Posts Tagged Heart Attack Emotions

Heart Attack Recovery is mental and physical….big time

The survival of a massive heart attack is just a small part of the challenge I have found. When I say small…I really mean small. The emotional side of recovery is something that day to day levels of challenge can change much like the difference of ever wave in the ocean. There will be days when all is calm and life is nearly like winning the powerball mentally. Other days I have found is similar to that Kevin Costner movie “The Perfect Storm” when the boat is vertical versus the customary horizontal in the water.

Since Oct. 7 I have found myself on teaching disability and in many ways the waves have subsided for the most part. I have found however that even small waves can be tricky. What I have found in the last several months is the importance of finding something to plan for or get excited about to keep the mind active and hitting on all cylinders. For me I have found pleasure in planning the ins and outs of a new business idea. I have been working on web sites and business plans for three months and they are nearly complete. I have an appointment in Marion, Il. this Tuesday to present my business plan.  Nervous all ready…but in a very positive way.

The physical side of things is difficult to say the least. Changing eating lifestyle from very good to incredible is a real bit_ _. My wife is fantastic in that area and I am trying to be nice with the adjustments, but that does not always happen when I have a erotic desire for a pepperoni pizza or something equally outside the rule box.

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The Outlaw Trail Ride..

This morning I searched out one of my “Living List” objectives. I was very pleased to discover that The Outlaw Trail Ride had updated their website. I have to tell you that my heart started beating just a little bit faster as I found myself getting excited about next summer already. Granted not every heart attack survivor has a life goal of completing the 110 mile Outlaw Trail Ride, but I for one have it ranked in my top 5.

The Outlaw Trail Ride http://www.rideoutlawtrail.com/ promises to be a fantastic experience. The more I contemplate my “Living List” the more excited I get about life. I would suggest that all heart attack survivors find their “Living List”. Please share  your “Living List” with us as perhaps we could join you if that opportunity exists.

If any of you folks would like to join me on my trip next summer please let me know. I would love to have a heart attack survivor Outlaw Trail Ride.

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Twitter is something I continue to experiment with

The more I contemplate the idea of creating a national program to eliminate Congenital Cardiovascular Defects and sudden death among high school age youth the more excited I get. I have been making mention of dream/goal on Twitter, but I am not sure if it being listened too. As much as I like new technologies, I struggle to understand or in this case see a quantitative impact via Twitter.

I have put in a phone call to the local heart hospital Swedish American Hospital to discuss with them their thoughts regarding my goals concerning Congenital Cardiovascular Defects. I am waiting somewhat patiently for the return call.

The more I contemplate my dreams or goals related to heart attack prevention, the healthier I feel mentally. As much as I try to avoid negative or down thoughts they tend to creep into my thoughts unless I am mentally busy. One of the best things about this mission/goal is that it keeps me mentally busy planning and strategizing.

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I finally must admit to a couple heart attack risk factors

Today I met with my psycologist and I discussed my pending teaching disability and the difficulties I experienced last week while teaching. I discussed with her the difficulties of dealing with stress and my priority of staying alive. I discussed my opinion that I really did not have any risk prior to my heart attack on March 31, 2008. We discussed that while I had been taking cholesterol medicine for 25 years my cholesterol numbers were never “completely” under control thus a risk factor did in fact exist.

The second factor while I don’t have to agree with, the fact still remains that technically I am considered overweight for my height. I would argue that the doctors that created that Body, Fat, Index were poor eaters and skin and bones and not of the linebacker physic like I am, the fact is I did suffer a heart attack and the chart was “correct”. Darn Chart….

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Official Heart Attack Survivor Blog

Today I spent most of the morning at the University of Wisconsin ENT clinic. Discovered that I need yet another Swallow Study to help figure out what is going wrong with my swallowing difficulties. Recently, I learned that I had a underactive thyroid, and low normal testosterone. Discovered that both can create or add to heart disease. Perhaps that is why I had an unexplained heart attack.

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