Valentines Day, 2005

usedto

Lunatic Member
Since most of my posts are of the humorous nature, it's time to post something that might be of value to some (or all) AK users. I hope so.

Monday, Feb. 14, 2005. Typical day in the life. My alarm went off a 5:30, just like it always does. Shower, shave, get dressed, and go down to the family room where the wife has my coffee, the newspaper, and my blood pressure pill. Since I'm 54, overweight, and smoke (40 yrs), the doctor put me on these damn blood pressure pills about 3 years ago so I can keep my class A drivers license. A quick breeze through the paper, and it's time to go to work. I walk outside, hang a left, and walk 80 feet to my office. Flip on the news, turn on the coffee pot, and do some paperwork. It's supposed to be nice today, so I can work outside when it warms up. About 7:30, the wife and kids come by on their way to school..Elliot, a junior, and Emily, 8th grade. I do a little more paperwork and head outside. I need to change a few tires on these warehouse trailers I have for sale (about 250 of them).

Well, about 10:00, and in the middle of fixing one, I get that dull ache across the top of my shoulders and back again. This has been happening ever since the doc gave me those damn pills. Not all the time, but every now and then. But that's OK, because I know how to make it go away. I'll just go sit in the office for a few minutes, kick my feet up on the desk, and in 15 minutes, it'll be gone. But today it doesn't go away quite as fast. I try to move around a bit, but it just won't go away. Fine, I'll just sit here until it does. The next thing I know, it's about 1:30, and the wife has just picked Elliot up from high school (they get out at 1:00 on Mondays), and they come driving by the office. Instead of walking outside like I always do, I just look out the window and tell them that I don't feel good. Well, Elliot knows about my little episodes, and starts ragging on me about never going to the doctor, so I tell him to get my pickup and take me there. I'll show him! Well, by the time we get to his office (7 min. max) I don't have the strength to get out. He brings the doc out, they get me inside, flop me on a table, and hook up the EKG. He looks at the tape and tells me that I am having a heart attack, and it's time to go to the hospital. Well, I've had these before, so I know it won't take long to get over it. I feel better already after lying on the table for 10 minutes.

So, Elliot takes me to the hospital (3 blocks), and when they take me up, they take me to the ICU!. Seems like a lot of trouble for just a few tests. They make me undress, put on the funny gown, and get in bed. I hope this doesn't take long, cause I still have to get the wife a card, and we always have take-out Chinese on Valentines day. They run a few more tests (the wife is here by now) and the cardiologist informs me that they will have to send me to St.Joseph's to do an angiogram on Thursday. Great! Send me home and tell us what time to be there. Well, that isn't what he meant. They want to keep me there and take me by ambulance Thursday morning. I start complaining, so the doc tells the nurse to give me something to calm me down. Yeah, right! Now, the wife tells me that I could still carry on a conversation and visit with people, but I have no memory of anything except when they picked me up and took me to the other hospital. Talk about some great drugs! The only thing I remember there prior to the angiogram, which they did Thursday at 5:30 , was the cute little thing shaving me before the procedure. FYI, an angiogram is where they run a tube up through a vein (artery?) in the right side of your groin, right next to your heart, and inject dye so they can see what's going on, or if there's blockage. Then, they can do angioplasty (inflate a little balloon to open the artery) or a stent (like Chinese handcuffs) to keep it open. I'm still under the influence of the drugs they slipped me, so I don't remember any of this, which is probably just as well. You see, there are a select few people that will have a massive heart attack triggered by the intrusion, and I was one of them. I had a bad one right there on the table. They found 3 total blockages that required bypass surgery. The problem is that they thin your blood prior to the procedure, so they don't like to operate until they can thicken it up. And, the wife said that I was in enough pain (pain usually doesn't bother me) that they put me on morphine. Again, I am oblivious to all this. They decide to stabilize me and operate tomorrow (Friday) at 5:30 in the morning. The wife and kids spent the night in the ICU.

I do remember waking up once Friday afternoon, but I started coughing so bad that they were afraid I'd tear out sutures and bleed, so they knocked me back out again, I understand they pumped 14#s of crud out of my lungs while I was asleep. The next thing I remember was Sunday morning about 6:00 AM when they woke me up for good. They spent about an hour pulling catheters and tubes out of me, and about noon got me up for a walk. I was still drugged up so I didn't know really what all had happened. It wasn't until about 3 that afternoon when they moved me to IC Recovery, and I could take an inventory.

The first thing they do is give you a pillow to hold your chest together when you cough. I first noticed the 10" incision down the center of my chest, with the stainless staples holding it together. They normally suture, but they thought they might have to go back in, so they stapled me instead. There was a 1" incision under my left boob, where they took a vein. There were also two 1" incisions just below my sternum, one for the chest drain, and the other for the two wires (still there) that they use for jumper cables if they need to. There was also a 3/16 tube in my right vein in my neck that was sutured in just in case.(I have poor arm veins). And, my left leg had 6 incisions running from my crotch to my ankle---the donor leg. That's where they get the repair parts for the blocked arteries..

The rest is pretty routine..They sent me home that Wednesday. The doctors are amazed that the attack I had didn't hurt my heart at all, which is unusual. To the best of their knowledge, the smoking was probably the major contributor. Had to sleep in a recliner for about a month and a half, because laying on your back is uncomfortable after having your chest spread open when they work on the heart. Here a year later, they are still trying to get my medication figured out. I have to wear panty hose (anti-embolism stockings) forever, probably, to help keep my leg from swelling, and blood pressure pills cause a myriad of issues that you just have to live with, andI have 8 stainless steel wires holding my rib cage together that they just leave in.

The worst part was the hell I put the wife and kids through.

My main point is don't wait for the severe chest pain, or the left arm pain, or the shortness of breath, or all the "normal" symptoms. My achy spells had been going on for years, and I kinda knew something was wrong. I also kinda almost died.

Tomorrow, I'll take a huge box of candy to the lovely nurses who took care of me in the hospital, and the wife, kids, and I will have our takeout Chinese, just like normal. And, I won't preach about smoking, or being overweight, or putting down that salt shaker, but it might not be a bad idea.................

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Larry

P.S. I had both hospitals send me the itemized bill. Ten days stay plus surgery - $251,443.00 Cost me $7,500.00 out of my pocket.
 
Wow. Well, Larry, glad you're still around to share the story with us. May this Valentine's Day treat you better.
 
Glad everything worked out for you Larry and I'm also glad I quit smoking a couple of weeks ago :thmbsp:

Rather not go down that road you traveled :no:
 
Army said:
Glad everything worked out for you Larry and I'm also glad I quit smoking a couple of weeks ago :thmbsp:

Rather not go down that road you traveled :no:
I had 17 cigarettes in the pack when I left for the doctor. When I got home 10 days later, I threw all of them but 1 away. I had the surgeon get me a copy of the x-ray they took the day before I came home that shows the wires on my ribcage, the staples, the two wires on my heart, and the tube in my neck. I also have a copy of the quarter of a million dollar bill. Any time I want to have that cigarette, I look at the x-ray and bill. Works better than Nicoderm!!! Besides, if you feel like having a cigarette, call me. I'll come over and get drunk with you!
 
Chinese food on Valentines Day = good

Medical emergency on Valentines Day = bad

That bowl of wanton soup is bound to taste extra good this year.

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Two years ago I spent Valentines Day and the evening before in the hospital - had a stroke. Fortunately not nearly as dramatic/traumatic or as serious as your medical adventure but I sure did some lifestyle/diet changes. I had quite smoking a few years earlier and had started long forced hikes around my subdivision during the evening-it is likely the reason I am here today.
Like Franks Zappa said way back when - Boys and girls it is so F*&@king great to be alive.

I hope you have many, many more years too come.

BTW - some people in the emergency line up/triage seem to be a wee bit peeved that I went to the top of the list for immediate care. ( the sprained ankle or broken fingernail crowd).
 
F**k. That's scary. I know somethings been going on with me for the past several years. I finaly got a new doc recently who listened to me and decided my BP was a little to high. Started pills about a week ago. Scary? I know it's cause I drink like fish and was about to go pick some up. Not now. Adictions suck! Thanks for reminding me of the dark side.


Update: I just started reading this thread again without realising I have read it before. These days I do smoke a little. And I do agree that's a little too much. But tomorrow I have three years with a drink. 12 pack a day in NOT healthy.
 
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I have noticed that 76 people have read this since I posted it last night. I know for a fact that ONE of you sees yourself and knows what you need to do. Mission accomplished.
 
Valentines Day!

Happy :beer: Happy :beer: :sigh:
 
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In light of some of the medical issues being discussed as of late, how about a Public Service Announcement "BUMP"..................
 
Hi BP!
Indeed you are blessed with family & friends & whatever you need to do stay with us, indeed make it a priority.

May this Valentine's Day be enjoyed by you & the ones you love!

Rome
 
You are definetly one lucky man! The fact that your son and everyone else knew what to do and that you have survived an enormous tragedy is a statement in itself. The fact that you can look at your X-Ray and Bill and know you are better and not have to smoke anymore is pure self reliance.
 
My annual public service bump. Six years ago today. Monday to boot. Take care of your health!!
 
Thanks for the post, Larry. Seriously. I was having some "discomforts" around the upper part of my chest for quite a while. I finally went in last fall for a full physical and told the doc all of my symptoms. Luckily, after a full treadmill stress test and the usual other stuff, my heart is fine. But it's good to know.

Everybody who has been having feelings you've been ignoring and know you shouldn't be ignoring, go have it checked out. Now. You might not be as lucky.
 
I'm glad you're here to celebrate another Valentines day. With some recent events regarding my father, I've become aware of some hereditary heart conditions in my family. Posts like this remind me that I can't live any way that feels great...I need to live TO feel great.

Cheers. Eat a bunch of candy today.
 
I guess this would be Lucky 7 for my annual watch-your-health bump.:thmbsp:
 
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