Some sad news guys. I haven't said anything the last few days (and I wasn't going to) but , if this story can just get one person here to check their heart before its too late , its worth posting. My friend George who was 35 years old just past away in his sleep from a massive heart attack. George was physically fit. He went to the gym 4 or 5 times a week. He did plenty of cardio and ate a very healthy diet - did not smoke or do any kind of drugs. Here is what happend on that night. The story of that night was him and his girlfriend went out to dinner - (they didn't drink or anything) - came home around 8:30 - watched TV until about 11:30 - then went to sleep. Around 3:30am , she felt him shaking and thought he was having a dream. Then he was shaking more and made a noise. She said the noise he made didn't sound right so she jumped up and turned on the light. She said as soon as she seen him (all red with foam around his mouth) she knew he was having a heart attack and yelled for my brother in-law to call 911. She then gave him CPR , then my brother in-law gave him CPR until the EMT's got there and started working on him. I went into George's room Sunday after being at the hospital, there was shit all over the place - defibrillator pads , needles , all wrappers to all sorts of things , the bag that they squeeze to give you air , and a bunch of other things. The EMT guys must have really been frantically working on him to try and save him. All of the things I mentioned were thrown all about the room as if those guys didn't even waste a second in getting the shit they needed out of the plastic packages etc. I know they defibrillatored him & jammed a needle of adrenaline straight into his heart. Nothing worked. George had slightly high blood pressure and allowed his medication to run out before refilling it. George had no blockages and good colesterol. Just a little info. You CAN NOT feel if your pressure is high. You can probably tell if you heart rate is up because you can feel your heart pounding. However you can not tell if your pressure is high. Two different things all together. Check your pressure. George was able to run several miles and if you had ever seen him , you would never guess this could happen ! Check your pressure no-matter how young or healthy you are ! George had no symptoms or signs that day and was in great spirits as usual. Don't think you will get pains in your arm or chest. That doesn't always happen. Also heart attacks in such a young person are usually massive and deadly. Much worse then an older persons attack. Get yourself checked. Also if you are on medication , DO NOT go off for any reasons ! R.I.P. My Friend George.
Sorry to hear about your friend. The same thing happened to a guy I went to high school and college with in May of 2006. He had a date with his girlfriend and was supposed to pick her up. He never showed nor called. She left a bunch of messages and never received a response. The next morning she went to his place, could hear the stereo going, called the cops, cops broke in and he was dead on the floor, fully dressed, keys in hand. Died of a massive heart attack right on the spot.
He was 35. I don't think that many 35 year old otherwise healthy guys die from heart attacks. Also maybe if someone made it seem more serious to him , he would still be here. I just don't see how your response could possibly help anyone who reads it.
Damm. It's unreal ..... I'm going to my friends wake tonight. I think when I see him in the casket , I'm not sure if I can hold back the emotions.
sorry cyc but if its any consolation, you might have just saved my life. i have high blood pressure and im going to get it under control. this post has kicked my ass about it. cheers. :bears:
CYC, a 17 year old athletic hockey kid died from a heart attack on the ice during a game. Was it a shock? Yes, because he was only 17 and a very physically fit strong lean kid. But then it was discovered that heart attacks were a major norm in his family. So at the end of the day it wasn't really a shock nor a coincidence, it was likely genetic. He had a weak heart, and often these things are passed down in the gene pool. What was George's bloodline like, health-wise? Did a few of his family members have weak hearts/heart problems, etc?
I'm really sorry to hear that, CYC. I'm 35 myself, so it's about time I had a checkup. I hit the weights 5 times a week and jog 2-3 times. I'm gonna make an appointment. Once again, I'm sorry to hear about your friend.
Crazy stuff... as you guys know, I'm 33 and I had a stroke, due to a hole in my heart.. and I never knew!
I'm sorry about your friend, man, that was a bummer. I think it was more than just his high blood pressure, his heart seemed to have been genetically predisposition for such an occurrence, it's the unluck of the draw. Was there an autopsy performed? His heart might have had an imperfection since birth. My condolences again.
Man, my half-sister also had a hole in her heart and had a major operation repairing that imperfection. She's much healthier now.
Case in point, distance runner, Jim Fixx: Fixx died at the age of 52 of a massive heart attack, after his daily run, on Route 15 in Hardwick, Vermont. The autopsy revealed that atherosclerosis had blocked one coronary artery 95%, a second 85%, and a third 50%. Many who opposed his beliefs said this was proof running was harmful. However, Fixx came from a family where the men had poor health histories. His father suffered a heart attack at the age of 35 and died of one at 42. Given Fixx's unhealthy lifestyle until he took up running, many argued that running added many years to his life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx
Thanks guys ... Here is the low down on what happend to George. George did not have any type of blockages. However he had high blood pressure. Since your kidneys regulate the blood pressure , George didn't neccesarily have anything wrong with his heart. He had an EKG & the blockage test where they go up through the groin area to check for blockages before going on the medication. Everything checked out OK. No-one in his family has anything wrong and they were all just checked this past week. George however having high blood pressure was on pressure medication (well was supposed to be anyway) For whatever reasons , he allowed the prescription to run out and stopped taking his medication. Possibly because he knew his EKG was good and he didn't have blockages. Maybe he thought he could control his pressure by working out etc. I also noticed he didn't drink all that much the past year or so. Anyone who has experience with blood pressure medication will tell you this is absolutey the worst thing someone could do. You actually get more fucked up if you go off then you were before you started taking the medication. Georges heart got damaged and enlarged because he went off the medication and was still lifting weights and running miles. I guess he thought he was getting in shape but he was really destroying his heart even more. Once you are on blood pressure medication , you are on it for life. Going off causes even more harm to your heart. Keep that in mind , maybe you might know someone that has stopped or is going on and off their medication.
