Going to WDW after a heart attack

Mikester71

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
So after logging off of my computer (and this site) on Feb. 17 at my usual 4:30ish am, I climbed into bed only to be awoke at 7am out of a dead sleep with wicked chest pains. I thought maybe I just had bad indigestion or heartburn since I had been taking tums before bedtime for about a week or so leading up to this event, so rolled out of bed to grab some when I realized that it was definitely not just heartburn. Could not catch my breath when I stood up and had pretty bad pain all across the front of my chest and between my shoulder blades. I laid back down in bed and called my wife (who was on her way home from work) to tell her that I wanted to go to the emerg here at our local hospital. Good thing I did, as it turned out I had suffered a minor heart attack and ended up spending a week in the hospital as they monitored my heart and blood pressure and all that other good stuff, and at ONLY 42 years of age!!

I was sent to a bigger hospital out of town for a day during my hospital stay so that they could give me an angiogram to get to the bottom of it. The results were good - although it was a heart attack I suffered, there was no blockage in my arteries or permanent damage to the heart. I did have some plaque buildup though and my blood pressure and cholesterol were all out of whack, so I am now on a few medications to help bring those under control and am back at home on the mend. I am taking this recent health scare pretty serious and have made some drastic changes to my lifestyle since getting released from the hospital.

So to get to my questions here, and the reason for this post (sorry for the back story there :oops:). I was wondering if anybody on here has suffered a heart attack and how it affected future trips you took to WDW?

Like I said, I am on medications now (probably for life the doctor said) and have changed my whole diet and am trying to eat healthier and all of that. Do you allow yourself to still indulge in all the yummy treats and meals WDW has to offer or do you stick to a strict, heart-healthy diet (if you are on one) while in the World?? Does WDW have a lot of options for people who do adhere to such diets?

As for the parks, I know the walking will be great exercise for the ole ticker. How about rides and attractions though? Do you still ride all of the attractions after your heart problems or do you steer clear of the big ones now?

Thanks to all that read and answer and feel free to chime in if you think of anything else that might help me when it comes to this topic! :)
 
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Mikester71

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
brinneydee said:
Oh my gosh! I'm so glad you're alright! My dad has been through two heart attacks, so I know how scary it is. Bless your heart, man...
I definitely would tell you to take advantage of the scooters if you feel the need. Walking is great exercise, but when you're a heart attack survivor, you need to take it a little easier than normal. Also, try to eat as healthily as possible, with high protein/low carb meals to keep you going.
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Thank you very much, brinneydee. Sorry to hear about your father and I truly hope he is doing okay now. I've been through 3 with my father and know how scary it can be on family members. I am glad to say that I am feeling pretty good and have started walking again to get back into shape. My wife and I go out for our walks again, but I definitely don't push myself. If I get too tired or winded, we turn around and come back home. Slowly but surely! Definitely will do the same when we go back to WDW in a couple of years too!

Even though I didn't think I ate all that bad before, I still changed my whole diet up since getting home from the hospital. More fruits, veggies, nuts, protein, fibre - less sodium, sugar, carbs, unhealthy snacks, etc. So far, so good on that front. And I actually dropped a few pounds already, which is a huge bonus and made my week! :D

Thanks again brinneydee! :)
 
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Figgy1

Figgy1

Well-Known Member
Mikester71 said:
Thank you very much, brinneydee. Sorry to hear about your father and I truly hope he is doing okay now. I've been through 3 with my father and know how scary it can be on family members. I am glad to say that I am feeling pretty good and have started walking again to get back into shape. My wife and I go out for our walks again, but I definitely don't push myself. If I get too tired or winded, we turn around and come back home. Slowly but surely! Definitely will do the same when we go back to WDW in a couple of years too!

Even though I didn't think I ate all that bad before, I still changed my whole diet up since getting home from the hospital. More fruits, veggies, nuts, protein, fibre - less sodium, sugar, carbs, unhealthy snacks, etc. So far, so good on that front. And I actually dropped a few pounds already, which is a huge bonus and made my week! :D

Thanks again brinneydee! :)
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Congrats and keep up the good work!!!
 
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tikiman

tikiman

Well-Known Member
Mikester71 said:
Oh man...did you ever find out what caused it, Steve? To have a massive one like that at 40 when it sounds like you were pretty healthy and exercised and watched what you ate before it happened is scary!! Does heart disease run in your family, like it does mine? REALLY glad that you listened to your wife and got your butt in there before it was too late, and that they were able to clear the blockage and insert a stent. I was very fortunate that there was no blockage or damage to mine when they went in with the angiogram, so didn't need a stent or anything like that. Doctors saw some plaque buildup though and figured that some broke off and maybe briefly blocked an artery to cause me to have a minor one. But minor or major, I am definitely taking this seriously and have made some changes to my lifestyle to hopefully prevent it from happening again. No more being lazy - back to exercising every day for me. And even though I never really ate ridiculous or anything, I am definitely cutting back and watching what I eat. Like you, I've cut red meat out of my diet and I am also really watching the sodium levels in everything we buy. I suppose I may allow myself to treat myself every once in a while, but it won't be too often and I am hoping I can stick to what I've been doing the past 2 weeks or so when it comes to my diet.

Cool to hear that you are able to enjoy yourself while on vacation and that you can still go on the rides and that. There are a couple that I chickened out of last trip that I suppose I probably won't go on from now on (not worth getting the ole ticker worked up over over), but at least I've rode them and got to experience them before this. Still lots to enjoy while the wife and kids go on them.

Thanks for the response, Steve, and stay healthy man!

Aloha
Mike
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Yes I have always been very active and still am. High cholesterol runs in my family. I was the last person my friends expected to ever have a heart attack. I’m 5’11” and 168 with little body fat. Luckily the one artery that was clogged was all there was. They even checked the arteries in my neck and they were clear. I had a stress test and blood work done a year before the heart attack and they said I was in perfect health. No signs it was coming until that night other than a slight tingle in my chest and a little numbing of the hands.
I love a good steak but now I don’t eat red meat except once a year on the anniversary of my heart attack. You are right with the sodium also. Gotta stay away from that as much as possible. Less processed foods.
As far as activity I have not slowed down at all and I don’t avoid any rides. I also realize that things can end just like that so I live my life and enjoy my family and friends. I don’t put off doing things if I can do them now.
If you feel you need to avoid some rides or activities than you do what you feel is best. It is always good to listen to your body. I know I am much more aware of the slightest things.
Glad you are still around to enjoy life and keep living it healthy. Don’t be afraid to stay active, that is the best medicine there is.
 
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Mikester71

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
tikiman said:
Yes I have always been very active and still am. High cholesterol runs in my family. I was the last person my friends expected to ever have a heart attack. I’m 5’11” and 168 with little body fat. Luckily the one artery that was clogged was all there was. They even checked the arteries in my neck and they were clear. I had a stress test and blood work done a year before the heart attack and they said I was in perfect health. No signs it was coming until that night other than a slight tingle in my chest and a little numbing of the hands.
I love a good steak but now I don’t eat red meat except once a year on the anniversary of my heart attack. You are right with the sodium also. Gotta stay away from that as much as possible. Less processed foods.
As far as activity I have not slowed down at all and I don’t avoid any rides. I also realize that things can end just like that so I live my life and enjoy my family and friends. I don’t put off doing things if I can do them now.
If you feel you need to avoid some rides or activities than you do what you feel is best. It is always good to listen to your body. I know I am much more aware of the slightest things.
Glad you are still around to enjoy life and keep living it healthy. Don’t be afraid to stay active, that is the best medicine there is.
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Glad it was just the one and that they were able to clear it up for you. Scary that it can just creep up on your like that.

I was eating way too many processed foods and my stress level has been through the roof the past year. I think if I can get them under control and try to eliminate them as best I can, along with sticking to my newer, healthier diet and throw in more exercise, I should be okay for the long haul.

Hopefully we'll both be around for MANY more years to come! :)
 
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D

DisneyDebNJ

Well-Known Member
Mikester71 said:
Glad it was just the one and that they were able to clear it up for you. Scary that it can just creep up on your like that.

I was eating way too many processed foods and my stress level has been through the roof the past year. I think if I can get them under control and try to eliminate them as best I can, along with sticking to my newer, healthier diet and throw in more exercise, I should be okay for the long haul.

Hopefully we'll both be around for MANY more years to come! :)
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Mike, wishing you the best! Hopefully it was just a wake up call, so you'll be with us all for atleast a good 50 years!!!
 
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J03Y

J03Y

Well-Known Member
well obviously dietary habits at Disney practically go out the window, but i don't think recovery should be an issue for a trip, unless you do it fairly early in your recovery period then you really need to be careful. but my dad has been to Disney years after his heartattack and he's been fine.

take this like everything else big that happens, go slow and stay alert. just don't take the fun out of everything either :)
 
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