This article is part two of Nancy’s original article: My Heart Attack Experience By Nancy Cho-Auvil
Greetings to all…following my heart attack of February 28, 2004, I was admitted to SW Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington. My length of stay was three days. During that time, the attitudes of the medical professionals had changed towards me for the better, leading up to an apology to me from the Chief of Cardiology himself. He admitted to me that had I presented to him at a routine office visit a week prior to the heart attack, he would have said, “You are fine. Get out of here,” because I looked the picture of health with my glowing skin and calm demeanor. My test results had proven otherwise, the cardiac tropins were elevated, and the angiogram revealed two blockages. Following my discharge from the hospital, my long road towards recovery began, beginning with being taken off work under the Family & Medical Leave Act from my job at Kaiser Permanente for a period of 8 weeks.
My poor mother wanted me to stay with her so she could take care of me in her own home. She was also concerned about me going up and down the stairs of my new townhouse. The doctor reassured her that I would be just fine in my own home and on my own. God bless her for being worried, because she remembered what my dad went through following his heart attack many years ago.
Once I was home, the first thing I attempted to do was yard work. Not the bending over and pulling weeds, but digging up a section of my lawn to widen the flower beds. I made it about seven feet into that project before I realized this was not one of my better ideas before I gave it up.
The following days and weeks consisted of doing small things fixing simple meals for my daughter and I, light laundry, housework, and walks outside. Emptying the dishwasher, which surprisingly, took more energy than I had cared to expend, as it tired me out. This fatigue would end up lasting a good eight months before my energy levels returned back to normal. I had follow up doctor appointments for more cardiiac testing; one in particular, was the Thallium Stress Test.
This test revealed I had sustained 15% damage. That being said, I had follow ups with my regular PCP, and he gave me the time off I asked for.
In spite of the challenges presented for recovery, learning to take medications and increasing my daily exercise to build up both strength and endurance, in hindsight, my experience really wasn’t too bad. The worst part, for me, was the dietary changes I was forced to make. I had to go on a heart healthy diet was recommended by the American Heart Association. This meant following the DASH Diet, switching out butter for olive oil, reducing my consumption of red meats, consuming more healthy fatty foods such as fish, which I do not like, and more fresh fruits and vegetables which I was fine with, but I had to give up cheeseburgers and fries, and my mother’s beloved southern cooking, and full fat dairy, in particular, ice cream and cheeses.
It was complicated and daunting. Eventually I said screw it, I will become vegetarian. This experiment lasted two weeks.The food tasted like shit. I was hungry. I was also grumpy.
I broke down and went to the nearest Burgerville for a reset. This time, I changed my game plan and started reading food labels and grocery shopped for leaner cuts of meat, and concentrated more on plant based proteins, whole grains, and more complex carbs, and I learned to like Greek yogurt.
It took time to implement all these changes and change did not happen overnight. I had many resets from Burgrville.. but I did not see food as an enemy, but enjoyed them as a treat, maybe once a month or so.
I went back to work after being out for eight weeks. I was not back to baseline until eight months post heart attack without feeling fatigued by mid afternoon at work and needing a quick 15 minute nap at work. Since Feb 2004, I have episodes of angina, but it is has been kept under control with medication and stress management.
Four years later, I had another Thallium Stress Test, and a routine Treadmill stress test. All my lifestyle modifications paid off. The results revealed that the 15% damage was reversed and I had no physical evidence of having a heart attack, aside from the presence of two medicated stents.
Today, I still face the challenge of having high blood serum cholesterol readings, I just do the best I can on a daily basis, and enjoy life one day at a time. My diet and exercise habits are a continuing work in progress, and every year reflects some improvement.
Living with a chronic condition is not a death sentence due to genetics or lifestyle choices, but it is a series of making educated choices which in turn, leads to a better quality of life.
Start Learning More At:
- Angina by Mayo Clinic Staff
- Nutrition and Healthy Eating by Mayo Clinic Staff
- Stress Management by Mayo Clinic Staff
- Thallium Stress Test by Jennifer Nelson and Medically Reviewed by Debra Sullivan, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, COI on March 29, 2017
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Nancy Cho-Auvil is the author of From the Heart column for Wellness Works NW. Nancy is also a contributing author of Mixed Korean: Our Stories. Native to the Pacific Northwest, Nancy lives in Cowlitz County with her life partner and their cat, Keekers. Nancy enjoys working out with Karen G Clemenson. She also enjoys knitting. Check out Nancy’s personal blog at CrazyCozyChick.Blogspot.com. You can also find Nancy on Facebook. Nancy is a mom, a grandmother and a heart attack survivor so we know what she writes comes straight From the Heart…
