Dennis Goedegebuure

Discharged

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A quick update:

Yesterday I was discharged from the hospital. Thanks to Martin MacDonald who picked me up and drove me home. #Brotherhood #Strong.

For those with a medical background or interest: I was diagnosed with: St Elevation Myocardial Infarction (Stemi) (Cms-Hcc). My diagnosis also included: Cardiogenic Shock (Cms-Hcc), Bradycardia, Mixed Hyperlipidemia, Coronary Artery Disease.

All people in the ICU were super surprised by my age. Having this at 43 is not common, so the most likely cause is genetics & stress. In the past days, I’ve had several conversations with my parents, and we urged my brother to get checked up as well to make sure he doesn’t have similar issues.

From the moment I walked my dog, around 6:30 am, to the time I checked into the hospital, 7:15, to the end of the operation, there was just 90 minutes in between. The doctor told me they have a standard to have a patient helped within 60 minutes between check-in and end of the procedure. 90 minutes is critical. It took the staff of Valley Care Hospital just under 44 minutes to have me fixed up from check in to end of the operation.

The doctor went into my right arm Radial Artery at the wrist with a catheter to open the blockage and place a stent in the vessel which was blocked, which was the Circumflex Coronary Artery. Angioplasty performed from the radial artery is also called transradial angioplasty.

So the fact I understood that I was having a heart attack probably must have saved my life! I knew the symptoms, which saved my life. I could easily have been one of those stories you hear that everything was fine, up to the day I dropped dead on the street.

Luckily this was not the case. I’m not done yet!
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Although we were already living as a healthy family, we will continue to live more healthy. The doctor didn’t give me certain diet restrictions only moderation, but I will self-restrict. See my healthy breakfast (Oatmeal with raspberries & blueberries and some nuts), the book I started this morning; How not to Die (which I bought weeks ago already) and my daily doses of pill cocktail.

It’s going to be a long way in recovery. I feel tired easily, and I’m out of breath just after a couple of meters of walking. I’m getting Cardiac Physiotherapy, where I will work with professionals to regain my confidence in exercise.

I’m really blown away by all your support messages from everybody. From all over the world I received well wishes. People standing in line to help me out, and come to visit me. From my family & friends in The Netherlands to my SEO community, to my current- & former colleagues at Fanatics, Airbnb & eBay. The care package was so attentive, and knowing my team at work having my back, makes all the difference!

But what is more special, is that my mom, didn’t hesitate to jump on a plane to come to take care of me when Fiona is busy with sicks kids in The Netherlands. 

I’m taking it easy, I’m probably healthier than last week as the blood is flowing into my heart. 
Next few weeks will be focused on recovery and check-ups. After that, we will see, but you ain’t seen nothing yet what I’m about to do!

I’ve got big plans, big plans I say!

Wake up call – surviving a heart attack

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Wow, wake up call!

For the last couple of days, I had a muscle in my back which felt like it was strained. Didn’t pay too much attention to it, just thought I needed more exercise.
Yesterday I felt light-headed driving into work, so before I hit the freeway I turned around to work from home.

This morning while walking the dog, I started to feel really bad. Turned around to drop of the dog.
While on the phone with Fiona, I described all symptoms of a heart attack.

Quickly went to the hospital, and as soon as the doctor attached a heart monitor I could hear him say: “Yes, he’s having one”

The next 2 hours were a roller coaster. Within a minute there were 6 people in the room preparing me to go into the operating room.
The doctors removed one blood-cloth which was blocking a vessel. A couple others are slightly blocked which can be treated with medication.

I can say, I’m extremely lucky I got to the hospital so fast. Doing much better now…

How I Lost 13 lbs in 90 Days by Not Drinking Alcohol

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Last week Friday, It has been 90 days since I walked out of the Galen Center in Los Angeles. I had just experienced an intense 4 days. For 4 days, From March 23 – 26, I attended the program Unleash the Power Within from Tony Robbins. Some people say it will change your life, others say; life will never be the same. Both of these statements are true.
Tony Robbins UPW LA
Picture by Emmeil Davis with permission
Apart from getting more focus in what I want in life, a drive to concentrate and do more meaningful stuff and a need to refocus on my relationship with my wife to strive to a higher and more loving relationship, there was a full day focussed on health. Right there and then, I committed to pursuing a cleanse of my body, to get rid of all acids and unhealthy stuff that had been building up in my digesting system for years. The cleanse is pretty intense, but if you condition yourself to focus on the outcome, you can endure any difficult diet. And what’s more, I just walked over fire, so how difficult can a 10 day cleanse be?
Firewalk at UPW LA Tony Robbins
Picture by Michelle Hardesty‎ with permission
The 10 day cleanse program consists of 4 actions. The actions are focussed on eliminating 4 groups of food/acids from your diet, which in general are bad for you if you over consume these. The rules of the 10 days cleanse of these 4 groups are:
  1. No dairy products; Damn, I like cheese!
  2. No sugar or white (refined) flour; Damn, you mean I can’t eat any of my beloved Dutch licorice?
  3. No meat or fish; Damn, I like my BBQ-ed steak
  4. No acids, so no coffee or alcohol; Damn… I mean… Damn!
For 10 days, I followed this challenge religiously. After 9 days, I said to myself, I can do more… so I went for 30. After the 30, I started to re-introduce some of the other products but stayed away from coffee & alcohol.
Don’t think about what can happen in a month. Don’t think about what can happen in a year. Just focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to get closer to where you want to be. 
Now, as last week Friday, I’m at day 90 without alcohol approaching 100 days. I just had a couple coffees in the last week. The results are amazing. I lost over 6 kilo (over 13 lbs).
Shots of Alcohol
Was it difficult, yes and no. Yes, it was difficult not enjoying a good wine when I had dinner with our friends from Third Door Media when they had wrapped up a conference in San Francisco. No, it was not difficult, because I know why I do it, and what it will bring me long term; I’m much more productive and been working towards a couple of long term goals I would like to achieve for me and my family.
You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine
What I got back from it is a similar experience as my friend Jon Henshaw describes:
The other thing that’s changed significantly is what I call my brainergy. I feel more alert and energetic. I had no idea just how much alcohol was physically depressing my body and my mind. I’m sure it’s also because I’m eating healthier now, but not drinking alcohol has made my mind significantly more sharp and intellectually motivated.
Now, every night instead of sitting on the couch with a glass of wine, watching uninteresting TV series or the CNN reporting of the shit show of politics in Washington, I’m working out on my reclined bike or working on side projects. I get so much more done. I’m starting to like this new found time…I even finished my first book in years, where I always had an excuse of not having enough time to read. Pff… that is just bullshit! And what’s more, I lost a ton of weight (6+ kilos) in the process too. More on that in the next post!
I can say that I‘ve been very impressed with the impact the UPW conference has had on me, and the way I use what I’ve learned there.