Having a hard time.

[Finster101]

I had a heart attack on 5-30-14 five days and seven stents later I got to come home. I am very grateful to be alive but the frustration of doing nothing and feeling useless is wearing on me. Guys I'm only 53, never smoked, not overweight and no high cholesterol. It just hit me. Now I'm going to be off work for several weeks and really can't do much of anything till I see my Dr. again on the 20th. I am used to being active and busting butt. Now my wife won't even let me carry a 12 pack of soda. It's getting to me and I'm getting grumpy. I snapped a little bit ago a hurt her feelings. The last thing I wanted to do. Not much else to say, just needed to vent a little I guess. I just don't play the waiting game very well.

James

[Freightman]

wife know best listen to her.

[mikeym1a]

Too bad. Maybe you could set up some tin cans in the back yard and shoot some BBs at them. Maybe have her cock the gun for you, if that's too much exertion. I'm not making fun. I have cancer, and am now very limited in what I do. Getting worse each day. You, on the other hand, have a recovery path. You didn't get into your situation overnight. It simply built up over time. And it will take time, a change in diet, and a lot of effort on your part to get back into some degree of good shape. You have a long future in front of you if you do your part. Get on the net, and educate yourself as to what you need to do to get and stay healthy. Try looking at holistic medicine sites. They don't just look at medicine, they look at diet, exercise, body type, supplements, in short, they look at the 'whole' of the person to determine how to get and stay healthy. Doctors can give advise. It is up to you to make sure you do what is necessary to stay healthy. Give your wife a hug, and tell her you are sorry. Lean on her, she will help. mikey

[smokeywolf]

Vent to us anytime. Apologize to the wife, odds are she's also stressed, worried and is on your side. Talk to her about your feelings; they love that.

[Bad Water Bill]

Most of us hear REALLY mean it when we say WE are a family.

If you need to bend an ear send us your phone # and many will bend your ear till you are ready for bed.

Hurt our feelings ???

Unlike your worried,caring nervous,stressed,loving etc wife we can go out and do something else when we want to.

Now start raising your post count and relax because we to want to see you recover and get back to your old crotchety nasty self.:kidding:

See we can also sound like the rest of your family.:bigsmyl2:

[Finster101]

I appreciate the advice and the offers guys. My biggest problem is I feel fine and I am just not used to sitting around and watching everyone else work and especially do jobs that I usually do. I will do what the Doc says even though I don't like it. I'm not ready to make her a widow yet. It's just frustrating. I'm sure some of you have been there.

James

[bayjoe]

Yeah what Smokeywolf said times 2

[Bad Water Bill]

No matter what the pill pushers say I still believe GENES pay a great part in our lives.

Mom had a heart attack but did not notice it(a DR told her so years later) and she lived a long life till the ripe young age of 95.

At that point the whole body was just worn out.

Her dad lived to 93 and smoked cigarettes,a pipe and cigars every day till he died.

I was in the hospital when a DR informed the parents of a 9 year old that he had terminal lung cancer and they did not allow anyone to enter their home if they smoked.

Do not take me wrong as your DR has way more info on you and what needs to be done to keep you snuggled next to your loving wife for another 40 years or so.

[dbosman]

Take care of yourself first and your wife firstest.
She knows you're not your self at present.

My late attorney never smoked and didn't drink. He died of both liver and lung cancer.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Look at it from the idea that you`re on the green side of the lawn, not the other way around! It`s been 17 years since my attack and 6 way bypass surgery, I have bad days yet - but it sure beats what could have been the other end result!Robert

[monadnock#5]

It has been one of my General Life's Observations that the vast majority of people, about the time they hit retirement age, come down with some Godawful, miserable disease or disorder. There are 3 possible outcomes. 1) Death is imminent. 2) Partial recovery, but never get all the way back. 3) The malady gets left in the dust and it's smooth sailing 'till 85. To whatever extent I will have the ability to choose when it comes, choice 3 is the one I like best. I'm fairly sure your wife would agree.

[MrWolf]

Damn. I am only a year older than you. Do as everyone says and relax and do as your wife says. You know you will end up doing it anyway so take the less stressful route. Hope you get better and use the site to vent and learn.

[Polecat]

Hey man you have a great future. the tecnolagy is here to help you live a long life. I had a six bypass at 53 I am seventy two' 13 stints one in the cartide artere. one mini stroke and prostrate cancer, and I am casting and PC'ing. Make sure any time you think something is not right git to the docter and don't hold nothing back. Sorry cain't spell getting old and like it Jerry

[shoot-n-lead]

Enjoy your recovery as you will be back sooner than you think.

Prayer sent for you and will add you to the prayer list.

GOD bless.

[Bad Water Bill]

Consider this as time served as an apprentice retiree and time will fly.

Give that great young lady a hug for me.

Sure wish I had one like her here today but the man above had other plans for both of us.

[Garyshome]

First go say your sorry to the wife, then do what she says.

[osteodoc08]

Most of us hear REALLY mean it when we say WE are a family.

If you need to bend an ear send us your phone # and many will bend your ear till you are ready for bed.

Hurt our feelings ???

Unlike your worried,caring nervous,stressed,loving etc wife we can go out and do something else when we want to.

Now start raising your post count and relax because we to want to see you recover and get back to your old crotchety nasty self.:kidding:

See we can also sound like the rest of your family.:bigsmyl2:

Couldn't of said it better. I've vented to you guys more than I'm willing to admit. Rest up now cause you'll be back up and running before you know it.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Houndog]

Been there, done that 4X!!!! The absolute worst thing for me was feeling like "damaged goods" after the first one. I was working at least 18 hour days 7 days a week and the next thing was 3 months of rest and rehab! Your lifestyle WILL change, like it or not, and taking better care of yourself must become priority 1! Listen to the docs, do what they say, hug the Wife and tell her what's going on inside your head. She will be the absolute best watchdog of what's going on with your recovery.

[Wayne Smith]

Couple of things: American men major in the verb 'to do'. We excell at doing. We ignore the verb 'to be'. Women tend to be better at being. It has been said that an unexamned life is not worth living. Talk to your wife about living in the verb 'to be'. She is likey to be able to help. If you are a Christian let me recommend the book A Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. He teaches how to do the internal disciplines of the Church.

Listen to your doctors but learn your own body. More than likely one thing you can do is walk. Do so. Walk through the pain, carrying and using meds as needed. If you are walking straight only go half as far/long as you think you can, you need to walk back!

[NSB]

It happened to me last August. My doctor put me into cardiac rehab within a week and I got LOTS of exercise. Your doctor will probably put you into it also. They monitor you while you're working out to see how you're doing. After going half way through it hunting season opened. I had to make a choice. The doctor said I was OK to go hunting and it was also good exercise as long as I didn't push myself to the limit. I quit cardiac rehab and had a great hunting season. It's going to mostly depend on how much damage was done and what you're capable of. Don't worry, they'll have you back up and going sooner than you think. You just need evaluated to see where you're at damage wise. FYI, three months before having the heart attack I had a stress test. They told me "you're in remarkable shape for a man your age. Your heart's in great shape". All my risk factors were genetic. Best thing to do at this point is just wait to see the doc again. They put everyone in rehab now days, so you'll be active again real soon. Good luck and try not to get worked up too bad over it. Your wife probably understands more than you realize. She's more worried about you than what you said. Give her a hug and tell her you love her.

[w5pv]

Be patient and things will come around for you and your wife.God bless you an family.

I ones worked for this guy that they said the reason he didn't have meetings was because he couln't stand to see that many people sitting down at one time and not doing anything.LOL

[searcher4851]

Sorry to hear about your situation. You mention the frustration you feel not being able to do much of anything, but look deeper into that frustration and see if it is compounded by a fear of things being this way from now on. The fear is usually much more powerful until it's recognized as fear and nothing more. Understanding fear robs it of a lot of it's power over you. Will your life be different from here on? Probably, to some extent. Will this useless feeling continue? Only if you let it. Your job has just changed recently, due to your heart condition. Your main job now is recovery. The other stuff will get done in time if you take care of the current number one job now. The less you worry about the other ones, the better and easier you can take care of the job at hand. And it also sounds like you have a capable and willing helper to help you with your new job. Be grateful for that help, and there's a good chance you'll be strengthening you relationship as a side effect of strengthening you heart.
Good luck, and speedy recovery to you.

[Junior1942]

I've had three heart attacks starting at age 39. But here I am at age 71 still alive. The key to staying alive is this: take your prescribed medication and exercise, even if it's mild exercise. You are a lucky man to have a loving wife who is still at your side. I thought I did . . . but didn't. Nuf said....

[Col4570]

I had one in October 2000,I have stuck to the prescribed pills since then.I had a spell of rehab initialy.My Doctors advise was to get on with it.14 years later I am still here and enjoying my Shooting etc.I understand what you are going through but time will reduce your fears.Good luck and go well.

[Finster101]

Those of you who have been through this are stating it exactly. I do kind of feel like damaged goods and wonder if I will be able to get back to where I was. I am definitely following Dr.s orders. I won't see him for about two weeks and hope to be able to start rehab then. I think that will do a lot for my confidence. Thank you for the words of encouragement and sharing your stories. It certainly helps me put things into perspective.

James

[MaryB]

Having been through back surgery and 6 months of recovery and no where near back to normal after that it is rough. It forced me into retirement on the spot at age 46. Still found small odd jobs that didn't require me to lift to pad the small SSDI check I get. Life goes on things will pop up that you can still do that don't require hard physical work. Now if I have a heavy job I sit and look for awhile and figure out how to work smarter instead of harder.

[Junior1942]

..... Now if I have a heavy job I sit and look for awhile and figure out how to work smarter instead of harder.That is spot on!

[Finster101]

MaryB, I'm a auto mechanic. Sometimes it's not heavy work and sometimes it is, you can't pick and choose so there is no light duty. Doc seems to think that I will get back to 100% or near it but no indication yet as to how long he thinks that will take. You might think an oil change and tire rotation is easy but most Escalade wheels weigh in at over 80 lbs. each and I do work at a Cadillac store.

James

[Bad Water Bill]

I spent 25 years in a garage and only attended ONE retirement dinner.

Most people have no clue just what goes on in the shop.

Try an oil change when the car comes in off the road in an ice or snow storm some day.

How about changing ball joints or shocks in the snow storm,ahhh that nice 33 degree water down your neck and arms.:sad:

[MaryB]

They do make tire lifts... if the company won't buy one I would do it myself, not that expensive compared to your spine going out and sidelining you. Or the heavy lifting triggering another heart attack... there are ways to make lifting easier. I installed a pickup hoist on my upper deck, anything heavy that needs a trip upstairs goes up via an electric winch then in the door off that deck. Little things that make life easier.