A Cautionary Tale

[Holden]

I've been absent form the forum for over a week now and the following 'Tale' will explain why.

Last year I changed doctors for reasons that I won't go into here. At the end of the year I went to see him about one matter and he talked me into having the usual round of bloods. At 8:30 am on Xmas Eve he called me and asked me to see him. While he didn't sound worried, this call was unusual in itself. I reminded him that I had an appointment on Jan 2 and I heard him pause before he said that he'd see me then. On that day he talked about my blood results which were all fine except my cholesterol which he described as 'through the roof'. He suggested that I undergo a test called a myocardial perfusion. He said it should be OK as I was on holiday and it was free. He was already dialing the Radiology Lab as we spoke and I was booked in for Jan 14 and 15. The test consists of injecting a radio isotope into your bloodstream then xraying your heart twice - at rest and after exercise.

I duly fronted, did the rest test on day 1 and then came back the next day for the 'stress test'. Fifteen minutes after completing it the supervising doctor said that this was a very positive test (not a good positive) and that he had already made an appointment for me to see a cardiologist that day. I asked what time and his reply was "whenever you turn up." This was accelerating out of my control but two hours later I was sitting in front of the cardiologist. He described the blockage in my arteries and that he was booking me into Allamanda Private Hospital in two days time (last Thursday) for an angiogram/angioplasty procedure. He warned me that that I might require surgery.

I booked into Allamanda on the day and at 6:00 pm I went into what they call their 'cath lab' for insertion of balloons and stents. Less than an hour into the procedure he showed me the results of the angiogram, a 100% blockage of coronary arteries. You can't get stents into those so I was then being introduced to the cardiac surgeon and to sign a consent for surgery. At 6 am next morning they wheeled me into the theatre and the lights went out!

Fortunately for me the lights came back on and I'm resting at friends now after a triple bypass. I'm not yet strong enough to cope for myself. I was repeatedly told. by hospital staff how very lucky I was. Not only was one artery 100% occluded another had an aneurism. An aortic aneurism killed my Dad in 1993! I was literally seconds away from either an aneurism or, more likely, a myocardial infarction. Both would have been instantly fatal.

So where's the cautionary tale? OK here it is and I suspect that it applies to many, many men. The signs and symptoms of my condition had been present for quite a long time. I had chosen to either ignore or, more commonly, transpose my symptoms onto something else, desperately trying to convince myself at the same time. In my case I chose GORD. So many men do this - deny, ignore or transpose.

So, please take this advice. If you have chest pain, unexplained indigestion, high cholesterol, or any other symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease then go and get this simple test done. I am very lucky to be sitting here typing this post.

[TheGSMoeller]

Thank you for sharing, Holden, and I'm very glad you were sitting their typing that. 

[North Star]

Good to hear you're OK, Holden, let's hope it won't happen again.

[mc ukrneal]

Wow. That is something else. It sounds like you are doing ok, and I absolutely hope that there are no complications - that you just sail smoothly through recovery.

I hope the onset did not conincide with Lang Lang 'winning' the lightening blind listening!?! 

[Cato]

We are glad to read that you are still with us!  Behave   0:)   and get well soon! 

Although I am 6' 3" and c. 185 pounds - and have been for c. 50 years - and although I have never ever been a smoker (except for living in the second-hand smoke atmosphere of the post-WW II world) and have drunk perhaps at the most a dozen glasses of wine in my entire life of over 6 decades, and although I have never been a much of a meat eater...

....some years ago I was tested for cholesterol, and was amazed to learn that it was "through the roof."   

My father weighed 475 pounds at his death (carrying the casket was a real experience!), and so I was under the impression that staying under 200 pounds and not eating much meat would be good enough.

I had to go completely vegetarian, take fish oil regularly along with some sort of anti-cholesterol pill, in order to lower the level to "normal."

SO... my impression was wrong!   

[Mirror Image]

I'm glad you're doing better now, Holden, and hope you have no other problems or complications. Good to have you here.

[Florestan]

I wish you speedy and complete recovery.

[Xenophanes]

We are glad to read that you are still with us!  Behave   0:)   and get well soon! 

Although I am 6' 3" and c. 185 pounds - and have been for c. 50 years - and although I have never ever been a smoker (except for living in the second-hand smoke atmosphere of the post-WW II world) and have drunk perhaps at the most a dozen glasses of wine in my entire life of over 6 decades, and although I have never been a much of a meat eater...

....some years ago I was tested for cholesterol, and was amazed to learn that it was "through the roof."   

My father weighed 475 pounds at his death (carrying the casket was a real experience!), and so I was under the impression that staying under 200 pounds and not eating much meat would be good enough.

I had to go completely vegetarian, take fish oil regularly along with some sort of anti-cholesterol pill, in order to lower the level to "normal."

SO... my impression was wrong!   

I take a statin (stay away from grapefruit!) and other stuff for anti-cholesterol. I also take Omega 3 fish oil and lecithin, because old Adelle Davis liked lecithin. My blood pressure has been quite normal for 10 years, and my blood work has been very good.

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks for sharing that with us, Holden. I, too, am delighted that, in fact, you were able to do so. You would be sorely missed around here.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks for sharing that with us, Holden. I, too, am delighted that, in fact, you were able to do so. You would be sorely missed around here.

+ 1

Steady on, fella.

[TheGSMoeller]

I take a statin (stay away from grapefruit!) and other stuff for anti-cholesterol. I also take Omega 3 fish oil and lecithin, because old Adelle Davis liked lecithin. My blood pressure has been quite normal for 10 years, and my blood work has been very good.

I'm on 40mg of Statin for cholesterol. It definitely has helped.

[Gurn Blanston]

I'm on 40mg of Statin for cholesterol. It definitely has helped.

I've tried 3 different statins; the 3rd one put me in hospital it disagreed so badly. Right now, Zetia, a non-statin, seems to be doing the trick. Sometimes the drug is worse than the problem (although clearly not in Holden's case!).

[Bogey]

On cholesterol medicine myself.  Extra high from my dad.  Though I am treating it, I do not get it checked enough.  Thank you for the reminder, Holden and prayers your way.

[TheGSMoeller]

I've tried 3 different statins; the 3rd one put me in hospital it disagreed so badly. Right now, Zetia, a non-statin, seems to be doing the trick. Sometimes the drug is worse than the problem (although clearly not in Holden's case!).

Ouch!
Bodies react differently to drugs, luckily I was fine with the first one I was put on.

[Holden]

I'd avoided stations but now I'm on them for life. Reflecting since I first made this post I've discovered some major positives. Obviously the first one is being alive:-) The others are very significant. I discovered that I have some wonderful friends from my family, colleagues and social acquaintances. This has been very uplifting and has significantly skewed how I look at life now. People who genuinely care about you are one of the things that all people have to have in their lives. My own level of caring has also significantly lifted.