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Heart Attack

I

Ian_5040589

Father in law is a keen caravanner and unfortunately last Saturday suffered a heart attack.

Fortunately he is now out of hospital and slowly on the mend but he is worried about being able to continue caravanning - fetching water, emptying waste, hitching up etc.

First thought was to move to a motorhome, but I wondered if anyone on the forum has gone through a similar experience and have any thoughts?
 
Hi Ian

Glad your FIL is on the mend. I'm sure the stock answer will be to be guided by the doctors treating him but for what its worth my father had a heart attack at sixty five and after he was mended the docs basically told him to carry on as he had always done, this included his part time gardening job that he did till cancer got him at eighty years old. In my dads instance he had no more heart trouble after the initial attack. He had to carry a spray with him to use orally if the symptoms of an attack came on but it never did.
 
Ian,

Sorry to hear about your Father-in-Law, my only suggestion to him is to get the Wife to do heavy work.

If my wife didn't to the mentioned tasks I wouldn't bother taking her in the first place,

best regards, Martin
 
Ian,

I had my first heart attack the Friday before Easter & the second one on April the 15th whilst waiting for an Angiogram, since coming out of hospital I've had to come to terms with the fact I can't do everything I used to! but it has not stopped me from vanning!!!! last week of June I drove down to the Dordogne, van in tow & had a wonderful 2 weeks away & am looking forward to going away 1st week of September.

As a result of the attack, we've not had many weekends away this year, mainly due to the fact that the medics tell you not to drive for 4 weeks after the attack & then recuperating for another 5 weeks.

But as long as your father in law is sensible & takes note of what his body is telling him, theres absolutely no reason why he shouldn't carry on vanning!

My van already had the motor mover fitted so if he hasn't got one, get one fitted as manouvering the van by hand is the biggest no no! as for filling the aquarol, if he's got the 40 litre one, fill it from the side cap & put the pump in that one as well, (just wedge the aquaroll with a couple of tapered wood wedges to stop it rolling away) saves having to up end it, the waste master already has wheels, so empty it daily rather than each time it fills up & likewise the toilet cassette, but I've taken to putting the cassette into the boot of the car & driving up to the emptying point, saves humping it there!

So the short (or in this case, long) answer is yes he can still carry on vanning!!!!!! just be sensible about it.
 
Hi George

Thank goodness you can still caravan. I'd to give it up.

Do you find fellow tuggers offer you help on site if you ask? Ask me and I'll happily help if I see you or anyone else who needs a post heartbeat hand.

Keep at it and enjoy.

Cheers

Alan
 
Ian,

As I've not had any operations (no bypass here yet!) apart from the Angiogram (& thats high up on the list of things to wish upon my worst enemies, not painful, but by god is it uncomfortable!) there's really no outward signs to anyone, except of course to those who knew me pre attack, & they only say, "taking it easy eh George!"

The most stressfull part is the driving, so breaks little & often help, but it's difficult not to get wound up with those pi**ocks who just gotta get in front of a caravan no matter at what cost!

Even found putting the awning up easy!!!!! just got a bit stressed before putting it up as I convinced myself that I'd brought the wrong set of poles, turned out that I'd got the right ones anyway! yet another C.R.A.F.T. (Can't remember a ffffflaming thing) moment.

So now when we turn up at site its legs down kettle on beer poured out! ****** the awning it can wait 'till tomorrow
 
Yeah beeen there done that etc. I had a heart attack in Jan 1986 and whilst at the time it was a bxxxxy nuisance it subsequently proved to be just an irritation in life. I went on to complete a full career in HM forces and we still enjoy our caravanning. At the time the CC had just brought out their Helping Hand scheme where, if you would welcome assistance on the setting up on site, you placed the HH sign in you caravan window. This sign was 2 grasping hands. Good idea I thought we'll have some of this until I am fit again so when when we arrived at Black Knowle CC site a few weeks after my heart attack with the HH sign prominently displayed, I waited for said assistance from my neighbours. What I didn't expect was for the assistance that was offered was from a frail lovely couple well into their dotage who came to help me. At 6'3" and over 16 stones and feeling a complete fraud kindly turned down their offer and binned the sign!
 
Hi Ian

Sorry to hear of your FIL's heart attack.

His Doctor will be able to give him the answer to ALL his concerns. I have two friends who have had heart attacks and my next door neighbour too. NDN is a taxi driver and he is already back at work, the other too also back to work.

Recovery time will depend on how severe the HA was, some can be quite mild.

Some years ago I had to have two heart valves replaced with metal valves. That was a big op. and I have the 'zip' in my chest to prove it. Even so I was back to work within a few months and at 73 I still enjoy our caravanning [we do have a motor mover]. We recently returned from 6 weeks touring in France [Millau] 3600 miles.

Please tell FIL not to be depressed, he should soon be over the worst and life will quickly get back to normal.
 
There was another thread on this on another forum a few weeks back. In the majority of cases they were able to continue pretty much as per normal - but obviously sensibly. If I remember correctly the biggest single recomendation has already been mentioned - get a mover fitted. Obviously it will depend on his exact circumstances but certainly most carried on.

I have a freind who has suffered a pretty major attack. yes it really shook him up, but at 61 he has just finished converting an old warehouse into a new church complex and is now fitting out a shop, so tell him to take heart (oopps, really sorry no pun intended there!!LOL)and I'm sure he'll be back to normal soon.

I'm sure he would love to know about all the messages from this forum, it might well cheer him up!

Reagrds

Woody
 
Another tip which I do myself if the emptying point is a long way from my pitch, like on some private sites, is to hook the AquaRoll onto the tow hitch.

It saves a lot of huffing and puffing, especially uphill, and a must if you suffer with angina.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone, I'll print these off and pass them on to FIL.

I'm sure they'll inspire him as he's itching to get back in the van though he's only been back at home for 1 day!

Rgds

Ian
 
As I've not had any operations (no bypass here yet!) apart from the Angiogram (& thats high up on the list of things to wish upon my worst enemies, not painful, but by god is it uncomfortable!)

Not true in every case, I have had 2 Angiogams a year for the past 3 years. Yes they are uncomfortable but not painful in the least. I would say to anyone who needs one, it is the Gold Standard of Diagnosis. What a sensation as the fluid/dye hits the top of your head and then disappears as it reaches your feet, keeps you warm though lol.

As for caravanning just listen to your Doctor and your Body, both will tell you when you have done enough
 
I had heart attack on easter Monday 2004 whilst on holiday in the van in Devon. I ended up having to have quadruple bypass surgery in august the same year and then 2 stents implanted in Feb 2006 when one of the bypasses had failed.

This has'nt stopped us from caravanning and we are out most of the school holidays due to both of us working in education, I still do all of the towing and setting up fetching the water etc and easily cope putting up the awning.

please tell your father in law it is not the end of the world as it probably seems at the moment and in time if he follows the advice he recieves from the doctors and physio he too will get back tp a pretty normal life but it does take time and patience is the key.
 
Hi, In 2002 i suffered my first aortic aneurysm which was succesfully repaired although at 49 i had to retire,in 2006 i suffered my second aneurysm which led to me having my aorte replaced ,a double bypass and 3 stent grafts all of which was done at the same time and was a first for a uk hospital, in 2007 i had yet another stent graft done as one of my grafts started to leak again all went well this year 2008 saw us buying our first tourer and me and my mrs cope fine even if i do get a bit out of breath when putting the awning up, so what if it takes us a bit longer than some people we love it, tell your FIL to take his time and enjoy it.we do.
 
Hi Ian

I hope this will give you FIL some confidence. I had a heart attack just two months ago, 3 days after getting back from three weeks in France (I'm sure it was the stress of coming back to the UK ! ! !). Two weeks ago we went out for a long weekend at a CL with no problems at all.

Just take everything a little bit slower. The day after we got back from the CL I started on a cardiac rehabilitation course. That made me realise that caravanning was actually a breeze. After a talk about heart related matters I and 12 others were put through over an hour of non-stop aerobics and gym work including rowing machines, excercise bikes, weights etc etc. This gave me back a lot of confidence. At the back of my mind was "will I ever be the same again". In short, I almost feel back to not only 100% but 110% because of the 'enforced' excercise, (not that I was a layaround beefore the attack).The session showed me what I was still capable of.

I know everyone is different as are heart attacks but I'm sure your FIL will be back 'vanning soon. I wish him a full and speedy recovery.

Regards

John M
 
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