O M G no more coffee for me
By freedomg
@freedomg (1684)
United States
November 22, 2011 8:09am CST
I recently had a heart attack and the doctor said it was brought on by stress, doesn't sound like it would call for a diet change but boy howdy did it ever. Before the attack I was one of those people that would have two cups of hot coffee with cream and sugar in the morning and then would drink black coffee on ice the rest of the day, this apparently had a huge impact on my ability to properly handle stresses in my life and have been told to quit the stuff. 
I tried cold turkey the first few days out of the hospital and had a headache like nothing I had ever felt before and even had a full blown panic attack that sent me running back to the emergency room via 911 because I thought I was having another attack.
I've been on the step down program now and am all the way down to one cup in the morning, This has been difficult for me and I must admit I am really missing my coffee. Not enough to die for but missing it all the same. In two weeks I am supposed to switch to decaf only and then two weeks later *POOF* it's supposed to be gone all together.Decaf still has some small amounts of caffeine. I live in a house with 3 other coffee drinkers and the smell of a pot brewing is like heaven to me. I have no idea how I am going to walk away from this. Cigarettes, junk food, and even back in the day marijuana were not this hard to give up.
Don't know if this post was a request for advise or just a rant to people that I know share my love of the stuff, but if you have any ideas I'm always open to suggestions.1 person likes this
2 responses
@freedomg (1684)
• United States
22 Nov 11
First never feel you need to apologize to me for asking something. I love to help when I can. The coffee thing I think was mostly due to how much I was drinking and the fact that I have been doing so for must of my life. Too much of anything is a bad deal. Now symptoms of a heart attack vary by gender so I'll list both.
Males:
Chest discomfort or pain This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go.
Upper body pain Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.
Stomach pain Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.
Shortness of breath You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort or you may not experience any chest discomfort.
Anxiety You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you're having a panic attack for no apparent reason.
Lightheadedness In addition to chest pressure, you may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.
Sweating You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.
Nausea and vomiting You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.
Most heart attacks begin with subtle symptoms — with only discomfort that often is not described as pain. The chest discomfort may come and go. Don't be tempted to downplay your symptoms or brush them off as indigestion or anxiety. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-attack-symptoms/HB00054)
Females:
The most important sign is feeling really tired - even if after enough sleep. Other signs of heart disease in women are:
Trouble breathing
Trouble sleeping
Feeling sick to the stomach
Feeling scared or nervous
New or worse headaches
An ache in the chest
Feeling "heavy" or "tight" in the chest
A burning feeling in the chest
Pain in the back, between the shoulders
Pain or tightness in the chest that spreads to the jaw, neck, shoulders, ear, or the inside of the arms
Pain in the belly, above the belly button
(http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=19561)
If you are starting to be concerned that coffee or anything has control on you please find a way to at least cut it back, this can really save your life.
1 person likes this
@lucy02 (5016)
• United States
22 Nov 11
Oh my! I'm a coffee drinker too. I didn't realize it had such an effect on my health. I didn't use to drink coffee much but in the past couple of years I drink a lot of it. I know I've heard that drinking water with lemon helps detox and beat addiction. You might give that a try. Good luck! I've been having a lot of cysts that is worse when I drink a lot of coffee. I may need to cut down myself.
