It all began with a 12% chance. 

I had a massive heart attack in the late evening of June 6th 2022. I was taken to a nearby hospital by Gooonja, my wife, in her scooter while I was clutching my heart in pain. 

When I reached the hospital, the doctors were a bit frantic and did not know what to do as my ECO test was standard. Also, by that time, most doctors were not available. 

Just a day before, I had checked with the doctors at the same hospital, and there were no indications to show that I might suddenly have an attack. Though I have been having shooting pain in my shoulders since a month ago and discomfort over my chest/abdominal area. I could not pinpoint the pain, but it seemed that it was a gastric issue back then. The signs were there; it was just that we did not know how to identify them. This is one of the reasons, Goonja and I decided to start sharing our ordeals with the rest of you. People are not aware of the issue, its diagnosis and treatment options. I hope, through this part-by-part post, we can relay the message. 

Going back to the dreadful day, I am glad that Goonja was there for me. Later, doctors told me I only had a 12% chance of living. The further the delay, the lower the chances of survival. I had a blockage in one of my left arteries, which is infamously named a widow maker. By it is named, it seems men are more prone to heart attacks than women. 

While the doctors did not know what to do with me in the ER. As my luck has it, Nepal's best surgeon Dr Bhagwan Koirala happened to drop by the hospital for his personal work. He took an interest in my case and immediately took over the situation. If it weren't for him, I would have lost my life, said that person.  

Rewinding back to the current timeline, Goonja and I have flown to Banglore for a second opinion. We have been seeing doctors from Apollo and Hridalaya hospitals, who both gave us different professional opinions. One suggests I have a heart transplant, another suggests I install a device called ......., which is supposed to prevent loss of death. More on this later as to what options we decided to go with and why. 

I will try to fill in the updates about my treatment in my later posts. For now, the big question is Why and how? 

I was a regular gym goer doing yoga, and my weights were shedding. Most blame goes to age (40+), hereditary, stress and lifestyle choices. 

I am an over-thinker; in my head, nothing is simple; I tend to overthink and not give up until it's made right. I also happen to take my work very personally. My team matters to me. I take it upon myself to solve all problems that exist in our society. 

I used to do CrossFit at the gym and lift heavy weights (80 kg above). 

Food-wise, I have a terrible relationship with food. I tend to stress-eat as much as I can, but my wife would intervene regularly. 

One more reason we think could be the cause of the attack is sleep apnea. There seems to be a light relationship between sleep apnea and the cause of heart attack. 

WHAT IS SLEEP APNEA? 

 A potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.

Risk factors include age and obesity. It's more common in men.

Symptoms include snoring loudly and feeling tired even after a full night's sleep.

Treatment often includes lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and using a breathing assistance device at night, such as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

Next post: #Hallucination, Risk of changing to the right hospital, and a note of thanks to all who were there for me. 

Advice: 

There are three kinds of heart issues diseases  (i) Heart failure, (ii) Heart attack, and (iii) Cardiac Arrest.

(i). Heart failure is when the heart muscle does not function (pump blood) well to the heart. 

(ii) Heart attack is when there is a blockage in arteries, and 

(iii). Cardiac arrest is related to electric function, where the heart suddenly stops functioning, resulting in death. 

Some common symptoms are back pain, chest pain, and shortness of breath. 

When you have any of the symptoms, if you live in Kathmandu, the best option to go to E.R is at Manmohan Hospital or Gangalal Hospital due to their expertise in heart diseases. If you live outside of Kathmandu, for example, Pokhara. I still suggest taking a helicopter and flying to these hospitals. 

Written by Amod Karmacharya 

Edited and fact check by Goonja Shrestha