Hey all,
Thanks, to everyone, for the kind words and good wishes. They are very much appreciated!
They did a cardiac catheterization via the femoral artery (talk about a case of the blue balls
) and placed stints in the two arteries shown. So I'll be on plavix for at least the next year and a half.
I don't have a good read on exactly how much muscle death occurred, but enzyme studies show that there was some. Hopefully it was fairly minimal and I'll be able to follow a pretty aggressive physical reconditioning regimen. I have my first audit visit with a cardiac rehabilitation group this coming Wednesday which will be followed by a 12 week program of physical conditioning and coronary care education.
As far as what I felt, I have had acid reflux that felt exactly like this, including jaw pain. It didn't go into my arms, but it didn't respond to the tricks I have learned in dealing with acid reflux either. The deciding factor for me was the "rest test." The pain subsided when I laid down and rested for about 10 minutes and returned again as soon as I got up and became active. The third time this happened, I knew I needed to get help because there was a very real possibility it was my heart this time. This, even though I did not experience the 800 lb gorilla standing on my chest or the shortness of breath often associated with a heart attack.
Regards,
Lynn