A friend of mine who we will refer to as Andy, recently suffered a heart attack that was the cause of CHD. He is married with one child who is six years old and the doctors were rather shocked that he experienced a heart attack at such a young age. Although he is 36, it was still early for a heart attack even when experiencing CHD. Andy was not ready to face the repercussions of his heart attack as a coronary artery bypass was needed to be successfully performed in order to save his life and as he described to me, "be able to live a long life and watch his son grow up and become a man." The doctors were surprised at his young age for having a heart attack yet when the EKG showed signs of intense disturbances, it was evident that something very serious was happening.
When Andy experienced the onset of the heart attack, he was heading upstairs and noticed a deep pain in his chest but did not think too much of it. He decided to sit down, however he noticed he was sweating profusely and was still having pains in his chest. Despite his central air running, he was beginning to feel nauseous and called his wife who was out shopping with their son and was then rushed to the hospital. After his surgery, which went well even though he had to stay in the rehabilitation center for a few days after the surgery, Andy returned home and received special care from his wife, family, and close friends. Andy was not allowed to do much physical activity and had to sustain a low-fat diet that helped him recover.
Even though Andy had endured and successfully made it through the surgery, he did not feel the same. He noticed that he was in a significantly weakened state in the beginning and he was unhappy with his diet and lack of calorie rich foods. Andy did not like his situation, yet his understanding of the need to support and be engaged with his family kept his determination to keep up with his diet and maintain physical activity when he was able to. Although he was doing well and had recovered, he stated that his near death experience made him feel like he was much older and made him anxious in some situations when health aspects were discussed about heart disease. Andy incorporated a sense of blessing that he was alive and had transformed his social roles with his family and friends to being grateful for all that he had including his own life.
I believe that this narrative is associated with that of the restitution, where an illness was present, yet his goal to achieve a healthy lifestyle and restore his health was surely obtainable. Andy believes that all the aid he received from family and friends was all a part of his great journey to a successfully healthy life. He had great respect for the doctors and physicians that helped to save his life and for him to regain full recovery.
Citations:
1."Coronary artery baloon angioplasty." Picture. Accessed August 14, 2013, http://health.rush.edu/HealthInformation/Mens%20Center/10/000127.aspx
2."Zolas heart surgery." Picture. Accessed August 14, 2013, http://www.levitt.com/zolanews/page/2/
1."Coronary artery baloon angioplasty." Picture. Accessed August 14, 2013, http://health.rush.edu/HealthInformation/Mens%20Center/10/000127.aspx
2."Zolas heart surgery." Picture. Accessed August 14, 2013, http://www.levitt.com/zolanews/page/2/