Tim Russert Dies From Apparent Heart Attack

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close_enough said:
ok, i feel guilty now....they're saying on msnbc that "we're selfishly" missing Mr Russert, due to elections.....he was more than just about elections....
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Some of what they are saying has to be excused. Their grief and the immediate loss of their friend, a colleague they saw in person daily, will cause them to say a lot of things that just aren't all there. I switched to Fox this evening - they covered it too for a really long time. The MSNBC people had been on for over 6 hours straight, fatigue was obviously setting in.
 
He will be missed, my prayers for his family and friends. Rest in Peace, Mr. Russert.
 
CarpeDiem said:
Some of what they are saying has to be excused. Their grief and the immediate loss of their friend, a colleague they saw in person daily, will cause them to say a lot of things that just aren't all there. I switched to Fox this evening - they covered it too for a really long time. The MSNBC people had been on for over 6 hours straight, fatigue was obviously setting in.
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He definately was overworked these past few weeks.
 
SeekingJana said:
A heart catherization is the only definitive diagnostic study to determine the presence or absence of coronary artery disease in the main coronary vessels. Women are especially prone to having inaccurate stress testing.
I had a heart cath on May 22, my second in 5 years. Both were perfectly normal. They aren't pleasant but they aren't nearly as bad as they used to. You are up and out and home in about 3 hours if the cath. is normal and if they don't have to use balloon angioplasty and stent placement, in which case most facilities will keep you overnight for observation.
Maria
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I was so saddened to hear of Tim Russert's passing.

This is close to home here. In Nov. my husband had been having some discomfort in his back and shoulder (that's what he told me) , which he attributed to golf. He called and made an appmt at our reg doc's office, and they put him off for several days for the appmnt. Meanwhile he visited a chiropractor, something he never had done before. FIANLLY the day came for his doc appmt! He called me from the office telling me after they gave him a cardiogram, he was on his way to the hospital. By the time I zooomed there the blood hadn't come back from the lab yet. Just a few mins later, the blood work was done, and he was taken out of the ER with a big team of cardic cath workers, was one of the fastest things I ever saw happen!!! I can't even remember if we were asked to sign anything---everything was happening so unbelievably FAST and we both were in shock! There wasn't any time to think about it. The team was fantastic!!!

Away he went to the cath lab. They kept me informed of everything. I waited in a special room, which they occasionally called me on a phone there. I was the only one in the waiting room, and the first time the phone rang, and without a volunteer there, I answered it. It was ME they were calling! They found a lot of clots, which they removed, and 4 stents later, of which one was very diffucult to get in, but the doc perservered and aha, success! DH had had major major blockages. He hadn't had any problems prior to this time. There aren't too many who I know who are as active as he had been prior to this time. Amazing! He is doing great taking lots of meds, eating healthy (we always did tho) and is due for his stress test next week.

There was one thing which I had noticed about him, when we would be out at night in the car and he was driving, he use to yawn a lot. LOL I use to say to him, "are you alright? Yawning means lack of oxygen!" I should have known to take some action then!!! I knew it! I use to worry he would fall asleep!!! I should have known!!!

Being I use to work for a doc runnning his cath lab, many years ago, DH's doc took me back to the cath lab, when he was done and let me see the pics (recording) from DH's catherization. OH MY OH MY---he was 99.9 blocked in one CA, and the others were close, with the exception of one.

:) Guess what, no more snoring! Snoring can also be a warning sign.

I am so very thankful to still have my :blowkiss: DH! It was a close one.

Note to add, his mother, brother have also had heart surgery, and there is a long list of his father's brothers who died of heart attacks, years ago.

Just wanted to share :) Also take care and be aware! :) My DH looked to be the picture of health before this happened.

eta
I wanted to add, he was in the hospital for about 3/4 days. Returned to work in 2 weeks. Then participated in a heart rehab program for about 6 weeks! :) And all seems to be well. Stress test next week, and I am praying all is well! :) He seems to be, he has so much energy and go go goes! No more yawning or snoring! :)
 
May Mr. Russet rest in peace.
He was a legend in his field.
 
Jeana (DP) said:
He definately was overworked these past few weeks.
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Tom Brokaw looks terrible too. I understand now that he was VERY close with Tim. Tom's voice is the same but he is obviously not doing well either. :eek: He said "it's surreal, I just can't believe it", they were pseudo Uncles to eachothers children. Part of why I had to switch channels earlier, it's too much. All of these men on MSNBC tonight, with eyes a woman can recognize, have cried a lot. You really rarely see that.
 
RIP Tim. I will miss you, your diligence, and your integrity. Intelligent and factual reporting is a standard others should try to live up to.
 
Unbelievably sad news. Tim's enthusiasm for politics really affected me. What a huge loss.
 
God bless his family . I will keep them in my prayers, he was a wonderful man that was taken to soon.:blowkiss:
 
close_enough said:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/russert-dies-of-apparent-heart-attack/index.html?hp

8 p.m. | Russert’s Doctor: Dr. Michael A. Newman, Mr. Russert’s internist, just told Andrea Mitchell that Mr. Russert had coronary artery disease, but no symptoms. He had done everything he was supposed to do to manage the disease, although his weight was a problem. The doctor said that such attacks can’t be anticipated, but a defibrillator can make a difference.

Here’s what he said: Mr. Russert was managing his risk factors well, through diet and exercise. He had a stress test April 29, got to a high level of exercise and was pleased with himself. This very morning, he was on his tread mill and was always excited about how he pushed himself.

These incidents occur without warning, the doctor said, and there’s no way to anticipate them. He could have had a stress test today and it might have been normal. But there was a rupture of cholesterol plaque in the wall of the coronary artery, which results in a heart attack, or what he called a fatal ventricular arrhythmia.
Dr. Newman said the autopsy showed that Mr. Russert had an enlarged heart and significant coronary artery disease. “We could see fresh clot in the coronary artery,” he said.

more at the link above
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That is so sad. My boss is obsessed with his health and always has been, but especially now that he is in his sixties and is witnessing many of friends go through serious health problems. This has been a rough month full of bad health news for us. I think Tim kept the information about his heart pretty private as many of us had no idea. He spoke very candidly about his battle with his weight and diabetes though.

I can't stop thinking about all the nice things Tim would typically do. My boss had a surgical procedure a couple of years ago, and was extremely nervous going in. Tim called him the day before his surgery to try and help him keep his mind at ease. The day of the surgery, Tim called several times for status updates and sent a really thoughtful care package full of books, dvds and cds, rather than just sending the typical gift of flowers.
 
CarpeDiem said:
Tom Brokaw looks terrible too. I understand now that he was VERY close with Tim. Tom's voice is the same but he is obviously not doing well either.
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Tom is 68, big difference in age...... I think he looks good for 68 compared to many in his field much younger.
 
My husband and I both cried a little today when they showed a picture of all three generations of the Russert men on MSNBC. They showed several pics of Tim and his son, from when his son was a toddler up to this year. I had to turn it off.
 
This morning they had his son on the Today Show and did a really wonderful piece on him. The thing that caught my attention more than anything was the joy with which he did his job every day. He was like a kid in a candy store! If everyone was lucky enough to enjoy their job the way he did, the world would be a much better place!!!!!
 
Yesterday was tough. I was at my FIL's for Father's Day, so I cooked him and the family some dinner on the grill, and then we had some cocktails. My FIL graduated high school with Tim 40 years ago. This Friday was to be their 40th class reunion and they had talked Tim into flying up to be there.

It was tough to see my FIL choke up as he was talking about Tim, but it's amazing to see how many lives he has touched. It seems like so many people knew him.
 
Has anyone been watching the memorial today? I happened to stay home from work and have been watching it. His son, Luke, just got finished speaking. You can tell how much he loved his dad, even though he was very composed.
 
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