Close call! in AO Sub-Forum Forum

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Close call!

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donnella

Close call!

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Posts: 4561

Jun 12 12 3:15 PM

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Bringing in a big catfish and wham, chest pain. ER indicates no heart attack, but kept for observation and tests. The following day, lexi-scan indicates upper heart not getting enough blood. Next day, on to the cath lab, 90% blockage and stent. No heart attack, thank the Good Lord and no defib jolt. Gary was a lucky guy and we went through this like pros. Heed all warnings guys and get to a cath lab fast.

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LouF

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Posts: 12981

Jun 12 12 3:24 PM

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Donnella, give him our best. The first time I had an MI, the emergency room said no heart attack because the enzymes had released yet and my EKG was normal but normal is a broad range with no baseline. It took an angiogram to find it

Lou SSG
Santa Fe NM
4/21 11LIB Americal
1/69-8/70
50% PTSD
60% IHD
100% IU P&T

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hdawson228

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Posts: 824

Jun 12 12 3:32 PM

Donnella. Thoughts are with you and Gary. Blessings to you both.

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m109howitzer

Miss D

#3

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Posts: 3602

Jun 12 12 5:08 PM

Bad news. Hope all is well, ar at least better. Why wasnt it detected? With as many test as I am sure he has had??? Who knows, I guess thats why they call doctors as practicing. Maybe someday they will get it right. Does he have nitro pills???

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m109howitzer

Lou F

#4

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Posts: 3602

Jun 12 12 5:12 PM

I went two years with chest pains. Stress test every 6 months ,and they said I am fine. Finally cardio doc agreed to check further with angio. Bingo 95% blocked on the main 75% 3 others. The rest is history. My conclusion STRESS TEST A WASTE OF TIME...

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jerryleitz

donella

#5

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Posts: 700

Jun 12 12 6:03 PM

HOPEFULLY GARY WILL BE AROUND TO KEEP U COMPANY ANOTHER 20 YEARS, CLOSE CALL BRING ING IN THE CATFISH, TELL HIM TO "NOODLE" IT NEXT TIME

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Daman

#6

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Posts: 4220

Jun 12 12 6:19 PM

Best of Luck on recovery and Congrats to GARY for getting to the ER....He did land the cat fish, I hope.....

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GlendaBoyd

#7

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Posts: 587

Jun 12 12 7:53 PM

Great he got to ER and cath lab - and thankfully got stint in time - blessings to both of you.

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donnella

#8

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Posts: 4561

Jun 13 12 8:37 AM

What I think? there is no way to show real blockage until they go in with a cath. All his tests were normal including the nuclear test done last October. Yes, we have nitro and Bayer at the lake and at the house. Gary is very active even with a very low EF. Yes, he did land the fish, but gave it away. We were not doing well with diet being at the lake so much .....so back to low fat and low sodium. The Lexi scan was hard on him, unlike the MUGA. He said he felt like he could not breathe during the test. Taking it easy for a couple of weeks, Effient was added to his meds for one year. Lesson is always, the faster you get to a cath lab the better chances you have....no stops at little local hospitals. If they do not have a cath lab, get to a bigger hospital, they are just gonna take you there anyway. Always call 911 and don't second guess your symtoms if you have heart disease. Oh and also Mr Gary can get mad at me all he wants for doing the things I do and saying what I say. He'll get over it and will still be alive. It's a man thing.

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LouF

#9

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Posts: 12981

Jun 13 12 9:30 AM

10,000 plus post...

By the way, an MRA is a good way to find blockages and is non evasive plus it isn't dangerous. Of course when you are in distress then the angio is the only way to go. I was 95% LAD when the doc said oh shit and shot me up with Valium

Lou SSG
Santa Fe NM
4/21 11LIB Americal
1/69-8/70
50% PTSD
60% IHD
100% IU P&T

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wldougl

#10

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Posts: 851

Jun 13 12 2:44 PM

Sorry to hear about the close call, but glad to hear from you. I have not been posting much, but have been reading the other post. It seems that as we grow older more things are growing wrong. I wish my parents had told me that growing old was not exactly like the commericials and bill boards that you read. I agree the best way to determine if you have a blockage is to go to the source and that is through a cath. Caths have saved more lives that stress test. the only time I know that a stress test works is if you develope trouble during the test. He will be feeling better and have more energy now that normal blood flow has been restored to that part of the heart. Here is to catching many more big catfish and many years to do it together.

Have a blessed day
Doug

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rsmallen

#11

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Posts: 215

Jun 14 12 11:45 AM

Donella, thank goodness they caught the blockage in time and all is well! I'm so happy for you both.
You are correct about the cath being the gold standard for blockages. I have struggled with this concept and been a huge PITA to the cardiologist and CT Surgeon for a year now. Mike's interventional cardiologist recommended angio surveillance of his Left Main since his attack. Of course, insurance won't pay for that without symptoms of ischemia and I don't know if I could go through it twice a year after last year's events. So every time they say stress test or TEE or TTE I ask what the point is? There's no symptoms of ischemia and hosts of those same tests prior to his arrest on the cath lab table...in spite of SIGNIFICANT cardiac issues... specifically showed NO BLOCKAGE. They tell me it's the best they have short of catheterizaton and while there might be blockage that doesn't show during these tests because it is too small, at any moment a plaque can rupture or whatever and make the blockage greater and greater until it is plenty large to show on them...or cause a heart attack. Bottom line, the cardiolgist told me, they aren't perfect but so far they're the best we have. So, their choice of the gold standard for strongly suspected blockage is indeed catheterization.

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