I was not surprised when I heard those words. I knew what the symptoms are, and having people close to me die from denial, I drove myself to not the closest Hospital, but the closest Hospital with the best facilities.
I felt the pressure people mistake for heartburn, my Brother is a Dr and he told me people would tell him that they felt as if they could burp, they would be fine.
I have had a crappy stomach so a bit of pain or pressue is common for me but this was different. When I broke into a sweat and felt a pain under my teeth, I knew it was time to go. I could have called 911 and had an Ambulance take me to one of the Ghetto Hospitals near the office, but they do not have what I need. They are great for knife, gunshots, and overdoses. I knew there is a 90 minute window that can make a big difference in the outcome, and I was not wasting time in those places to be transported.
I pulled into the Emergency Room, walked in and said to the Girl, I am having a Heart attack. I had my Insurance card in my hand. She called to a Woman behind her who walked right over and asked me to start unbutton my shirt as we waked to the back.
There was a team of 4 Nurses and a Doctor waiting for me, I laid on the table and they pasted the leads on my chest. One Woman introduced herself and said she was from the Catherization Lab and they would be taking me up there now. They shoved a Nitro pill under my tongue and then gave me a bunch of Baby Aspirin and some blood thinner to chew and swallow. IVs were put in my arms. This was all one at once by different people.
I was wheeled upstairs and taken into the Cath Lab where another team was waiting including the Doctor. They pulled me into a table and an fluoroscope panel was placed over my abdomen. They added someting to the IV, and Nurse shot some Novocaine into the spot they would cut to gain access to my Femoral Artery.
They made the cut and the Doctor fed his catheter up to my Heart, I heard him say, "there it is, looks like 100%". He said to me "the pressure you feel is going to increase as I vacuuming out some of the material." "Then he said I got it, you should feel better." I did feel better, then he said. "you will feel more pressure as I inflate the balloon. It will pass for a few seconds and will come back when I set the stent.
The pressure went away, and he said to me that Artery is now open and the rest of your Arteries are completely normal. OK, everything is clear. Plug the opening and he walked away.
I was wheeled to the Cardiac Care Unit and my Wife was standing there. I spent 4 days in the Hospital hooked up to machines and they discharged me Sunday at Noon.
They had done a Ultrasound on me on Saturday and my Heart appeared as through nothing had happened. no damage, and blood was flowing through my Heart perfectly. There was no damage. They stopped my Heart Attack before serious muscle damage could occur. The muscles were stressed and will take a few weeks to recover.
I laid on the Couch and watched the Daytona 500 thinking to myself "Life is Good".
