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The Other Half

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Re: The Other Half

#51

Post by tgokh »

RandomInteger4 wrote: post #40
joebeetee wrote: post #9

A (35ish y/o) family friend died 2 months ago from a heart attack, suspected high cholesterol. He was seemingly healthy, active and not overweight. Anyone else have experience with cholesterol in early 30's?

Last time I had my cholesterol checked about 6-7 years ago, it appeared normal, though my HDL was low. I'm 31 now and have been having a weird heart feeling. Not a pain though, but like beating issues. Depending on what I eat and which supplements I take, my heart starts beating weird and my blood pressure goes up. The weird beating seems like my heart is either beating normally or weakly and then there's a "hiccup"…

It's probably worth going to a doctor to get an EKG and get checked out. If your heart beat is irregular (either the time between beats seems random, or you have pauses or early beats), it could be a sign of an electrical disturbance in your heart.

(this is not medical advice - go see a doctor!)

Re: The Other Half

#52

Post by smacktoward »

revelation wrote: post #31
smacktoward wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or even if you're not experiencing any pain -- if you haven't been to the doctor in a long time... go to the doctor. Get a routine checkup! It can save your life. I almost learned this the hard way a few years ago. I was in my late 30s, and handled going to the doctor the way I always had since reaching adulthood -- which is to say, I didn't bother with it unless I was feeling out of sorts. Routine doctor visits seem…

Sometimes a high BP is just a reaction to someone measuring your BP. One side effect of a high BP is that you hear the thumping sound of your blood pulsing. I personally have my heart rate and blood pressure explode whenever anyone tries to measure them. So I was referred to a cardiologist who did some basic checks like an echo, found nothing wrong and wired me up to a device that measures BP continuously for 24h. My…

The first thing that tipped them off was looking at the blood vessels in my eyes, not measuring my BP. This is an absolutely routine part of an eye exam, so I wasn't stressed out or anything like that while they were doing it.

High blood pressure will not always be accompanied by easily detectable symptoms like audible thumping. There's a reason why it's called "the silent killer." (See: https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/index.htm).

Re: The Other Half

#53

Post by scandox »

In Ireland when you say "other half" you generally mean wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend or partner. And the No. 1 thing I thought reading this was that Rachel, whoever she is, must be a damn saint.

Re: The Other Half

#54

Post by tgokh »

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 products like AliveCor's Kardia on the market. The issue is that it's difficult even for a physician to interpret EKGs, and automated interpretation has proven quite challenging. There's been a lot of progress in detecting certain rhythms like atrial fibrillation (which is what AliveCor's product is able to auto-detect), but other rhythm detection remains difficult.

Edit: Data science types wanting to tackle this problem, check out https://physionet.org/challenge/2017/

Re: The Other Half

#55

Post by AnimalMuppet »

MandieD wrote: post #26
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…

For my husband, it was a feeling of heartburn combined with an elevated heart rate in the middle of the night. Fortunately, my reaction was, "oh my god, get up, we're going to the hospital NOW!" This was a bit over two weeks after a delayed Transatlantic flight with turbulence bad enough that we barely left our seats. The main reason I freaked out and took him to the hospital immediately instead of just saying, "that…

My wife sometimes reminds me "There's a reason married men live longer." When your wife tells you it's time to go to the hospital, it's usually time to go.

Yeah, there are some stereotypes I'm repeating, but they're accurate somewhat often.

Re: The Other Half

#56

Post by elorant »

Last August I go to bed one night and I feel extremely nauseous with a burden on my chest. After vomiting I feel relieved but the burden is still there. So I decide to visit the ER afraid that I might have a heart attack. They give me all the exams and it turns out it was a stomach problem, specifically GERD which turned out to be a bitch because it took 6 months to cure and a very strict diet.

While at the hospital the doctor informs me that quite a lot of people with stomach issues misinterpret them for heart attacks and vice versa, which is the really troubling thing because they think it's their stomach and they die since they neglect to see a doctor. So I ask him, how do you tell whether it's a stomach or a heart issue? You don't, he replies. If you feel anything funny related to your chest go to a hospital.

Re: The Other Half

#57

Post by RandomInteger4 »

tgokh wrote: post #51
RandomInteger4 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last time I had my cholesterol checked about 6-7 years ago, it appeared normal, though my HDL was low. I'm 31 now and have been having a weird heart feeling. Not a pain though, but like beating issues. Depending on what I eat and which supplements I take, my heart starts beating weird and my blood pressure goes up. The weird beating seems like my heart is either beating normally or weakly and then there's a "hiccup"…

It's probably worth going to a doctor to get an EKG and get checked out. If your heart beat is irregular (either the time between beats seems random, or you have pauses or early beats), it could be a sign of an electrical disturbance in your heart. (this is not medical advice - go see a doctor!)

Completely understand, and I agree with you. I just wish it was an easy decision to make.

Re: The Other Half

#58

Post by danjoc »

Why the title change? "archive.org guy nearly died" was much more direct/informative. I wouldn't take a second glace at this thread under "the other half" assuming it to be marriage advice.

Re: The Other Half

#59

Post by [deleted] »

MandieD wrote: post #26
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…

For my husband, it was a feeling of heartburn combined with an elevated heart rate in the middle of the night. Fortunately, my reaction was, "oh my god, get up, we're going to the hospital NOW!" This was a bit over two weeks after a delayed Transatlantic flight with turbulence bad enough that we barely left our seats. The main reason I freaked out and took him to the hospital immediately instead of just saying, "that…

[deleted]

Re: The Other Half

#60

Post by graeme »

brandon272 wrote: post #47
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.

Interesting. Did heart rate monitoring change any other behaviours?
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