Sooooo…good news. My scan said I had a zero score for hard blockage.
bad news - I have an aneurysm. 
Radiologist who read the results said no further follow-up / action was necessary and that they can be common, but waiting to hear back from my primary doc. Onbviously as someone who puts more than a fair share pf strain on their cardiovascular system, this isn’t the most comforting news.
We’ll see…
What a great story WLCrump! Sounds like they landed on some great interventions for you! Totally encouraging 
. God bless brother! Glad to hear you’re doing your thing!
A friend said to me, “well, you’re clearly more risk-tolerant than many but you’re not reckless”…he may not pay as close attention as he thinks! 
. And, it was a gracious compliment 
I understand. I have many of the same issues. I will say that about 20 months after my attack my cardiologist cleared me for track interval work and the next two years of interval work at the velodrome probably led to revascularization and better test results. Then came covid (or vax) issues so my fitness and thresholds are down and my apprehensions are back despite cardiologists finding nothing amiss. But you are right about being proactive. You know if something is wrong and It is easier to try to minimize it rather than persisting. Thanks again.
Well, this is an unexpected thread i needed to join after having a heart attack last Tuesday when doing a training session. RCA blood clots were removed after a lengthy Angioplasty procedure that had it’s issues, but i am now home and starting to think how to move forward from this.
I will have a good read through the thread, with particular interest in return to exercise protocols that others have followed.
Sorry to hear this…but glad you are here to tell us about it.
Best wishes for a full and swift recovery.
Thanks!
Hi Potsie, as the original poster of this thread, thought I’d offer my sympathies - if you’re anything like me you’ll be feeling as though you’ll never be able to do anything again. My initial Heart Attack sounds very similar to yours (massive clot forming 100% RCA blockage, long delay to get to hospital so lots of permanent cardiac damage, 2 stents - but still here).
Being still here is the important part, so that’s a good start!!
It took me a long time to get back to a somewhat normal life, but things have gradually improved. I doubt that I’ll never race again, certainly not at the level I was before, but I am now (2 years) later back out swimming, cycling, running, surfing, windsurfing and climbing mountains. It’s taken a lot to get my head around taking things easier and resetting my expectations of what’s possible, what’s safe and what gives me enjoyment but I’m getting there.
The main things for me (which might help you) are to take it really slowly, always err on the side of caution as it’s much better to be doing a short ride or an easy ride than it is no ride at all. Also, try not to think too much about how things were. The faster you can come to terms with the way things are post-HA the faster you can start enjoying them again. If it teaches us anything it should be that no one knows what might happen tomorrrow so make sure you enjoy ‘today’, even if it’s not quite as good as ‘yesterday’.
All the best for a speedy (and safe) recovery. Hopefully in 12 months time you’ll be posting a similar reassuring reply to someone in a similar situation.
Al.
P.S. I keep a blog so my journey of recovery since my HA has been chronicled there: https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?s=Heart+attack something to read whilst sat on the sofa recovering and wondering what’s next.
Thanks for the insights and hope AL I’ll reply to directly if you don’t mind when I am ready. All a bit more raw than I thought when I tried to reply.
A few years on, is this still your position? No tests could have given early warning or preventative measures?
Thanks in advance.
Unfortunately, the answer to that is ‘pretty much, yes’.
I have since, thanks to lots of research and pestering for various tests myself, been diagnosed with a mild genetic clotting disorder. The doctors say that this may or may not have been a contributory factor but it seems to make sense that it would be - along with being dehydrated after a hard training session, maybe the covid vaccine or covid itself and some bad luck.
However, even if I’d had the test for this clotting disorder (it’s called Factor 2 Leiden) prior to my heart attack the doctors say that it’s unlikely they would have done anything about it. The only thing they can do is put you on anti-clotting drugs but these obviously have risks associated with bleeding (as well as other side effects), so it’s unlikely that they would have done so.
There are so many things at play that I don’t think it would really be possible to screen people for all of the possible factors that might at some point cause a heart attack, so early warning seems to be out of the question. I do wonder if being particularly fit might have masked some early warning signs but I can’t think of anything. I guess the only preventative measures anyone can take will be what all the doctors will tell you which will be exercise regularly, don’t drink too much, don’t smoke, maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthy diet etc. etc…
The clotting disorder that I have does make me wonder if I’m on the correct medication yet. Now, I don’t want to bad mouth the NHS as they do an amazing job at patching you up if the shit hits the fan, I certainly wouldn’t be here without them, but it does seem to be a one-size fits all approach after that. It wouldn’t matter if I had been an overweight, chain-smoking, 70yr old who ate nothing but fast food, or an ‘athlete’ which more closely describes me, the treatment would have been the same. So, for the first year after the HA I was on two anti-clotting agents (aspirin and Ticagrelor). The latter of these is only prescribed for the first year after the insertion of stents, after which you revert back to aspirin only.
I questioned this given the fact that I had none of the usual risk factors of a HA but I did have a clotting disorder. The NHS weren’t really interested but I did eventually convince them to put me on a slightly stronger drug than the aspirin (something called Clopidogrel). However, the lack of bleeding, bruising and the speed at which I clotted whilst on it led me to believe this wasn’t working for me. Some research showed that in fact 1/3 of people don’t have the necessary enzyme to process Clopidogrel so there’s a 1 in 3 chance that it won’t work for any individual. I’m therefore back on just the aspirin but I’m not sure if that’s enough. I guess it’s more than I was on before the HA though so maybe it is. I’m currently trying to get an appointment with a haematologist to talk through such things.
Maybe one day the technology will exist to tell us what major health events will hit us and when, but unless there’s something we can do to prevent them maybe it’s best not to know!
Al.
Factor V Leiden…
There are Factor II and Factor V mutations.
But the factor V mutation (rs6025(A)) is called V Leiden, factor II isn’t
Similar, but different…
On the clotting side the hematologist I have been seeing REALLY wants to keep me on eliquis oh and he told me to quit cycling because it’s a risky behavior in the event you crash, hit your head and have a brain bleed while on thinners.
That’s why he’s the hematologist I’ve been seeing and not MY hematologist. I’m currently NOT on thinners, but could see a benefit of being on the lowest dose. 100% not quitting cycling.
Yeah, I had that dilemma after I got my stent. It’s a tough spot to be in, I empathize. I had started cycling again (after almost 20 years) right before the blockage was discovered. And on thing I quickly realized was that the arthritis pain and inflammation in my feet was greatly reduced by pedaling at least every other day. Luckily, I don’t have a clotting issue (aside from CAD).
At my 1 year followup (I had lost 60 lbs since I met the EP) I told him I was riding in the woods a lot and worried about bleeding, and he took me off the thinner, and traded it for a daily 325 mg aspirin. Seems to be working for ME. Definitely thinner blood, so I bleed pretty good at first, but once it starts to clot, it seals up pretty quick (I’ve learned wind helps…so I keep moving, lol, yeah likely story).
My hematologist kept me on warfarin for years because of my activity level….the availability of reversal agents for warfarin and not for the next-Gen thinners led him to that prescription.
Now that there is a reversal agent for Eliquis, he switched my Rx. While I am overall glad to be on Eliquis, the twice-daily dosage is kind of a pain. 
( I have Factor V)
Adoring can work as a thinner for treating artery issues, but isn’t a good treatment option for veinous issues….different proteins at play, as it was explained to me. I tried desperately to get my doc to let me do low-dose aspirin regimen after I was diagnosed to no avail.
Same, heterogeneous, and have had dvt, so higher risk. Good to know about the reversal agent.
I take a bunch of stuff 2x a day already, so it’s just another small pill.