Martin Sheen, the father of Charlie Sheen from Two and a Half Men, is an actor best known for his roles in the dramas Grace and Frankie and The West Wing.
However, it was during filming the psychological war thriller Apocalypse Now that the actor encountered a serious physical condition that would plague him for the following nearly 40 years.
In addition to Sheen, prominent performers Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Frederic Forrest appeared in the 1979 film. The film, largely based on the short story Heart of Darkness, tells the narrative of Captain Benjamin L. Willard (played by Sheen), who travels by river from South Vietnam to Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
Despite the fact that Sheen was in his mid-30s at the time of filming, his heart attack caused the entire production to fall apart since he fell and nearly died before reaching a hospital.
Due to the remote locations where the film was shot, a community doctor assisted Sheen in remaining stable until he could be taken out of the bush.
The film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, suffered an epileptic seizure one night after convincing himself that he was to blame for the catastrophe, adding to Sheen’s near-fatal health experience.
A heart attack is a serious medical emergency that occurs when the blood supply to the heart is suddenly cut off, according to the NHS.
Coronary heart disease (CHD), a condition in which the major blood arteries supplying the heart become blocked with cholesterol plaque formation, is the leading cause of heart attacks in the United Kingdom.
Prior to a heart attack, one of these plaques will rupture, causing a blood clot to develop at the site of the rupture. A heart attack could occur as a result of the clot potentially restricting blood flow to the heart.
Other less common causes of a heart attack include hypoxia, substance addiction, and spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) (a sudden drop in oxygen levels in the body).
The symptoms of a heart attack vary from person to person. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) does, however, highlight several of them, including:
Chest pain or discomfort that appears unexpectedly and lasts
Pain that spreads to your neck, jaw, back, stomach, or left or right arm.
Some people feel acute pain or tightness, while others merely feel discomfort. It could be heavy or a stinging discomfort similar to indigestion.
Feeling sick, overheated, dizzy, or out of breath.
Because a heart attack is a medical emergency, dialing 911 and requesting an ambulance is critical. While you wait for an ambulance, the NHS recommends chewing and then swallowing one aspirin tablet. This promotes blood thinning and increases heart-healthy blood flow.
The treatment for a heart attack following admission to the hospital differs depending on the severity of the incident. The two basic approaches are as follows:
Using medications to break apart blood clots
Surgery to help blood return to the heart.
Sheen returned to the set three weeks after recovering from his heart attack. Sheen’s heart troubles persisted 36 years later.
Emilio Estevez, Sheen’s 75-year-old son, revealed on Facebook that his father had undergone quadruple bypass surgery.
“The choice to operate on his heart was proactive, not reactive,” according to the statement.
“With my mother Janet and the rest of our family by his side, and with the supervision of his outstanding team of cardiologists, doctors, and nurses, my father took on this challenge with remarkable courage, fortitude, and humility.”
“Not surprisingly, he is doing phenomenally well, has been released from the ICU, and is expected to be fully recovered by the time he returns to work on Grace and Frankie season three on Netflix early the following year.”
Coronary bypass surgery, according to the British Heart Foundation, lowers chest pain. During the surgery, doctors use blood vessels from your leg, arm, or chest to bypass (get around) a constricted coronary artery.
One of the benefits of the procedure is a better quality of life, especially as it seeks to eliminate angina discomfort in patients.
Following a coronary artery bypass transplant, the majority of patients require a hospital stay of six to eight days.
Most patients should be able to walk after three days, sit in a chair after one day, and ascend and descend stairs after five or six days, according to the NHS.
A coronary artery bypass transplant, like any other type of surgery, entails the potential of complications. These are often minor and controllable, such as an irregular heartbeat or a wound infection. However, there is a risk of serious adverse effects such as a heart attack or stroke.
It is important to emphasize that a coronary artery bypass transplant does not address coronary heart disease. If persons with CHD do not also adopt lifestyle changes, like as eating a balanced diet and exercising frequently, their transplanted arteries will eventually harden and constrict.
