I had a heart attack

Sunday, October 17^th started as a normal workday. On my lunch break, I noticed that my chest felt uncomfortable, and I was sweating (even though the air conditioner was on). My wife also noticed that I kept stretching intermittently.

I decided to go to Urgent Care (Kaiser Permanente), so my wife drove me there.

After a nurse took my vitals, the physician assistant took an EKG. Things escalated quickly because the reading was abnormal, which meant I was having a heart attack. 😓

I did not expect to reach that milestone months before turning 40.

Paramedics arrived, then took me to Arcadia Methodist Hospital in an ambulance (with sirens blaring). After being prepped in the emergency department, I was wheeled into their cardiac cath lab. One of the things they did was insert a stent.

I was discharged two days later, then was off work through November 8^th (about 22 days).

Before the heart attack, I was taking two medications (for blood pressure). Now, I’m on six medications (including blood thinners).

On November 8^th, I had a follow up with my new cardiologist. 👩‍⚕️ At the moment, we don’t know the reason I had a heart attack, especially since my “bad” cholesterol isn’t super high. For now, all we can do is try to prevent another one. (Also, I’m supposed to wait until next year to get a booster shot.)

Today, I’d say I’m doing well, and am feeling less anxious as more time passes after having a heart attack. 😌

• Since October 26^th, I walk almost every day. 🚶 According to the Apple Fitness app, I missed maybe two or three days. I started slow with ten minutes, and am now up to 25–30 minutes. (Before, I didn’t walk regularly.)
• I eat out 1–3 times per calendar week, but choose plant-based food. Before, I’m ashamed to write that there were definitely instances when I ate out two or three times in one day. The horror. (In Day One, I have a dedicated food log journal, and have been tracking what I eat since December 18^th, 2018.)
• Since the heart attack, the only meat-based products I’ve eaten are fish (usually for lunch), chicken (twice), and cheese (once).
• I haven’t had a breakfast burrito since October 14^th. 😄 My regular breakfast is instant oatmeal (organic), shelled hemp seeds, and unsalted peanut butter.

In addition to all the medical professionals, I’m extremely thankful for the support of my wife, friends, teammates and colleagues at Automattic, and Automattic for fantastic benefits.

Lastly, if you’ve read this far and think it can’t happen to you, please review and consider the following:

• Someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds (see heart disease facts from CDC).
• Heart Attack, Stroke and Cardiac Arrest Symptoms | American Heart Association
• Stories about heart attacks | American Heart Association

Thank you for reading. Be well!