was hurting slightly

One of the ambulance drivers that was heading in asked me if he had been out of the country right as he was about to put on a mask. I told him no he hadn't been out of the country.

Heart attack symptoms: Know what's a medical emergency
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Chest discomfort or pain
This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go.

Upper body pain
Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.

Stomach pain
Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.

Shortness of breath
You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort, or you may not experience any chest discomfort.

Anxiety
You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you're having a panic attack for no apparent reason.

Lightheadedness
In addition to chest pressure, you may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.

Sweating
You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.

Nausea and vomiting
You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

This is scary. Glad to know he is going to be better. I worry about my own heart and had read befroe that not everyone has chest pain with a heart attack. Scary indeed.

Jeffrey,

What a sigh of relief ya'll must have had learning it was a mild attack... I'm happy and relieved for you both. You did a good, good thing by calling 911. I know about this sort of thing since my husband had a massive attack and nearly died, even with quick action. Hugs to you both :)

About Bugsy... How cool is that!! Dogs that have that innate ability to know when someone needs help or is sick are incredible - sometimes they can smell serious health issues (like cancer) long before the owner or doctor knows there is a problem. Sounds like Bugsy is one of them! We always laugh over our dog... adopted/rescued pitbull who is the most compassionate, loving and sappy dog we could ask for. Your friend and her brother Bubba are lucky to have him :)


--Donna Proctor
donnaproctorart.com

Yes as Marlene has shared one doesn't always have chest pains as I think we all perceive it from television shows and the like.

Donna yes Connie and Bubba are lucky to have Bugsy in their life. Bugsy does enjoy giving hugs. It was funny she said they spent about an hour filming and their cat enjoyed the attention as well.

As my FB close friends know, I was rushed in with a suspected heart attack last week. The SCARIEST time ever. I am so glad you called 911 and it was only mild. It is a warning though so make sure your diets are good and lifestyle calmer. Oh and exercise if allowed :) Mine? It's something else so I will be around a while yet (sorry to some of the lurkers lol)
Please take care :D

Abbie glad yours wasn't though I suppose now they will need to discover what caused it. Gathering up some few things around here before I head back to the hospital. He is under stress and right now finances is a factor in that stress. I had an interview but have attempted to reschedule it do to all of this but so far not sure yet if it was or not. Long story but of late for me that has been the case as I don't have as of yet a 9to5.

Well I probably have said too much as I don't share much of what is going on in my personal life.

Jeffery, many best wishes for a speedy recovery to your partner.

Abbie, take care.

I am glad to hear he is going to be fine Jeffery!

problem with some of the symptoms are is that asthma has many of the same symptoms as the heart attack. it's confusing.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Hi Jeff,

Glad he's doing better. Sounds like you made the right moves and got help for him right away.

Dogs have an uncanny sense of figuring out when things are going bad. My Newfoundland stuck to me like glue when I was having an insulin reaction. He followed me into the bathroom where I checked my blood sugar and herded me into the kitchen. I then fixed myself something to eat and he turned and wanted back out as he knew that his task was complete!. He knew something was wrong and luckily for me, I couldn't ignore a 150 pound dog..............................Jim

Glad it's been good outcomes for both stories.

prayers to you

Jeffery; " He is under stress and right now finances is a factor in that stress."

Financial stress, is one of the top issues for heart problems. I understand having financial stress, Even if not his, but he needs to keep that stress down, and not worry about it until he is able to deal with them. I know that is much easier said than done...

Dan I was just reassured from a good friend that the outcome from the canceled interview and receiving an email from HR the managers went with someone else. That most likely they had someone internally lined up and they went with them instead of dealing with more paperwork of someone new coming in and then having to train a new person. In away I am adding to my partners stress but I stand by me decision even though the outcome perhaps wasn't a good one. Yes I am feeling guilty.

Jim nice story about your dog.

Mike if you have had a history of heart problems or your family has had then any symptoms could be a sign.

Wow. thank you posting those symptoms - I wouldn't have guess with the chills - & vomiting. The left arm I might think was from the shot.

You just may have helped save others Jeffery - thank you for sharing.

Wishing you both peace - & a break from the stress. Bills don't care whether we worry or not.

Thank you Janine I appreciate that a whole lot.

How is everything Jeffery?

Sorry Abbie I should have posted here too as I did in the Instagram thread.

I got him home yesterday morning and once we got settled down he was in his favorite chair sound asleep with Tiny in his lap curled up asleep. Now we are dealing with his new medications and his insurance causing problems wanting to cover them. We are always going around with this song and dance with them and then having to get his doctors to send them forms stating it is required.

We do not know much about all this insurance trouble here, thank goodness, and I hope you get it sorted out okay. Glad he is home now

Speedy recovery to your Partner and lots of strength to you.

Oh I am sure eventually we will get it sorted out but it can be a pain.

Good luck to you, Jeffrey.

Thanks Lisa. We both will be going on a stricter diet. Now he will have to watch the salt content in all preprocessed foods. Neither one of use using a lot of salt when we cook but hard to get away from it when not using fresh products and sad to say the prices for healthy foods cost more. They should be cheaper than the unhealthy foods so more folks would actually get them instead which would benefit costs in many different areas.

It's cheaper for me to eat healthier and avoid all the prescriptions my mom and dad were on at my age. Also, although I'm no doctor, I've read that men should eat oily fish a couple of times per week. Men, unfortunately have to be strict...but you appear to be doing a great job in keeping fit. Good luck to both of you and Blessings.

Good to hear your friend is resting easy. If it is of any comfort to you Jeffery, most of us deal with financial problems and loss of jobs at one time or another, so we understand and relate.

Don't be too hard on yourself, it takes time to find out how to market your artwork, there is no way to know what the time frame will be for good success when you have a business.

Good recommendation from Lisa, one of the benefits it is a natural blood thinner that is safe. I believe the very green leafy veggies (green lettuces, spinach, fresh herbs, spring onions, broccoli, veggie tops,etc.) have a lot of potassium per weight and are affordable. Potassium replaces salt in your body.

It is cheaper to buy it fresh than prepared foods. For two bunches of kale or collards (approx $2) there is enough greens to eat for one or two weeks. I buy and eat fresh kale on a sandwich, cook collards in the crock pot, even greens seasoned in a can probably does almost the same thing. Even though it has salt in it, I never have any swelling in my hands or ankles. Stay away from iceburg lettuce, as they say "the greener the better."

Bioflavanoids, the white part of citrus fruit is also a cell wall builder (cod liver oil, a fish oil I take also builds stronger cell walls) it strenghens the cell walls so they are less likely to leak and helps to keep bacteria and viruses out.

When you eat the good stuff you can eat some of the other stuff too. I would also add exercise is important too.

From what I understand the vitamin supplement COQ10 makes younger cells.

I told an acquaintance who's wife who had lung cancer about COQ10. She would ride the electric carts when shopping because she was weak. Her husband would talked to me for about a month about how she wasn't doing well and had not for some time.

The next time I saw her she came almost running up to me and enthusiastically said how well she was feeling. Her husband confirmed and felt strongly it was the COQ10. COQ10 is mostly recommended for heart patients.

Suzanne - Thanks for the reply and I will do some research on the COQ10. Will have him ask his doctor about it and if it will be safe to take with all the medications he is currently taking for his heart and other aliments. His problem is he is and has always been just a meats and potatoes eater with no taste for many of the different vegetables.

The good thing is it may take a little while, we all have acquired tastes according to what we eat. It is a fact that trying something three different times is the magic number for acquiring a taste for a food.

I never thought I would like salsa and pinto beans, collards and other veggies as much as a good steak! Mario (who is a big meat eater) wondered how I and another commentator could get excited about eating fresh homegrown salsa all summer and not eat any meat (I do eat some meat). Let me tell you it is possible the stuff is great! I just never ate much of those foods before and didn't know what I was missing. Eating more veggies and less meat has caused me to shift my tastes, I don't crave meat anymore and don't miss it if I don't have any for weeks. It is a nice change when I do eat it and enjoy it.

Normally I make salsa with one or two large sized canned tomatoes, one large diced onion, fresh or powdered garlic, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons or to taste sugar,and several tablespoons of cumin. Cook on high in the microwave for 2 hours, done. A dab of sour cream with pintos (I make other beans, although I don't always eat beans) with a healthy diet is not much fat. Good on different foods and as a dip for corn chips.

I think you will make some very pleasant discoveries. Just yesterday I put this very large squash in the microwave for 12 minutes on high (baked the whole thing like a big baked potato), I wasn't sure how it would turn out. It was sweet and yummy with a little butter!

Sorry Suzanne but you are preaching to the choir as I pretty much eat everything under the sun. I will confess growing up there was nothing like the taste of the fat that was on a good pork chop. Will just need to figure out a good balance for him. His insurance will be covering heart rehab so he will be going to it three times a week.

That's good you will be able to help him since you are already familiar with a healthy diet. He just needs to try different things that he is not as familiar with in his taste experience. You can't enjoy something you haven't tried.

Some of us grew up on overcooked veggies or very few veggies, like baked potatoes, iceburg lettuce, overcooked broccoli and an overabundance of meat, it was not balanced in my experience. He doesn't know what he is missing. I like fat too, it's not a bad thing, just having too much of it and not enough of the other foods and whole grains is not good you seem to be very familiar with the healthy balance.

I don't mean to to insult your intelligence, Jeffrey I just don't know what you are familiar with and your friend sounds like he is in trouble. He must be resistant to change his eating habits because he would have tried some of the foods you eat, now he doesn't have a choice which is a good thing.

I wanted to add to this thread (took me forever to find it p 13) so I really really wanted to add to this thread.

Okay, after reading about the CoQ10, I bought some, and some b12 too just because. Anyway, my 71yr old mother (lives with me), who had triple bypass feb 2013, and other health complications on top of that contributing to 75 days in the hosp. over 4 visits, has just not ever really recovered. Now, she wasn't overly helpful when it came to any of the physical therapy, physically, she's not that strong to begin with and quite frankly has never aspired to be but she could still do some things before all this happened.

More recently, for quite some time, her walking ability had diminished to the point she feels like she is going to topple over and I've needed to fetch a wheelchair sometimes to ride her up to doc appts. Finally a month ago, after my insistent questioning of 'what is causing her to feel unbalanced when she walks...very difficult for her to 'walk for exercise' when she is so unsteady...and please do not say just get a walker or a cane, like her cardio doc did the month before. I'd like to know the WHY is this happening, instead of throwing an appliance at it". Now, I admit that part of my concern is purely selfish...if she ends up using a walker or a cane, that will enable her to get me to do more than I do now. If something happens at a future point and it can't be helped, I can deal with it but I want to know WHY. I need more than 'just because'...because she has a tendency to just accept and say 'well, that's just how it is''...No and No! lol

So, her regular GP did have her walk for him and confirmed with a "well how 'bout that...your body is compensating because of being unbalanced." His possible reasons were, maybe she had a stroke last year too, or maybe small vessel disease in the brain, tiny vessels die off. So, he suggested that some physical therapy might be good. Well, it might be but it ain't free and I do work and tag I'm it for getting and doing anything for her. We hadn't pursued that yet but guess what? This week she realized that she is walking better, not having to look down and feeling stronger. 20ish days of 400mg of CoQ10, about of week of the B12 500 mcg. Also I got a different allergy over the counter product for her too since she is congested constantly now. Asked if allergies could be affecting her balance too, her doc doesn't believe it but others do. I believe it could.

I don't know which of these is helping, I suspect maybe some of all, can't find anything specific on the walking thing, but the fact she is also on pravastatin and statin meds deplete the bodies CoQ10 levels?

Anyway, I wanted to share some of this and thank Jeffery for sharing his story which gave Suzanne an opportunity to share her story on how CoQ10 made a HUGE difference in someone's life, because something has made a tremendous difference at my house! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

edit: oh yeah, she doesn't feel as 'weak' either overall and wants to try and rinse her hair in the bathtub next time instead of me washing and rinsing...I am so good with that! Terrible daughter am I.

Melissa, it sounds like your mother could benefit by seeing an integrative doctor or naturopath, as well as her general GP. Does Medicare cover that? The elderly seem to just accept what the general physician says and not question anything. But medical doctors are not concerned with the causes of anything, only the treatment, meaning pills and appliances. I wish that weren't the case! I've had to do so much research to heal myself, and when I mention any alternatives to my doctor, she just shrugs and reminds me that she is a "medical doctor" and tells me I could consult a naturopath. She goes by the guidelines written by the pharmaceutical companies.

I hope for continued healing for your mother, which will helpfully ease up on your burden. Glad the CoQ10 is working. I tried it myself when I was on statins (did you know they can cause muscle weakness?). No more statins for me! The CoQ10 was quite expensive, but if you take statins you do need it. I'll bet anything that the doctor who prescribed statins for your mother failed to mention that you need to take CoQ10 with them.

Robins Mum has cancer and takes that...it's wonderful. She is much better and happier

Part of her complications last year which caused two of the hospital stays was from C-Diff, a serious intestinal bacteria that kills 14,000 people a year. I know where you are coming from on having to research stuff. After much online searching, I put her on two different probiotics in addition to the prescription antibiotic she was on and insisted her doctor prescribe cholestyrimene (sp), powdered stuff originally intended to reduce cholesterol but is known to help people with chronic D..and it binds to Toxins A and B that the c-diff spores produce...which go dormant too while you're on meds and come out to play again. The antibiotic (Vancomycin) she had to take for, like 6 months last year, cost us around $2,000. It didn't have to cost us that much except no one told us she could be taking the liquid form for a 1/3 of the cost instead of the $50 pills, that was her co pay. No one until I griped about the cost on her last hospital stay to a nurse who had the hosp. social worker get in touch. No one, not any of the doctors, not any of the pharmacys, not the previous social worker or another nurse, not blue cross blue shield when I called and asked them is there a way for this to cost less? No one. All this could have potentially been prevented too if the docs and the hospital had given her probiotics when they gave her antibiotics in ICU. What they actually did was not let her eat the Activia's she asked for that I was bringing. They determined that was causing her "D" issues. No.

I just had no conception on how much a patient or patient's family needs to do and has to do to get things done. I had no idea to question. I assumed they knew what they were talking about. I no longer have that confidence or naivite.

whew, sorry for the rant! Glad the stuff has helped Robin's Mum. Thank you Patricia.

Oh another one! Back in March I asked to have her Paxil dose cut in half to see if it was causing...symtoms that matched early dementia. Her doctor didn't put any stock in that since she was only on 5mg, but three days after cutting the damn things in half, Linda came back and Gracie Allen left the building! If I hadn't pushed the issue? Or if she didn't have me? That would be horrible!

@ Patricia Strand ... I've tried statins several times / several varieties over the past few years all with nasty consequences. Heard about the CoQ10 thru my pharmacist a few months back and have been taking it for a while. My medical doctor never mentioned CoQ10 at all When I asked her about it, she did a hem-and haw dance around the topic but did agree to prescribe a new satin ... once again. I'm glad to read your comment ... as I have been putting off starting the stain. Maybe tomorrow. At Tara ...

Another thing re weakness (Melissa's mom) ... that blew me away. Look into Vitamin D deficiency. Taking 50,000 IU once a week has me skipping rope and dancing jigs again. Amazing, amazing stuff.

@Melissa,
After going through my Mom's end of life years, I learned one and only one important lesson....we all need an advocate...to be an extra set of ears, to stay on top of the medical professionals and their office employees. Do not ever leave a loved one in the hospital to fend for themselves. I never left my mom's side and still discovered horrible mistakes being made when I took a one minute bathroom break from her side.
And family advocates need a program in how to be an effective advocate.
Most hospitals will have patient advocacy help...use it.

Thanks Lois. I give her a combo calcium and D pill daily, also magnesium, iron, and now the B12 and CoQ10 and two probiotics everyday in addition to her prescribed stuff. She is a huge whole milk drinker too!
edit: I just read about D deficiency so will ask them to test her next time, heck I might need to start taking some myself!

@Patricia, nope, nobody mentioned CoQ10, it is expensive! Her cardio doc did have her start on fish oil though, now her blood looks like water. I know fish oils are popular now but I think people take too many.
@Marlene, never heard of a patient advocacy help or program, unless that's what the hospital social worker is supposed to be for? I was there everyday at some point and sometimes twice a day but no way could I have been there every hour of those 75 days! Somebody's gotta work and pay the bills...

Marlene, it's really sad that we have come to where patient advocacy is needed. Good to know that is available. Lois, you're right about Vitamin D! But also, did you know that if you don't already have heart disease, you may not need statins? I'll admit to having issues with my "medical" doctor," but she did tell me that they are not pushing statins on people with high cholesterol readings any longer. Statins help only those with already-established heart disease. There was a heart doctor on PBS (can't think of the name) who claimed that autopsy results on elderly people with high cholesterol readings (who died of other causes) showed their arteries were squeaky clean.

You really have to watch out for doctors and question everything! I once went in urgently because I had fainted. Turns out it was vertigo (fairly benign and common condition), but my blood pressure reading was high that day. No wonder! I was so stressed out from the fainting I thought I was having a stroke. But guess what ... yup, the doctor ordered blood pressure pills for me to take, despite the fact that I'd always had low blood pressure. It was only on that day that it was high, most likely from the fear of what I was going through. Argh!! Sometimes I think they order pills to avoid malpractice.

Melissa -

My husband (massive heart attack survivor) stpped taking CoQ10 for over 4 years. His heart surgeon is thrilled that he did extensive research and ultimately switched from CoQ10 to an all natural/pure ubiquinol.

If you'd like to read up on it here's great information on Understanding CoQ10: Ubiquinone (ingredient in CoQ10) vs. Ubiquinol:
http://www.naturemade.com/resource-center/articles-and-videos/heart-health/understanding-coq10-ubiquinone-vs-ubiquinol

This is the brand my husband takes and orders it online. He found Swanson's to be the best priced, although it's pricier than CoQ10:
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-ubiquinol-pure-natural-100-mg-60-sgels?icid=hpCoQ10SWU377

Hope this info is helpful to you. :)

I'm seriously afraid of hospitals after my last stay. I will never be admitted again without more than one patient advocate - a family member and one from the hospital.
Sadly, hospitals are no longer about patient care but terribly consumed with profits over patients.

My best friend graduated from nursing school recently and landed a good-paying job in a local hospital . . . was so excited about her first nursing job in her new career. It took less than one month for her to hate it. What they tell new nurses about how important patient care is, that it's their number one priority just isn't true anymore... It took only 2 weeks for her to learn that they don't hire enough nurses; they don't hire enough aides; and/or they can't keep them, and that in ICU they're each forced to take more patients than their able, which means they feel they can't give them the necessary time and treatment for proper medical care.

I'd like to believe it's just that hospital but it's not. We have 2 other local hospitals where the conditions are just as bad. None of these 3 health care facilities can keep nurses because if they make one serious error, they might lose their license.