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The Other Half

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Re: The Other Half

#41

Post by jinjin2 »

spinchange wrote: post #28

I wonder all the time why we don't have more widely available, "consumer grade" tech like handheld ECGs, etc., to help better detect stuff like this. (There are products like this, but not in U.S. markets to my understanding - at least not without a prescription) If you're unfortunate enough to suffer from something like anxiety attacks and also have heart trouble in your family's medical history it is very difficult…

There are plenty of those available in the US. Check out https://www.alivecor.com/en/ for an example.

Re: The Other Half

#42

Post by chrisper »

sitharus wrote: post #25
chrisper wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is a long time? I came to the US in 2012 and haven't been to a doctor since. Not going to lie, the $ sign is a deterrent. But I am moving back to Europe this year so I will go to a doctor there and get all checked up etc.

The idea of a 'routine checkup' is an American thing as far as I can tell. I've lived in the UK and New Zealand and adults only go to the doctor when there's something wrong, or if you have known chronic conditions. You certainly don't have regular blood tests.

Yes, that is how I remember it as well.

Re: The Other Half

#43

Post by tgokh »

gtrubetskoy wrote: post #27

I wonder if a finger blood oxygen meter ($20 on Amazon [1]) is a good tool to diagnose that you might be having a heart attack. It's easy to carry one with you. I am not a doctor, and Googling for it isn't turning up much useful, but it'd seem logical that during a heart attack your blood oxygen would be abnormally low? Perhaps someone in the know can comment? [1] https://www.amazon.com/Santamedical-Generation-SM-165…

While a low reading on one of those meters (coupled with symptoms) is likely a good sign that something's wrong, I think it's quite possible for the pulse oximeter to read normal even if you're having a heart attack. There's a saying in medicine that "time is muscle" because the longer you wait to "fix" an obstruction in a coronary artery, the more likely that region of heart tissue is to die. However, tissue death is not (usually) sudden, so even if you're experiencing a significant heart attack, the heart may be pumping sufficiently and the lungs functioning normally to give you a normal oxygen reading

(this is not medical advice)

Re: The Other Half

#44

Post by Zikes »

pmarreck wrote: post #4

I sat on a "weird pain" in my chest for a few days. Basically it was uncomfortable to sleep on my left side, and I felt a bit short of breath. Turns out I was suffering from a double pulmonary embolism , and that the only reason I wasn't doubled over in pain is because by an odd fluke of nature, the interior of the lungs do not have nerve endings (only the exterior) and had I waited any longer I could have died. At t…

I'm currently on anticoagulants for my second run-in with pulmonary embolisms, and they were fairly different experiences both times. The first one started out as what felt like a sore shoulder, which "migrated" down to my chest over a few hours, and then felt like I had a cactus in my lungs. The second instance felt more like pressure than pain, but was similar enough to the tail end of my previous encounter that I was able to recognize it.

In the first case, a clot dislodged and traveled through my heart about an hour after I arrived at the hospital. I had debated waiting until morning as I wasn't sure an ER visit was necessary, but if I had waited any longer I likely would not have survived.

Re: The Other Half

#45

Post by magoghm »

jdhn wrote: post #23
magoghm wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a heart attack two years ago. I spent a few weeks with some weird pain in my forearms (both of them) before realizing it was a heart attack. Never felt any pain in my chest.

How did you realize it was a heart attack? Did you go to the doctor and have them check it out?

At first I looked for information on the Internet about the pain in my arms an saw that, among many other things, it could be a heart problem.

A couple of weeks later I started feeling pain on the left side of my jaw (much like a toothache) at the same time I felt the pain in my forearms. Searching again on the Internet I saw that now it was quite probably a heart problem.

About 48 hours after that, the pain in my arms wasn't letting me concentrate on anything (it wasn't stronger, but it felt different, it made me feel that something was really wrong with my body), that's when I went to the emergency room at the hospital.

Re: The Other Half

#46

Post by cesarb »

gtrubetskoy wrote: post #27

I wonder if a finger blood oxygen meter ($20 on Amazon [1]) is a good tool to diagnose that you might be having a heart attack. It's easy to carry one with you. I am not a doctor, and Googling for it isn't turning up much useful, but it'd seem logical that during a heart attack your blood oxygen would be abnormally low? Perhaps someone in the know can comment? [1] https://www.amazon.com/Santamedical-Generation-SM-165…

I wouldn't count on it. During a heart attack, it's the blood flow to the heart muscle that's blocked, but the lungs are still working and oxygenating the blood. So these oxygen meters will show a normal value, since your finger is still receiving the normal amount of oxygen in the blood.

For a pulmonary embolism, on the other hand, I'd expect them to be useful. And always keep in mind that they can't detect carbon monoxide poisoning, even though the blood oxygen is low in that case.

Re: The Other Half

#47

Post by brandon272 »

kozak wrote: post #39

I sleep with my Fitbit Charge 2 on my wrist, and I found that the Resting Heart Rate value is extremely sensitive to what happens with my body. Drank a little alcohol? See a change on my Resting Heart Rate value for that night. Got too much stress, or maybe spent a day at home without exercise? Yes, I see it on the graph. So my question is whether such an event as the one that is described would be clearly visible to…

One reason I reduced my alcohol intake substantially is the effect that alcohol had on my resting heart rate. It would go up around 90bpm (or higher if I was dealing with a particularly bad hangover the next day). When I abstain it stays around 60.

Re: The Other Half

#48

Post by Dangeranger »

This story and the comments make me curious as to how many hard charging project leaders have, or would, work through a heart attack.

These words stuck out to me:

> I was fucking annoyed – I felt like I was just super tired and needed some energy, and energy drinks and caffeine weren’t doing the trick.

He then went on to keynote a conference and live for what seems like at least two more days without seeking medical attention.

I'm a mid 30's man, my family history includes heart disease, my father is stubborn as am I. If some day I felt tired, and constricted, my first thought would not be that maybe my heart is failing, but it probably shouldn't be my last thought.

We cannot achieve our goals or lead projects if we are dead. This close call woke me up to paying attention to my body, and maybe we all can benefit from it.

Re: The Other Half

#49

Post by spinchange »

jinjin2 wrote: post #41
spinchange wrote: post #28

I wonder all the time why we don't have more widely available, "consumer grade" tech like handheld ECGs, etc., to help better detect stuff like this. (There are products like this, but not in U.S. markets to my understanding - at least not without a prescription) If you're unfortunate enough to suffer from something like anxiety attacks and also have heart trouble in your family's medical history it is very difficult…

There are plenty of those available in the US. Check out https://www.alivecor.com/en/ for an example.

Awesome, thank you for the link. I don't know why I've not seen or found that yet!

Re: The Other Half

#50

Post by pshc »

alistproducer2 wrote: post #11

Three years ago Jason was speaking at the vintage computer festival in Atlanta. He gave a talk about emscipten and all the cool things they do with it. I talked with him for a bit. Super cool and knowledgeable guy. I wish him well.

I attended one of Jason's talks on taking control of your own data. Super inspiring. I went up to ask him a question after (and I never do that!) and went away satisfied.
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