Mr_Magoo's Wake Up Call

First off, let me explain something. I am writing this for a few reasons. Mainly, I am still trying to figure out what happened to me on 11-10-02. I hope that by putting it into words it will start to make sense to me. Also I want others to learn something from my mistakes. For those who don't know, during the overnight period between 11-10 and 11-11 I had a heart attack. I spent 8 days in the hospital recovering from the initial heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery.

November 10 was a decent fall day for Chicago. The weather was not bad, in fact warmer than the last few weeks. I had been putting off some fall yard work, so I blew the leaves, cut the grass, and watched the Bears lose . . . again . . . [some things never change!]. I was even able to mix it up a bit with a few FReepers, something I had not had time for in recent months.

Around 1:40am I shut down the computer, went outside and had a smoke. After all, I had to get up in the morning and go back to work. It was still warm enough outside that I did not need a coat. I love the late night hours. I went back in, got undressed, and went to bed.

WHAM!!! Where did that come from? I have had twinges of chest pain for the last few months, but nothing like this! It felt like when you take too big a gulp of soda, but stronger. Way stronger. I tried everything I could think of, deep breaths, slow deep breaths, put my legs up on pillows, more deep breaths, I even went to the John. Nothing helped. After around 15 minutes of this, I have run out of excuses. I am now soaked in a cold sweat. Starting to panic now. The last 3 deals I made with God I already broke . . . This is NOT cool.

I woke up Mother. She will know what to do. 4 years ago she went through a triple bypass. This sucks. I had to admit to her that I have had these pains for weeks now. I had been brushing them off because I did not want to admit to myself that I was no longer young and invincible. All those years that I mistreated this bod had come back to roost lately. The morning aches and pains were constant reminders of old injuries. I also had been putting it off because I recently started a new job. It was another 5 weeks before Medical Insurance started up. I can't afford to get sick for at least 5 weeks. I told Mother that I have had chest pain for around 15-20 minutes. She called the paramedics. I got dressed, and sat down in the living room. I think that half the damn Fire Dept. was out front. And that clenching pain . . . was . . . gone. I sat there in the living room feeling stupid. The living room is full of Police and Fire dudes. Mother is frantic. And I am sitting there feeling stupid for starting all this fuss. I tell the Paramedics that I did have chest pain a few minutes ago . . . Not now . . . This was all a mistake . . . Sorry to bother them . . .

4 guys grabbed me and half drag me out the front door, onto the gurney, and in the ambulance. All one swift move. These guys mean business! None of this sitting around and getting info stuff. As soon as the doors were closed, we were moving. They sprayed nitroglycerine in my mouth and I chewed some asprin.5 minutes tops and we were at the Hospital. Everyone is dashing around me. I am now hooked up to O2, an EKG machine, BP monitor, Blood gas monitor, IV lines everywhere. And I feel fine. I feel very stupid for causing such a ruckus.

By now things are calming down a little. The Cardiologist [Dr. C] who treated Mother in '98 had come in to get an early start on his patients. Dr. C came over and checked me over. He wanted me set up for an angiogram ASAP. NO Stress Test, I was not to move or do anything. My heart rate is all over the place, ranging from 45 - 160 beats. For some reason, I am still a little short of breath. But no pain. None. Not sense the paramedics showed up.

Mother went home to try and get some sleep. And I was sent up to a room on the heart floor. A Nurse brought in a breakfast tray for me, and I settled in. About an hour or so later, the same Nurse was upset with me that I had not eaten anything. I have not eaten a Breakfast in over 20 years! Let's just do these tests and send me home. Around 11:00am, I was brought another food tray. They were very insistent that I eat at least a little something. Well, ok. I had about 7 or 8 bites. Just in time for the wheelchair to take me down to the Cath. Lab. Needless to say, the Cath. Lab. was now very upset with me because I ate something. I can't win today!!

3:00pm I was brought back down to the Cath. Lab. for the rescheduled angiogram. The procedure was explained while I was prepped. During the first half hour of the angiogram it was rather boring. All the sudden, Dr. C. asked me about my comment earlier in the day about wanting to get a heart test done in December. I said "Yes. Once my insurance started up I was planning to get it done."

Then things went kinda nuts. I was told that for the rest of the test I would be sleeping. They did say that when I woke up, I would not be able to move. I had to remain flat.

When I woke up it was close to 5:30pm. I was now in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit. And, I could not move at all. I was really tied down. My Mother and Brother came in. A few minutes later Dr. C. joined us. Dr. C. explained that I had advanced coronary disease. I needed 4 bypasses done as soon as possible. The largest artery feeding the heart (going down the left front of the heart) was over 95% blocked. The next largest artery, the one that went down the right front part of the heart was 100% blocked. Completely closed. Dr. C. said that this artery was so blocked for so long that my heart had started to build new vessels to replace the blood flow with. That was the only reason I was still alive. The other 2 arteries were 65% blocked and went down the back side of the heart.

Around this time Mother asked me if I wanted my "FReeper Friends" to know what had happened. I gave Mother instructions on how to get an e-mail message to a FReeper who could post a Prayer thread.

Bypass Surgery was scheduled for 10:00am. that was the soonest they could get the room. The reason I was restrained is that after they knocked me out during the angiogram, they installed a balloon pump to assist my heart. Also installed a pacemaker, attached defib pads, and some other stuff I still don't understand. It would be easier to just say what I did understand . . .

From this point on, I was not in control. I was only along for the ride. One thing I did learn is that the #$%&#^$&#^& clock on the wall in that room moves reeeeaaaal s l o w. I remember when 2:30am hit, I thought "well that is one day". And I still had not slept.

9:30am Off to surgery. I met with the Surgeon [Dr. S.], and the rest of the team. As I drifted off I thought "NOW I will finally get some sleep".

Thankfully, I don't have any knowledge of this time period. I still can't figure out what time it ended. I think I remember someone saying it was after 7pm. They did keep me knocked out the whole time. Recovery was a different story.

This was by far the worst time span of this whole ordeal. I woke up connected to a machine breathing for me. It does this by blowing a measured amount of air into your lungs. The problem is the machine neither knows or cares if you had already taken a breath. In the doped up state I was in from the operation, I now had to figure out how to breath with the machine. Also, because this machine included tubes down my throat, I could not communicate with anyone at all. I could not let them know I was close to choking from phlegm buildup.

The fluids, blood, phlegm, and whatever else builds up in your lungs. They have a way to clear this stuff out. A vacuum cleaner. Really. It is similar to the vacuum system that your dentist uses but bigger. They stick this tube down your throat into your lungs, and suck up all the crap. It does work. Problem is that the end of this tube also will touch your lung tissue in the process. When you have this done to you, it feels like a metal rod covered with fish hooks was jammed down your throat and is ripping out your lungs from the inside.

The last time they did this to me was when they disconnected me from the ventilator. I do remember some of that experience. While going through it, in my mind I begged to be let go. Anything to let it end. I am thankful that the people in that room that night did not hold my actions against me later. I do remember someone saying when it was over, "That went well". And I think I said something about them being full of something before passing out again.

Post-Op Coronary Intensive Care Unit. My time there was actually kinda nice. I was the only patient, so I had the attention of the whole unit for the day and a half there. Most of the time there I was still hooked up to all the support equipment. Meaning the balloon pump and the pacemakers, etc.. Every few hours they would gang up on me and remove another piece.

Around 10:00am one of the Nurses held a phone to my ear. It was Mother on the other end. Over the last day+ she had tried countless times to access my computer to send off the e-mail. She just could not figure out my system as it was so different from what she uses. It took about 10 minutes to talk her through sending an e-mail to that FReeper. I knew that Mother would not try that computer again, so any e-mails that were sent back to us would have to wait until I got home.

Around 5:00pm on Wednesday, I was transferred to the post OP Heart Floor for the rest of my stay there. Each day was filled with challenges and a few setbacks. The biggest setbacks were getting my heartbeat to stabilize. Almost went back in surgery to install a permanent pacemaker. The other thing that developed was that my Blood Pressure would drop to dangerous levels when I stood up. Add to that, my having been a smoker for 32 years, my O2 saturation levels were a lot lower than the DR’s wanted.

On Friday my Dr. sat down with me to go over everything. It went something like this:

Dr.= "What did you think your chances were when you first were admitted Sunday night?"

Dr.= "You were a lot more optimistic than we were. As a matter of fact, I just went over your reports and frankly, I can see no valid reason that you are even alive. I can think of 18 or 19 things that ALL had to happen just as they did for you to be here now."

He went on to explain that the bypass surgery I had should last 10-15 years, if, I change my lifestyle. If I don't make some changes, I won't last 2 years.

I am still learning what happened to me. I have been home for 5 days now. Still weak. Surgical pain is minimal. Each day I get a little bit stronger. Each day I am learning to listen to my body.

I still can't stay online for long periods because where the computer is, I can't find a comfortable position to sit. My PC is mounted next to the foot of the bed. Because of a bad disc in my back, I can't sit unsupported at the foot of the bed for more than 5 minutes. Now, because of the operation I can not lay down on my side and type with one hand like I have been doing for the last 4 years. I am in the process of adding a laptop to a wireless node on the Home LAN. When this is finished, I can post more often.

I urge every FReeper to go to their family Dr. and get a Cardiac Risk Screen done. It is nothing more than a set of questions. If a screen shows you have risk factors, get a Heart Scan done. It is like getting an x-ray, painless. Most Insurance will cover a scan. Most problems found can be helped with just a few lifestyle changes.

What you should not do is what I did. I had the risk factors. I also smoked. I also ignored the warning signs. As you can see from what I wrote above, what I went through sucks. It really sucks. I am now facing 3 or 4 months of rehab, just to get well enough to work again. I can't even begin to describe the financial burden this has become. I was stupid. now I am paying for it. Trust me, this is not fun.

May God continue to bless you Mr_Magoo.

I think after two/three weeks of exercise you'll discover it's addictive and fun. Not only does it strengthen the body but it clears the mind.

I walked for about 15 years,three/four times a week. I live rural and had a hard surface road to walk. A neighbor and I walked together, making a round trip of three miles in an hour. The time was nothing to brag about but we pulled some good size hills and we were no spring chickens.

After the first three weeks I found myself rushing around to make time for my walk. I had no idea in the beginning the benefits I would receive from those years of walking, mentally and physically.

Sorry to run on so, but wanted to encourage you to walk or whatever exercise is best for you. It is hard at first but the rewards are wonderful.

I hope you will keep us updated every once in awhile.

Glad to hear your Ok Magoo.....or at least doing better. I had an MRI and Cat Scan done recently for some compression fractures an a bone spur in my back. (not the lileage just the sudden stops per se)

In the report from the individual that looked at the results he made a comment in passing that "all the vessels to the heart were clear" ??? Is that the kind of scan you were refering to ??

Again ....Glad your going to be with us a few more decades !

Stay Safe !

First, welcome back to FR. Glad you made it through your ordeal. Second, thanks for sharing your "wake up call." I was in the doctor the other day for pain I was experiencing in my chest, turned out to be a strained chest muscle. Going on 40 years old in the VERY near future, and having back surgery for a blown disc in my back shortly after I turn 40, I had to get a physical and get checked out. Lucky me.

Here's to your continued recovery, and improving strength. Surely there as some heavenly intervention if those 18-19 things your doctor said HAD to happen for you to still be here. God is good isnt' he? :-)

It is obvious why you were spared...you are doing a GREAT service to all who read your story by getting them to examine their own lifestyles and their risks.

May God bless you abundantly for sharing your story. I am insisting that .45MAN read every word. I am so sorry that you had to go through that awful ordeal, but you are such a wonderful person for trying to use that ordeal to educate the rest of us. I can't thank you enough!

LadyX: Thank-you so much for pinging me to this. You simply have no idea.....

{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}

Glad to have ya back! Glad to have this thread too. I think most people underestimate the age at which they have to be wary for heart disease. I am 40, and I probably waited a bit too long to be concerned, since I have had several risk factors for many years now (slightly elevated BP and elevated familial cholesterol).

Recently, during a scan due to a bad kidney (Hydronephrosis), they noticed that my Aorta already had some calcified buildup on it. I had also been having slight chest pains (to this day I have not been able to tell what is a heart pain? Most of my chest pains seem to be in the ribcage, or due to stomach acid, but it freaks me out). Anyways, I finally went to a cardiologist and had a stress test with a gamma heart scan (thallium is injected into you and an imaging device makes an image of the blood flow around the heart).

I passed the test fine, and according to the results, I dont have any eschemic problems, so blood flow to the heart is good. I sometimes have arrythmia's, but apparently everybody does, but some people are more sensitive to them.

So at the moment, I am feeling pretty good about things, but I am still paranoid about it, thus I read your self report with a great deal of interest, as well as the responses here in the thread about the experience of others, it allows me to compare the pain sensations and other symptoms.

I have since lost about 20 lbs (15% of my bodyweight), and have started exercizing again. I have cut back on my carbohydrate intake alot, and have tried to only eat the "good" fats when possible. I am also going to supplement with fishoil tabs, maybe some other therapeutic oils (flax, Udo's choice, whatever). I may also go on Zocor, but my father had muscle problems on that,I plan on large doses (200-300 mg) of COQ10 as well (helps the heart, plus it may reduce the problems associated with Zocor and other statin drugs).

At the moment I dont plan on any further testing, I'll just be aware of any symptoms.

I too would urge Freepers to find out if they have two or more risk factors (smoking, cholesterol, Blood pressure, family history, etc..) and if you do, go see a cardiologist. I think if I had the money, I'd pay for my own heart scan (many companies offer it now for around $500-1500, the Electron Beam Scanner version is great, less radiation, and better scans), sounds like money well spent for piece of mind.

Even the docs give credit to God when there is no other explanation. Praise to Him for your survival.

My little grandson was born almost six years ago needing immediate, and continuous heart surgery in order to live. Your narrative of your own condition post-op was a heart wrenching reminder of what that little guy had to endure during the first two and a half years of his life. He was intubated at one time for about six weeks. Your description of what happens when they "vacuum" the lungs made me shudder. The hundreds of times that it had to be done to that baby tears me apart, even now. Like you, God gave him his life along with a rebuilt heart.

Glad to hear that you are home and on the way to recovery .. I've been praying for you

A couple months back my hubby had those little chest pains you mentioned .. he is 43 .. Luckily they were nothing but it was enough to scare the daylights out of him and head to the doctors for a complete check over ..

Heart problems run in his family .. along with high blood preasure and high cholesterol

Well he failed all his tests and is now on a whole new diet and exercise program .. he lost about 20 lbs and seems to be adjusting to the diet .. except he still sneaks some chocolate ever now and then .. he thinks I haven't noticed ..

Thank you so much for this thread and I hope many go and get a full check up ..

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