Yep, spills might foretell a heart attack

My brother Dan took two trips in the weeks leading up to his heart attack last month.

These trips were the type usually followed by kids screaming:
"Have a nice trip, see you in the fall." As in scraped knees, elbows and egos.

The first was during our visit out West. We were in Las Vegas when Dan returned to the hotel with a boo-boo on his knee. He said he was chatting on the phone when he somehow fell down. He insisted he was sober, but I think the rest of us had our doubts.

The second was last month during the family's annual weeklong trip to Catalina. This was several weeks after Catherine and I returned from California, where we met the wonderful people who make up my family -- the West Coast Kohns. Dan was running down a hill and wiped out.

Sister Amy Jones captured the moment with her brand spankin' new Apple iPhone (see photo above left). I don't want to disparage the high-tech G3 phone, but ... but maybe that's why the picture's a smidge fuzzy. Maybe. I'm just saying...

Today, Dan still doesn't think the falls were connected with his pending heart attack, but among the warning signs for heart attacks is sudden fainting. Not knowing why you suddenly fell might fall in that category. Dan's also the guy having severe chest pains who drove himself to the hospital rather than calling 911 for the ride.

So what have we learned?

First, call 911 if you have symptoms of a heart attack. Second, if you begin to fall for no apparent reason, see your doctor -- or an ER doc. It could save your life. Third, don't pose for your sister after falling if she's sporting a new camera.