Get yourself checked out !

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Just found out we lost a good friend today...he was 20 years younger than me.

Died of a heart attack. He was always in good shape and was a swimmer in college. But just because you look good on the outside doesn't mean everything's good on the inside.

He had three young kids and a wife.

I know a lot of people don't think they need a doctor, especially ranchers, we all are always too busy, we will get that test done tomorrow, etc. ....

Please remember we're all a limited edition and our days are numbered like everyone else.

God bless you Todd

 

[Dsth]

sorry to hear about your friend. I agree that we should take good care of ourselves. prayers for the wife, children and all close friends as they go through their grieving process.

 

[MurraysMutts]

A friend of mine was just diagnosed with cancer. We always joked about dying. Told everyone we would look awful funny laying in the hospital dying of absolutely nothing!
We are smokers. It's not lung cancer btw.

His outlook on it is nothing short of amazing. All he wants to do now, is make sure his kids are taken care of. Especially his youngest. He bred a sassy lil cow at a late age.... kids 9
He's doing everything he can to make it to see his kids 18th.

Really changes ones perspective...

 

[TCRanch]

I sure did a few years ago. Had a weird chest pain but I figured I just pulled some muscles from unloading/stacking alfalfa bales (small squares, prob 70 lbs). I just happened to have an annual Dr. appointment later that week and mentioned it. Wow, my Dr. took it seriously and immediately scheduled and EKG and nuclear stress test. EKG fine, rocked it on the treadmill but failed the stress test. Da hell?? They immediately scheduled a heart cath. In & out in 20 minutes, went in through my arm instead of my groin. Zero problems with my heart! I'm one of the 15% that got a false-positive on the nuclear stress test. Kind of a PITA to go through all that when I truly did just pull some muscles, but at least now I now.

 

[jltrent]

A very small blockage (20% example) in a heart artery can rupture and a clot form over it (causing 100% blockage) and cause a deadly heart attack, especially in the LAD (widow maker). It does not take a lot of blockages to cause a Heart attack as three out of four heart attacks occur this way. Taking a baby aspirin daily (doctor approved) can help keep a clot from blocking an artery totally from a rupture. Heart attacks kill upward of 700,000 people annually in this country, so take it seriously.

In people older than 70, more than 90% of men and 67% of women have coronary (heart) artery calcification, so there is a very low percentage you don't have plaque in your heart arteries.

Coronary Artery Calcification: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Coronary artery calcification is a buildup of calcium that can predict your cardiovascular risk. This happens in the early stages of atherosclerosis.

my.clevelandclinic.org

 

[kenny thomas]

A very small blockage (20% example) in a heart artery can rupture and a clot form over it (causing 100% blockage) and cause a deadly heart attack, especially in the LAD (widow maker). It does not take a lot of blockages to cause a Heart attack as three out of four heart attacks occur this way. Taking a baby aspirin daily (doctor approved) can help keep a clot from blocking an artery totally from a rupture. Heart attacks kill upward of 700,000 people annually in this country, so take it seriously.

In people older than 70, more than 90% of men and 67% of women have coronary (heart) artery calcification, so there is a very low percentage you don't have plaque in your heart arteries.

Coronary Artery Calcification: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Coronary artery calcification is a buildup of calcium that can predict your cardiovascular risk. This happens in the early stages of atherosclerosis.

my.clevelandclinic.org

Had the 100% blockage in 2015..was in the hospital for hernia surgery and had a widow maker. Had a stint installed and doing ok now.

 

[Lucky]

Back last summer I was in the hospital for a few weeks and had a conversation with one of my nurses about this same deal. She was a traveling nurse and worked 4-5 really big hospitals during Covid. The one that stuck out to me was in Houston. She said most patients that had severe complications that they had no idea about. She said especially the spanish population there. She said all they knew to do was work through everything so didn't know what kind of shape they were really in.

It's impotant to get checked out every year and be honest with the Doctor.

She said she was a traveling nurse and her husband stayed home and ran a few hundred head of cattle. Nice lady and was down to earth about the whole Rona situation.

 

[Travlr]

I'm of an age where everybody around me that's my age is dropping like flies. Sometimes for no reason at all. Every night when I go to bed I wonder if one of us will wake up to loss. But I kiss my wife like I mean it, and I do, with hope of another day better than the last. So far my luck has held... but the thought visits too often and more often as time goes on.

Be well people. Too many people don't get to appreciate next year and none of us know how things will play out.

Knock on wood.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

I sure did a few years ago. Had a weird chest pain but I figured I just pulled some muscles from unloading/stacking alfalfa bales (small squares, prob 70 lbs). I just happened to have an annual Dr. appointment later that week and mentioned it. Wow, my Dr. took it seriously and immediately scheduled and EKG and nuclear stress test. EKG fine, rocked it on the treadmill but failed the stress test. Da hell?? They immediately scheduled a heart cath. In & out in 20 minutes, went in through my arm instead of my groin. Zero problems with my heart! I'm one of the 15% that got a false-positive on the nuclear stress test. Kind of a PITA to go through all that when I truly did just pull some muscles, but at least now I now.

I couldn't do the treadmill at the time due to ruptured and herniated disc's made it tough to walk so I had the nuclear stress test. Boy was that freaky when my chest felt compressed and I struggled to breathe. Passed with flying colors, thankfully.

 

[jltrent]

Had the 100% blockage in 2015..was in the hospital for hernia surgery and had a widow maker. Had a stint installed and doing ok now.

You were at the right place at the right time.

 

[50/50Farms]

Take care of yourself in every way, body and mind. They affect each other a lot. When my grandfather had his first stroke they blamed it all on medical reasons but he was working full time and ranching after work to put my uncle through 11 years of college while also helping my mom, tell me that wasn't a factor and we'll have a good laugh.

My die is probably about cast, males in my family historically die around the same age from the same stuff after the same complications, but that age for me is a long ways off still so I just value the time I have and treat life like it has a "best by" date when I can remember too.

My condolences to you and to your friend's family, @Mountaintown Creek Ranch. One of my really good friends will have been dead a year soon. Nothing can patch up the feeling like a part of the world is missing but we can live the hell out of the years they didn't get to and remember them in all we do. I think it makes us better people in a way, everyone who goes up yonder is a person who can see everything I do. Makes me more careful.

 

[greybeard]

Been thru all of that, losing friends and family to heart disease and having it myself, including a quad bypass in 2015. Never felt the usual chest pains, but would just suddenly get fatigued and have to go sit down. Finally had enough of it one afternoon and went to the E room while it was happening but felt fine once I drove up and parked. Still went in, and after they took blood samples for enzymes, came back in and asked me when I had my heart attack. That was news to me. Stints were not an option. Pretty un-nerving that night and the next 24 hours, wondering if I had done all I could to provide for my wife. Surgeon came in that evening, told me how it was gonna go and right before he left, I asked him "You any good at this Doc?". He just said "I do my best and leave the rest up to God."
Told him honestly "I reckon I'm in good hands on both accounts".

He did tell me as he was wheeling into surgery the next morning, that he wouldn't do this a 2nd time unless I gave up drinking and at least tried to quit smoking. I haven't had a drink since that week and have been an on again-off again smoker.


Before I drove to the ER that evening, I probably hadn't been in a doctor's office in 20 years and had never had a real checkup since I left the military back in the late 70s. Workaholic and just worked thru anything that came up...till I couldn't. Thought I was invincible, bullet proof and could still jump tall buildings............ yeah..right.
That day tho, started me down the path of keeping much better care of myself, regular doctor visits and actually listening to what they told me.

That bypass made me feel a LOT better and younger and function a lot better in several different ways. I won't go too far into it but
As the commercial goes, I'll say this :
"And guys, she'll like it too"


TMI?

 

[Son of Butch]

I had the nuclear stress test. Boy was that freaky when my chest felt compressed and I struggled to breathe. Passed with flying colors.

What colors were you seeing?

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

What colors were you seeing?

Rainbow

It's an extremely strange feeling when they stress out your heart!
The nurse was perfect, pat my arm and got me to breath. She new exactly what was going on.

 

[greybeard]

Rainbow

It's an extremely strange feeling when they stress out your heart!
The nurse was perfect, pat my arm and got me to breath. She new exactly what was going on.

I never felt really good about doing a 'routine test', where they had a cardio crash cart & defib unit sittin right there..........

 

[Travlr]

Rainbow

It's an extremely strange feeling when they stress out your heart!
The nurse was perfect, pat my arm and got me to breath. She new exactly what was going on.

Is that the test where they have you on a treadmill and you have to get your heartrate up to 140 and maintain 140 for (I don't remember how long)?

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Is that the test where they have you on a treadmill and you have to get your heartrate up to 140 and maintain 140 for (I don't remember how long)?

No, I couldn't even stand up straight let alone walk. They inject through an IV some "drugs" that put stress on your heart and they monitor how it recovers and you're hooked up to more wires than you can I imagine. It was a freaky feeling! I had zero control.

 

[Travlr]

No, I couldn't even stand up straight let alone walk. They inject through an IV some "drugs" that put stress on your heart and they monitor how it recovers and you're hooked up to more wires than you can I imagine. It was a freaky feeling! I had zero control.

Sounds brutal... The treadmill wasn't any fun but I'd expect a drug induced stress to be worse.

 

[TCRanch]

My die is probably about cast, males in my family historically die around the same age from the same stuff after the same complications, but that age for me is a long ways off still so I just value the time I have and treat life like it has a "best by" date when I can remember too.

Self-fulfilling prophecy? The mind is a powerful thing! On the flip side, I'm adopted and have zero family history. People (and doctors) always ask: don't you want to know? Not particularly. I'm a horrible eater and have my bad habits, but in pretty darn good shape for my age and not on any meds. Like you, my goal is to value the time I have - whenever that is and for whatever reason. I'm more likely to get crushed by one of my cows (or bulls) than die of any disease but I'm out there, doing what makes me happy.

 

[TCRanch]

The treadmill wasn't any fun

Oh, but it kinda was! Techs and the nurses cheering me on like I was running a 10K and the finish line was thiiiiiis close. Then they'd crank it up a notch and my competitive nature was in high gear. Although I did spew some profanities, but God love 'em, they made sure I had a hot cup of coffee waiting after the nuclear part in that MRI contraption-thingy.