This gets very depressing! He said that was when he ran the catheter up the arteries. My son had been helping me and left to go get us some pizza for lunch. Today, after 4 months, I learned the cause of my husbands death, after having his autopsy report explained to me by our family doctor. It would lead to loss of blood supply to the entire left side (the main side), the front wall, and the side wall. He was experiencing what he thought was reflux after a big meal. How would you describe a positive personality? I would always go in and take a hydrocodone (from my shoulder surgery) and eat a couple of Tums. I woke up at 2:30am feeling uncomfortable. A widow maker is when you get a big blockage at the beginning of the left main artery or the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Patients sometimes are released from the hospital within a few days especially if they sought medical attention promptly and the cardiologists were able to open the blockages very early. Wifemaker is an informal phrase for the kind of heart attack when the left anterior descending (LAD) is blocked to 100 percent, an interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center tells CNN. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. My doctor put me on Brilinta for the first month and then changed it to Plavix along with the Carvedilol (generic Coreg). Just wish he had had some symptoms so we could have done something. I knew if I stayed in the back yard, no one would find me. A widow maker is when your husband dies before he hits the floor. Call 911 right away. Good advice bob, I was thinking the exact same thing. So we had to wait until it was safe to do the angio. Sorry to be long-winded but it is hard to describe my situation without going into detail. No, Ive read all these articles and people under 40 have been 100% healthy and then get hit with the widowmaker,,!! On day 2 it happened again only this time I had pins and needles across my entire chest. Go to the ER right away if you notice any heart attack symptoms, and try some lifestyle changes either before or after having a heart attack to keep your heart healthy: Last medically reviewed on October 29, 2018. I was revived at roadside and taken 15 minutes drive to hospital. The doctors told me that had I remained at home I wouldnt have survived. Hi My husband had a heart attack in March this year He was super fit ex army trained every day and was a keen fell runner It was diagnosed as LAD I really would love to know. Where is the proximal LAD in the heart? - Studybuff HIS HEART dr. Has him on all kinds of meds of course. Mild COPD. This man works everyday and these vague symptoms and family history and taking a nap every day were literally the only warning. But I was told it could be hereditary too. Its possible that ultimately if the lesion had become a problem he would have developed more symptoms and had the appropriate work up done. My brother was only 58 years old and died suddenly in his sleep from this tragic heart attack. I suggest to buy a blood pressure machine to have peace of mind and check with your dc if you can do cardio rehab excercicig with monitoring. Why cant I have another test to see how far its progressed in 4 years . As an interventional cardiologist, a large part of my job is dealing with heart attacks and fixing the blocked arteries that cause them. heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/treatment-of-a-heart-attack/cardiac-procedures-and-surgeries, my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/heart/patient-education/webchats/coronary-artery-disease/3859_advanced-coronary-artery-diseasehttps://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/family_history.htm, healthblog.uofmhealth.org/widowmaker-heart-attack-explained, vhlab.umn.edu/atlas/coronary-arteries/lad-left-anterior-descending-artery/index.shtml, mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/in-depth/heart-attack-symptoms/art-20047744, mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-20047702, health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-genetics-of-heart-disease-an-update, nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/hearttruth/lower-risk/risk-factors.htm, heart.org/-/media/data-import/downloadables/pe-abh-what-is-a-stent-ucm_300452.pdf. Does make me feel a little bit better. My husband had this heart attack Dec 21/14. Does anyone know if this is normal? I knew it was a heart attack, tried to throw up three times, sweating and could not lift my arms and my lower body was starting to have convulsions. I have cut out processed lunch meat I do watch my sodium intake etc.and take my meds..but just wonder how important diet really is now..if I just keep all in moderation. I see others that report that a week later they are back to work and feeling great. but it took over 30 min before i was able to function again. Fairly sure shes going to be ok, but after reading all this, Im wondering is there any way to test your heart? What happens in a urethral stent removal? Others need up to three months to recover. I was sluggish and tired. My EF right after my attack went to 25%. And later he, couldnt get the needed knee replacements because of his heart condition. The widow maker is often caused by a collapse of a section of the artery wall. A widowmaker heart attack is a type of heart attack thats caused by a 100 percent blockage of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. It has only been 5 months and at times I feel a twinge or think I can feel alittle discomfort where my stent is at at the LAD. I had open heart surgery 2 years ago,buy the have stopped up.the dr said they are 100%blocked is ther see anything that can be done.I have chest pain all the time please h3lp. Are older than age 45 for men and people AMAB. However, you may want to quit smoking, eat better, and exercise more. That is a stable B/P. I made a plate and was almost done when it felt like I had bad heartburn. Had a quadruple bypass 12 years ago actually had 100 per cent LAD blockage. If you look carefully at the first picture at the top of this article, you will notice there is an artery on the left side called the Left Main Artery. I had a widowmaker heart attack also November 2015 and had to have emergency bypass surgery. on 2 28 16 7am had sharp pains in chest last about 10 min stop start again this went on for around 3 hrs started vomiting and sweating had wife take me er hooked me up ekg heartattack had ambulance take me other town about 40 min drive half way there had shock me 3 times got to cath lab 100% blockage said was widowmaker lucky i survied placed stint. It has been a hell of a journey. Now Im just scared to eat anything. However, 10% dont make it through the first year after a heart attack. Can the widow maker artery be stented? - Control Your Mindset My lad was 100 percent blocked and one in the back of my heart was 80 blocked. Its called a widowmaker for a reason, it left my mom a widow at only 59. According to Menees, a blockage of 70% or . Advertising Policy Because it serves such a big portion of the heart, the LAD My heart has reshaped itself due to the scar tissue in my heart. a steak now and then? He has accepted all what has happened, rarely complains. Our doctors define difficult medical language in easy-to-understand explanations of over 19,000 medical terms. My wife was there to give me CPR until medics got there. Also what are the recommendations for people who live where the nearest cardiology interventionalist MD is an hour or more away, other than not to hesitate to call 911 and not attempt to self-diagnose? Found out it was precisely this condition. Also, your risk of having a heart attack increases as you get older. I have an extreme cardio vascular family history. He is managed on a lot of prescription meds including the water pill (furosemide). Is this chest pain from GERD or a heart attack? Once I told the Cardiologist the story, he got serious and said Im not going to give you a stress test because that wont tell me anything more than what you have already told me. He said he wanted to look inside my ateries and see what was up with my heart. IN THE er!!!!!!! My wife called the clinic and they said to get to an ER stat. Once in place, the stent expands to hold the artery open so that oxygenated blood can flow to the heart. I guess his plan was for her to die at 42? Symptoms are similar to those of. CABG takes a piece of a healthy blood vessel called an artery graft from your leg, arm, or chest. Had widow maker ojjhhhhhjn nov 5 2014 had open heart surgery that night. i struggle still. The cardiologist was quite adamant about looking instead of just putting me on a treadmill. I was told for years that I couldnt have CABG because my arteries were to small and weak then came the day they had no choice.. the bypass was done. I HAD THE DADDY OF ALL WIDOWMAKERS triple blockage vein in left leg removed 80% blockage in all three 12 weeks in hospital all started due to bladder infection. how your body recovers in the months and years following the heart attack. . What should I do to prevent a heart attack? These things can come out of no where with out warning. MedTerms medical dictionary is the medical terminology for MedicineNet.com. It depends on the characteristics of the test, i would advise you have a cardiologist look at the test itself and go through the results with you as it varies from case to case depending on the location of the calcium etc. Your story brought back the experience of that terrible day. You, my friend, were very, very lucky. I WISH I KNEW how long it took to get blocked like it did. I have even been told by a dentist that he cant repair my teeth due to my heart and also diabetes! I also became short of breath. Heart burn? Ellis S, et al. Im 36 yrs old. I was told by the doctors that it was a true miracle I was alive and doing so well. Get useful, helpful and relevant health + wellness information. Its also sometimes referred to as a chronic total obstruction (CTO). We are so lucky to still have him with us. The LAD I think is what its called was 100% blocked and the other two are 90%and 70% to be fixed next week. I have my DADs genetics so diet does MATTER. While I was in the ER I did experience some slight discomfort from my ear, down my throat. HE SAID A ELEPHANT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT DOWN GOD PURPOSE WAS FOR ME TO TELL MY STORY LIFE IS GOOD. I woke up about 9 am again it happened. My story is on Sept 30 2015 I was walking from a grocery store to a bus stop with about 20 to 25 lbs of groceries. I had a heart attack June 21, (didnt know it at the time though) thought it was indigestion/ something stuck in my gullet. What Kind Of Pain Does A Blocked Artery Cause? - On Secret Hunt Get support, do rehab and I wish you the best of the best. This artery is at risk for plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) and coronary artery disease. I feel good now after dealing with PTSD and GAD. just dont understand how he was under doctors care and this happened. I dont know. I will follow all the doctors orders, change my diet, add exercise, take my meds, and wake up every day thanking God for another day. After the stress test, he says everything looks great! They did get a heart beat eventually but the cardiologist said that he couldnt be saved and the damage was done. Thank goodness I was paying attention and went in. He passes urine every 1/2 hour 24/7! No surgery. It was blood pressure cuffs, excersize, then re checking on a machine. Im having a really hard time with this, but I just keep thinking, My God is in control. heart, is blocked at its origin. My question is why wouldnt this problem have been indicated on any of the tests just done, especially if it was as severe as the medical examiner indicated on his report? I have always been a swimmer, But I recently lost 60 lbs, went from being pre-diabetic to perfect blood sugar levels. This wasnt ordinary chest pains. What Are the Chances of Surviving a Widowmaker Heart Attack? artery is a particularly dangerous place to get a clot. However, it is important to speak with a doctor before starting any new medication, even over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin. A widowmaker heart attack occurs when the left anterior It explains it the most Ive ever seen. I need blood since I was post -op but my body rejected the transfusion. Drove myself to the hospital on 8/6 from chest pain and shortness of breath. What Is Om1 In The Heart - Knowledge Matrix A widowmaker can damage a large part of your heart very quickly. They kept checking my troponin every couple hours. "Many people can survive widow-makers if we get them treatment right away," Niess said. Funny thing is that aside from feeling tired a lot I had no other pain in the chest before the operation. Amen and thank you for sharing your experience. Main artery 100 percent blocked. God so Blessed me giving me these extra years with family. I would also be interested if any other stent recipients have had similar negative experiences. Wont take that for granite ever again. During open-heart surgery, an artery . Plaque is present. I went to counseling, but it did not really help with my anxiety. But fortunately because of my wife, and the Cardiologist. The LAD transports a large amount of blood into your heart, so without blood passing through the LAD, your heart can quickly run out of oxygen and stop beating. It causes the same symptoms as a heart attack caused by a blockage in a different artery, including chest pain, chest heaviness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness and cold sweats. Your chance of having a heart attack is moderate. Risks of angioplasty and stenting include: You'll stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) for a couple of days after CABG surgery. I had no idea what was going on, but later realized I could not make it to the phone even if I wanted to call someone. By the way, my biggest concern in all of this was what it was going to cost me. As someone told me, you have 2 lungs but only 1 heartmake the best of it. It hit hard and fast!!! I am 100% recovered and back to working out, snowboarding and Scuba Diving. A day after, my echo cardiogram, indicated it had increased to 45%. I was able to call my husband at work just before they rushed me out the door to another Hospital that had a Cath lab! Turns out that I had 3 blockages In my LAD ranging from 70 to 99 percent. He said we have to go!!! Things were so bad, they had to go up both legs to put the stints in. Thank you for explaining this so clearly. They may suction the clot or inflate the balloon on the tip of the catheter, which helps open the artery. Barry Braun on Twitter: "HEART ISSUES Posting this hoping it helps at The video includes a thorough explanation of the condition as well as survivability and life expectancy two aspects of the widow maker not covered elsewhere in the article. Now his wife and kids are really in a bind. What do you do when your doctor tells you that you have 100% blockage in your right rear artery? Then more pressure and a heavy feeling so I told my nurse that something felt odd? No dizziness, nausea, vomiting, just the pain which usually lasts about 10 seconds, goes away, then returns about 20 minutes later. It made me feel queasy. Its hard to except at such a young age. I was also told nothing more can be done. They said he had a 10% chance of surviving and he didnt make it. The severity of a heart attack varies depending on the underlying cause, the persons overall health status, and how quickly they receive treatment. There was an autopsy performed but we wont know results for awhile. He went to bed that night, but got up later complaining of chest pains that wouldnt go away. I told my husband what was happening and went ahead and drove to the er. Had a stent put into my Widow Maker on 8/8I still feel discomfort in my chest and breathing is not back to normal. Really? A tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter will inflate and push through the blockage. This is a wonderful site. He could tell by the look on my face something bad was wrong and said that he was going with me. He had 84% blockage in his LAD. The latest information about heart & vascular disorders, treatments, tests and prevention from the No. We went and grabbed some dinner and dropped off a laptop at Micro Center before heading home. We link primary sources including studies, scientific references, and statistics within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. I remember the previous day (the 22nd) I was nauseated and smelled a gas smell. the docs nurse said go to ER now, but I compromised with meeting him the next morning at 6AM. I just got 4 stents put into the artery they call the widow maker. Thank you to the Manager and Doctors for saving my 54-yr old dads life. But I too felt the same way that God had more work for me too. Look forward to your messages. In a 2015 retrospective study of 97,254 Swedish adults who survived a heart attack between 2006 and 2011, the researchers concluded that people who survive a heart attack have an 18.3% chance of experiencing another cardiovascular event within the first year. At one point it was 70/40. until I became an embalmer at the age of 36. My best friend is a cardiologist (non-interventionist) and he is the first one to tell me about the Widowmaker. He also pointed out that if I absolutely had to have a heart attack the location of my occlusion which caused my MI was a best case scenario (I still suffered some cardiac damage). His job was done here on earth so God created another angel. No conventional evidence is available, certainly no traditional medical practitioner would be recommending it as a cure. While any heart attack can be dangerous, the threat of a widowmaker heart attack recently gained attention after Everybody Loves Raymond actor Ray Romano shared that he underwent a procedure clearing a blockage in one of his main arteries to avoid the cardiac event. They got me to the E.R. Please note, we cannot prescribe controlled substances, diet pills, antipsychotics, or other abusable medications. That stuff is nasty but worth it. I can barely walk and all of my joints hurt. This went on all night and into the next dayI thought I was going to die! To help further explain the widowmaker, I created this video. Scientists are now investigating if this damage can be reversed by injecting stem cells into the area. It feels natural, in spite of the very unnatural materials it may contain. See additional information. She ordered a stress test with dye, and discovered two 90% blockages, requiring two stents. I was 5 months pregnant with our 4th child when this happened. Im very stubborn and been having problem taking my medicine, so I hope this will wake me up. I was done on Monday and home on Thursday. With these bad habits and all the other stuff what do U think his life expectancy would be? A long-term Korean study found stents as safe as open heart surgery in treating blockages of a coronary artery known as the widowmaker, showing that stented patients did not run a. He was explaining what was happeneing. also means keeping conditions like diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol The hospital stay and recovery period after angioplasty are much quicker. Scientists use genetic rewiring to increase lifespan of cells. It got worse and in Sept. they were freaked out. Now imagine if that artery went down. They performed angioplasty and put in a stent and I have done well. The term widowmaker historically comes from the greater risk of a 100% blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which carries almost 50% of the blood to your heart muscle, says Dr. Ajay J. Kirtane, interventional cardiologist and director of cardiac catheterization laboratories at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. I am 54 years old and overweight. Maybe a side effect from surgery ? Without oxygen, the cells in your heart muscles start to die in minutes. Usually, this is caused by a buildup of cholesterol plaque. I was just told that I have 100% blockage in the left main artery. Cath lab found 95% blockage of LAD, widow maker. I was contacted with a colposcopy bag which I wore for 6 months until it was reversed. In other words he HAS NOT changed any of his old habits. Immediate treatment is crucial for a chance at survival. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. I wish there was more to do to see how someone is heart health wise before they have a heart attack. Not a thing! You have 100% blockage of the Widow maker artery and he said it looks like its been there for awhile. I am 30 years old. I tried to talk her out of it but the discussion was short. We have been saying that for generations. It lasted about 5-10 min. A provider will use several tests to diagnose a widowmaker heart attack, such as: A provider will use these widowmaker heart attack treatments: You may be in the hospital for two to four days after a widowmaker heart attack. The symptoms look the same. I was experiencing the same sensations only worse.The cardiologist and surgeon were waiting in my room before transport had gotten me back to my room. I guess this doesnt happen to women that often. Like other types of heart attack, this one is largely preventable. Last medically reviewed on December 17, 2019, When someone is having a heart attack, they will have raised cardiac enzymes, in addition to other symptoms. A taser can deliver a serious shock to a persons nervous system, and in some cases, that can lead to potentially life threatening heart complications. Was home the next day and went back 3 weeks later to do my right side with another stent. hELL I HAD THE mAKER ON A SUNDAY BEACH TRIP AND MY WIFE IS A NURSE!!! This happened april 4 2016,i had no clue thought it was indegestion. This has been very helpful for me. Dec 29 they did a quadruple bypass, the Jan 7 they put in an ICD (implanted cardiovascular defibrillator). I actually have something in common with you as I too have felt the need for invisible illness to be felt. When your cholesterol goes down, its not only the number inside the heart arteries, the plaque either stops growing or gets smaller. My whole world view has changed. The damage can cause an abnormal heartbeat. I took two baby aspirin and an antacid. I cant help my friend, but Im going to make it a mission to try and help those around me stay alive as long as possible by taking better care of themselves. Exactly one month later, I had another heart attack. If any of the 4 chambers of the heart is having problems, it would be detected. You feel like you cant catch your breath. Based on your recovery from the heart attack, your doctor may suggest heart surgery. On Monday, you encounter a pile of rubble. They did it by Robot assisted off pump surgery. I finally called a ambulance and when they cam it got better. I have no idea what made me go to the ER; just felt something was wrong. Like other types of heart attack, this one is largely preventable. This issue has really bothered me since his death and receiving the information in the autopsy since we never knew anything about it. Just made it the hospital. Very informative Dr. Ahmed, an excellent resource. What is her chances of long life? A heart-lung machine pumps blood through your body while the surgeon places the new blood vessel. A couple of hours later a doctor came with the blood test results and told me that I had had a heart attack. Women are not treated with consistent regard as heart patients. We went to hospital as he had some arm pain and I insisted that we get it checked out. I later found there was a significant increase in MIs during clock changes. I also started to get small chest pains, was told it was anxiety. being active, eating a heart-healthy diet and maintaining good sleep habits. Would this make my bp low? My last angiogram was 2 years ago and I had a 50% blockage in the front part of my heart. You obviously dont believe in God and his plan for all of us. Spent the night.. Was having painful headaches daily for about a month but felt much better. Thats the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. I walked in, woke up and had stints, and was told, You are the luckiest man alive.