# Heart attack part two



## derrick (11 Jul 2012)

Back home at last, been told it's a month of work no heavy lifting, have had one stint fitted no probs with that, had a scan on the heart and they could not see any damage, so that's all good pills for the rest of my life, i can live with that, i think the worst bit is the groin were they do it all from, that's really bruised i think it will be a couple of weeks till that goes down, then i might be able to get my leg over
the bike. doctors have said exercise but don't over do it, they say the bike is good but take it easy for a bit, so it's all looking promising will keep you updated on progress,
the good thing is i can now watch the TDF live so it's not all bad.


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## numbnuts (11 Jul 2012)

That's great news just take it easy


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## Andrew_Culture (11 Jul 2012)

numbnuts said:


> That's great news just take it easy


 
This.


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## LosingFocus (11 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> i think the worst bit is the groin were they do it all from, that's really bruised i think it will be a couple of weeks till that goes down, then i might be able to get my leg over
> the bike.


 
classic line break placement...  GBS derrick.


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## Nihal (11 Jul 2012)

So............where is the First part???








Sorry,i'll get me coat................
Get Well Soon


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## Nihal (11 Jul 2012)

Must stop joking
Just read the original thread
Sorry for the joke earlier and Get Well Soon


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## benb (11 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> the good thing is i can now watch the TDF live so it's not all bad.


 
Every cloud, and all that.


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## Nihal (11 Jul 2012)

benb said:


> Every cloud


.......has a grey lining.........Sorry,Has a silver lining


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## User16625 (11 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> Back home at last, been told it's a month of work no heavy lifting, have had one stint fitted no probs with that, had a scan on the heart and they could not see any damage, so that's all good pills for the rest of my life, i can live with that, i think the worst bit is the groin were they do it all from, that's really bruised i think it will be a couple of weeks till that goes down, then i might be able to get my leg over


 
Like others have said, dont over do it at first.


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## Davidc (11 Jul 2012)

Good to hear of someone recovering from a heart attack.

I was ordered off the bike for 3 months - did have a bypass operation though.

I was also told that cycling is one of the best forms of exercise once you've had one, and have since been told to push it as hard and often as I like.


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## Kiwiavenger (11 Jul 2012)

Hope you get well soon, 

Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2


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## derrick (11 Jul 2012)

All i need to do is keep myself busy, never had so much time on my hands and not been allowed to work, mrs won't let me do a thing.


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## middleagecyclist (11 Jul 2012)

One stent, no damage and on medication which significanlty reduces chances of any future event. I'm not suggesting you are lucky by any means but it could be so much worse. The nastiest type of MI as far as i'm concerned is the one which kills off a big portion of the main pumping chamber. It leaves the survivor a 'cardiac cripple' - unable to climb stairs without stopping for a rest and no prospect of any significant recovery.

When I have my MI I want one with your outcome _or_ a really big one that finishes me off nice and quick (preferably the former) 

Enjoy watching the TdF!


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## derrick (11 Jul 2012)

middleagecyclist said:


> One stent, no damage and on medication which significanlty reduces chances of any future event. I'm not suggesting you are lucky by any means but it could be so much worse. The nastiest type of MI as far as i'm concerned is the one which kills off a big portion of the main pumping chamber. It leaves the survivor a 'cardiac cripple' - unable to climb stairs without stopping for a rest and no prospect of any significant recovery.
> 
> When I have my MI I want one with your outcome _or_ a really big one that finishes me off nice and quick (preferably the former)
> 
> Enjoy watching the TdF!


Yes i think i was lucky, but i don't know how the paramedic got there so quick, the wife was still on the phone when he was knocking at the door,


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## middleagecyclist (11 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> Yes i think i was lucky, but i don't know how the paramedic got there so quick, the wife was still on the phone when he was knocking at the door,


Was it a car driver? They get there sooner than the buses on the whole. The dispatch is made as soon the phone callers whereabouts are verified and the call is triaged. When chest pain is mentioned it gets a high priority and they are on the way while further details are taken. The car drivers tend to park up in convenient locations so they can get to most places in the quickest time possible.


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## derrick (11 Jul 2012)

middleagecyclist said:


> Was it a car driver? They get there sooner than the buses on the whole. The dispatch is made as soon the phone callers whereabouts are verified and the call is triaged. When chest pain is mentioned it gets a high priority and they are on the way while further details are taken. The car drivers tend to park up in convenient locations so they can get to most places in the quickest time possible.


Yes he was in a car, it was good in the ambulance aswell with all the sirensgoing,


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## cyberknight (11 Jul 2012)

Glad to hear your on the mend, as i say
"Every day your alive is a good day "


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## avsd (11 Jul 2012)

Good news - thanks for the update and I wish you a full and steady recovery. PS - Leave this years TdF to Wiggins et al


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## The Jogger (11 Jul 2012)

Good news you are on the mend and follow doctors orders to the letter, do they have an idea what caused it?


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## derrick (11 Jul 2012)

The Jogger said:


> Good news you are on the mend and follow doctors orders to the letter, do they have an idea what caused it?


Smoking, but not any more.
Wake up call or what.


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## fossyant (11 Jul 2012)

It's a bit of an extreme way of getting time off to watch the tour though 

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2


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## middleagecyclist (11 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> Smoking, but not any more.
> Wake up call or what.


Glad you've given it up. Lots of evidence to show how well the body can recover from the cumulative effects of the weed. You have a real motivation not to light up again as well. Are you using nicotine replacement therapy? It can really help with staying stopped.


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## derrick (11 Jul 2012)

middleagecyclist said:


> Glad you've given it up. Lots of evidence to show how well the body can recover from the cumulative effects of the weed. You have a real motivation not to light up again as well. Are you using nicotine replacement therapy? It can really help with staying stopped.


Have got the patches and rest of the gear, but i don't think i will need it, it's there just in case,
When you have a heart attack you change the way you look at life, there are a few changes in the pipe line to come,


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## Melonfish (12 Jul 2012)

I would say use patches and whatever you need to wean yourself off the nicotine, going cold turkey will put stress on your heart and that would not be good after what you've just suffered!
pete


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## Hip Priest (15 Jul 2012)

Glad you're on the mend mate.

No damage to the heart is a massive result.


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## dave r (15 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> Have got the patches and rest of the gear, but i don't think i will need it, it's there just in case,
> When you have a heart attack you change the way you look at life, there are a few changes in the pipe line to come,


 
Glad you got it sorted and are on the mend, and welcome to the club, there's a few of us on here with stents fitted, I had four put in a few years ago. The change in outlook is common, it tends to make people more aware of what's important in life.


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## derrick (15 Jul 2012)

dave r said:


> Glad you got it sorted and are on the mend, and welcome to the club, there's a few of us on here with stents fitted, I had four put in a few years ago. The change in change in outlook is common, it tends to make people more aware of what's important in life.


Thanks for that, how long did it take for you to get back on the bike, am fealing really good at the moment just a week down the line, got to see the doc next friday, not really sure how much of anything i am allowed to do, the other half is giving me a hard time but i am getting out for walks everyday and playing with the grandchildren, was going to try to ring the hospital tommorrow and speak to someone there, get so bored not working or being able to get out.


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## OldManBike (15 Jul 2012)

Just over a year ago I couldn't climb the stairs at home due to breath shortage, then had a quadruple heart bypass. Now I'm playing golf, just got back on my bike, and have a whole new outlook on life. The worst thing I ever did was smoke. Been free from the weed for 5 years now and enjoying my retirement. Hoping to ride 15 miles this week which will be an enourmous achievement for me. I'm told cycling is one of the best exercises for heart victims.


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## dave r (15 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> Thanks for that, how long did it take for you to get back on the bike, am fealing really good at the moment just a week down the line, got to see the doc next friday, not really sure how much of anything i am allowed to do, the other half is giving me a hard time but i am getting out for walks everyday and playing with the grandchildren, was going to try to ring the hospital tommorrow and speak to someone there, get so bored not working or being able to get out.


 
I had Angina and got away without having a heart attack, anything that pushed the heart rate towards max had me backing off in pain, similar to indigestion, I ran for a bus one day and it took me ten minutes to recover. I never stopped work or stopped cycling, when my GP made the initial diagnosis he reached for his sick note pad, I told him to put it away and carried on working, just took it easy as much as I could, with the cycling I stopped the Sunday club rides, I couldn't even keep up with the slow family group without bringing on the angina, I carried on commuting but backed the pace right off, imposed a max speed limit of 15mph on myself and either walked or took it very easy on the hills, kept my effort below the level that triggered the angina. I had the stents put in on the 9th July 2008, a Wednesday, the following Monday I was back at work and back on the bike, far too early, I should have left it at least another week, a fortnight after that I was back on the Sunday rides, riding alone and taking it easy. I've not had problems with chest pains since the stents were fitted and I was pretty quickly back to normal, the cycling's back to about 90-95% of what it was before the angina, though I still do most of my Sunday rides alone, I don't do a club ride very often.


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## slowmotion (16 Jul 2012)

Thanks for these two threads. All the very best to you.


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## Red Light (16 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> Back home at last, been told it's a month of work



Good news but I hope that's "a month off work" not "a month of work" ! My dad took up cycling after a quad bypass and did loads of riding. It came highly recommended by his consultant once the immediate recovery was over (and a sore groin for a stent these days is as nothing compared to a split sternum for a bypass. Good luck with it.


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## Davidc (23 Jul 2012)

I may be different to you because I had a bypass, but the only real differences from before the MI I notice are the limiting effect of the beta blockers I still get told to take, and the need to take warming up properly seriously (if I don't it takes ages to get full power out of my body)


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## derrick (24 Jul 2012)

Still taking it easy, building up slowly sticking with 20 miles at the moment and crawling up the hills,
today's ride
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/202247604


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## The Jogger (24 Jul 2012)

derrick said:


> Still taking it easy, building up slowly sticking with 20 miles at the moment and crawling up the hills,
> today's ride
> http://connect.garmin.com/activity/202247604



That's hardly taking it that easy , do you use a heart rate monitor?


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## derrick (24 Jul 2012)

The Jogger said:


> That's hardly taking it that easy , do you use a heart rate monitor?


No heart rate monitor, did think about getting one but if i feel my heart start to race i just slow down a bit, seems to be working alright.


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## bongofury66 (28 Aug 2012)

Just had my 3rd MI (8 weeks ago - out cycling (again) of course) (had a triple bypass 12 years ago). Just back on the bike. Take it easy and build confidence. You will be fine. I climbed 14000 ft in Africa 6 months after bypass. There again, i have just enjoyed event number 3! Seriously, slowly build up and you will be as good as new in no time.

Take care


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## slowmotion (28 Aug 2012)

bongofury66, what is MI? I've never heard of this. Also, are beta blockers bad news?

Thanks.


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## Fran143 (28 Aug 2012)

MI is Myocardial Infarction otherwise known as a heart attack.


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## bongofury66 (28 Aug 2012)

Beta blockers just slow the heart rate down. I hate them cos they make me feel very lethargic. However, you need to discuss with your GP. If you are not getting any chest pain, maybe your heart could be allowed to speed up again. I stopped taking them and was then able to do more....however I was COMPLETELY sympton free at the time so I was ok. Let your GP decide.


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## slowmotion (28 Aug 2012)

^^^^^^^ Thanks BF.


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## bongofury66 (28 Aug 2012)

My pleasure. I am afraid I am a bit of an unabashed veteran of things cardiac. I don't know about Lance Armstrong but you should see the drugs I need to do the 2 miles to work!


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## derrick (28 Aug 2012)

Cycle wise back to normal, doing everything i did before, getting fed up taking the drugs and feeling tired every afternoon, waking up three times every night to have a jimmy, got to go back for a check up in a couple of weeks time, hopefully they might be able to sort something out with the tiredness, or is this something i will have to live with, sounds like there are a few of us who have suffered,


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## The Jogger (29 Aug 2012)

Derrick, are you still off the cigarettes?


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## derrick (29 Aug 2012)

The Jogger said:


> Derrick, are you still off the cigarettes?


Yes i have not had one since it happened, thought i would struggle when we went on holiday but i have been fine, still fancy one every now and then, just need to get the other half to stop. it's been something i wanted to do for a while just needed that kick up the backside,


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## dave r (29 Aug 2012)

derrick said:


> Yes i have not had one since it happened, thought i would struggle when we went on holiday but i have been fine, still fancy one every now and then, just need to get the other half to stop. it's been something i wanted to do for a while just needed that kick up the backside,


 

It's amazing, I quit smoking in 1977 yet I still get the occasional urge for a cigarette.


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## Broughtonblue (29 Aug 2012)

dave r said:


> It's amazing, I quit smoking in 1977 yet I still get the occasional urge for a cigarette.


Likewise, I packed in in 84, still feel the urge sometimes!!!!


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## Davidc (29 Aug 2012)

The Jogger said:


> That's hardly taking it that easy , do you use a heart rate monitor?


 
Once I'd had a heart attack I was told not to use heart rate monitors, just to take notice of how I feel. Apparently beta blockers make any readings from them meaningless anyway.


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## Albert (29 Aug 2012)

Just seen this thread. I had a heart attack some 5 years ago after a lifetime of heavy smoking and being a professional couch potato. I sustained some permanent heart damage..... Am on medication for the rest of my life...... Had a stent (inserted through the wrist not the groin) fitted and have subsequently had 3 skin cancer operations, pneumonia + cataract and prostate operations.
During this time I have taken up cycling in a big way and, according to my Garmin 705, have now covered well over 16,000 miles and climbed over 820,000 feet (I live in Wales).
I always use a heart rate monitor and find it very useful as a means of seeing how hard I am working. I too am on beta-blockers but I get up to 150bpm regularly (I am 64) and my heart rate seems to be pretty normal except for being, I assume, controlled to some extent. 
My only issue seems to be that I have reached a fitness plateau and can't seem to get beyond doing 60/70 mile rides. I am a little frustrated by this as every 100k ride with over 4000ft is a continuing big challenge that leaves me knackered.


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## The Jogger (4 Sep 2012)

Albert, an amazing story, it's always good to read stuff like this as many people who face these type of challenges just turn into couch potatoes or worse.


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## DougieAB (6 Sep 2012)

Bloody hell Albert, thats some list of ailments! Good to see you fit and healthy now.


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## fossyant (6 Sep 2012)

Whoah Albert, I think you are doing well. 64, 5 years post heart attack, doing 60-70 mile rides and being knackered - seems like what most fit people feel like. Wow hat's off to you !


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## derrick (20 Sep 2012)

Just had my first proper checkup at the hospital and all is well, a bit of fine tuning with the medication needed but apart from that the Doc says go for it;
Never really worried about it but it makes you feel better when the Doc says your fine, the other half is happy hearing it from him aswell.
Just thought i would share the good news.


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## Crankarm (20 Sep 2012)

My old man is a chain smoker, 73 years old and fit as a fiddle, ok his breath and clothes stink. He's always been active and never really splurged on food or drunk much alcohol, eats in moderation. I think being fat is more dangerous than smoking but the combination of food, booze and smoke can be fatal, heart attack leading to premature death.


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## The Jogger (21 Sep 2012)

It's probably best to limit your risk by cutting out the triggers of the risk, fatty food, lack of exercise and certainly smoking. You hear of the odd person who smokes and lives to ninety, you hear of many that smoke and die prematurely.


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## Red Light (21 Sep 2012)

Albert said:


> My only issue seems to be that I have reached a fitness plateau and can't seem to get beyond doing 60/70 mile rides. I am a little frustrated by this as every 100k ride with over 4000ft is a continuing big challenge that leaves me knackered.


 
I've never smoked, not had a heart attack, cycled since I was a kid and am a ten years younger than you and I'm really chuffed, not frustrated, when I complete a ride like that.


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## dave r (21 Sep 2012)

Albert said:


> My only issue seems to be that I have reached a fitness plateau and can't seem to get beyond doing 60/70 mile rides. I am a little frustrated by this as every 100k ride with over 4000ft is a continuing big challenge that leaves me knackered.


 
I plateaued about 20 years ago and haven't varied a lot since, my Angina in 2008 didn't knock my distance much, but it did knock my speed a bit. Albert you are doing well, after your health problems getting in 60/70 mile rides is good going, well done for doing them.


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## derrick (21 Sep 2012)

Have not smoked since the attack cold turkey and doing alright on that side, my average speed has dropped very slightly, i put that down to the pills. done a couple of 50 milers felt like i could go on and do a few more, now i have the all clear from the Doc i will push a bit harder.


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## dave r (21 Sep 2012)

derrick said:


> Have not smoked since the attack cold turkey and doing alright on that side, my average speed has dropped very slightly, i put that down to the pills. done a couple of 50 milers felt like i could go on and do a few more, now i have the all clear from the Doc i will push a bit harder.


 
It sounds like its had the same effect on you as the Angina had on me.


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## derrick (16 Jan 2013)

Last trip to the hospital today, got the all clear from the doctor, i asked him about max heart rate whilst out cycling, he said there was not one as long as you feel good your alright, if you start to feel rough you have over done it.


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## middleagecyclist (16 Jan 2013)

derrick said:


> Last trip to the hospital today, got the all clear from the doctor...


Good news.


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## dave r (16 Jan 2013)

derrick said:


> Last trip to the hospital today, got the all clear from the doctor, i asked him about max heart rate whilst out cycling, he said there was not one as long as you feel good your alright, if you start to feel rough you have over done it.


 
Thats good, did you sort out the tiredness?


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## derrick (16 Jan 2013)

dave r said:


> Thats good, did you sort out the tiredness?


Yes came of the beater blockers, and changed the statins, went down on the remaprill tabs, still got to take the pills but changing for a differant type seems to have got rid of most of the side effects. feeling good all we need now is the weather to warm up and every thing will be perfect.


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## Albert (19 Jan 2013)

I contributed to this thread a while back. I've just had another 2 months off the bike due to a series of operations I had in December reconstructing a section of my nose due to skin cancer. I can start cycling again in February.
Ironically, seeing as it was my heart attack that got me cycling in the first place, the least of my worries these days is my heart which continues to tick along quite nicely (touch wood) AND I have had the perfect excuse to avoid cycling through this aweful weather we've been having.


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