The Story

I live in a remote mountain area of SoCal. It takes an ambulance 40-50 min to get here generally, but on the day of my MI we had an ambulance on the hill - because we had snow! As a result I had help within 15 min and reached the hospital 10 mi away within the first two hours. From the moment I realized I wasn't going to die that day - I became determined to live - healthy.

I weighed in that day at 199 lbs - and I'm 5'2"! I was smoking at least a pack/day, although a vegetarian, my diet was not a healthy one. I am a genealogist and was spending a great deal of time at the computer - and neglecting any daily exercise. I had spent years getting out of shape.

The day before I had had what I assumed was heart-burn - a missed sign.

That morning I had been on the computer, had skipped breakfast and was into my 6th cup of coffee. When my chest was gripped with pain I immediately thought - heart-burn. I went to my bedroom and laid down - but the pain became excruciating. I suspected heart attack, got up and picked up the phone, went to the living room and sat down. The pain was constant and now radiated into my jaw - I dialed 911. As soon as the operator answered I realized my breath was nearly gone! I got out the necessary info and even called my husband at work! By then our local volunteer fire dept personnel were banging on my front door and my rescue had thankfully begun. My troponin level was 371!

At the nearest hospital I had an angioplasty that day. A couple of days later two stents were inserted at a different hospital - one in my insurance plan. In the past year and three months there have been many ups and downs of course. But, I'm still here. :-)