Another Broken Heart

P

Pat Anderson

New member
Patty here. The title is a reference to Dave "Seashift's" similarly titled post a while back. While it's a personal matter, it seems to be of such importance to call attention to it that we are sharing our recent situation in the hope that everyone will listen to their bodies.

Pat resumed his morning walks with Baxter a week ago and halfway through the walk at the top of an incline he was out of breath and experiencing chest discomfort. This past Monday the same thing happened, and when I questioned him about some heavy breathing during his morning "get ready for work" routine, he disclosed the issue on the walks and decided to go to the doctor that day. Although not alarming, after looking at the EKG the local doctor sent him to a cardiologist who, after listening to his morning walk issues, admitted him to the hospital for an angiogram to be followed by an angioplasty and stent if indicated (or even bypass surgery if really bad). He had the procedure this morning. One artery had 99% blockage, the other two are wide open and "pristine." He had an angioplasty and a stent put in and comes home tomorrow.

The cardiologist said he got there just in time. The message here is to be aware of your body and if it doesn't feel right, check it out. Pat told me he was afraid if nothing was wrong he would have felt like a fool. Never be afraid to check on something that just doesn't feel right. And if any of you brats see this man with a plate full of fatty meat, SMACK HIM!!
 
Whoa! Glad to hear all is well, now! None of us are getting any younger. You two take care of each other and let Pat know that his Brat friends will be watching.

SO glad this was caught in time.

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan
 
Patty,

Good advice, always ask if it's not right. I did last year and 3 weeks later I had a new heart valve. Glad Pat is doing well.

Tom
 
Wow! That was too close! Pat, way to go by getting in there and getting checked out. Whew!

A healthy :love is a very good thing!!!

Robbi
 
Please disregard that part about slapping me!

And thanks to all for your good thoughts (typing at you from Room E219 at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, WA, just finished a mandatory six hours of lying flat on my back not raising my head).

Patty's version is pretty much correct. All last week, I was short of breath and had a distinctly unpleasant feeling in my chest at the top of the hill on the little loop that Baxter and I walk. Maybe it is indigestion. Maybe I am more out of shape than I thought. Five minutes rest and it is gone. Easy to ignore.

The day before yesterday, same deal at the top of the hill. Exertion does not give you indigestion as far as I know. Something was definitely not right.

So, to local clinic, local clinic to cardiologist, cardiologist straight to hospital, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

As Dave S and I (and apparently Tom) can now tell you, do not ignore the signs. Your life depends on it.


 
Pat and Patty-

Thank God you found out in time and all is taken care of and going to be well!

Take Care of one of my most favorite C-Brat Friends!

Damn, I'm glad you caught it in time!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Pat, Glad to hear you missed the bullet. I hope that after you are out you can continue your walks with baxter. Look at it this way, we now have proof that at last one lawyer has a heart :love
 
Oh my gosh Pat, I'm so glad you paid attention to your body and caught it in time. Take care my friend and heal up. Spring will be here soon enough.

Our thoughts are with you as well Patty.

Peter & Caryn
 
Pat, so glad that you finaly heeded the warning signals and received the much needed "heart fix". How appropriate so close to Valentines Day!
I didn't heed my warning sign, but was fortunate to have had a routine physical exam 2 days after my "warning sign", that detected a problem.
You are the 3rd friend of mine in the past 2 years to have subtle symptoms of a heart attack that were delayed in treatment because it was thought to be "nothing". One friend was in Africa hunting....he came home before he sought medical attention. Another friend was walking out to get his horse and was short of breath and when he discussed it with his wife she made an appointment for him to see the doctor the next day. Now it is you Pat. For the record all four of us had at least one coronary artery that was greater than 99% blocked.
Since my stent placement I believe I've only eaten three hamburgers and have attempted to improve my dietary intake.

(Pat, since Patty said to SLAP you if you "misbehave", we just might honor her request......LOOK OUT. :lol: )
 
Pat and Patty,

We're very glad that things have taken a positive turn. Marcia and I will keep you in our prayers.

Nick and Marcia
"Valkyrie"
 
I was going to ask the ultrasound tech for a copy of the printout to take back to the office just to prove that I have a heart!

starcrafttom":nt8f936j said:
. Look at it this way, we now have proof that at last one lawyer has a heart :love
Click to expand...
 
Pat...glad you listened to your wife and it the procedure went well! Men...sometimes we just don't want to admit we're not indestructable. :wink: Keep you chin up...or down and heal quickly. Life is precious. I see more veggies in your future...on a positive note, I've heard red wine is GOOD for your heart! :cocktail
 
I was short of breath and had a distinctly unpleasant feeling in my chest at the top of the hill on the little loop that Baxter and I walk. Maybe it is indigestion.
Click to expand...

All classic signs that if listened to can indicate a check -up. Glad Pat listened. When you get back to walking, give us a report on the difference you notice in your endurance etc.
 
Pat,

Thanks for sharing the experience which is a vital lesson for many of us more elderly Brats.

Think of it as just one more of those damned mechanical problems.

Glad you caught it in time or the wheels might really have come off your wagon.

Merv
 
That was close--from one who knows something about heart disease! (from both sides of the bed).
Glad you are on the mend. There are multiple factors--certainly diet, weight, exercise, and stress (Pat stop worrying about the future of the C Dories, and concentrate on City business--that has to be less stressful!)

I know that your doctor has suggested some changes in life style. Consider a rehab program. I have been in several, and just completed mine of 3 months. I am staying on in a "wellness program", which includes supervised exercise 3x a week, BP and weight monitering etc. Sometimes these things hit you pretty hard. But now you have a "second chance"--a few years ago this would have been fatal. With modern medicine you should have another 50 or so years!

Marie and I send our very best--listen to Patty!
 
As another heart attack survivor I can sympathize with Pat about his recent experience. I can't urge you all enough to listen to what your body is telling you. My first attack in 1998 had classic symptoms but I was in denial and the emergency room failed the diagnosis. So a few months later I had another and ended up dropping going through the door to the emergency room. I was revived and got one stent. So here it is 12 years later and I am always watching for anything out of the ordinary. Started noticing fatigue and a little funny feeling in my neck around september so I watched it. By end of october the funny little feeling was to where it was lasting a minute or more and happening almost every day. I knew something was up. The angiogram showed two arteries at 85% blocked and one at 95% and calcified. So now I know what to expect and watch for in the future as does Pat. Your body will tell you when something is wrong, your job is to listen to it.
 
Pat & Patty,
We are so glad things turned out well. We never saw any signs on our hikes with you at Lake Powell so this is a real surprise, thanks for sharing. We will be anxious to see how your energy levels increase. Maybe we can go on longer hikes and kayaking trips? Take care in your recovery.
 
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