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Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
Many others done it ?

I know it's a pretty exclusive club I joined about 7 months ago,..... & the recovery road is very, very long.

Major M.I. of the LAD Artery,..... 6 crashes, 1 stent, 5 days on total life support,....... Came out the other end with just 17% heart function.

Just short of 10 weeks later & still with circa 17% heart function, there was a very ginger slide,..... Just the one, as I was totally exhausted afterwards.

Thus:





2 months later,...... & on about 20% ...... I got in 6 runs that day & almost made it to the back door at home from the last run......





That was my last ski of the season as there were some "issues" that had to be resolved surgically......


Ok now,...... (circa 24% & building.....) ...... & the recovery is still progressing,..... Looking forward to golf this summer & getting the planks back on next winter.


:beercheer:
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
Good work! Hope you can make it most of the way back to 100% over the summer.

Unfortunately there was too much damage done & about the best I can hope for is an 80 - 85% recovery in the next year or so compared to where I was at prior,.... (my Cardiologist put my chances of survival at 10,000 to 1 ,..... & in fact told my wife I was not going to make it at one point :( .....)

So just being on the correct side of the dirt is what I am grateful for every day. :)

& at 80% - ish,..... I can still ski hard for a goodly part of the day with some common sense breaks built in,...... Helps when I can ski to/from my back door too, because I'm just a quick slide from home when I get fatigued.

:)
 

pete

not peace but 2 Beers!
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SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
2,543
Location
Iowa
great persistence! this one case where slow and steady wins the race. Just like any muscle it needs to build back up but it's one you just can't exert too much.

keep us (least me) posted on progress. 1/10000 odds says either something about you, your luck or the skills of the hospital but overall ... your win!
 

coskigirl

Skiing the powder
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
4,591
Location
Evergreen, CO
When I was a race coach one of the parents had a heart attack during a race and was airlifted out. He's back skiing pretty hard these days but not sure the extent of the damage that was done.
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
10,561
Location
Colorado
All I can say is, glad you're still with us, and hope you can ski next season! That sounds like ... quite an experience. Maybe especially so for your wife!
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
great persistence! this one case where slow and steady wins the race. Just like any muscle it needs to build back up but it's one you just can't exert too much.

keep us (least me) posted on progress. 1/10000 odds says either something about you, your luck or the skills of the hospital but overall ... your win!


Will post updates in this thread as time passes & the recovery continues. :)

Definitely had the universe in my corner that night,..... & a good Cardiologist,..... & a good surgeon,..... But most of all,.... A good woman, my wife. :)
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
All I can say is, glad you're still with us, and hope you can ski next season! That sounds like ... quite an experience. Maybe especially so for your wife!

:)

Yes,..... My wife says it's not something she ever wants to see again,..... ;)

I can say this though...... You know how you see people code on shows like Greys Anatomy et al,...... & they get jump started back to life,...... When they hit them with the paddles & their body does a little arch on the bed......

Yeah,..... Wrong.

I'm well north of 200 pounds & when they hit me with the juice, there was easily 2 feet of air between me & the bed...... 3 times my wife watched me crash & the ER people shock me back to life before she was ushered out of the room.

& I wondered why I had sore ribs when I eventually woke up,.......
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
10,561
Location
Colorado
:)

Yes,..... My wife says it's not something she ever wants to see again,..... ;)

I can say this though...... You know how you see people code on shows like Greys Anatomy et al,...... & they get jump started back to life,...... When they hit them with the paddles & their body does a little arch on the bed......

Yeah,..... Wrong.

I'm well north of 200 pounds & when they hit me with the juice, there was easily 2 feet of air between me & the bed...... 3 times my wife watched me crash & the ER people shock me back to life before she was ushered out of the room.

& I wondered why I had sore ribs when I eventually woke up,.......

Oy.
 

Warp Daddy

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
142
Location
NNY along the St Lawrence River
Good luck partner it can be done , had my triple bypass in July 09 was back skiing better than ever the next 2009-10 season . Just stay positive , eat right , exercise and try peeling off a few lbs . The post mi diet mantra is : it it tastes good spit it out . I stay fairly tood but hey ya gotta reward yourself on occasion .


hang in there. !!
 

Erik Timmerman

So much better than a pro
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,304
Seems like if you make 80% you should be good to go for next season. 20%, skiing seems kinda risky, but what do I know?
 

DonC

Squeezing into my stabilyx tights
Skier
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Posts
211
Location
Boston
So has getting in touch with your mortality led to "I need to spend more time skiing"? Good luck getting back on the slopes.
 

NESkier_26

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Posts
112
I had my heart attack in November 2010 while playing ice hockey -- had some plaque break off an arterial wall and create a 100% blockage in my LAD artery. It was pretty crazy -- I had no real risk factors for cardiac problems, and it was a shock when I heard the hockey trainer tell the EMTs "probable MI" when they arrived to take me to the hospital.

Not a fun experience, but I didn't have the same complications as the OP. Had an angioplasty with a stent done about 90 minutes after I had gotten off the ice with tingling across my chest. I did do some permanent damage to the heart, though -- a 100% blockage means no oxygen is getting to portions of the heart for a period of time, which kills some of the heart muscle.

So -- to skiing. IIRC, I believe my cardiologist cleared me to ski in late February or early March 2011, and I took it pretty easy for the rest of that season. I started cardiac rehab around the same time I was cleared to ski, and worked quickly to get back to jogging and lifting weights (keeping my heart rate within the parameters prescribed by my cardiologist, of course).

By the winter of 2011-2012, I was in good enough shape to ski without many restrictions (other than making sure my heart rate stayed within range). I've skied every season since without any problems -- last month I went to Utah for the first time in 20 years and had no issue at all skiing at altitude.

My advice is pretty simple: listen to your doctors, be very disciplined about taking your medications, and build up your strength gradually and consistently through workouts. Acknowledge that you are now a coronary artery disease patient for the rest of your life, and act accordingly. If you can get to 80%-85% functionality, you should be able to ski without many limitations. Lastly, and this one is easier said than done, trust in your ability to get your heart rate back up without worrying about whether you might trigger another heart attack. It's so easy to get anxious any time you get a minor chest pain -- I have a number of business colleagues that have gone back to ERs within 12-24 months post-MI, and every time it's been a false alarm.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.
 

newboots

Learning to carve!
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Joined
Dec 9, 2016
Posts
1,367
Location
Catskills
I know someone with a history of three cardiac surgeries, and endocarditis. He has a pacemaker and a 15% ejection fraction. He uses his bicycle for transportation, slowly but surely. He never skied and never will, but he uses his body and feels better for it.

You're going to be in far better shape than this man!
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,220
Location
Boston Suburbs
This is why I am glad I blew out my ACL. I lost a ton of weight and started exercising regularly during knee rehab. It was a wake-up that may have saved my life in the long term.

The second ACL, however, was totally unnecessary.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
Good luck partner it can be done , had my triple bypass in July 09 was back skiing better than ever the next 2009-10 season . Just stay positive , eat right , exercise and try peeling off a few lbs . The post mi diet mantra is : it it tastes good spit it out . I stay fairly tood but hey ya gotta reward yourself on occasion .


hang in there. !!

Thanks,...... One major indicator of small improvements is the amount of time a Nitro spray bottle lasts me..... (Angina is NOT a fun thing at all....)

I have gone from using a bottle in a little over 3 weeks to being on the same bottle now for almost 3 months..... I still have to be careful about monitoring things like stress through.

I've always loved good food & that's not going to change all that much,...... We have modified diet to remove almost all salt, only look at lean meats & drop most carb laden things (not all,.... But most),.... lots of veg & salad too.

It's been more about evolution than revolution.

:)
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
Seems like if you make 80% you should be good to go for next season. 20%, skiing seems kinda risky, but what do I know?

My cardiologist rolled his eyes too,..... But he gave me the nod eventually because he realized this was one of my "need to feel human again" milestones,.... It was a mental health thing more than a physical health thing. I was also surrounded by friends out on the slopes shadowing me while skiing.

I have an ICD fitted as well so at least if the ticker just stops, I carry my own automatic booster pack,.... ;)

It may sound like I'm making light of the situation, but I'm not,..... I look at it as taking positives wherever I can find them.

I doubt I'll hit 80% this year,..... But I have the benefit of having skied for 49 years so I can get around very economically energy wise,..... As with everything now, i'll just listen to what my body has to say & take it from there,..... if I come in early after 3 or 4 runs, so be it,..... As I live slopeside, it's no biggie to call it a day & head for the hot tub.

:)
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
So has getting in touch with your mortality led to "I need to spend more time skiing"? Good luck getting back on the slopes.

Yes,.... Sort of.

But it's more along the lines of "I'm not prepared to waste time with BS" ..... & that frees up time for more than just skiing.

Plans are being developed to retire earlier than I would have contemplated previously & we are looking at picking up a beachside casita in Mexico to spend shoulder seasons in (Home is a ski resort in winter & a full summer destination as well with golfing, hiking & biking all in the resort proper) & for mid winter defrostings.... My wife is a CC skier & snowshoe-r, but loves her sun & sand as well so it's about finding that balance eh ? ;) ;)
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
I had my heart attack in November 2010 while playing ice hockey -- had some plaque break off an arterial wall and create a 100% blockage in my LAD artery. It was pretty crazy -- I had no real risk factors for cardiac problems, and it was a shock when I heard the hockey trainer tell the EMTs "probable MI" when they arrived to take me to the hospital.

Not a fun experience, but I didn't have the same complications as the OP. Had an angioplasty with a stent done about 90 minutes after I had gotten off the ice with tingling across my chest. I did do some permanent damage to the heart, though -- a 100% blockage means no oxygen is getting to portions of the heart for a period of time, which kills some of the heart muscle.

So -- to skiing. IIRC, I believe my cardiologist cleared me to ski in late February or early March 2011, and I took it pretty easy for the rest of that season. I started cardiac rehab around the same time I was cleared to ski, and worked quickly to get back to jogging and lifting weights (keeping my heart rate within the parameters prescribed by my cardiologist, of course).

By the winter of 2011-2012, I was in good enough shape to ski without many restrictions (other than making sure my heart rate stayed within range). I've skied every season since without any problems -- last month I went to Utah for the first time in 20 years and had no issue at all skiing at altitude.

My advice is pretty simple: listen to your doctors, be very disciplined about taking your medications, and build up your strength gradually and consistently through workouts. Acknowledge that you are now a coronary artery disease patient for the rest of your life, and act accordingly. If you can get to 80%-85% functionality, you should be able to ski without many limitations. Lastly, and this one is easier said than done, trust in your ability to get your heart rate back up without worrying about whether you might trigger another heart attack. It's so easy to get anxious any time you get a minor chest pain -- I have a number of business colleagues that have gone back to ERs within 12-24 months post-MI, and every time it's been a false alarm.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

Happy to see you're back on deck & skiing !! :)

My circumstances are almost identical to yours in that I only had the one artery block up,..... I was about 4 hours from the initial crash to getting the stent fitted so my residual damage level was a lot higher,..... Hence the much longer & more gradual recovery period,.... But everyone is different at the end of the day.

I ended up with some pretty severe Angina as a result & that scares the shit out of me when I push past a "level" & trigger an attack,.... Fortunately that is gradually improving as well,.... Although I don't look forward to the bi monthly "stress tests" that I get while being a part of a vascular improvement program in interior BC,.... helps to track my progress though.

& having the ICD is a pretty good insurance policy too.

Looking forward to summer & golf now (sub 5 handicapper),..... part of the recovery will be to gradually build up to walking the full 18 holes with a push cart (my home course is pretty hilly),.... if I can walk 18 by the end of the summer without any discomfort, I'll be pretty happy & it will bode well for the coming ski season,....... That will lead me into some gentle hiking of the runs out from my back door as fitness returns.

:)
 
Thread Starter
TS
Main Street

Main Street

Just livin life.
Skier
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Posts
101
Location
Westbank, BC, Canada
I know someone with a history of three cardiac surgeries, and endocarditis. He has a pacemaker and a 15% ejection fraction. He uses his bicycle for transportation, slowly but surely. He never skied and never will, but he uses his body and feels better for it.

You're going to be in far better shape than this man!

15% !! ....... Bloody hell,..... Knowing what 17% was like, I have great sympathy for your friend,.... It's not fun at all.
 

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