So, what do you do after your first heart attack?
You heard me right...I just turned 44 years old and had my first heart attack (not that I'm hoping for a second one!). Well, actually it was more of an angina attack, my heart didn't actually stop but I can tell you it definately wasn't a pleasant experience.

So let me explain a little bit...less than a month ago I had an experience where I was just walking up the hill heading home from Vancouver's Wreck Beach. It's quite a steep hill but I've done it many, many times before. When I reached the top of the hill I felt a 'tight' feeling in my chest right where my heart is. I bent over with my head between my knees, took some deep breaths and it subsided within about 10 minutes. Thinking it was just something I ate earlier and the steep hill I really didn't think twice about it...until it happened again a few days later. Same thing, some food, some mild exertion and that weird tightening in my chest again that went away in a few minutes. This time though I thought it was something that I should bring up with my doctor next visit. Never got the chance...

This time was a little different...I was just driving with my buddy over to Third Beach, no exertion involved, and as we were walking from the parking lot down to the beach, the tightening began again. But this time it didn't subside. It progressively got tighter and tighter and nothing I did would help aleviate the pain. Like a bad movie where some demons' hand was inside my chest squeezing harder and harder until I had to tell my friend to go get the life-guard/medic guy on duty. While I was waiting for my friend to return with the cavalry it got so bad that I actually tried to call 911 myself but I couldn't see the keypad on my cell. Kinda went downhill from there. The medic gave me oxygen and called the troops. Now Third Beach is not the easiest of access for the ambulance but THREE of them arrived, along with a firetruck and the Park Warden and every other available rescue type person. It was pretty awesome I was told (at this point my eyes were closed in pain and I really don't remember much). And of course this is on a crowded beach in a crowded park. I could have been naked and had shit my pants and I really wouldn't have given a fuck.
They proceeded to do the usual, kept asking me questions; where did it hurt, how much did it hurt, could I feel my toes, etc. Then they gave me a couple of sub-lingual sprays of nitro-glycerine and the pressure pretty much miraculously subsided. Wow, what a relief. Of course with me, I'm cracking jokes in the back of the ambulance, just relieved to be able to relax again. My heartfelt thanks go out to these anonymous people...they treated me like gold.

Anyway, I get to St. Paul's Hospital emergency room and just breezed right on through (I could hear one old lady with the runs screaming "I've been here since 6 this morning! I'm a human being and I want a bed too!).
After numerous blood-taking (never knew I had so much!) they finally took me to the x-ray department where I got the bad news...my left anterior descending artery was 99% blocked! Wha?! Now, I've never had high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure so this was all quite a shock (I guess it was the smoking and my past drug abuse coming back to haunt me). So anyway, off for an angiogram (and the inevitable angioplasty and the installation of a stent).

Well, after three days of an uncomfortable hospital stay (St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, one of the best Heart Health Units around) I'm now back at home and recovering nicely. Just one HUGE blue/yellow bruise where they did the angio in my groin...I have pics of my blue balls if anyone would like to see 'em!

Anyway, there is no moral to this story except to offer some advice of getting your heart checked now and then, even if you think you're in perfect health...these things can creep up on you and bite you in the ass...HARD!
Thanks for listening...
Uber
(thanks to Omnifarious and Agharta for the fine (and FREE) recovery music)