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

Stepping out in Faith

Having struggled with PTSD & Depression for the last 9 months, I am a woman seeking refuge and restoration, making significant life changes and praying that if I "walk by faith and not by sight" 2Cor 5:7 God will be there to guide my steps to a safer path.

I am 41 and live in a beautiful part of Devon on the edge of Dartmoor. I have a Darling Hubby (DH) and two wonderful sons, nominally aged 13 and 7 (8 on Easter Sunday!!), but both of them going on 90 in terms of their knowledge and wisdom. It seems there is nothing I can teach them which is just as well, as it seems I have a lot to learn myself. Top on my list is learning that I am 'good enough'.

DH had a Cardiac Arrest at home on 22nd February 2010, around 22:00. Thankfully we had sat down to watch the television that evening together, for the first time in about three months. Prior to that we had both been so busy with work and household jobs that our evenings were invariably spent with DH in his study and me in the kitchen. However that night God was watching over him and when he stood up just after the Ten O'clock News had started, only to say 'I feel faint' and then promptly drop down dead, I was there to witness it and call 999. 

I proceeded to perform CPR on DH for 15 minutes, with the help of the wonderful Hannah who took my call, until the Ambulance crew arrived. The amazing Tony and Steve used the Defibrillator to shock DH's heart 5 times, pumped him full of drugs, intubated him (stuck a tube down his throat) and carted him off to A&E in a big flashy ambulance. I was convinced he was gone and I was distraught. To cut a very long story somewhat shorter, after a horrendous few days, during which he was taken to ICU, where they put him in a state of induced hypothermia and told me he was very likely to be severely brian damaged due to 25 minutes without a proper supply of Oxygen to the brain, he was taken to the Bristol Heart Institute. 

There we spent a horrendous month of tests and risky operations, but he eventually came home with an 800 volt "Shock Box" or ICD (Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator) wired up directly to his heart, just in case it throws a wobbly again and I can thankfully say my DH is one of the 5% of people who survive a cardiac arrest outside of hospital. I should add his brain is no worse than it was before the event. I do know that if what happened, had happened at any other time, for example, in his sleep, or even half an hour later, I would not have known until after he was gone. I also know that in addition to the miracle of the timing, God held on tight to him that night and I am so grateful to have him back.

Sadly the event has left me with continuing nightmares, flashbacks (awake) and mood swings. During the following year my life was also made more difficult by someone at work who should have known better, (probably shouldn't blog about this in detail) which threw me into full blown depression. I am on a waiting list for EMDR, which could take months and has ultimately led to me resigning from not only my job, but a career which has taken me 24 years to build. 

So here I stand on the cusp of something new with no confidence in my ability to peel a potato any more, let alone do the kind of senior job I used to do. DH has just bought me a sweet little two-seater soft-top Sports car, (it's a Mazda MX5, for those who are interested in that kind of thing) which he says is a "Lifes too Short" gift. Indeed, it is giving me some good days driving round in the sun, across the Moors, with the top down, but I still get the bad days too and I have no idea where God wants me to go next.

Inspired by the awesome and wonderful Fostermummy, who I know is on the same rollercoaster, I am determined to start making changes to my life. (I am also very desperate to Win a Day with her, more about that later!!). I know my blog is unlikely to be as entertaining as hers - she is well worth following - fostermummy.blogspot.com but I would be grateful for any comments you wish to send my way.

I am thankful that the Lord has declared He will Restore my health and heal my wounds (Jer 30:17) and until that happens, I guess I will just have to start Stepping Out in Faith.......