I keep reading here about it happening to those in their 30s and 40. Why am I still here? Those that live through it are truly blessed. People of all ages and those currently living with heart disease can help prevent heart attacks by: People can also take medications that lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. I just lost my brother to the Widowmaker I am wondering if it is in inherited Factor. THEY PUT A CATHERIA IN MY LEFT GROIN THEN SHIPPED ME TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL. I tried to talk her out of it but the discussion was short. Ronkonkoma, New York-based Qosina added AseptiQuik W to its extensive line of aseptic, genderless connectors. But he was certain something in there was wrong. He told my mom that evening that he had heart burn and 2 minutes later he coughed deep and dropped. I wish you a long, happy life , It was a traumatic experience I really cry off and on for no reason at all. My point being that it is important to have an advocate who tells the story to the medical staff at the hospital in order to get the appropriate care as soon as possible. As a mom with three young kids and a husband coming up on 40 it is a huge concern. Symptoms of an intestinal blockage include severe belly pain or cramping, vomiting, not being able to pass stool or gas, and other signs of belly distress. A few times I could really feel a pain in my heart that I have never experienced. Any heart attack can be fatal. My wife also brought me to the hospital with my two young kids in the back seat of the car.. Terrifying.. you will be fine.. I am doing wonderful, but the moral of my story is to please dont wait when you have symptoms especially with the family history!! no energy, sluggish, brain real foggy, left arm was very weak. That is the question. What does it take from you for someone else to have a belief in a higher power? With a focus on agility and creativity, cardiology medical device startups are challenging established players in the industry and disrupting traditional models of healthcare delivery. many brothers in the fire dept and the guard. Noninvasive detection of total occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery with transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. I am 100% recovered and back to working out, snowboarding and Scuba Diving. This artery is at risk for plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) and coronary artery disease. These factors are the best we have. Policy. Thanks Mark. My lad was 100 percent blocked and one in the back of my heart was 80 blocked. My body constructed collateral arteries around the blockage and thats whats feeding my heart. I got lucky. Thank you for your comments and we are glad you are ok and caught the dreaded widowmaker in time. This usually happens in the evening when I am not active, even when laying in bed reading. we are being heard. And true to its name, a widowmaker is especially deadly. Fairly sure shes going to be ok, but after reading all this, Im wondering is there any way to test your heart? You may not know whether you're having a widowmaker or a regular heart attack. What can one do to prevent? Sat in a chair and major chest pain, left arm went numb, then lips, then right arm and fingers. Want to discover opportunities? They're a major pipeline for blood. He was an active, relatively fit man, of 41. He stopped and said this isnt where we are at. Preventative care is essential. Some of these remain in the artery permanently, but other may be designed to dissolve over time so that your artery returns to a normal state. A widow maker is when your husband dies before he hits the floor. (not all of these at the same time, though). Our dear friends from out of townhad arrived for the weekend. 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. God is love and I guess I got more love to spread in Gods name. Is this chest pain from GERD or a heart attack? All rights reserved. No, Ive read all these articles and people under 40 have been 100% healthy and then get hit with the widowmaker,,!! Im still in shock and find it hard to accept. On the left side, which is the main side, we have the left anterior descending (LAD) that runs down the front of the heart and supplies the front and main wall, and then the left circumflex that supplies the side wall. Sorry about the spelling this auto check kills me. They said if Id waited another 10-15 minutes, I would be here. I think the bottom line is stents are a short-term fix. 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. The doctors told me that had I remained at home I wouldnt have survived. My EKGs never showed a problem! Too many rehab places of old folks and no one to help the young. As an interventional cardiologist, a large part of my job is dealing with heart attacks and fixing the blocked arteries that cause them. I argued with the health professionals as I felt I had no anxious thoughts. Some people may not even realize that they have had a heart attack. While its important to take that kind of blockage very seriously, I dont typically like to use that term as its too gender-specific, he says. I have even been told by a dentist that he cant repair my teeth due to my heart and also diabetes! Meaning from 20/30 to now a serious amount in left main and lad, My dad died of heart disease at 62 andi have had previous alcohol and smoking habits and i feel as iv only overcome them recently in 4 years my blockages could have become way worse quicker than normal. my husband didnt visit the doctor for 12 years. I just found out this weekend that the lad is the widow maker. Saturday, still had the chest pain, but Sunday morning, I had my wife take me to the ER. They placed two stents. Dont like salt so thats not a problem. It was the WidowMaker that I somehow survived, but with significant heart muscle damage. I was told I was very fortunate because although I was in very good shape I had just had what they called "The Widow Maker" with 100% blockage in my LAD. This is the only thing that helped and I feel it saved my life! They eventually believed me when in the following February when an angiogram showed the bare metal stent was 95% blocked. Has anyone ever had one of those calcium scans?.While I dont think they can tell if you have blockage, a high calcium score could mean that there is much higher probability of it. Then, they insert a mesh tube called a stent into the artery. Immediate treatment is crucial for a chance at survival. Please dont ever ignore the signs that are there! I had mine on December 13,2016 3days ago at 43. This went on all night and into the next dayI thought I was going to die! Competitive ablation field medtech engineering and innovation [], In the fast-evolving field of cardiology, medical device startups are emerging as key players, bringing new ideas and technologies to the table. The dizziness, vomiting, chest and back pressure, and sweating was happening for about 7 hours before the chest pains actually started, which was my indicator that something was terribly wrong, so we left at that point for the ER. I feel very lucky to be here today and am so thankful to wake up each morning. The surgery itself almost took me out. MAKER. He miraculously survived after being shocked over a dozen times. How can you prevent a heart attack? being active, eating a heart-healthy diet and maintaining good sleep habits. I was lucky it did no heart damage. My blood pressure and cholesterol is excellent and I am not overweight. I was wide awake and talking with the Doctorthe whole time. I hope this helps. Learn more about NewYork-Presbyterians advanced cardiac care. He didnt smoke, drink, wasnt overweight. Shortness of breath. By the time we got there, the pain was all gone. Im having a really hard time with this, but I just keep thinking, My God is in control. I knew it was a heart attack, tried to throw up three times, sweating and could not lift my arms and my lower body was starting to have convulsions. I have had no problem before and was pretty healthy. Spot on. He said we have to go!!! Had EKG stress test. Never any other health issues for me but a History of heart in my family. One point I would like to make is that in the ER my cardiac enzymes did not elevate so they checked for other issues such as seizures and stroke. Theres nothing depressing about that. he died 12/1/15! Not as much as before and I still get winded with exercise. They say that months prior he had widow maker heart attacks and didn't . Lost all feelings in my hands, could not move them. No one ever told me the seriousness of this or that if the blockage gets worse that I can die from whats called the widow maker. (The medical term for this is a proximal LAD lesion.) Ive still to figure that out. For these, please consult a doctor (virtually or in person). I did so many stupid things before and after my MI. The paramedics told me that I kept responding to them when they yelled at me, and could feel the chest compressions. 877-697-9355, Find a Doctor or call How long i can swim after urethra stenting? My tennis buddies gave me CPR, saving my life, the EMTs used the paddles and inserted a breathing device, and a stent was placed in my LAD the same night. EF of 40%. I had mine at 30, 100% blockage in my LAD, as well. Going to mountain bike in Moab Utah for three days next week.. Your experience has encouraged me. . I just found out yesterday it was a widow maker. Now our authors are keeping readers up to date with essential information through twitter. But I too felt the same way that God had more work for me too. The longer blood isnt reaching certain parts of their heart, the more the muscle will be damaged. Like other types of heart attack, this one is largely preventable. Im so very blessed to have had the medical professionals there at that moment. I am doing well, at home, and awaiting Cardiac Rehab to begin. We went his score was a 1 mine was 132. Now imagine if that artery went down. Should I get another angiogram since I did only 3 minutes on the thread mill and had severe angina. Was any form of testing performed on the 60% lesions to determine their significance? The receptionist told me to go to ER if it got any worse. I told my husband what was happening and went ahead and drove to the er. I had surgery to place a stent early the next morning. I have two stents in my LAD, but never had a heart attack. A catheter was inserted in my right wrist and three stents were placed in my 100% blocked LDA.