My son had a heart attack at 38 years old

@rosebug23 (1906)
Australia
November 11, 2007 10:26pm CST
I can't believe it but yesterday my son complained of a sore right shoulder and arm, he went to lay down for a while,after about half an hour he felt better so go up to get something to eat.I walked into the kitchen and he was a horrible grey colour and said he felt really bad.My daughter-in law arrived home as we were talking but he refused to go to hospital.About an hour later i was told they were taking him to the hospital.When we arrived the emergencey was crowded ,we spoke to the triage sister and he was put straight through. He had blood tests, xray & ECG,after 3 blood tests they results came back positive to a heart attack.The strange thing about it is he is very fit and prides himself on his fitness and health.The doctos and nurses couldn't believe his low resting heart rate between 45-55,at times the alarm would go off as it had dropped below 40.Toay he is having tests to see what has caused it ,they seem to think it could be a blood clot.That is the only thing they can think of as his colesterole is fine as is his blood pressure. The cardiac specialist is amazed at his fitness and said top athletes would love to have his heart rate. So all you very fit healthy young people out there just take heed that you can still have heart problems ,so don't ignore the chest pains or other symptoms
5 people like this
12 responses
@sherinek (3320)
• United States
12 Nov 07
My dearest Rose, I am extremely sorry to hear about your son. I hope he is fine now and please tell him that my prayers are with him. I am also going to be 38 this December, so I feel very strongly about this. I have heard that there can be heart attacks to very healthy people due to blood clots. But these clots can be dissolved. We are in a time that we have very sophisticated machinery and systems for this type of things. So dont worry for a second, your son would be fine in no time i am sure. Specially, you are in such a country, where you have very good facilities when compared to us. So, have faith and you take care of yourself. You have to be strong in front of him so that he too will feel the same. As you must have noticed by now, i am not very big on mylot these days. But when i saw your discussion on my inbox, i wanted to stop everything and reply to you. Take care my dear Rose, Lord will look after you and your son.
1 person likes this
@sherinek (3320)
• United States
20 Nov 07
I hope that your son is at home now. I feel very happy when you say that i am your first friend on myLot. I also do have a special place for you in my heart dear Rosebug, even though we dont have much time to exchange greetings, I am sure i will never ever forget you. Good luck and take care.
@rosebug23 (1906)
• Australia
12 Nov 07
Thankyou so much for your lovely thoughts .I myself have not been on mylot much but have realy missed all my friends you were my first friend on here and i feel as though i know you .Yes my son is in very good care and he has his health and age that will help him also.It is really funny how so many young and fit people seem to be having heart problems. Look after yourself.
1 person likes this
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
12 Nov 07
OMG that is young, it seems a few very healthy people are having heart attacks, it will be interesting to know exactly what is causing this as it may be a wake up call for us all, I hope he will be ok Rosebug, my thoughts are with you and your son.
@rosebug23 (1906)
• Australia
12 Nov 07
Thanks for your thoughts i am sure he will be fine ,i am praying he will be
1 person likes this
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
15 May 08
You are right Rosebug, it is not only the older generation or the unfit who are subject to heart attacks. It can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of their fitness or age. My sister-in-law had a heart attack at 47. She was fit and active, ate very healthy food, her weight was well within normal range, didn't smoke or drink, cholesterol was fine too. None of those things helped her at all which was quite amazing really. She did have high blood pressure but that was only found after the heart attack. Lucky for her they were in a town at the time it happened as they lived way out in western NSW at the time and were well over an hour from a doctor. She later said she got a severe pain in her chest but nothing else, although my brother did say she went very pale and started to sweat. He took her to the hospital - 5 minutes away - immediately where they made the diagnosis. She recovered just fine. Hope that your son is now fine and fully recovered from the ordeal. Quite a huge scare for the whole family when things like this happen.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Nov 07
I hope your son is better and that he finds a good doctor who specializes in his kind of problem. It really hurts when this happens to one so young. You can be in the best of shape and yet go just like that. I have a friend who has a bad heart, and he has children and it is tragic that he may have a heart attack at anytime. Luckily his wife is a nurse, so she knows what to look out for, but when you do not, then it could be tragic.
@zenmachado (1617)
• United States
12 Nov 07
Im sorry to hear that.. I image it to be very surprising because he is not of an old age. I hope all becomes better for him and that he receives a full recovery. Also, thanks for the reminder of how these things can occur not only to the elderly but also with those of less years.
1 person likes this
@rosebug23 (1906)
• Australia
12 Nov 07
thanks for your concern and yes it is not only the old or over weight who have heart attacks
1 person likes this
@jongsky (31)
• Philippines
23 Nov 07
I have my Myocardial infarction when i was 34 (I am now 40). Just like you, i cant believed that a healthy person like me can have such a disease at a very young age. I am very athletic and i am involved in almost all kinds of ballgames and other sports. I have this MI after a basketball game. My lifestyle,diet, and vises (smoking) are the causes of my heart attack. I have been in and out of the hospital then, but thank GOD, after 4 years, I can now play basketball, the game that almost killed me. MI can just be cured through medications and regular exercises (not the extraneous ones). I am sure that your son will be cured in due time. Through religious intake and medications, exercises, and of course, through prayers and by HIS grace. May GOD Bless us all.
• United States
12 Nov 07
Wow that is something..butI know people, even younger. The heart is a very sensitive organ that when stressed, no matter the age, will have it's reactions. I am sorry to hear of your son..I do hope that he will be alright and that now that he has had one takes life a little more easy.
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
12 Nov 07
I am so sorry to hear this Rose I really hope that he will be ok Love and Hugs
@impaktita (965)
• Philippines
12 Nov 07
Wow I'm sorry to hear that Rosebug! It goes to show that heart attacks can happen at any age .. scary .. hope your son is okay now! Best Wishes for him!!
@abbey19 (3106)
• Gold Coast, Australia
12 Nov 07
Sorry to hear about your son having a heart attack at the young age of 38; you must have all been very shocked at the news, because he is so young. It just goes to show that we shouldn't take anything for granted - it seems that younger people are getting heart attacks these days, even if they are fit, never smoked, etc. We need to be diligent in having regular check-ups with our doctor. I hope your son makes a full recovery Rose, and that they get to the bottom of it and find out why it happened so it can be rectified. My prayers are with you, your family, and especially your son.
@meanangel (167)
• United States
12 Nov 07
That is good advice. My heart goes out to you and your family. I am glad that he is still with you. Maybe haveing this heartatach will help prevent further heart damage. That is a horrible way to find out you have a problem but now he can be aware and be monitered by a doctor. Our thoughts are with you.
@jessje (145)
• United Kingdom
12 Nov 07
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that! Hope he will recover soon. A friend of my mums also got a heartattack at the age of 37, he is fully recovered now, but can't sport as much as he used to.