Dead fit.
Not a funny story (my posts rarely are...)

I was sent to gym a couple of days ago - I'm a paramedic and was sent to back up another crew. A guy in his early thirties had pushed himself a bit too hard.
He complained of chest pains and then had a cardiac arrest - apparently he had a history of a mini-stroke (TIA) and possibly heart problems too.
He got some *excellent* CPR from the gym instructor which gave him the best fighting chance and the efforts of the attending crews resulted in a return of cardiac output.
We got him to hospital heart-still-a-beating and he went into Intensive Care.

Sadly, he died yesterday.

It makes me think a bit about my own health and fitness. I'm in my late forties, smoke like a chimney and don't really look after myself - and a poor young guy just trying to look after himself ends up dying...


*Sorry to be so morose and serious, but have a chat with your doctor if you are going to undertake any major exercise regime that you are not used to - especially if you have a history (or family history) of health problems.
We don't want to lose any b3tans to that great CDC in the sky now do we?!
(emadex thinks the world will end on, Thu 9 Jul 2009, 18:19, 2 replies)

Oh man
That really does suck.
(Just a girl., Thu 9 Jul 2009, 20:27, closed)

It's scary when they pant too hard.
We have a well used walking path right in front of our house. When I am in the front garden, gardening I often see "serious joggers/runners" puffing and panting up the hill. Sometimes it's just plain scary how hard they push themselves. As an ex-nurse I would feel obliged to try and revive them if they had a heart attack...but I'd much rather dead-head my roses than give CPR! I've never really understood the "feel the pain" school of exercise, it just doesn't make sense to me.
(Woofie, Thu 9 Jul 2009, 21:56, closed)