Now Im just scared to eat anything. Weakness and fatigue. doctor ordered stress test, ECK and echocardiogram. MedTerms online medical dictionary provides quick access to hard-to-spell and often misspelled medical definitions through an extensive alphabetical listing. But, you cant tell that someone is having a widowmaker heart attack from the outside. They took my blood pressure and I cant remember what the upper number was but I remember the lower number was 117. At this time I had fallen out on the ground and was on my back and lifted my legs up on the swing to help the strain on my heart. Best of luck to all of you. Things came out real good so far. Had four stents placed. But I was told it could be hereditary too. They did CPR all the way to hospital as well as shocking him for 40 minutes straight. I want to start dr. Essylstyns reverese Heart Disease program. I did so many stupid things before and after my MI. Most times, these can be treated relatively easily with stents. I just lost my father today to what they believe was a widowmaker. The critical blockage in the artery stops, usually a blood clot, stops all the blood flow to the left side of the heart, causing the heart to stop beating normally. I have a history of heart disease in my family. Remember diet is paramount too. None of the typical warning signs. They told my wife they were unsure how I would be because of the time I was pulseless. You have less than a 10% chance of having heart disease. I suggest to buy a blood pressure machine to have peace of mind and check with your dc if you can do cardio rehab excercicig with monitoring. I have two boys and they are the world to me. One doctor told me, it was a good save, you hit the lotto. They dont have to tell me twice, I will follow their instructions to the letter. Due to the scar tissue, he must have had a heart attack a couple years ago & not known. Cardiologists often say, Time is muscle. The longer you wait, the more muscle dies. There is a history of heart disease in the family on both sides. This was in February. I came down the stairs and had cereal for breakfast. Cholesterol was 173. My son, who is a nurse, said later when we were in the car, we call that the widow maker in the ER. You have 100% blockage of the Widow maker artery and he said it looks like its been there for awhile. Cardiff, Wales-based Gyrus also offers device outsourcing. Outcomes after emergency percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with unprotected left main stem occlusion: The BCIS National Audit of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention 6-Year Experience. The sooner you get treatment, the better your outlook. My cardiologist doesnt seem concerned when I tell him about the pain but I am scared. I had no energy at all. It can also lead to heart failure in which your heart muscle can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs. I went to ER last week and was kept overnight, the Cardiologist who attended mt did a CT without contrast but wanted me to come back and have a contrasting scan under supervision( I am allergic to Iodine) after he has spoken to my regular Cardiologist . Talk with your doctor about quitting smoking, eating better, beginning an exercise program, and any other treatment you may need. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. This Dr said the tests on my legs looked good. A widowmaker is even more serious because it's a total blockage of the artery that supplies blood to the front of your heart -- the largest part. Smoker. Every moment counted. Something told me I had to go. This is a update on life so far after the insertion of a stint in my LAD that was 100% blocked on November 12, 2015. I NEVER HAD CHEST PAIN, never had arm pain, never had the traditional heart attack symptoms! Good advice bob, I was thinking the exact same thing. Thanks to you Dr. for great info and the section for comments. i struggle still. 1996-2023 MedicineNet, Inc. An Internet Brands company. A widowmaker heart attack is a type of heart attack thats caused by a 100 percent blockage of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. A week before my heart attack I helped friends move heavy furniture up 3 flights of stairs. Mlnlycke is committed to a sustainable future for our planet and is formed around three core pillars: respect for people and the environment, defence of human [], When a valve is cycled, one can observe the quality of control by measuring and graphing the flow leaving the valve and the input operating the valve, such as electrical current (for coil controlled valves) or steps (for stepper motor controlled valves). Your chance of having a heart attack is high. DIDNT GO TO THE DOC TIL TUES,. And the nurses laughed at (most of) my jokes. My mother died at 42. But having . When women have these heart attacks, they're more likely to have unusual symptoms like: Because any type of heart attack is serious, go to an emergency room or call 911 right away if you have symptoms. Its hard to take and understand. (The medical term for this is a proximal LAD lesion.) Would this make my bp low? I had a 100% blockage of the LAD and went into Sudden Cardiac Arrest. it had 95% blockage. Hi Im a 57 year old mail I had two heart attacks and heart failure within 1 hour July 2014 two blood vessels r dead and Im on 8 medicines but Im still weak Franklin Im still scared my father and grandfather die because their heartfelt exploded Im still trying to figure out why thank you 4 listening 2 me I hope to hear back thank you, Sir it is possible doctor did angioplasty they didnt do blood test echo anything only they see 2 before report and done angioplasty Im shock it is possible I lost my mother..pls sir give me response, Sir it is possible doctor did angioplasty they didnt do blood test echo anything only they see 2 month before report and done angioplasty Im shock it is possible I lost my mother..pls sir give me response. Here, learn how to tell, Some people take a blood pressure change without other symptoms to mean that a heart attack is occurring. YES, it was the doctor that did the procedure, and I look forward to actually getting to speak with him again to let him know how much I appreciate it, but it was the Lord that gave him and the rest of his team the knowledge and skills to perform the procedure. I was 49 years old. I had been showing stellar stats for several months. Im so very blessed to have had the medical professionals there at that moment. This procedure involves the following steps: A doctor will closely monitor a persons recovery after a heart attack. I seem to be a bit short of breath at times. In this article, learn about the signs and symptoms of each type. My story is at: https://www.google.com/amp/www.climbing.com/.amp/news/luckiest-man-alive-and-the-widow-maker/, Autocorrect changed my words. Our Cardiologist and Pulmonologistare the best in this area, but it was in Gods hands, lots of prayer warriors! many brothers in the fire dept and the guard. If you liked the information in this article make sure you read. Does blood pressure change during a heart attack? Your heart muscle can die without enough blood flow. Off pump surgery is much easier on the body than On pump surgery. (2001). This is called balloon angioplasty with stenting. Heart burn? Very much have same story and Im still having chest pains and they cant find anything on EKG so they make me feel like Im just over worried but I had a heart attack two stints and Im type 2 and now they want to treat me for copd I feel like Im fighting for my life so yes I would like to join a group, I am 47 I have c.a.d of both the left main and lad, diagnosed approx 20%-30 4 years ago. A widowmaker heart attack occurs when the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which supplies blood to the larger, front part of the heart, is blocked at its origin. High doses of prednisolone have left me with type2 diabetes and osteoporosis. A quick pull on a little string to pull it out of the urethra, or by using a flexible scop First, a urethral stent (urolume) is in the urethra and usually placed in men with enlarged prostates and urinary obstruction who cannot have surgery. Ptca w stenting has come a long way in recent years with better equipment and easier to place devices (smaller caliber stents). Thats what causes those classic heart attack symptoms like shortness of breath; cold sweats; and severe chest pain, tightness or pressure. The presence of a lesion alone would not mean a life expectancy less than 30 years, particularly if managed appropriately. I was just pacing and rubbing my left arm and chest. I too had a massive heart attack in 2007. Really? Some heart attacks come on slowly, causing only mild discomfort or no symptoms of chest discomfort at all. WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. God puts us on this earth for a purpose and when that purpose has been fulfilled in His eyes, he may take us regardless of how incredible science is with regards to the Docs. DOI: LDL and HDL cholesterol: Bad and good cholesterol. Get useful, helpful and relevant health + wellness information. This woman describes her heart attack and all you can do is correct her grammar!?! I asked how they knew it was 99.999, and was shown that the main artery of my heart was slowing only one platelet through at a time, otherwise it would have been 100%. This widowmaker article scared me, it is written so well. I woke my husband up and he drove me to ER. On August 11th of this year I experienced chest pains radiateing into the left arm and up into my jaw. My friend hadnt seen a doctor in over 2 years and they might have caught this condition. MedTerms medical dictionary is the medical terminology for MedicineNet.com. <3 I am so grateful. Took a few days off then went back to work on light duty. He was absolutely right. He went quickly, and Im still in shock; however, I find comfort that he is with our Lord now. Register for DeviceTalks Boston, May 1011. Thanks. Acting quickly when you suspect a heart attack is coming on can greatly improve your chances for survival. About a year later, I start having the same exact pain again. it took 15 minutes. Why is it not possible to get a procedure done before a heart attack occurs as it seems my very top of the left stem is the mother of widowmakers and Im taking it you meant my chances of survival are next to none. It took 6 months for all the grafts to fail, and they had to go back to the native arteries. My advice is learn CPR. he died instantly (widow maker). Prior to my big one I was experiencing more frequent chest pain. MAKER. We never thought this would happen. Passed out during the event and did not awaken until 4 days later. when I went to the doctor I was kind of playing the symptoms down. I am grateful that my life has been extended (Im now 74) and wrote a thank you note to the first cardiologist, who is now retired, thanking him for his early advice. An abnormal stress test came to be and thats when combined with being symtomatic a radial cath was done. It has only been 5 months and at times I feel a twinge or think I can feel alittle discomfort where my stent is at at the LAD. I need blood since I was post -op but my body rejected the transfusion. And act in your own best interest. So, stay healthy, be smart, and avoid heart disease because there is so much more to do in life for all of us! Your story brought back the experience of that terrible day. As the largest coronary artery, the left anterior descending artery supplies a lot of blood to the left side of your heart. Some of the warning signs and symptoms of a 100 percent LAD blockage include: Women are more likely to experience many of these symptoms without having chest pain. Two days later I began suffering major intestinal pain and returned to the ER. I am an extremely lucky person to have survived this. Seems like most of us older folks take our exercise seriously after an event like this. Would appreciate any and all opinions. He got real sweaty and the medics there began working on him. God had nothing to do with you living. (one of the dumbest but best things I have ever done in my life) I was lucky to find a parking place right in front of the ER. Its possible that ultimately if the lesion had become a problem he would have developed more symptoms and had the appropriate work up done. Had an angiogram the next day. I feel very lucky to be here today and am so thankful to wake up each morning. While at a banquet, I attempted to dance and within 30 seconds, my chest started hurting, so I sat down until it passed and did nothing the rest of the evening. Also had a 100 percent blockage in my Mid RCA. However, women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) can have this type of heart attack, too. Can the LAD artery be stented? Im still scared that i may not be so lucky next time. It feels natural, in spite of the very unnatural materials it may contain. Other 2 at 70 percent. His numbness was primarily in his shoulder and chest. To learn more, please visit our. It was also accompanied with stabbing pain in left upper arm, intense deep cramp type pain in the left shoulder (and sometimes to a lesser degree duplicated in the right shoulder and arm), occasional sting from the stent area, a weird taste and smell, sometimes metallic,strange sensation where my windpipe feels like a metal tube and my breathing is laboured. I understand at my age I should expect some health issues, but I surely am entitled to pursue treatment if I believe it will help. ATL said in a news release that it expects the acquisition to increase its global footprint and capabilities. I drove him to the hospital in the next town 10 miles away, doing 125, he walked into the emerge, they hooked up to the machines, the doctor and nurse were there, they gave him 2 aspirin to chew and before he was done he had died on the table, thanks to the doctor and the defibrillator they brought him back. My question is why wouldnt this problem have been indicated on any of the tests just done, especially if it was as severe as the medical examiner indicated on his report? See your doctor for regular check-ups to detect heart disease early. Ill be curious to see my cholesterol levels when I go back in a month. I made a plate and was almost done when it felt like I had bad heartburn. Had chest pain for 3 days but felt more like indigestion. But what is it, and why is it called that? The critical blockage in the artery stops, usually a blood clot, stops all the blood flow to the left side of the heart, causing the heart to stop beating normally. Ive been dieting and lost 40 pounds 7 years ago and was at a good weight for body and age. Do to my excessive cardio fitness my heart had minimal damage. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. The only thing I have is family history, father and both younger brothers have had heart attacks. My son had only had one episode of shortness of breath and chest pain that I ever knew of in the past at which time I took him to a cardiologist who diagnosed him with a mild arrhythmia problem similar to mine (his Mother) and his maternal Grandfather. I just found out my heart attack was a widowmaker. I forgot to mention that my brother who is now 73, (five years older than me) suffered from sudden death in his early fortys. I worked hard in Cardiac rehab, changed my diet and am doing great.. Sitemap. At the time of his death my son had just undergone many pre op tests in anticipation of having gastric sleeve surgery and had just been approved/scheduled for the surgery. Why was I spared? He had bypass surgery at age 52 in 1977. I still have 2 blockages that are 60 and less in there. One stent was placed in my RCA. This is a wonderful site. He timed our walk and we beat his best time. I was praying for something to show and it did! You may not know whether you're having a widowmaker or a regular heart attack. They hooked me up to the monitor and things were looking good there but I went to the hospital as a precaution. My health conscious active 62 to uncle was just weaned from the vent and had the aortic balloon removed today. My choices, stay with what I have and use drugs to limit my heart rate or have the bypass with its inherent risks. Thank you for your video, it helped me understand more and I hope that My heart is able to stay strong. 100% blockage & also other areas of the heart that revealed two 40% blockages even 10% & 20 blockages. Three days later I was released. Your heart muscleneeds a constant supply of blood. Rich I was told that a blockage in the LAD is called a widowmaker.