My son passed away on 7/17/14 at the age of 23 as a result of a train accident. I just found out this weekend that the lad is the widow maker. During angioplasty, you're awake but relaxed and pain-free. If you look carefully at the first picture at the top of this article, you will notice there is an artery on the left side called the Left Main Artery. Our dear friends from out of townhad arrived for the weekend. I told my husband I didnt feel good and was going to the restroom. During a heart attack, blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart is reduced or cut off. Thats because paramedics can begin diagnostics and Had EKG stress test. If a piece of plaque breaks off and flows with the bloodstream toward the heart, a blood clot can form in the artery and block blood flow. The most common emergency treatment for a 100 percent LAD blockage consists of the following steps: Your doctor may insert a long-term stent to prevent the artery from getting clogged again. A terrifying choice to make but I choose the later, hopefully it was the right decision. In this regard, can you stent a 100 blocked artery? I have 35 stents, and 2 failed CABG grafts. Widowmaker Heart Attack: Signs and Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention HealthTap uses cookies to enhance your site experience and for analytics and advertising purposes. Appointments 800.659.7822 Appointments & Locations Cardiologist located a 95% blockage in the LAD where they placed a stent. I forgot to mention that my brother who is now 73, (five years older than me) suffered from sudden death in his early fortys. It can also lead to heart failure in which your heart muscle can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs. The airbag revived me. Now I feel better-equipped to take care of him and to (hopefully) never have this happen again! He figured that the homes heat probably felt high. We went to the ER at our nearest hospital, had and EKG, blood test and X-ray. They tried to resuscitate him for half an hour. Women are not treated with consistent regard as heart patients. I also became short of breath. Widowmaker Heart Attack: Definition, Symptoms, Survival, and More The widowmaker post stent prognosis | HealthTap Online Doctor on Monday the 15th I helped a neighbor move cars around that we were going to work on and felt the same pain. Lifestyle modification. On May 17, 2014, I had a full pulmonary function test. my husband didnt visit the doctor for 12 years. Also, be aware that the normal stress test may not find the problem. A moderate amount of plaque is present. After that, you can go home and start doing normal activities again, such as going to work and exercising, after about a week. I listened to my body. He was able to place a stent the next day but was dumbfounded how I was alive since the LAD was 99% occluded. The medical term for a widowmaker heart attack is an anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The doctors here immediately put me on 40 mg a day of avorstatin. My husband had a heart attack on Saturday. This went on all night and into the next dayI thought I was going to die! Anyone who thinks that they or another person may be having a heart attack should call 911 or head to the nearest emergency room immediately. We dont have results back from autopsy but I believe it was the widow maker. I think there is a lot to be said about vascular calcification and deposits. Because it serves such a big portion of the heart, the LAD All three arteries blocked. Do Stents Ever Need to be Replaced? - Healthline The sensitivity of smell was weird. Eat right, exercise? It feels strange how sudden and close such a life-threatening issue grazed us by. What if somebody said, Shut up, its not helping. Well, it probably didnt make a difference in the outcome, but it helped ME cope with a scary situation. I had no energy at all. The critical blockage in the artery stops, usually a blood clot, stops all the blood flow to the left side of the heart, causing the heart to stop beating normally. I wont be missing any of my follow-up doctor appointments. I too had a widow maker July 14, 2015. This is a update on life so far after the insertion of a stint in my LAD that was 100% blocked on November 12, 2015. Then it came back but the ambulance hadnt left yet. I had chest pains early August 2015 while shopping. Family history of heart issues and high blood pressure counted by medication. I had a recently started increasing my cardio exercise after suffering a leg fracture earlier in the year. Woke up Saturday feeling okay. At MyHeart.net, weve helped millions of people through our articles and answers. Involved LAD. It was about 1/2 mile. I had this Widowmaker heart attack Saturday morning. A quick pull on a little string to pull it out of the urethra, or by using a flexible scop First, a urethral stent (urolume) is in the urethra and usually placed in men with enlarged prostates and urinary obstruction who cannot have surgery. Ptca w stenting has come a long way in recent years with better equipment and easier to place devices (smaller caliber stents). 28 Apr 2023 22:49:07 It hit hard and fast!!! At this time I had fallen out on the ground and was on my back and lifted my legs up on the swing to help the strain on my heart. Those at risk for a heart attack include people with: What are symptoms of a heart attack? I just lost my father today to what they believe was a widowmaker. He died in August of 2015. By the way, my biggest concern in all of this was what it was going to cost me. And two crucial things to remember are that early diagnosis and prevention are paramount to not only preventing an LAD blockage but also increasing your chances of surviving one, especially in the long term. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our. I was only on treadmills about a minute and they stopped it and told me that they would have the pictures from the hospital in about a hour and to notify my wife to come in to review them with me. I may be having a heart attack. Seems like most of us older folks take our exercise seriously after an event like this. NEXT DAY I FELT BETTER. Once I told the Cardiologist the story, he got serious and said Im not going to give you a stress test because that wont tell me anything more than what you have already told me. He said he wanted to look inside my ateries and see what was up with my heart. This can be done during your angioplasty. Surgical procedures that can treat and prevent heart attacks include: The authors of one 2018 study found that widowmaker heart attacks led to the highest increased risk of death, heart failure, and stroke in comparison with other types of heart attack. I now wonder how many years I have to live. :/. I have been fighting this heart issue for 16 yrs. I am still here on this side of glory by the Grace of God! No, an electrocardiogram cannot detect blocked arteries. I guess my question is, as my family has a long history of heart related deaths, should I persevere with the scan and ignore my Cardiologists comments. 4 minutes of CPR and two different rounds of being shocked they got me back, about a minute later I went pulseless again and another 2 minutes of CPR and another round of being shocked. Policy. I was taken off the vent about a hour after I woke up. However, 10% dont make it through the first year after a heart attack. heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/treatment-of-a-heart-attack/cardiac-procedures-and-surgeries, my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/heart/patient-education/webchats/coronary-artery-disease/3859_advanced-coronary-artery-diseasehttps://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/family_history.htm, healthblog.uofmhealth.org/widowmaker-heart-attack-explained, vhlab.umn.edu/atlas/coronary-arteries/lad-left-anterior-descending-artery/index.shtml, mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/in-depth/heart-attack-symptoms/art-20047744, mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-20047702, health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-genetics-of-heart-disease-an-update, nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/hearttruth/lower-risk/risk-factors.htm, heart.org/-/media/data-import/downloadables/pe-abh-what-is-a-stent-ucm_300452.pdf. They found it during a Cardiac cath and it was to big for a stent. Im still in shock and find it hard to accept. Disclaimer:our posts may contain affiliate links! If you have pain go in to the ER. 157/106. I was in a coma for 4 days afterwards as they cooled my body. I think they did a balloon angioplasty. I just found out yesterday it was a widow maker. I got lucky. Your risk of a heart attack is low. Preventative care is essential. During open-heart surgery, an artery . With a focus on agility and creativity, cardiology medical device startups are challenging established players in the industry and disrupting traditional models of healthcare delivery. Greetings LAD survivors. Sigh. 100% LAD BLOCKAGE. The doctors performed the cath, placed a stent in his right artery, and did the balloon angioplasty on his LAD. Saturday, still had the chest pain, but Sunday morning, I had my wife take me to the ER. Over the course of the following year, I had numerous hospital stays since now they were dealing with heart issues plus COPD, pneumonia, anemia and fluctuating blood pressure. IN THE er!!!!!!! Nobody is writing a scientific paper here, so we dont need you to be the science police. YES, it was the doctor that did the procedure, and I look forward to actually getting to speak with him again to let him know how much I appreciate it, but it was the Lord that gave him and the rest of his team the knowledge and skills to perform the procedure. I went in for that procedure and 2 1/2 hours later came out of the OR with 2 stints installed. Is the ketogenic diet right for autoimmune conditions? The depression and anxiety is real but you can get thru it all. Most times, these can be treated relatively easily with stents. Is this a normal part of recovery? 1996-2021 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. After my surgery, I began getting headaches at least once a day, at the base of my skull, this was soon followed by chest pressure. He was on duty at fire station and thought he ate something that didnt agree with him and sat down. The damage can cause an abnormal heartbeat. I see others that report that a week later they are back to work and feeling great. The critical blockage in the artery stops, usually a blood clot, stops all the blood flow to the left side of the heart, causing the heart to stop beating normally. I think maybe I have PTSD from it or some kind of anxiety. With all the blood thinners in my system the surgery was touch and go. When its blocked at the beginning or very top of the artery, your heart muscle doesnt get any oxygen. Does anyone know if this is normal? He said its very dangerous too. After being released, I really started changing my diet, up to the point I lost 60 lbs. This widowmaker article scared me, it is written so well. I am a nurse and have seen the miracles of science but in the end, it is Gods plan. Others can't stop ruminating about death, and their friends and family are often baffled by it all. Ray, thanks for sharing your story. I took care of that issue and I am now starting June 2016, next month. Live and let live. The receptionist told me to go to ER if it got any worse. MyHeart is not a substitute for advice from a doctor. I am 30 years old. "Many people can survive widow-makers if we get them treatment right away," Niess said. God Bless You All. A heart attack caused by this truly drives fear into cardiologists, surgeons, and patients alike, because if that goes down, go figure! He was absolutely right. I have 2 kids and a new grandbaby that will be one year next month. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Its hard to take and understand. How long i can swim after urethra stenting? I only have 35 percent of heart strenth left. Good advice bob, I was thinking the exact same thing. You obviously had some good doctors taking care of you and a good wife watching out for you! Suzanne R. Steinbaum, DO. One thing I cant live without is my husband. I still have 2 blockages that are 60 and less in there. If heart attacks run in your family, youre more likely to have one. The one on the right is known as the right coronary. Bottom line was: I had 95 percent blocking in my left anterior descending artery. Can I cheat once a month and have a hamburger and fries? I actually have something in common with you as I too have felt the need for invisible illness to be felt. Its hard to except at such a young age. I have two stents in my LAD, but never had a heart attack. I walked more than 1/2 mile yesterday, Dec 3rdthen walked to the store and spent a few hours chopping up my Olive tree branches that were snapped in a storm, bagged them and put them in the garbageand felt good afterwardsmore than I have done in any 1 day for months! I thought nothing of it, thought it was just something I ate. It not possible to predict a length of life, some people in this situation can go on to do well and others poorly. He leaves behind a wife and young child. It would be very out of the norm for him to have a significant lesion in an artery at the age of 23 although its possible. Sugar and cholesterol were run and ok. A widowmaker is an informal term for a heart attack that involves 100 percent blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, says Stanley Chetcuti, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center. Your story brought back the experience of that terrible day. Left Anterior Descending Artery - Cleveland Clinic Stent for widow maker | HealthTap Online Doctor He didnt make it.