2.27.2003
Tomorrow's the big day! I will go into the hospital knowing that i might be able to go home when "the procedure" is finished... but i should pack up for an overnight stay... in case they really "find something." I hope they don't find anything! Pretty peculiar, huh, considering that the pictures taken of my cardiovascular activity looked okay at rest but showed two blockages in the left ventricle of my heart after the treadmill... not to mention that i reached the target rate way too fast!!! I'm just anxious to get it over with. I'm tired of getting all short of breath after just a little bit of exercise... it's been going on for too long and the time period for that result has become shorter and shorter lately.
..but i'm a bit afraid of what they might find too! Frank has had two heart caths. The first time was in 1993 and even though the blockages were identified as a serious problem, he was too sick for the surgeon to do anything about it. A lifestyle change and lots of pills turned all that around and in December 2000 he had open heart surgery - a triple bypass... a medical miracle thanks to a strong constitution and some really GREAT doctors! So why am i a bit afraid?
- There is a very slight chance that a particle of plaque could break loose during the procedure and travel toward my brain or my heart... causing a stroke or heart attack. Enough said?
- I might get by with just having to take medications... but doubt this because then i've got to wonder what those two blockages are... of course, i already wonder why they only show up after exercise.
- Angioplasty might be the answer... a stent ( a sort of brace that holds the blood vessel open) would be placed at the scene of the blockage. Why does this bother me? Many people who get stents have to have the procedure repeated after a matter of months (20 percent of the population). Me no like that thought process!!!!
- Open heart surgery... like i said above - a medical miracle! ... but my God! Have you seen the scars? Not to mention the pain that one experiences in the aftermath! A bone is sawed in half - yes - that one that goes all the way up and down your torso! Frank's is healing up nicely now... after three years... but he still has issues with it. No, no, no! Me definitely no like!
..but i'm a bit afraid of what they might find too! Frank has had two heart caths. The first time was in 1993 and even though the blockages were identified as a serious problem, he was too sick for the surgeon to do anything about it. A lifestyle change and lots of pills turned all that around and in December 2000 he had open heart surgery - a triple bypass... a medical miracle thanks to a strong constitution and some really GREAT doctors! So why am i a bit afraid?
- There is a very slight chance that a particle of plaque could break loose during the procedure and travel toward my brain or my heart... causing a stroke or heart attack. Enough said?
- I might get by with just having to take medications... but doubt this because then i've got to wonder what those two blockages are... of course, i already wonder why they only show up after exercise.
- Angioplasty might be the answer... a stent ( a sort of brace that holds the blood vessel open) would be placed at the scene of the blockage. Why does this bother me? Many people who get stents have to have the procedure repeated after a matter of months (20 percent of the population). Me no like that thought process!!!!
- Open heart surgery... like i said above - a medical miracle! ... but my God! Have you seen the scars? Not to mention the pain that one experiences in the aftermath! A bone is sawed in half - yes - that one that goes all the way up and down your torso! Frank's is healing up nicely now... after three years... but he still has issues with it. No, no, no! Me definitely no like!
# posted by sherle : 10:52 AM
