I took a picture of the group whilst suffering a heart attack and everyone pictured contributed to saving my life.

A week ago, my life of decadence caught up with me when Plaque in a heart artery erupted causing a chain of events that semi-blocked the blood flow to this mighty pump. To my credit I have a strong heart from riding my bike and I did not suffer heart failure.

The Cardiovascular System is basic plumbing even if it is magically held in balance, unlike the dark arts associated with the nervous system. Such as when recently my eyes went loopy, for which I spent longer in hospital than for this heart attack.

I had the best of care and great plumbers who worked their metaphorical spanners expertly on me meaning that I will be in the long run stronger and not a ticking bomb counting down to heart failure.

Simply put just because we have a strong heart it does not mean we are free of Cardio disease and our fitness may mask issues, for instance endurance athletes can suffer from an enlarged heart and a too slow pulse. Pay attention to what your body is telling you (e.g. feeling a little faint?), and rest in between athletic endeavours. Looking after your teeth is a good place to start and just think of all those sticky gels and energy bars you may have consumed. Bad teeth can mess with your heart (not in my case). In addition, go for a medical from time to time and importantly check your Cholesterol levels with a blood test.

What hit me most and I must admit to breaking down emotionally when I got home wasn´t because of the shock of what happened but it was rather the thought of what effect my ´popping my clogs´ would have had on my loved ones and friends. I cried because of that.

I think this will probably be my last posting regarding what happened, and I wanted to say thanks.

Thank you for the kind comments especially the laments about losing a loved cycling jersey to medical scissors and I am sorry for not replying to each individually, it was just too overwhelming for me.

Danke to you all.

Links: A Ride Interrupted. https://veloklubhaus.com/2024/05/23/may-2024-rides/