Page 3 | survived a cardiac arrest

ThisCosyWasp · 2024-07-12T14:46:25+00:00

there seems to be a lack of understanding , even in the medical fields . i had a out of hospital cardiac arrest and had less than a 1 percent chance of survival . i hope to bring awareness to it .

Original poster

ThisCosyWasp · 12/07/2024 18:46

BeyondMyWits · 12/07/2024 18:33

I'm OK thanks.
How are you?
Do you fear a recurrence?
Do your family treat you differently?

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i have bad memory loss . iv lost chunks of the past and short term memory is a struggle . i get frustrated easy . but im doing loads better .

yes they worry ,its scares people , even friends . i guess you think of your own mortality .
no i dont worry , partly because my memory is so short (i used to be extremely anxious )and i dont dwell on thoughts becasue i cant !
but also i now believe in fate . my chances were so low , my brain was swelling rapidly , thats why they did theraputic hypothermia . i believe in fate and what will be will be .i survived for a reason .i intend on being old enough to see my chidlren and grandchildren grow up. saying that i do exactly as instructed by the heart faliure nurse (automatically in it after cardiac arrest but im only stage 1 ) and cardiologist
iv not been through all the broken ribs and pain to live in fear .
i have my struggles but i generally embrace life , iv fought to hard to give up and have just started gentle yoga .
x

OP posts:

Original poster

ThisCosyWasp · 12/07/2024 18:52

olderbutwiser · 12/07/2024 18:22

Woo hoo always brilliant to hear from some survivors (I'm a Community First Responder and ROSC is just the most FANTASTIC THING).

How old were you all when you had your cardiac arrest?

You really have to be pretty generally healthy to survive what gets done to you, that makes a massive difference. Along with CPR/quick defibrillation etc etc.

thankyou for the job you do . 43 , im lucky my kidneys are fine as well.
you really do make a difference . we saw our first responder in passing . it was strange the only time i felt really emotional . we sent cards to icu ambulance staff and cornoary care to let them know im doing well .
thankyou again, the staff were brilliant with my family .
yes i hadnt realised you drilled through shins either ! needs must and all- and it worked x

OP posts:

Original poster

ThisCosyWasp · 12/07/2024 19:01

SerenityNowInsanityLater · 12/07/2024 18:23

we are all just walking each other home , i dont let things bother me now as i used to. on a bad day i think well i havent died today.

Gosh, OP. That's a beautiful sentence and sentiment. We are all just walking each other home. Wow. That's hit me, in the good spot, that love place. What a wonderful outlook. And I totally get those 'bad days'. Those are the days I tell myself, "I've got a pulse. There's more right with me than wrong." 😆

I've got physical stuff; numbness, blue toes, tingling, memory loss. I've never quite bounced back but also, menopause has come along. A perfect storm!
I could speak and read when I began to recover but I couldn't write or type. I developed a short-term dyslexia almost. I wouldn't know what letters to use, despite knowing what I wanted to write. That was strange. The memory loss was hard. That's gotten better but I've never gone back to who I was before. But then, do you, after all this?

second yes i did . my nan who i was very close to was just stood in the door way watching me .i think she was waiting to take me with her as i was so ill. a friend had died a few months before and he was screaming at me and that it was selfish go back . he talked about the baby ,i thought he meant my kids (have a big age gap)i later found out my oldest is expecting !
i dont know that i believe in god but there is more to just us . i wish you all the very best and im so glad you survived xx

This just -to sound totally American (I apologise!)- got me right in the feels.* Wow! *This is where I don't know if I have the words to say what this does to me, reading your experience. So powerful and so undeniably true that we're more than what we see, we're part of something glorious. That's what I came away with. We belong to something eternal, something I haven't found the language for even now, four years later. But this something binds us as individuals to something greater. Love. It's about love. That much I feel. I wish I could find my words. I only know the feeling. God bless your grandchild! You need to be here. You have more loving and living to do, my friend. I'm so glad you're here, talking to us, sharing your miracle. Here's to you, yes indeed, my soul sister. Fellow traveller. Keep on beating that heart of yours to the rhythm of love and life.

i think we see things more in prespective dont we ? after something thats so shocking , that could destroy everything , you change . i have bad days but never as bad as that . and thats what i work from . i do feel some guilt sometimes , how scared my family were the aftermath and all . i went through a stage of thinking why did i survive when babies dont ? but you cant think that . you were saved for a reason , im not sure why ?why was i spared
but i see things differently we never know whats ahead . it made me think about whats important and what i really want .
we will always have some scars but if they are manageable we can carry on .
thankyou and i wish you all the best , xx

OP posts:

BobbyBiscuits · 12/07/2024 19:03

@ThisCosyWasp thank you so much for your reply. It's really interesting. I think the wider use of defib outside of hospital settings must have made such a difference.
I'm so pleased you're on the right meds and I wish you the best of health x

Original poster

ThisCosyWasp · 12/07/2024 19:04

muddyford · 12/07/2024 18:23

DH had one. Like the plug had been pulled out. Doing CPR until the paramedics arrived, then the first one says you are doing a good job, carry on while I get set up! DH still here and compos mentis a year later.

thats amazing im so pleased for you . we were lucky there were quite a few so my husband was sent down stairs . i hope your ok? and im so pleased to hear that hes doing well.
im glad you were with him

OP posts:

Original poster

ThisCosyWasp · 12/07/2024 19:05

BobbyBiscuits · 12/07/2024 19:03

@ThisCosyWasp thank you so much for your reply. It's really interesting. I think the wider use of defib outside of hospital settings must have made such a difference.
I'm so pleased you're on the right meds and I wish you the best of health x

i agree , and your welcome .x

OP posts:

BasalGanglia · 12/07/2024 19:20

Another survivor here! Mine was caused by massive internal bleeding due to a ruptured uterus. I was down for 17 minutes and they got me back with an 8 unit blood transfusion and CPR via a LUCAS machine. I don't have an internal defibrillator as there's nothing wrong with my heart.

Iamalltheyhavenow · 12/07/2024 21:07

olderbutwiser · 12/07/2024 18:22

Woo hoo always brilliant to hear from some survivors (I'm a Community First Responder and ROSC is just the most FANTASTIC THING).

How old were you all when you had your cardiac arrest?

You really have to be pretty generally healthy to survive what gets done to you, that makes a massive difference. Along with CPR/quick defibrillation etc etc.

I was 57 when I had mine

tanstaafl · 13/07/2024 08:44

Growsomeballswoman · 12/07/2024 18:14

Did you have any previous heart symptoms? Had you ever had an ecg or electrocardiogram before it happened? So pleased you are ok.

Sorry to be the pedant but did you mean ‘ecg or echocardiogram ?

Growsomeballswoman · 13/07/2024 11:20

I ment echo.

shihtzuu · 16/12/2025 13:25

Can I ask, had you been in bed or sedentary in the days leading up to your cardiac arrest? Had you ben mostly at rest?. I wonder if the the sudden drop in blood pressure caused this

sashh · 16/12/2025 14:29

Iamalltheyhavenow · 12/07/2024 18:01

Another one here! I had an out of hospital cardiac arrest completely out of the blue eight years ago. Collapsed in a shopping centre, 8-10 mins downtime with no CPR until paramedic arrived and shocked me. I had a cardiac artery blockage (mostly hereditary I suspect - I had normal cholesterol and BP) Had a stent fitted and was in an induced coma for a week. Came out after another week. I have no memory of the event, of the previous few days nor of most of my time in hospital. I didn't really understand what had happened to me until I read the discharge letter sent to my GP. Then I realised just how lucky I had been. I am very, very lucky and grateful to be alive, and never forget it.

A blocked artery is a heart attack (myocardial infarction) a stent is treatment for an MI. You must have had a heart attack, which can be accompanied by a cardiac arrest.

Iamalltheyhavenow · 16/12/2025 18:41

sashh · 16/12/2025 14:29

A blocked artery is a heart attack (myocardial infarction) a stent is treatment for an MI. You must have had a heart attack, which can be accompanied by a cardiac arrest.

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Hi @sashh. The ITU consultant told me that I was probably having multiple heart attacks on the morning of my CA. I was just feeling unwell, and had no typical heart attack symptoms, so I ignored it! This resulted in the Cardiac Arrest at lunchtime where I collapsed in a shopping centre. I can assure you it was definitely a CA, all my notes from the hospital confirm this.

sashh · 17/12/2025 08:20

Iamalltheyhavenow · 16/12/2025 18:41

Hi @sashh. The ITU consultant told me that I was probably having multiple heart attacks on the morning of my CA. I was just feeling unwell, and had no typical heart attack symptoms, so I ignored it! This resulted in the Cardiac Arrest at lunchtime where I collapsed in a shopping centre. I can assure you it was definitely a CA, all my notes from the hospital confirm this.

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I'm not doubting you had a CA, but the stent didn't treat it.