Strong Heart, Slacker Support - Welcome to the Zipper Club

Nearly faster than one can down a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich events have unfolded this week to where I will be joining the "Zipper Club" next Wednesday morning. This fellow's blog, Welcome to the Zipper Club parallels fairly closely to what may be unfolding for me and will give you a detailed look from the human side of coronary bypass open heart surgery.

http://www.blogcatalog.co...3254f2e6bf4ba71d34cbd3

Last month I made what started out to be a routine consult with a cardiologist that probably all family doctors tell people of my age to do. My doctor and my wife had been on me for a year to do that. That appointment was last Friday. Monday I was in for a stress echocardiogram with untrasound while peddling lying on my back. Tuesday I was back for an angiogram with the possible intent they might follow with an angioplasty stent placement. Had I not taken Plavix for that I might have been on the gurney this morning. Because of the Plavix I have to wait a minimum of 5 days. Stent or stents were a no go. Last evening I had a cardiovascular surgery consult. Every damn artery is a mess with various degrees of blockage. I even had a stent from 8 years ago that was 100% blocked. Corollary arteries had grown and bypassed it. The good news is my heart is still normal, strong and healthy. I don't have high blood pressure or high cholesterol and never have. I don't have any underlying complicating diseases like diabetes.

Keep in mind I have routinely been walking 3 to 5 mile at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Carver Regional Park. In September I climbed over 500 foot high and walked 5 miles on the Chimney Rock trail in Capitol Reef NP, part of the Pacific Crest mountain trail and to the depths of the Natural Bridges NM among other places only noticing I seemed to just have less energy than in my younger years. It just sneaks up on you. I'm a typical man. I live in denial when it comes to health matters. There were signs and I ignored them. After surgery I will probably realize those signs were greater than I imagined just as I had discovered with enlarged prostate surgery.

Prognosis, if all goes well, is I will be good to go with another 10 to 15 years easily with fresh arteries. However, I expect my wife to live another 30 years based on her mother's and grandmother's longevity and certainly would like to be a part of that so I will be altering my road food experiences. Before you ask, I eat better than I put on but I am not very good at portion control as I love to eat. I have not had a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich since Labor Day week at the Hash House A Go Go in Las Vegas and then I only ate part of it. Still I knew my odds were against me since I now have outlived my uncles on both sides of my family tree and my dad by just a slim four months now, all who had succumbed to heart attacks. I'm now on bonus time with medical technology that was not available a generation ago.

I thought you all should know because I will be most likely off the computer keyboards for a while starting next week. For sure a week.

Hang in there Davy. Our thoughts will be for you . Hope all works out well.
AL

Davydd- good luck w/ everything.  I have a close friend who had a quad-bypass 21 years ago, and everything is going great.

Davydd,

You are a strong, healthy person.  I think you will be suprised how quick you will be out of bed and the hospital.

Just stick to the low fat BPT sandwiches in the future.

Joe

I had bypass... almost 18 years ago, it will be 18 years in March. Yes, I was pretty young; I'm 55 now.

Nevertheless, I'm glad I did it. My brother refused to have surgery, he just had stents, and then re-stents, and re-stents. He died in October, he was 53.

My dad had his bypass surgery at 80 years old. Aside from some problems dealing with medications, he came through it pretty well.

The biggest thing is cardiac rehab, and based on what you've written you will breeze through it.

Things I remember from my surgery and recovery:

I woke up during the surgery. I remember opening my eyes and seeing the big light, someone saying, "He's coming up!" And then going right back under. From reading about this, I found out it is somewhat common.

I remember the post-op recovery room, and the machine that starts you breathing again; it will take 10 breaths for you, then after a while it takes 9 and you take one; then it takes 8 and you take 2; etc, until it is time to pull the tube out. The tube getting pulled out, that feels like having an alien yanked out through your mouth.

Amazingly, I was sitting up and eating within 12 hours, and walking (only a few yards, but walking) not long after. they don't let you sit around. I had one of the drain tubes come out; that sucked. I couldn't breathe.

I had some complications, a hospital staph infection that I later found out almost killed me. I was in the hospital and on some strong painkillers and antibiotics for about 10 days; during that time I was reading Jurassic Park. WRONG book. I had some seriously wild daytime nightmares. I would read a chapter then drift off, drift off to being chased by raptors, wake up with my heart racing and the monitor going crazy.

I had a further complication, the surgeon had nicked a nerve, the one that moved my diaphragm on the left side and inflated that lung. I couldn't lay on my right side, because I couldn't get enough air without gasping. Eventually, it regenerated, after about 6 months. I credit cardiac rehab and respiratory therapy for that.

Speaking of respiratory therapy... When you are in serious pain, and don't want to hold that pillow up to your chest and force a cough to clear your lungs: DO IT ANYHOW. When you don't want to blow through that lung exerciser: DO IT. When it is sheer torture to try to suck that third ball up on the inspirometer: SUCK THE DAMN BALL UP.  You will be glad you did later. Breathing is the key to avoiding pneumonia, which is the bane of chest surgery.

Good luck, Davydd. Look on the bright side, you have an excuse for not doing any work through the holidays. And would you do something for us here, because we care? Have someone coome to the forum and tell us when you are doing OK, after the surgery. Thanks.

Davydd,
 
So sorry to hear that you have to undergo surgery but glad that the doctors found the problems in time.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.  As The Traveling Man pointed out in the thread about Mr. Chips' diabetes, it's important for us all to take health concerns seriously.  I hope to see some positive updates soon about the procedure.
 
Rob

Davydd

Good luck with your upcoming surgery. I know you'll be in good form and better than ever when I visit The Twin Cities next Summer.

I heard that Lutefisk speeds up the recovery

Davydd, thank you for sharing this with us. I think what you said...

"It just sneaks up on you. I'm a typical man. I live in denial when it comes to health matters. There were signs and I ignored them."

...is important for us all to keep in mind. It is however great to hear that you've got every thing in light and will be addressing it properly now.

You will be up and at 'em in no time!

Best of luck Davydd.. Catch ya when ya get back.. And don't over terrorize the nurses!

Davydd -

I am sorry that you are going through this around the holidays.  Hospitals are no fun this time of year (well...I am not sure when they ARE fun, but it can't be at this time of year!).  It sure sounds like Mosca knows of what he speaks.  Please heed his advice and get back up and running ASAP. 

Davydd,

I know many who have gone through it and all are much better for it.

You'll be okay.  With all of these friends pulling for you, how could you not?

I expect to see you back here posting about hospital food in a couple of weeks.

Take notes!

And here's something you might find that you love--my ex-FIL loved his cardiac rehab so much that he went on days he wasn't supposed to go, and even though he's been gone for a few years his wife still volunteers and hangs out with those guys and their wives.  (He got a good 20 years out of his procedure and if he were still alive he'd be very close to 100 years old.)

We'll be sending you the very best of the mental margaritas.  ;)

Thank you all, especially you Mosca or your insightful advice.

I actually feel great right now. I've been taking lengthy walks and run up and down the stairs in my house with no difficulty. I kind of still think what the heck but the tests don't lie. If I told you I wasn't worried or apprehensive I'd be lying. The one thing is health care is top notch in Minnesota and the Park Nicollet Clinic Methodist Hospital has a top rated heart and vascular center in a brand new addition overlooking Minnehaha Creek that starts at Lake Minnetonka and eventually spills out at Minnehaha Falls and the Mississippi River.

My wife Nancy was with me during the angiogram and most all the nurses and the cardiovascular surgeon knew her. She used to work in Methodist Hospital about 16 years ago as an RN in Med-Surg and ICU before transferring out to Methodist Hospital home care. Hopefully, I'll get excellent care in the hospital and definitely great care at home.

My surgeon has been doing bypass operations since 1988 and in his bio in his own words, "Since 1996, I have been actively involved in developing equipment and using new techniques to allow most heart bypass operations to be performed without stopping the heart (cardiopulmonary bypass)." I don't know if this will be my case or not or whether this is even better or not than having your heart actually stopped and put on a mechanical heart and lung machine, but it is comforting to know he is probably at the top of his game and capable of making that decision.

  Just amazing the things they can do these days...You take care of yourself, We need your kind around here!!    Oooo! Maybe a new "Heart Healthy" Pizza Thread....All my best, Dawn

My husband had bypass surgery 10 years ago and is in excellent health now. In the nutrition classes afterward they told us that the three greatest contributing factors are ones that you can do nothing about: your age, your sex and your genes.

One thing: take a good robe. You will be up and walking the halls before any one has time to go get you a robe. Those gowns are drafty!

Love a prayers ,
Marilyn

My thoughts and prayers are with you DaveyDD. I hope recovery will go well. Godspeed.

and good slippers!!!----and---welcome to the club! You and your doctors are know in my thoughts and prayers.

Making a checklist. I got the robe and backless slippers today.

This waiting is excruciating.

A pair of loose shorts is good, too.

Remember that there is no back to those robes.

Best wishes Davydd, see you back here soon.

My prayers are with you Davydd.
 
More wine with the pizza...or Cheerios.

Davydd

I will also keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.  My father joined the zipper club 5 yrs ago and has been like a kid again after joining.

I hope all goes well and will be looking forward to your updates on how every thing went.

Thanks Donald.

Tomorrow morning is the Open Heart Pre-Operative Teaching Visit to get all the preliminary stuff out of the way.

Porktenderloinsandwich.com may have to morph into Pursuing the Ultimate Steamed Broccoli after Wednesday.

you know, it'll just be like Cookie Monster says--a sometimes food. ;)  Best of luck kiddo!

Thinking about you, Davy.

My thoughts and prayers are with you for tomorrow and  a  fast recovery.

Good Luck. We'll be here when you return!

Wishing you the best for a speedy recovery!!!

Hope you get better soon.

Just read on Facebook that everything is over and all went well.

Davy got himself a quadruple.

Hope someone reads this to you and that you do everything that the doctors tell you to do.

Here's to a speedy, painless recovery!