Heart attack at 45 !
 

I'm just getting over a heart attack and was wondering how this is going to impact on my travels around Europe and North America. (inc Alaska )

Some of you old buggers must be travelling with dodgy tickers have you got any advise and encouragement for me.

It's early days, a month since the attack so I'm at home worrying that my plans are in tatters.

I thought I'd covered most eventualities, but I didn't see this one coming !!

sorry 2 hear that
 

wishes for quick recovery but as for advice.....

Carpe Diem, Tempus Fugit
is the only thing which springs to mind:thumbup1:

Heart problems?
 

Watch "Worlds fastest Indian" movie. Less stress, more travel.

Thanks for the encouragement.
I'd much rather seize the day than seize my chest !!

As for Ranulph, I think the kind of guy who can saw his own fingers off
is just slightly harder than me. I'll take it a bit slower.

Change your brand of cigarettes :wink2: or if you aren't a smoker maybe start smoking to reduce your stress :innocent:
Seriously though....good to hear you survived - that's a pretty important first step. Take your time and give your heart a work out - it's just another muscle so it needs exercise. Sitting on your butt feeling sorry for yourself is the last thing you should do. It must have been very scarey but I know a few other folks who have gone through similar and come out the other side with a new and positive approach to their "second" chance. take it and live life to the max. Good luck .....:thumbup1:

(Yikes - just dawned on me I'm 45 now too .....! )

Don't Worry, Be Happy
 

Hey Doc,

Hmmm.. where do I start..? Welcome to the club? :biggrin:
Seriously, I had one 4 years ago (I'll be 47 this year). Don't let it bully you and don't stay at home "worrying" that your plans are in tatters.

And yea, like Gecko said f you aren't a smoker maybe start smoking to reduce your stress :innocent: .

Take things easy. Go outside, breath more fresh air, exercise a little, listen to soothing music. Relax....

My best remedy is to get on the bike and just escape out of the city for an hour or so. Try it... All said; take good care of yourself. Don't worry!:thumbup1:

norm

Holy moly - 45!
 

OK, I'm getting off the computer and going for good walk...

Thanks Norman,
I'm not too worried whilst I'm here at home. I feel quite positive about the future. What concerns me is how safe it will be to travel into the wilderness
on my own in the future. This is what I love to do. I guess I'll know more as I get a few more months under my belt. My first trip this year is to the TT so
that should be ok.

I had 3 stress related minor strokes at age 41, lost eyesight for a while, and a lot of feeling down right side. I started riding my BM again about a year after the last one, but had a couple of near misses when I had a big "shudder" whilst riding. Have n't ridden too much since on road - but the odd dirt road trip is fine. Since then my wife and I have travelled a fair bit in Europe and are almost ready to head off again for an 8 month trip around Europe, N Africa, Russia, Mongolia and back to Australia in October.

Biggest hassle - the letters saying I can travel with 8 months of diabetic and blood pressure tablets.

Changed my diet and lost a big heap of weight - 115kgs to 90kgs. Became vegetarian and used Ayurvedic cooking as far as possible to control blood pressure, etc. Avoid homogenised milk products as this (in my opinion) is the major cause for heart, Type 2 diabetes and blood pressure problems.

Have a type 2 diabetes test as well - often missed by the quacks as they focus on the end result and not the cause.

PS my wife has just recovered from ovarian cancer and a melanoma on her leg - so we probably qualify as old codgers with past health problems!!

Thanks Roger,
It sounds like you've had it worse than me. It's heartning ( excuse the pun )
to hear that you've since done some long trips. Ironically I'd already given up smoking, salt and even the drink too. I'd altered my diet considerably as well.
So even though I've been healthier for at least 4 years it still happened.
I pity anyone who has an attack and has to give all those things up as well.
Now that would kill you.
Thanks for the tip about T2 test, you assume they checked for that.

Pre trip health checks
 

I think that's a good reminder for all us middle aged travellers to get a full check up before we embark on trips. Better, cheaper and safer to find out if there is a problem before you leave your home land.
Take your time in recovery and use the days to research places to go. This should take your mind off things and the days will just fly by.
Always look on the bright side and just remember you are one of the lucky ones that got a warning and survived, many don't!

Keep smiling
Glen

Doc,
A neighbour, aged 46 then, quit cigarettes wanting to live a healthier life died of a heart attack 3 weeks after. An 'expert' friend of mine (a chain-smoking, old fart :biggrin: [sorry, tony] who rides a 1150GS like a teenager) advise not to quit cold turkey if you have been smoking all your adult life. Do it slowly, step by step as quiting cold turkey could drastically change and upset your system thus the attack***. Eat less, eat right. Smile more. Be nice.

And if you are travelling for a long period of time just bring your tablets and prescriptions. Replenish while on the road if neccesary - or mail your medications before you leave to addreses of friends/hotels you might visit or stay at so you can pick up along the way.

Take it easy, my friend.

*** please read disclaimer below :innocent:

"If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." ... quoted from the speech Steve Jobs gave to Stanford graduates

a. can ozcan

May I quote You!
 

Hi FlyingDoc and others, I am in the process of writing a book on fitness for the full time traveler. I would appreciate permission to include some of your dialogue in the book. I think it will help others to realize the benefits of adopting a health life style. May I?

Thanks,
Land Sailor

presumably you will have an angiogram, this will establish fairly effectively what state the rest of your coronary arteries are in. it may well be that you were unlucky and the others are fine. you need to establish wether you are at high risk or, as is sometimes the case in young infarcts, at no more risk than anyone else of having another attack. The bonus is that having survived 1 heart attack, you will now have lots of highly paid people keeping a close eye on you doing checks that otherwise you would not get, so hopefully picking up potential problems, before they become problems.

check with your doc about preventative measures as well such as regular asprin, and a gentle reintroduction to exercise.

I am an emergency dept nurse and had a guy come in a few months back in his late 70s who had just had his second heart attack (an attack, not a full on cardiac arrest), over 30 years after his first!! so don't cancel that christmas club membership just yet!!

Thanks Moggy,
I'm feeling a lot better now I'm allowed to drive again. Done about 400 miles this week on bike and felt great.
I'm looking forward to camping in the spring now.

Talk to us!
 

Hey! I wouldnt dream of giving you medical advice, but would you please tell us how things are going with your health now?

Hope you're OK and riding that bike!

From the heart
 

Flyingdoctor, just be there comfotably, no matter what, and the fringe benefit is you might increase your ability to handle any situation. Being there comfortably can be achieved with a little practice drill.

First, make sure you are not tired, hungry or thirsty, etc. close you eyes and sit silently without doing anything, thinking, moving etc for as long as it takes until you can actually be there comfortably without doing anything. If you don't get it during the first couple hours, that is OK, just schedule in more hours the next day.

Second, make sure etc... do the same with your eyes open, until you can sit there comfortably without doing anything with your eyes open.

Third, make sure etc. and sit with your eyes open in front of another person, at first have the person sit there quietly until you can sit in front of another person with your eyes open comfortably without doing anything.

Fourth,make sure etc... have the person try to distract you and get you to react (no touching). When you can sit comfortably in front of another person with your eyes open and the person cannot make you react, or be uncomfortable, let me know. It is OK if the above takes a couple years to achieve. Just keep trying and don't have another heart attack, it makes me nervous.

xfiltrate

Caminando, it is exactly one year to the day since my heart attack. How strange that you posted on this thread today of all days.

I'm feeling great and enjoying life. I have been lucky really as I've not had any complications. As for the travel I just picked up where I left off. I decided I wanted a new bike so I bought a New Tiger 1050 in March. I've put 15,000 miles on it this summer. I went to the TT then 17 days in the south of france. I had another 17 day trip to Scandinavia in September. It's true that it alters your outlook on life. I kept putting stuff off, but no longer. Next year I'm having the whole summer off. I plan to go to the States and have at least 6 weeks in Spain and Portugal. As much as I'd like to give it all up and just go I'm compromising with a quick 3 month trip!

My advice to anyone in the same position as me last year is to use the recovery time for planning the great trips you're going to be making in the future. Be positive and get the maps out!

Thanks for all the support from everyone on the HUBB. It helps more than you could know.

Hi Flyingdoctor,

congrats on your anniversary!

Nice to see you've done so much this year and already have plans in place for next year.

I must admit that this years TT racing was one of the best weeks of my life, great people, fabulous roads, awesome event. I'll just get a pot of tea on the go and have a rekkie through my photo's of the event!

Hey! thats the spirit! I admit the silence worried me a little.

Think positive, live longer!!!! Could be any of us!

Good roads!

Heartfelt (sorry!) congratulations on your anniversary Flyingdoctor.

I'm really pleased that you have treated your cardiac rehab in such a positive way. I had a heart attack in april '96 aged 41 and I found that it really knocked my personal confidence. A major problem was well-meaning friends and relatives who told me to give everything up and sit quietly at the fireside. You are bound to have had this as well so I understand how much positive support means. Keep on listening to your body - you know better than anyone how you feel - keep on enjoying life.

In my case I took up cycling to get fit and lose weight, four years later I took part in a small triathlon and then in 2003 I completed Half Ironman UK. That really brought my confidence back. I'm now a born-again biker and, thanks to the HUBB, October 2008 will see me and my deauville in Morocco.

Enjoy your travels in 2008 and I look forward to seeing an occasional update from you.

Drew

You too, Drew. (see my post on hotels in Marrakesh)

Like some of you, I had a heart attack aged 45 years and 6 days old. I was out riding a 650 KLR in the hills around Brisbane on a 38 degree day,and just keeled over. I woke up 5 days later to find out that my life had changed forever. It took the doctors another two weeks to be able to move me for an angiogram, and then I had a stent fitted the next day. Although I was very fit at the time, apparently a combination of emotional and physical(heat) stress caused the attack. A few fortunate factors enabled the paramedics to restart my heart, and therefore my life. Luckily for me, there was an ambulance with all the right gear onboard only a few minutes away. The surgeon who looked after me said that I had had "The heart attack you have when you aren't supposed to have a heart attack"

Today, almost seven and a half years later, I have only 8 more sleeps to go before leaving on my trip of dreams- riding a bike from the UK back to Australia.

The one thing that it taught me is that life is very short, so I am going to make the most of it. So, to all of you out there who are procrastinating, I say go for it as you never know what is around the corner.

I am 42 and doing nothing to keep fit, over-indulging the vino to unwind at night and expect to be immortal if a bit over-weight!

This thread makes me think - I really am just existing - you folks have had a warning and done magnificently well. I should learn a lesson and make some effort to shake myself up a bit.

Enjoy the trips and keep posting with your adventures! Cheers!!

Hi Kenny. I'm getting as much done as I can. Life isn't about work and pensions it's about living. I bought a little XT250 Serow as a winter ride and love it. It's meant that I could keep on riding through the bad weather and keep my "big" bike out of the crud. Thing is I've become addicted to my "little 'un". I just got back from a weeks camping in France on it. Funny I was the only bike on the ferry, both ways! I chanced the weather and had some lovely sunny days on the Normandy beaches. I keep taking the tablets and keep on riding. I got back yesterday and the sun shone all the way across the Channel. I was dozing in the sun listening to Pink Floyd and thought, "I really do not have a care in the world"

Quijote, you will not make a more sane decision in your life than to learn from others mistakes. Too many cigarettes, curries and beer made for an enjoyable and sociable life but there is a downside. I still have a medicinal Guinness and the occasional curry but I try to eat right and stay healthy so that I can keep doing the things I like. I do more of the things I like and try to avoid the ones I don't. My lawn hasn't been mown for 2 years, it's still made of green grass and it only gets about a foot high and then it dies off again, lifes too short for gardening.

Roger M
 

PM me about your diabetes. It can be cured. Not a joke. no money Indians have used it for years, but the AMA does not recognize it because the root's ingredients can't be duplicated . I can't do anything until winter when the sap is down.