I'm Back! (Long!)

[WebmasterDoc]

My time on the DVC Board during the past week has been somewhat limited. Many thanks to Carol, Robin and Regina for a great job making sure things have run smoothly and to all of you here, who contribute so freely of your time and knowledge to make this site such a dynamic resource of DVC information.

About 14 months ago, during a particularly hectic schedule at work and a very upsetting encounter here on the boards, I had a minor heart event. I was hospitalized, observed and released- none the worse for wear- or so I thought.

Last Saturday, I was awakened at 3:30 AM with chest pains and after stubbornly assuming it was nothing (it did disappear for a short while after taking aspirin), finally woke my DW to go to the hospital. I was without pain when I left the house, but by the time we reached the ER at 5:30AM, I was in full blown myocardial infarction/heart attack. The prompt efforts of the ER team quickly reduced the attack and I was stabilized within a short while. Fully equipped with multiple IV's and O2, I spent the next 48 hours without pain- except for regular attacks by the lab folks to draw blood.

On Monday, I had a heart cath procedure which disclosed a 99% blockage of the LAD artery. Later that day angioplasty was done to reopen the blockage and a stent was placed to stabilize the artery. There was no apparent damage to the heart muscle itself. I was not in a high risk group- not overweight, regular exercise, normal cholesterol and HDL/LDL.

I now carry a mobile pharmacy with me to supplement my new chemical needs. :rolleyes:

I was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon feeling much better. I am allowed to go back to work tomorrow. I asked 2 questions of the cardiologist. #1- "We have an anniversary trip planned to FL on Thurs (Nov 29)- can we still go?"- Yes, that would be OK! #2- "When can I play tennis again?"- I want you to wait until Sat. for that!

While I still have not played tennis- we did go to WDW on Thursday and spent a delightful time with many DIS and DVC friends. I got to spend time with TNRobin and DVCreg, KarenNY,Perdita&Pongo, Towncrier, Teri, TheLionKing and a multitude of others I'm forgetting at the moment. (I apologize to those I left out.)

I feel great right now- just a little tired and sore from the events of last week. We're looking forward to the holidays with a new spirit. Many thanks to all who offered words of support and prayer- it was truly appreciated. I was not going to make any mention of this- since it is certainly off-topic for this forum, but was encouraged to make this report last night by Pete.

--Doc

[LTGRAMPS]

Glad things went well for you Doc and also Happy Anniversary.

[Disnydad]

Good to hear things are returning to normal for you Doc.

Been there myself, but I had the wife call an ambulance.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Doc,
Guess we, on this board, received an early Christmas gift.
Glad you are much better and let me know how the tennis goes.
Ah, God is good. :)

[Eeyore2U]

Glad to hear it went well!!!! :)

[normr]

I understand that you may not have wanted to bother the paramedics in the middle of the night, it appears from your post that your wife drove you to the hospital, can I suggest next time to call 911 instead of taking yourself, it was a very dangerous thing you did, you could have coded enroute, in my area (most of you guys know I am a Fire Captain/Paramedic) we do a cardiac assessment on the patient including 12 lead EKG and can administer Retivase which is a clot buster and by the time you arrive at the hospital can be completely pain free and over the dire episode.

Here's to a speedy recovery.

[BillM]

Doc
So glad every thing turned out for you. You do a great job on this board. We pray that you continue to do well and stay in good shape until 2042 when DVC ends.

[MaryAnnDVC]

Doc, we saw Dan Murphy on Friday, and he told us about your heart attack...I'm glad to hear you're ok! It's amazing what they can do these days, and you seem to be bouncing back so well. I'm so sorry that I didn't get a chance to meet you...we just got back this afternoon.

I understand tho how you felt about thinking it's "nothing". Symptoms aren't always clear cut, and it's hard to know when and how to react. It's easy to say "you should have..." but not so easy when you're in the middle of it. My dad had 3 heart attacks, and no two were alike; two of them involved NO pain...he and my mom were shocked when told he was having a heart attack. A friend of ours, 40, had problems with heartburn and was on medication; one Christmas morning, he thought it was just another heartburn issue, until it reached a point where he couldn't speak, and yes, it was a heart attack (he's fine now). My DD, in September, had a backache, and no, I didn't rush her off to a doctor. By two weeks later, when it was clearer that it was no ordinary "slept in a bad position" type of thing, the doctors told us they suspected leukemia...later ruled out...but she does have a bone disease.

I'm sure that you'll be more conscious now of any other pains. :)

[dianeschlicht]

Glad to hear you are doing better, but next time let us know so we can keep you in our thoughts and prayers and send some PD your way!;)

[Louise-Montreal]

Take care of yourself and stay healthy, Doc!

Louise

[Pluto4President]

wow - that was a shocking post. I hope you continue to recover quickly and stay healthy!

[rbuzzotta]

Glad to hear your doing better Doc!!! My DH drove himself to the hospital about 8 years ago when he thought he was having a heart attack. Turned out he was having spasms in his coronary artery...all at the age of 32!!! He, too, was given much medication. After thanking God he was O.K., I read him the riot act for not calling 911!!!

So, now that you are doing well, I will read you the riot act......call 911 if you ever experience any chest discomfort whatsoever!!!

Take care and hope to see you in chat tonight!!!

[KarenB]

wow Doc....I saw your post and never imagined this is what it was about! I am glad you are feeling better.

Please take care and stay healthy!!


Karen

[Niagara2]

Please take it easy and enjoy Disney. Was very glad all is well. Stress is a terrible thing and I was sad to read that an episode on the boards caused you problems. It is not worth it. Enjoy your life and family and take care of yourself. Here is to happy Holidays and good health. Thanks for all you do - you are very good on these boards and your class if one of the reasons they are so successful. Just left OKW so give my regards to the great CM's there.

[KathyR]

I am so glad to hear you are doing so well now! Take care and ....

Welcome Home :)

[Candace]

Gail is right - God is good. Welcome back, Doc.

[Granny]

Wow, that one came out of the blue!

So happy to have you recovering so quickly and able to carry on as usual! :)

I agree with Niagara2....we are all passionate to varying degrees about Disney and DVC....but you should never let an incident on these boards get you rattled.

Just think of all the good words and congratulations when you made Webmaster....I hope you print out that thread and realize that the vast majority of us consider you one of our treasures!

God bless!

[CaptainMidnight]

Glad your doing well, all your work is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes for your health and happiness now and for a very long time in the very distant future.

[BWVDenise]

Oh, Doc, I had NO IDEA!!! I am so glad you are doing well. That is frightening, to say the least.
Hugs,
Denise

[Bennet]

Happy to hear you got to the Doc and your Doc said our Doc is OK.

[Aurora2000]

Doc

I do not know you but I hope you recuperate quickly. God Bless you and stay well.

[JVL1018]

Just a lurker here, but wanted to let you kow that I'm glad you're okay!:)

[PamOKW]

Just about gave me a heart attack with this news. I'm so sorry to hear you've been through such an ordeal but I'm really, really happy :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: to hear you were even able to hit WDW to help you mend. Take it easy over the holiday season....relax and enjoy Christmas and skip the stress! We sure do love you around here, Doc! Happy Anniversary to you and the missus. I'm sure she was glad to have you on the mend as well.

[auntsue]

Doc, I was shocked to read your post. I'm so glad you are okay and doing well. Please take care of yourself. This forum just wouldn't be the same without you. Sending some pixie dust your way.

[goofy4wdw59]

Was glad to read everything worked out for you! Wishing you the best, Doc.
This is such a friendly, informative board with a great group of posters & moderators. Also, it's a nicer place to visit because of your imput. Take care of yourself!
Margaret

[Ralph&Pam]

Doc,

Glad to hear that you are on the mend. That can be a scary experience. Our prayers are with you for continued rapid improvement. Have a blessed holiday season.

Ralph

[teri]

It was very nice to meet you this weekend, Doc. I was happy that you and your lovely wife could be there! I think it is great that you were able to come to DIS Con... but then, WDW is such a wonderful place to come to recover. :) Take good care of yourself now. {{{hugs}}}

[IslandHap]

Glad everything went well DOC!! All the best to you and your family.

[Peggy Sue]

So glad to hear that you are on the mend and that you didn't suffer any damage to your heart..you certainly are the heart and soul of this board! Sorry I missed meeting you here at OKW! We arrived on the 27th, and will be here until the 9th.

Take care of yourself..and I agree with Gail too..God is good!

Happy anniversary!

[loribell]

Best wishes to you Doc. Take care of yourself. You are needed here so don't let anyone stress you out. It's not worth it.

[kem330]

Doc, so sorry to hear about your illness but happy you are on the mend. Take care!!

[WdwJon]

Doc,

Glad to hear you're on the mend. It's nice to know that not even a heart attack can keep one away from Wdw.

Jon

[Credit Man]

Doc, so glad to hear you are feeling better. Our prayers are with you and your family.

[KirstenB]

Oh my gosh---I just read this!!! Doc, you've given us so much good advice and helpful information over the years, this gives me the chills. I'm so glad your angio went well. Our best wishes for your continued recovery and good health. Take care and fondest regards.

[maryisme]

I was so sorry to read of your heart attack. I'm glad your doing better and was able to go to WDW. Have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Mary

[Tinkerbelloncapecod]

God has blessed you. Enjoy!

[GCM13]

Doc, glad to hear that you're doing OK. Take care of yourself!

[raidermatt]

Sorry to hear you've had some rough times lately, but very glad that you are doing better. Its great to hear you have so few restrictions this soon after the event.

Best wishes for your continued good health.

[scott.campbell]

Glad to hear that you are back in good health. I may be relatavilely new here, but your post's have been enlightening.

May I wish you a toast we use over here.

May the wind always be on your back and the sun on your face.

[TampaDisneyFreaks]

Doc,
Glad to hear that you are doing better. I have all the risk factors and had a couple of "episodes" a few months ago and didn't want to go to the ER as I felt that they were minor enough. I listened to my family and Doctor and went to the ER. Luckily, they ended up being other things with similar sysmptoms to a heart attack, but they were a wake-up call. Please, if there is a next time, go to the ER or call 911 immediately. We don't want to lose you. Anyway, an incident on these boards is not worth your life, and there are too many good things on these boards to let a bad one affect you like that. Glad you had a great time at OKW! Happy anniversary and recovery!

[sgtpet]

Doc,

Glad to hear you are recovering so quickly. It is quite unfortunate that you have had these problems but you are fighting them quite well. Welcome back and continued future recovery and good health.

[DisneyMim]

So sorry to hear your news, but I am glad that you are feeling much better. Good to hear you had a nice time at WDW, I always said a trip to Disney can work miracles!! Hope you get stronger every day!! Take Care.

[DebbieB]

Doc,

Glad to hear you are feeling better!

Debbie

[Love Tigger]

Doc-

I was so shocked to hear of your heart attack. I'm glad that you're doing better. I've enjoyed reading your posts and gleaning lots of information from them. (I've been lurking a lot lately.) Take care of yourself.

[Caskbill]

Doc -

It's great to hear that things are now looking very good for you. I guess we all underestimate just what a lot of stress can cause.

You've got 40 more years of DVC in front of you, so just keep those happy thoughts, and pixie dust, with you.

I am very glad that all has turned out all right. You mean so much to these boards, and have made many a friend here.

Bill & Peg

P.S. Looking forward to seeing you at The World again sometime.

[Kermit]

I'm just a lurker on this board (hopefully a future DVC owner), but I appreciate all the work you do here and am glad you're feeling better. Dan was the one who told me about it at WDW too. There were a lot of people thinking and praying for you.

[BobBrazeal]

Doc,

So glad that everything turned out so well. Fortunately, I've not had the same results but I do know how stress can sneak up on you.

We really do appreciate all that you do for us here. Keep it up and keep healthy. I look forward to being at WDW sometime when you are there and getting to meet you.

Bob

[prplcrzy]

Hey Doc,

Glad your experience had a happy ending! Take it easy for a while. Hey I have an idea for you, I hear Disney vacations are great and I heard of this great place called Old Key West! If I was a Doc I'd recommend multiple doses of the big D.

I realize you just got back, but treat yourself, your worth it. It looks like everyone else thinks so too!!!

[vernon]

Glad to hear your on the mend, hope it was a great time at the DISCON

[nickglover]

Glad to have you back and doing well. Take it easy and don't push yourself on the tennis court for a while. We are one big family here, and what affects you, affects us. Just ask Richyams.

[Towncrier]

I was so glad to meet you at the Illuminations event at DIScon. I had heard that you were in town from Teri and was disappointed that I had missed my opportunity to meet you in person. I was overjoyed that you were able to attend Illuminations and glad to see that you were recovering quite nicely from your episode. Take care of yourself. I look forward to meeting again. Perhaps my DW will be with me and she can recount her days at Vincinnes University to you.

[Regina]

Hey Doc, the best hugs I got during DIS CON were from you and Liz. It was such a relief to see both of you.

Take care of yourself. You don't ever want me to have to explain banking or borrowing.;) ;) ;) This board needs you!

[POOH&PIGLET]

Doc,

I'm glad to hear that you are doing well. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. God bless you.

[BobH]

I have always appreciated your knowledgeable commentary and your desire to help others with their questions on this board. Welcome back!

[ZerasPride]

Doc - I don't post often on this board but lurk all the time and just wanted to take a moment and say welcome back! You always have great information especially about my future home resort (hopefully) :D Hilton Head. Again, welcome back!

Lisa

[Figaro30]

Doc, so glad to hear you are feeling better and was able to spend some time in Disney. Hope you continue to recover nicely.

[Johnnie Fedora]

Welcome back! Sorry to hear about your scary episode. Glad to hear your feeling better. I know that we will be thinking about you during our upcoming trip to HH. Your positive posts about HH are part of the reason we decided to add on there, and January will be our 1st trip.

Have a Merry Christmas and a very Healthy New Year!!.......Johnnie

[Joeblack]

Dear Doc:

I am just glad you are ok. Thanks for all your help and advice.

God Bless.

joe