poppyandnana
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2006
- Posts
- 2,925
Hi Everyone!
I thought it was about time that I brought you all up to date on a recent situation that I found myself in!
As some of you know I have been battling with coronary artery disease (CAD) since 2004 having undergone more than five heat cauterization, each one with findings of blockages - the latest one being in November 2008 - the blockages are usually found in the Left Descending Arteries (a/k/a "the widow makers") and right after where a stent was placed......for some reason, I just build plaque around the stinted area - well anyway in November they found the arteries to be 95% and 75% blocked......Doc said no more stents, he just did the balloon angioplasty and opened everything up again.......after the procedure he made the comment that he hoped to get a few years out of the angioplasty.
When I visited the Doctor in December (follow up check up) I told him I was feeling run down and no energy once again........he wanted to do another heart cath which we tentatively scheduled for April,......anyway by the time April rolled around, I was feeling really run down , but then again it was a BIXXX of a tax season this year - Upon the suggestion of the cardiologist I met with the heart surgeon to discuss my options and he was pretty sure the option that was necessary was going to be by-pass surgery. Well I went in on Monday April 6th for another heart cath and they found that the arteries where once again blocked (95% & 75%) and I was scheduled for double by-pass on Wednesday.......
Well here it is April 25th and I can actually say I feel pretty darn good. I do have limitations, which I know what they are and restrict myself to doing what I'm supposed to do....I've been out walking, with Leo, who has been a great nurse, not to mention my Mom.
Things that bother me are the fact that anything touching my chest feels like a 10 ton brick.....the nerve endings are so sensitive that the least little touch sends chills throughout my body. A simple task as walking up the stairs is not so simple......you can only go up using the same foot forward each step...if you go up normal you have a tendency to "shift" the breast bone and boy does that hurt not to mention the noise of the grinding bones. Drinking can only be done through a straw - otherwise the strain and pulling on the incision is painful.....smells sometimes drive me crazy - can't stand the smell of raw onions!!!!! Oh another obstacle is typing - those finger muscles are connected to the chest muscles - took the better part of two weeks to be able to type!
Anyway I just wanted to take the time to fill you all in, we are still planning on attending the M&G in Mexico in June but we'll see how much "fun" I can have - I was really looking forward to the kayak trip but we'll wait and see!
Kathy
I thought it was about time that I brought you all up to date on a recent situation that I found myself in!
As some of you know I have been battling with coronary artery disease (CAD) since 2004 having undergone more than five heat cauterization, each one with findings of blockages - the latest one being in November 2008 - the blockages are usually found in the Left Descending Arteries (a/k/a "the widow makers") and right after where a stent was placed......for some reason, I just build plaque around the stinted area - well anyway in November they found the arteries to be 95% and 75% blocked......Doc said no more stents, he just did the balloon angioplasty and opened everything up again.......after the procedure he made the comment that he hoped to get a few years out of the angioplasty.
When I visited the Doctor in December (follow up check up) I told him I was feeling run down and no energy once again........he wanted to do another heart cath which we tentatively scheduled for April,......anyway by the time April rolled around, I was feeling really run down , but then again it was a BIXXX of a tax season this year - Upon the suggestion of the cardiologist I met with the heart surgeon to discuss my options and he was pretty sure the option that was necessary was going to be by-pass surgery. Well I went in on Monday April 6th for another heart cath and they found that the arteries where once again blocked (95% & 75%) and I was scheduled for double by-pass on Wednesday.......
Well here it is April 25th and I can actually say I feel pretty darn good. I do have limitations, which I know what they are and restrict myself to doing what I'm supposed to do....I've been out walking, with Leo, who has been a great nurse, not to mention my Mom.
Things that bother me are the fact that anything touching my chest feels like a 10 ton brick.....the nerve endings are so sensitive that the least little touch sends chills throughout my body. A simple task as walking up the stairs is not so simple......you can only go up using the same foot forward each step...if you go up normal you have a tendency to "shift" the breast bone and boy does that hurt not to mention the noise of the grinding bones. Drinking can only be done through a straw - otherwise the strain and pulling on the incision is painful.....smells sometimes drive me crazy - can't stand the smell of raw onions!!!!! Oh another obstacle is typing - those finger muscles are connected to the chest muscles - took the better part of two weeks to be able to type!
Anyway I just wanted to take the time to fill you all in, we are still planning on attending the M&G in Mexico in June but we'll see how much "fun" I can have - I was really looking forward to the kayak trip but we'll wait and see!
Kathy