Me and My Heart

[Chris Calohan]

Almost had a parting of the ways. Fortunately, I recognized the warning signs and had a friend take me to the ER. Within 50 minutes, I was prepped, cathed and stented. Just a note to all my friends, if you feel a bit of pressure in the chest, have accompanying cold, clammy sweats and just don't feel like yourself, DON"T ignore these symptoms; get thee silly arse to the hospital. The window of opportunity is narrow at two hours, which past that point, serious heart muscle damage can occur. Just getting back my energy, though taking it slow and easy.
Scary is the best word to describe laying on a gurney with numerous wires attached to you and being told you're having a heart attack, but scary as it was, it was also quite reassuring to know that a team of skilled doctors and nurses were there strictly to ensure my healthy recovery. Many thanks to the skill of the medical world and the technology that can take you from an admit to a stent in less than an hour. Simply amazing.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I am so pleased you had the smarts to go immediately to the hospital when you had the symptoms!

Congrats and Kudos to your excellent medical system!

I was very unlucky to be a Physician being reassured at the University Hosptal that my severe chest pains were indigestion!

Finally I bypassed all my doctors and had an ER nurse accept me as an emergency admission.

Then the residents and Cardiology team leader thought I was too low priority and the Cath lab didn’t need to be activated that night! I called my wife!

She got the UCLA Vice Chancellor involved. The next morning, one top Cardiologist was ORDERED to leave his packed clinic and go to the Cath lab, clear the table and treat me BEFORE anyone else!

Once I was catheterized, I was told that the Left Anterior Descending Artery was 99.9% blocked and I had 20 seconds to live!

I said, “Do it then!”

15 seconds later he had drilled open the vessel and I could watch blood freely streaming though the block on the huge monitor!

Then the stent was inserted to keep it open!

All to the voice of Leonard Cohen, “Bird The Wire”!

So you are absolutely correct, Will.

Insist you get treated if your body even hints at a heart attack!

Ignore know it alms who have no catheter direct knowledge of your arteries patency. Until you are catheterized, your body’s voice is the voice of God!

I wish you a good recovery and a prescription for Repatha!


Asher

 

[Chris Calohan]

Same artery as mine though I was only 70% occluded, though still enough to kill me left untreated. Your case and mine is the difference of living in a big city compared to a smaller one with an incredible heart lab/and team of doctors.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Same artery as mine though I was only 70% occluded, though still enough to kill me left untreated. Your case and mine is the difference of living in a big city compared to a smaller one with an incredible heart lab/and team of doctors.

The major issue is that some doctors are arrogant! If not for my wife’s amazing political interference, I would be dead!

The lesson is that we must fight for ourselves and listen to our bodies! Educated folk can be too arrogant sometimes.

I am so happy they caught you in time!

Asher

 

[Maris Rusis]

I had my Angiogram one week ago. Mercifully the catheter went in via the Radial artery not the groin. The whole thing was prompted by a high Calcium score and a suspected stenosis where the first Diagonal comes off the Left Anterior Descanding.
Good result! No stenosis, mild narrowing, no stent. I have no health insurance but the Australian Public Health system made sure the total cost was $0.00. Very thankful am I.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I had my Angiogram one week ago. Mercifully the catheter went in via the Radial artery not the groin. The whole thing was prompted by a high Calcium score and a suspected stenosis where the first Diagonal comes off the Left Anterior Descanding.
Good result! No stenosis, mild narrowing, no stent. I have no health insurance but the Australian Public Health system made sure the total cost was $0.00. Very thankful am I.

Fabulous news, Maris!

One awful thing about most brilliant test procedures is most often you don’t get offered them until one is hit by real life-threatening danger!

Imagine if everyone healthy had regular whole body MRI and nuclear magnetic imaging after age 45, most cancer would be discovered small and treatable!

In the USA, Senators and Congressmen can visit Walter Reed Hospital and get all these tests whenever their whim so directs their fancy!

Maris, you did well to get checked out! But you have an advantage as a longtime admirer of technical expertise!

Asher