Kennneee Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 Hi All, As some of you know I had a Coronary Arrest 3 months ago. I have been beyond lucky to have survived with some of the docs calling it a miracle. I know this is a bit off topic for this forum but I know a lot of us are "mature" and the possibility of a heart event increases with age. My wife Luanne performed CPR on me for 19 minutes and was instrumental in me being around to write this post. Since I am forever grateful to be alive and able to go back to kayak racing and building my Outer Banks 26, I am encouraging my friends to consider taking a CPR course. If I had a choice I certainly would have skipped this event but since I have been so fortunate, I feel like I owe to others in my life to encourage you to learn this skill and perhaps save a life. My survival has kicked up a lot of dust here in British Columbia with newspaper and radio stories. Luanne was given "THE VITAL LINK" award. Lots of unwanted attention but I am getting lots of hugs from pretty girls, better discounts at the lumber yard, calls and visits from friends, etc. Got to skim the cream off of these otherwise unfortunate obstacles life can throw at you! Here are a couple of links if you have any interest in knowing more. One is a radio interview with Luanne and the other a text story. Again, please accept my apologies if this seems inappropriate use of this forum. http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/all-points-west http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cpr-saves-husbands-life-1.4516166 Carpe Diem, Ken P.S. Rosie is coming along nicely. I will try to get some progress photos up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Ludwig Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 I'm thankful to hear of your experience and survival! Thankyou, too, for this post. It's something that all of us should consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccormick Posted February 16, 2018 Report Share Posted February 16, 2018 Maintain my cpr for professional rescuers cert every year. Good skill to have in our repertoire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meester Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 We had a CPR course at work, and my class partner (also named Luanne - go figure) saved her husband's life with CPR about a week later. Get trained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennneee Posted February 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Meester, That is pretty amazing. Whats in a name? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Your story is amazing. I need to renew. Thank you for the inspiration. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 You don't need to renew your CPR certification, unless it's required for something. You only need to be still strong enough, to break a victim 's sternum and/or ribs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennneee Posted February 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Sore ribs and chest was one of the worst parts of my experience. What kind of wife breaks her husbands ribs. Spousal abuse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccormick Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Speed and depth is critical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter HK Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 55 minutes ago, smccormick said: Speed and depth is critical. At the last CPR training session I went to, the advice on getting the timing of chest compressions correct was to think of an appropriate song with the right tempo. The suggestion was Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". Sorry- just a little bit of black medical humour Cheers Peter HK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 I became a paramedic when I left the Army in the early 70's and have preformed countless "sessions". Some things have changed slightly, but the physical act, if you want to be successful (including a great deal of luck) is going to bust up the cage. When you look into the statistics, it's a wonder anyone survives, particularly with certain histories and over certain ages. The only real answer for the death of 1 out of every 3 is education about your history, diet and most importantly how you cope with stress. The ability to deal with stress is a big one and 80% of the things that your health can do to you (cancers and most of the other usual illnesses), has a major common denominator - stress. I've answered calls where we knew within 30 seconds after arrival, the outcome wasn't going to be a good one, just by getting a few answers to basic questions from family and simple observations, regardless of the compression count, speed, depth, etc. Get educated and some dummy time, but most importantly come to peace with yourself, your history, genetics, diet and learn to accept the realities of life and how fleeting in can be for some. This doesn't mean grab a greeting card for the grim reaper and curl up in a rocking chair for the long wait, but does mean you can lessen your odds considerably, with some knowledge, "model changes" and trying to keep fit, especially mentally. My point is - it's not the "act" but the whole play and you can be a good actor or a not so good one. Yeah, one is more fun, but once you've survived a cardiac event, you'll understand this reference more clearly and you don't have to stand by for this eventuality. Tthere's plenty you can do, before the big wrestling match, with the guy holding the scythe. I've fought this fella many times, including my own stupidity. I got lucky and squared up for the most part. So don't wait, for most of you it's a 1 out of 3 shot, so you feeling lucky or not? Sermon over . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Potts Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 On 2/20/2018 at 12:04 PM, Peter HK said: At the last CPR training session I went to, the advice on getting the timing of chest compressions correct was to think of an appropriate song with the right tempo. The suggestion was Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". Sorry- just a little bit of black medical humour Cheers Peter HK Vinny says that "Staying Alive" works well, too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennneee Posted February 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 GREAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 On 2/19/2018 at 11:04 PM, Peter HK said: At the last CPR training session I went to, the advice on getting the timing of chest compressions correct was to think of an appropriate song with the right tempo. The suggestion was Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". Sorry- just a little bit of black medical humour Cheers Peter HK The American Heart Association recommends the song “Stayin’ Alive”. No joke! And I want THESE ladies performing CPR on me! (Or my wife, of course.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Cadence is one of the things that's changed over the years, but anything uniform at 110 to 130 per minute will do. Any good dance song will do, as will marching music if this come more easily, both at typically 120 beats per, which is fine. Most go too fast, with the excitement of the events around them (people yelling "help them", ambient noises, distractions, nervousness, Adrenalin surge, etc.). The important thing is to remain as calm as practical and focus on the task. If you do it right, you should break into a sweat pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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