My very Own Lazarus

Heart Attack or Cardiac Arrest

My DH has always been at great pains to tell anyone who thinks, or says, he has had a Heart Attack that he has NOT!! I don't know whether that's because he feels that makes him more 71 years old, than 41 years old, or just because he's one of those chaps who like to be accurate.

So today's Post is both for him to set the record straight, and also for those people who have asked me about that night and the 999 call I made and what it was like.

Firstly, a heart attack is, broadly speaking, when the blood supplying the heart muscle is interrupted causing part of the muscle tissue to die. It is usually a very tiny part that dies, but the dead cells release a specific chemical which is traceable & proves a heart attack took place.

The most common cause of heart attacks is blood clots stuck in furred up arteries, hence the NHS obsession with healthy living. Cholesterol is just one factor, the acceptable level (for total cholesterol) is 5. Anything over 5.5 would have the doctors treating you,over 6 and they'd be concerned. My DH's is 2.4, if you can find anybody with a lower score, let me know !

Sometimes people will have such a mild heart attack that they don't notice.
Sometimes all they feel is a little dizzy, nauseua etc.
Sometimes they will have pain.
Very rarely and only in extreme cases the heart attack will cause a cardiac arrest (see below for info on cardiac arrest) This is what has usually happened when you hear that "so and so died of a massive heart attack". They didnt, cause of death was cardiac arrest, heart attack just triggered it.

Anyway, that's enough about heart attacks, because guess what......

HE DIDN'T HAVE ONE. !!!

He had a "sudden cardiac arrest".
Yup that's right, his heart just stopped beating, for no apparent reason. In his case (ventricular fibrilation) it just started vibrating or wobbling like a jelly.

Most cardiac arrests are VF or VT which are shockable, the other types are less common but can be fixed by administering drugs, unfortunately this is not usually available.

Contrary to popular belief amongst family and friends, I did not "save" his life, the Ambulance crew who shocked his heart did.

A few statistics for those who like that kind of thing:-

Number of “Sudden Cardiac Arrests” per year in the UK =105,000
Number of deaths from SCA per year in the UK = 100,000

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Healthyhearts/Pages/Arrhythmias.aspx

Number of deaths from breast cancer per year in the UK = 12,500
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_cancer#Epidemiology

Survival rate for a cardiac arrest = 5%
Of the 5% who survive, only 5% of them make a full recovery (1:400)
(Not verified)
Most of the 5% who survive are people who have a cardiac arrest in a hospital setting, where there are trained staff immediately on hand.
Chance of survival following a cardiac arrest reduces by 10% with each minute that passes.

Unsurprisingly, my DH's particular soapbox is that everyone should learn CPR. The following is an audio recording of my actual 999 call and will hopefully encourage everyone to learn CPR. Hopefully you will then stay a lot more calm than I did. I was pathetic!!

HEALTH WARNING: I am told that this recording is very traumatic to listen to, so if you are someone who is likely to be overly upset by it, please look away now.

I was told afterwards that what appears to be my DH breathing, could not have been proper breathing as when the ambulance crew hooked him up to the AED (defibrillator) on arrival, at our house, his heart was still in VF.

However, he is proof that there is life after Clinical Death. My very own Lazarus!!

This is something my DH wrote not long after the event and I share it with you because he is also proof that you should Live Life to the Max, because you never know which day will be your last.

"I have a congenital heart defect....

but I didn't know that, when I was a member of the British Hang Gliding Association

Or when I was windsurfing across Lake Bala in Wales

I didn't know that I could drop down dead at any moment when I was working as a life guard.

Or when I was skiing down Mnt Blanc

Or when I was abseiling down the Civic Centre in Walsall

I didn't know that, when I was flying solo across Texas in a light aircraft.

Or when I taking my boat across the English Channel

Would I have gone on a canoeing trip down the River Wye,

or swam to victory in the 100mtrs Butterfly

or water skii'd across Plymouth Sound if I had known I had a life threatening condition looming in the back ground ?

What is the point of living? To merely exist for as long as possible? or to really live your life and experience as many things as possible? The answer probably lies somewhere in-between the two, different people will tend towards one end of the scale or the other, most will probably be content somewhere in the middle. But my advice would be to get on with it, don't sit around thinking maybe I'll have a go at that next year.

I watch far too much television and try to justify it in my own mind by thinking it is inspirational or motivational or educational. Some of it is, and sometimes we need that kind of inspiration to get us going, but very often it is an excuse to laze about. From now on I plan to live every moment as if it's my last and see how much I can fit in before it truly is. I suggest you do the same."

If you have any questions I am happy to answer them.

My wonderful, Darling Hubby, I love you.

Lots of Love Arwedd xx