Airborne
Connections
Heart Issues
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It won't happen to me - but it did! |
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What you should know about Heart Attack onset! |
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A Personal Encounter with Myocardial Infarction |
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How to Minimise the Risk - Understanding Cholesterol |
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How to survive a Heart attack when alone |
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Return to Health Lead Page |
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How to detect the onset of a Heart Attack
Some of the indications we can look for can include: Warning Signs
If you're not sure whether discomfort is from heartburn or a heart attack ask these questions:
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, take an aspirin, call for an ambulance, or have someone drive you to a hospital emergency room. Don't drive yourself...
The Golden Hour
The earlier
you get medical attention the better the outcome. |
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A
Personal Experience with Myocardial Infarction What happened On the 22nd March 1999 I was in the hotel room about to get ready to crew a flight from Athens to Singapore. At 0940 hours I was instantaneously hit with dizziness, faintness, chest pain and pins and needles over my whole body. I waited 5 mins to see if it was a passing situation before realising I was getting weak and was in need of medical help. I called reception and asked for a doctor fast - and for the other cockpit crew members. They arrived with the Doctor in about 7 minutes. The Company designated doctor took one look at me and called an ambulance. The ambulance arrived in 10 mins, and 18 mins later I was in the intensive care ward. In the hospital I had the worst part of the attack - but I was now receiving the correct medication. This was due to the incredibly good work of the Doctor who was able to attend to me so fast. It just so happened that he was at home when called, and he only lived 5 mins from the hotel. Total time to hospital from the first event was about 40 mins ~ the "golden first hour". Because of this speedy attention my heart has been saved from practically all muscle damage. Why did it happen? It turns out that I have a genetic disposition to produce high cholesterol. Knowing this, my wife and I have practiced overall good diet and exercise for the last 10 years. I have also been taking cholesterol lowering tablets daily for some five years. Were these practices sufficient? Well they were all on the right track, but not sufficiently rigorous in my case... Too many past fast food expeditions! Where there any Early Warning Signs? My 6 monthly cardiograms failed to predict the problem. The only warning sign I am aware of was some recent tightness in the chest after swimming 20 laps of our apartment pool. I have never been a smoker and only drank a few glasses of wine with a meal from time to time. I was reasonably fit and my weight was only 6 kg more than when I was 21 years old. There was some cholesterol elevation in my last blood test. Did I receive any Immediate Warnings? No. In the three days before the attack in Athens I was walking for exercise each day and striding up hill without any breathlessness. I felt great. What were the Medical Procedures? Initially 10 days in hospital for recovery and exploration. This included catheter film of the condition of the arteries. This in turn lead to Angioplasty - which may be summarised as balloon expansions of occluded artery sections with two sections being reinforced with a stent. This is a stainless steel spiral reinforcing which stops the artery from closing up again. The procedure took 2 hours with the invasive entry point being a 4 mm slit in the artery in the groin. If this modern surgery was not available, the older procedure would have been bypass surgery. The Medical care and hospitalisation was first class at the Hospital where I was moved for this procedure. Overview When I think of all the places we fly to, I can only see God's hand on my life in the provision of the fastest and best medical attention conceivable. If the problem had occurred some hours later in flight or at some less medically capable area, the results would have been very serious. I had a serious condition which was resolved in the most efficient and dedicated way. |
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Help, I've got High Cholesterol!
Like most people, you have probably never given a thought to cholesterol or how it might affect your heart or your arteries. Until now, your doctor has told you that your cholesterol is too high and that you need to begin medication along with the diet and exercise already prescribed. High cholesterol is one of the most common medical conditions, affecting people from every walk of life. Yet because you cannot feel cholesterol or the effects it can have on your arteries and your heart, you may not fully understand your doctor’s concern and what you should do. Note that not all cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. The cholesterol called LDL (the so called bad cholesterol) cholesterol) increases the risks; the cholesterol called HDL (the so called good cholesterol) cholesterol) lowers the risk and is beneficial. LDL acts like a fat delivery truck. It picks up cholesterol from the liver and delivers it to he cells. When more cholesterol is ready for delivery than the cells can take, LDL cholesterol drops off the extra cholesterol on the artery walls. A lot of LDL cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. HDL works like a garbage truck. It removes excess cholesterol from the blood stream and takes it to the liver. A lot of HDL cholesterol decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
As a risk factor for heart disease or strokes, it is not just the cholesterol level that matters. More important is the total cholesterol to the More important is the total cholesterol to the HDL cholesterol ratio or the LDL to the HDL ratio. The following article will help. You will get the facts you need to know to understand cholesterol and the way it affects your body.
This table is only a rouugh guideline - as values will change with age and gender. Please consult your doctor for more specific advice. Screening regularly for cholesterol levels is a good way to monitor your health. It helps to identify the risks for cardio-vascular disease.
What is cholesterol? At any given time, about a tablespoon of cholesterol circulates in the blood of an average adult man or woman. Cholesterol itself is a waxy material that your body needs for rebuilding cells and is carried in the bloodstream to where it is needed.
Where does cholesterol come from? Although some cholesterol comes from foods you eat, like whole milk, cheese, and butter, your body makes most of its own cholesterol. One form of cholesterol - called LDL - is used to carry the fats to the rest of the body. That is why it is so important to reduce the fats in your diet - eating saturated fats increases your LDL cholesterol. When you have too much, the extra cholesterol stays in your bloodstream, where it can cause problems.
What is saturated fat, and why is it important? Fats come in many forms. Saturated fats come from animal sources, like meat, milk, butter, and cheese, as well as from some tropical plants, such as the oils found in coconuts and palms. Eating saturated fats can cause too much [DL cholesterol to build up in the blood. Finding out which foods contain saturated fats, and eating less of them, is an important part of reducing your cholesterol level.
How common is high cholesterol? Very common. It is generally accepted that a cholesterol level above 5.2 mmol/L (200 mg/dl) adds to the risk of heart disease. Many millions of people worldwide have high cholesterol. That makes it almost as common as high blood pressure.
Why is high LDL cholesterol bad? The problem with too much LDL cholesterol in your blood is that it helps to form "plaque" (pronounced "PLACK") that builds up in the walls of your arteries. Eventually, this plaque can block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to parts of your body. If plaque builds up in an artery of the heart itself, the heart muscle is robbed of oxygen, possibly resulting in a heart attack. If this happens in a blood vessel of the brain, it is called a "stroke." Both can be very serious. So, excess cholesterol puts you at unnecessary risk - extra risk you can avoid.
Does this mean that I am sick? Having high cholesterol does not mean that you are sick. But it does mean you have a condition that can make you sick if you do not take charge of it. Untreated high cholesterol means extra risk for a heart attack or stroke.
Getting control - diet and exercise To get control of high cholesterol, think about things that affect your cholesterol level. Then set up a practical plan to make the changes you need to get your level lower...
Exercise Regular exercise raises the level of "good" cholesterol - called HDL. HDL helps remove LDL cholesterol from the blood. Remember, it is the LDL cholesterol that can form plaque in your artery walls. It is also important to remember that your heart is a muscle. Like any other muscle, it needs to stay active. That is another reason that exercise is such an important part of keeping healthy. You should ask your doctor what exercise program is right for you. The most commonly stated goal for heart-healthy exercise is 20 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week.
Many people find that they are very good about exercising at first, but that after a while they find reasons to stop. You will find that it is easier to stay with your exercise program if you:
Take another step towards your LDL cholesterol goal with an exercise program Everybody should get physical exercise, but it is especially important if you are trying to lower your cholesterol. Exercising can make a big difference in reducing your risk of heart disease as well as helping to keep your weight down. Once you start, you will be surprised at how much better you will feel and look. Be more active in your daily routine
Diet and what surprises many people If you are like the average adult, you eat as much fat as is in a stick of margarine every day. That kind of diet raises cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and stroke. If you had to remember just one thing about a healthy diet, it would, be to avoid fat especially saturated fat, rather than just a "low-cholesterol" diet, which means eliminating fats as much as possible.
Lowering fat in your diet helps in two ways:
Foods to choose
Snack foods that are good for you
Tips for eating in a restaurant
Why do I have to take medicine for this? The right treatment for you may very well be different from the right treatment for someone else. Some people can control their high cholesterol just by changing the way they eat and exercise. Some of your friends with high cholesterol, for instance, may only need to exercise and change their diet to bring their cholesterol levels back into balance. This difference seems in part to be genetically determined and largely relates to the difference in the rate lipoproteins (combined fat and protein) enter and are removed from the body. Although both exercise and proper diet are important in your treatment, your doctor may decide that you also need medication. Because of the potential side effects and risks, medication to lower cholesterol should only be considered in people at the highest risk for heart disease. If you are age 40 to 65, at very high risk for heart disease, and you find that a low-fat diet isn’t enough to lower your cholesterol, then adding cholesterol-lowering medication may be helpful.
Credit: Raffles Medical Group, Singapore - Health News: Issue 1/1999
HOW
TO SURVIVE A HEART Let's say it's 6:17 p.m. and you're driving home, (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job. Not only was the work load extraordinarily heavy, you also had a disagreement with your boss, and no matter how hard you tried he just wouldn't see your side of the situation. You are really upset and the more you think about it the more uptight you become. All of a sudden you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home; unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. What can you do? You've been trained in CPR but the guy that taught the course neglected to tell you how to perform it on yourself. Without help the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without letup until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a phone and, between breaths, call for help. Tell as many other people as possible about this; it could save their lives! (The Captain involved in this situation was driving his car and alone.) Source: Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital. |
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