Tcali Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 He was 40 years old and had a heart attack while driving home because he didn't feel well. He walked a mile every night on his treadmill and was in good shape. When another friend emailed me about his passing I had to read the email about 10 times before it actually sunk in that he really was dead. I'm going to the wake today and the funeral tomorrow. My brother said that Dr. Dean Edell has ten symptoms of a heart attack and a guide to how they should be interpreted. I'll see if I can find it later. I believe there are 10 signs and if you have two or more you should go to the doctor. He had a wife and three young kids, 14, 13 and 11. He was a great guy. Don't think you're overreacting when you think you might be having a heart attack. wow....sorry for the loss of your friend and God bless him and his family.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I am so very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend at such a young age. Genetics aside, this can happen often when people put more emphasis on the body exterior rather than their insides. It does no good to work out like a fiend, have a great body, but live on nutritionaly deficient foods and processed garbage. Compare your body to a car...you need gasoline, clean oil, clean transmission fluid, brake fluid, radiator fluids etc. If you don't feed your car correctly and just spend your time polishing the exterior...how long do you think it will run? Please, please, eat your darned fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, grains etc. every day and quit depending on a daily vitamin and fast food meals. Sorry for the rant It does plenty of good to work out a lot(esp cardio) all things being equal. Working out not only helps weight control but it reduces risk of diabetes,stroke and heart attack. YES--it greatly helps to have a healthy diet. Its both. They both count a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 So what I'm reading here is to not waste my time with diet and excercise....? Seriously though, that sucks A little early morning food for thought... Doesn't mean you can eat all the polish sausage with "the works" while crashing on the couch! Jim Fixx died while running: James F. Fixx (April 23, 1932–July 20, 1984) was the author of the 1977 best-selling book, The Complete Book of Running. Best known as Jim Fixx, he is credited with helping start America's fitness revolution, popularizing the sport of running and demonstrating the health benefits of regular jogging. Death Fixx died at the age of 52 of a massive heart attack, after his daily run, on Route 15 in Hardwick, Vermont. The autopsy revealed that atherosclerosis had blocked one coronary artery 95%, a second 85%, and a third 50%. Many who opposed his beliefs said this was proof running was harmful. However, Fixx came from a family where the men had poor health histories. His father suffered a heart attack at the age of 35 and died of one at 42. Given Fixx's unhealthy lifestyle until he took up running, many argued that running added many years to his life. A carved granite monument—a book with an inscription to Jim Fixx from the people of northeast Scotland—now stands in Hardwick Memorial Park, in Hardwick, Vermont. Fix, being born during the Great Depression (not sure of his social economic background) probably didn't help. Also: Fixx started running in 1967 at age 35. He weighed 240 pounds (=108.8 kilograms) and smoked two packs of cigarettes per day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 The same year my dad died from a heart attack, I woke up on Father's Day with terrible chest pains and shortness of breath, and my wife took me to the emergency room. They took me right in and monitored me but didn't think it was a problem. Then I had to do followup testing where I got a heart sonogram and did stress testing, but in the end it was most likely psychological from thinking about my dad. But I still get nervous when I get bad heartburn. One of my best friends (and a huge Bills fan) Eddiem died at the age of 38 (same as me at the time) almost exactly 5 years ago, from a heart attack. We had hung out the day before watching NFL playoff games together. He went to work the next morning (he worked construction for his brother John), and kept complaining about his stomach feeling "weird". John, kind of pissed (it was their first day of decent weather in a few weeks) told him to "just go home if you are going to be whining all day". Eddie wasn't someone to miss work...but he just went home and died on his couch. His brother, feeling bad for snapping at him, drove by his house at quitting time, to find him dead. John and Ed were very close...to this day, John has great feelings of guilt that his last words to his brother were words of anger... After Ed died, like you, I was sure that I was having a heart attack for a few weeks afterward. I am overweight, but in otherwise decent shape. I had every test you could imagine, and was told I should drop some pounds, but I was very healthy otherwise...but I still kept feeling something was wrong. The doctor assured me it was psychological... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 One of my best friends (and a huge Bills fan) Eddiem died at the age of 38 (same as me at the time) almost exactly 5 years ago, from a heart attack. We had hung out the day before watching NFL playoff games together. He went to work the next morning (he worked construction for his brother John), and kept complaining about his stomach feeling "weird". John, kind of pissed (it was their first day of decent weather in a few weeks) told him to "just go home if you are going to be whining all day". Eddie wasn't someone to miss work...but he just went home and died on his couch. His brother, feeling bad for snapping at him, drove by his house at quitting time, to find him dead. John and Ed were very close...to this day, John has great feelings of guilt that his last words to his brother were words of anger... After Ed died, like you, I was sure that I was having a heart attack for a few weeks afterward. I am overweight, but in otherwise decent shape. I had every test you could imagine, and was told I should drop some pounds, but I was very healthy otherwise...but I still kept feeling something was wrong. The doctor assured me it was psychological... Hard story. Bottom line treat your loved ones like they may be gone tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Just back from the funeral. It was a Catholic service. I'm not Catholic and so the ritual was interesting. About halfway through the service I started to smile because I knew how my friend would be rolling his eyes if he saw this and it brought back a lot of the memories I had of him. I was trying to suppress the smile because I thought people would find it offensive. As much as the priests tried to memorialize his good nature and sense of humor they did it in a downer way. He had a sarcastic and devious sense of humor that I don't think the Fathers would have wanted to bring up in their house of worship. Afterwards when we all gathered at the luncheon set up for the mourners a lot of us talked about the funny times we had with him. I'm still laughing while I write this. Of course the two creationist Christian posers didn't show up. The director of the office building gave everyone who wanted to go the time off to do so. I know it wasn't a time thing. One of the people was a close work friend and they did stuff outside of work. I don't know but I suspect the reason they didn't show was that it was a Catholic service. I'd be willing to bet that they don't think he's going to heaven. I could be wrong and it could just be coincidental that both of them were on vacation and didn't know anything about this but my friends from there said both had worked the day before. I may just be being over sensitive about that but it does piss me off that neither showed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I could be wrong and it could just be coincidental that both of them were on vacation and didn't know anything about this but my friends from there said both had worked the day before. It could also be that they don't deal with death very well and stayed away because they couldn't handle it. Funerals are there to help the living deal with the situation and move on. I wouldn't say that them not showing up is necessarily an ill reflection on them. Of course I know nothing about the situation, so maybe they're just jerks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUFFALOTONE Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My hobby (geocaching) can involve vigorous hiking if you want to do it. One guy was in his mid 50s and regularly did hikes up 2000 foot hills and also did hiking trips into the Sierras. He was very fit. The Saturday morning after labor Day, he died at home from a massive heart attack. Didn't even make it to the hospital, just keeled over. Horrible to say but when its your time its your time. Some things are just unexplainable. Sorry to hear for both of your losses. Enjoy life ladies and gentlemen, it is way toooo short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloboyinATL Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I have never seen a woman so distraught as his wife was. I cannot possibly imagine what his wife and children are going through. My Dad died when I was 15 and he was 45. (3 years older than I am now) I was numb for years if that makes sense. I kind of built up a wall and didn't let anything affect me emotionally for a long time. Looking back it seems like I went along in a daze for awile and kind of pretended that nothing was wrong. I hope those kids still have a strong male role model in their lives. By the way, I turned out okay and hopefully they will too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 My Dad died when I was 15 and he was 45. (3 years older than I am now) I was numb for years if that makes sense. I kind of built up a wall and didn't let anything affect me emotionally for a long time. Looking back it seems like I went along in a daze for awile and kind of pretended that nothing was wrong. I hope those kids still have a strong male role model in their lives. By the way, I turned out okay and hopefully they will too. That makes complete sense. Everything you describe seems natural. His best friend George I'm sure will be there for his son and his mothers friends will help with the girls. I offered to take her for groceries or to pick up the kids if she needs me to. She's going to take her drivers test again and hopefully that will alleviate a lot of problems for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Of course the two creationist Christian posers didn't show up. The director of the office building gave everyone who wanted to go the time off to do so. I know it wasn't a time thing. One of the people was a close work friend and they did stuff outside of work. I don't know but I suspect the reason they didn't show was that it was a Catholic service. I'd be willing to bet that they don't think he's going to heaven. Not unlikely. My born-again relatives avoid Catholic services...though generally not funerals, as they have some common sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 What do they have with going to other religions services? I have been to weddings at other churches (I'm Catholic) and a Jewish funeral. I would have gone to a Korean wedding, but it happened when my grandfather died. The Catholic funeral doesn't have to be a downer. My uncle died around Christmas 2007 at 84. He was estranged from his two sons for almost their whole lives. My mom was about the only one who visited him in the nursing home for several years before he died. He died in the VA Hospital. He didn't have much money so my mother and an aunt (6 of 9 sibs left) arranged the cheapest funeral they could. He was laid out at the funeral home for an hour and a priest came and did the funeral mass there. About 25 people (all relatives showed up as did his son who lives in Buffalo. The priest is the pastor of Queen of Martyrs in Cheektowaga and is the chaplain at St. Joe's Hospital. There wasn't much nice to say about my uncle, but before the regular mass started, the priest told a few jokes, which lightened the mood. At the cemetery, my cousin's husband, who is a minister, said a some nice words. Afterward, my mother had about 10 relatives over and my cousin's husband got us roaring about his stories of being an altar boy and the times he went to a strip joint when he was young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My Dad died when I was 15 and he was 45. (3 years older than I am now) I was numb for years if that makes sense. I kind of built up a wall and didn't let anything affect me emotionally for a long time. Looking back it seems like I went along in a daze for awile and kind of pretended that nothing was wrong. I hope those kids still have a strong male role model in their lives. By the way, I turned out okay and hopefully they will too. ATL----life aint fair .It is amazing what most of us go thru in our own ways. I find solace and strength in my faith in God -but we all have our ways of dealing with things.-If we all took time out to realize what we all go through as fellow human beings I think we would all be much better off. We'd be much more compassionate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stussy109 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Go to the website I posted so you can learn more about it and what to look for. Don't think you're a hypochondriac. When I was 40 my doctor took a baseline for heart rhythm so in case something happened they would have a normal base to compare it with. If your doctor hasn't done this yet you should probably discuss it with him. I just got back from the wake and there was no parking at the funeral home after I took the last spot. I got there right at 2pm when the first wake started. That wake goes from 2-4 and then there's one 7-9 and I believe the second one may have a bigger turnout due to people being at work. This should just give you an idea of what an incredible person he was. When I walked by the casket and saw his body laying there I was almost sure he was gonna rise up and go "Ha! I gotcha all!" I have never seen a woman so distraught as his wife was. I cannot possibly imagine what his wife and children are going through. you should organize a beef and beer to raise money for his wife and kids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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