February 7, 2013
Couldn't really sleep last night. Was quit nervous for my angio.
I've been told by several people that have had it done say, "Don't be afraid, ...Read more
February 7, 2013
Couldn't really sleep last night. Was quit nervous for my angio.
I've been told by several people that have had it done say, "Don't be afraid, it's no big deal. They put an IV in you. They give you some sedatives. They numb you either at the groin or wrist and then they insert the catheter and before you know it, it's done."
Easier said than done.
As my sister and I were driving to the hospital for the angio all I could think through the entire drive is the procedure.
I get to the hospital and I check in. The people were real nice. They explained everything to me step by step and what I was to experience with every step.
I had to strip completely and put on those fancy hospital gowns. You know, the ones where they don't cover your backside.
The IV nurse comes in afterwards and she preps my arm for the IV. She did a wonderful job; I barely felt it.
Then came a ECG tech and she took my ECG.
Then my nurse came in, his name was Noel. Real nice guy, explained everything that was to happen. Step by step.
Now the fun begins, he has to prep me for the angio. That means shaving my chest for the ECG leads and shaving you for the catheter...yep, you guessed it. You wind up loosing all sense of dignity, but there was care in trying to keep some of it by using a towel.
Once that was done, and I regained my coloring from a bright red to normal skin color. My doctor, Ranya Sweis, came in to discuss the angio and to see if I'm a candidate for radial entry of the catheter. In other words, through the wrist. I was!
That put me at ease, just a little bit.
Shortly afterwards, a nurse came in and we walked together to the procedure room. Now, I started getting nervous. Thoughts of: is this going to hurt? What am I going to expect? Will they have to go through the groin also?
So I laid down on the table. The room was cold, but I was covered to some extent with the blue surgical towels to keep me warm. I was then prepped at my wrist and left and right side of my groin with antiseptic wash. Then I was covered with that blue surgical covering that had 3 holes: one at the wrist and 2 for the left and right sides of the groin area.
IV is hooked up and the ECG is up and running.
Dr. Sweis and a Fellow came in and explained the procedure. The Fellow, he prepped my wrist, inserted the catheter and away we went. I didn't feel a thing.
It was pretty cool seeing the vessels and the catheter on the X-Ray monitor. Sometimes the view was blocked by the x-ray machine, but that was ok.
After about 30-40 minutes, the procedure was over, a clear pressure cuff was placed over the wound on my wrist and I was wheeled back to the room on a bed for 2 hours of recovery.
Now, going back to what my friends have said that have had the procedure done...Yep, I have to agree with them, No Big Deal. In retrospect, I realize now, that I was more nervous and anxious about my nudity than the actual procedure.
After 2 hours, Noel came in to slowly release the air from the pressure cuff to see if there's any bleeding. There wasn't. He placed a regular bandage and said I can get dressed.
Dr. Sweis came in and said that I do not have any clogging of arteries, but the aneurysm is there and also there's a slight coarc in the descending aorta. She said, the pressure difference is 15mm/Hg and it will depend on Dr. Russell on what he wants done.
I was released and was happy to go home...
For the next several days, my wrist was hurting and this was something that was to be expected.
Glad this day was over!
I know I'm writing after the fact when I first got the news of what is needed.
February 4th, 2013
I first met with Dr. Ranya Sweis. Loved her. Great personality. ...Read more
I know I'm writing after the fact when I first got the news of what is needed.
February 4th, 2013
I first met with Dr. Ranya Sweis. Loved her. Great personality. She put me at ease. She explained everything in detail from the echo that I had earlier in the day, listened intently to me and answered me thoroughly and honestly. I'm not the type of person that likes things sugar coated, just tell me like it is.
The questions I had for her were basically, what will life look like after surgery. What will rehab look like? Will I be able to live a normal life? Will there be restrictions? I'm glad that all of the answers were in the positive for the most part. Restrictions came into play depending on the heart valve I wind up selecting.
After lunch, I met with Dr. Russell. I immediately felt at ease with him. His bedside manner, like Dr. Sweis's was great. He drew out pictures and graphs for me to get a better understanding. He showed me actual replacement valves and went into detail of how they will be placed when I had asked him. He helped me understand the pro's and con's of each option. Mechanical, Tissue and Ross procedure.
He scheduled for me to have some more follow up tests; a Heart MRI and an Angio.
After my visit with him, I was pretty confident that I knew what I was going to select and the outcomes.
As I was driving home, I was thinking, the pro's to this are that, the con's to that are this...
Yes, I'm more confused now and not so sure of my decision.
More prayers and research...
I know I'm writing after the fact when I first got the news of what is needed.
January 17th, 2013.
I spoke with my cardiologist and having done some research, ...Read more
I know I'm writing after the fact when I first got the news of what is needed.
January 17th, 2013.
I spoke with my cardiologist and having done some research, I had asked him to refer me to a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and he was glad that I was making that decision. He said they are setup for the type of surgery I need and you will be pleased with their processes.
He refers me to a cardiologist, Dr. Ranya Sweis. Her office calls me on Monday, January 20th for a visit with her, an echo and to meet the surgeon, Dr. Russell Hyde.
I continue researching more to learn as much as I can before my appointment with Drs. Sweis and Russell.
My emotions are still all over the place, but slowly settling and realizing, that I can't control this and what will happen. It's hard not being able to control something, it's not like, having to lose 20 lbs and you'll be ok. No, it is literally, handing your heart over to another person to fix.
I know I'm writing after the fact when I first got the news of what is needed.
It's January 16th and I have an Echo with Stress test scheduled for early morning. ...Read more
I know I'm writing after the fact when I first got the news of what is needed.
It's January 16th and I have an Echo with Stress test scheduled for early morning. I'm in a good mood, but I find it fascinating seeing my heart in action on the screen.
I repeat my story to the nurses that were going to perform the baseline echo and then the stress test. I'm laying in the bed with the various leads attached to me and I'm watching the screen as she is moving the probe around my chest. Just amazed at what God has created and how complex it all is.
During the echo, I can tell she is a little concerned, because she called the other nurse over to look at the screen as well. So I asked, what's up? Response was, that my aortic valve looks quite stenotic. I thought to myself, yea, I knew that and just layed there waiting for the stress test portion, which I was really looking forward to.
Once the baseline echo was completed, she left the room to apparently speak with my cardiologist. He came in and looked at the screen and said, "yea I see it." Of course, now I become concerned.
He pulls up a chair and sits by me to discuss what they saw and that he wants to cancel the stress portion, but to complete the entire echo.
After the echo was completed, he and I spoke some more and he wanted some follow up tests, just to rule out clogged arteries.
As to my emotions, I knew that this was going to occur one day, but you let it sit in the back of your mind and forget about it. Out of site, out of mind...well, now it's in site.
Going home that day, I was down...I was scared...and felt all of a sudden all alone. Yes, I have friends and family to support me through this, but it just felt all of a sudden the world became so huge and that I could not find the right person to speak to. Just completely lost in my thoughts of "What if's" and the feeling of despair.
Those that know me well, know that I tend to make things bigger than they really are and it takes a few days for news like this to be absorbed. Once that occurred, the scientist in me came out to learn more. What does this mean? What are my choices? Where do I go? Now, I'm on a mission....