Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Smut on December 02, 2003, 06:54:45 PM
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http://www.gonzoville.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=23
MkIX
-Smut
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Salute. MkIX...
-Mitsu
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MkIX
-Hawklore
There dying too young..
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MkIX
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Sad.
Too young.
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That's an unbelievable shock. I really enjoyed working with Mark. He was truly a stand-up nice guy and an awesome talent. Mark took care of himself so it's not something you would ever think could happen at his age. It so sad to see his life cut so short.
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Didn't know him, but my condolences to his family and friends.
As a side note... heart attacks at age 40 have a strong possibility of being "genetic".
If you have a family history of "early" heart attacks... fathers, uncles, grandfathers on either side having heart problems in their 40's or 50's....... you are standing on the bullseye.
Now, thanks to computers, you can have your heart scanned with a FastCAT for about $250 in most major cities. This procedure is totally non-invasive, can be done in less than 30 minutes from sign in to debrief if they're not busy and will tell you if you have calcium buildups around your coronary arteries. It'll show right where they are, too.
There is a huge correlation between these calcium buildups and coronary blockages. If you have the calcium, you've almost certainly got a blockage there.
Catch it early, BEFORE the heart attack and the odds are swung dramatically in your favor. Let it build up undetected and you'll probably add to the tragic family history.
It could be the best $250 and 30 minutes you ever spend.
If you've got the family history... go do it. Hey, you might be totally "clear"; that's a nice thing to know too. It means you dodged the genetic bullet in your family.
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Wow, I remember him from my days over in Warbirds. What a tragedy.
Toad, that test is very interesting. My parents had it performed on them last year. The only caveate is that it only detects the "solid" calcium. Apparently there is a more fluid type of calcium that it can't detect.
But, 50% knowledge is better than 0%, so I think it's worth having the test done.
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banana, it's not perfect, agreed.
But there is no other non-invasive test, even at 10 times the price, that is as reliable an indicator for coronary artery disease as this one is.
The thallium stress treadmill tests are not nearly as accurate and they are 5X or more in cost. Generally, they miss CAD inidictions 10% of the time. Not bad, but not as good as FastCAT either. Much more expensive too. And then you have that nastly little stat of folks with CAD dying on the treadmill during the test. Oops.
Not a single fatality from FastCAT that I've ever heard about. ;)
Another advantage is that if the FastCAT shows a calcium buildup, when you do get your actual invasive CATH the docs know exactly where the trouble spots are. So they can be a bit more prepared and careful when entering that area so they don't knock some plaque loose.
Again, I'll wager there's some folks on this BBS with a history of CAD in their families at young ages that will spend $250 with their wife in a bar/restaurant this weekend.
I'm just saying.. just saying.. if you have this in your family you might be doing yourself, your wife and your kids a BIG favor if you skipped the bar/restaurant scene one weekend and spent a total of 30 minutes at a FastCAT heart scan facility.
IMO.
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I didn't know Mark at WB, but that's a sad story.
I'd just like to add to Mr. Toad's remarks concerning what you can do to avoid heart problems of your own. I can't help noticing that many flightsimmers are very heavy smokers. Stop smoking immediately! This step will be more beneficial than all the changes in diet and modern miracles of medicine can deliver.
No family history of heart problems of any kind here, except my paternal grandfather who died at age 62 - suspected heart attack. This came up at a medical I had some years ago. The doctor asked about family history of heart problems, and was about to start writing when I added that my grandfather had smoked 60 cigs a day - Players' Gold Flake. The doctor didn't even bother to make any notes about it after I told him that.