Donny Carlson
04-16-2010, 08:45 PM
I've been low profile for awhile, and thought I'd let some of you know what's going on with me.
I was back in the hospital last week after a rough patch or two, some chest pain and discomfort that really should have put me in the emergency room, but moi has a strong dislike of ambulance rides in the middle of the night, and the docs at the ER manage to produce truly amazing invoices that my health insurance doesn't cover as well as it does other things.
I had another cardiac cath and my doctor found -7- yes -7- new blockages. That's in addition to two in major arteries that were only 30 and 40 percent. I was concerned my stents or a stent had collapsed or reclogged with a blood clot, but they were open. That was the good news.
The bad news is the newly found blockages are in arteries downstream that are too small to stent. Stents in these small arteries will cause more damage than they fix, are likely to plug with clots, and inevitably collapse. No stents, no instant fix.
My cardiologist has me on Renexa now, which helps the heart process oxygen more efficiently, so it helps prevent pain from happening when heart muscle isn't getting enough O2. The upside, other than not having to deal with the pain, is that eventually these small arteries will develop new pathways around the blockages, and as long as I am a good boy, watch my diet and take my chorestoral meds, I should be fine.
So far it's working and I've been pretty much pain free. I sleep better now that I'm not awakened with chest pain (btw, the limit on Nitro tabs is 3 per day, and when you take #3 your supposed to do it after you call 911. I had a spell where the pain got so severe and wouldn't abate and I took 10 tabs over a 90 minute span. My doc was pretty cheesed when I told him about it).
Looks like I will survive to attend more C&O's and amuse you with my witty posts.
It was a good day today, the weather was great, I put new shoes on my SRT Challenger, washed and detailed her, and had a spirited and very theraputic drive. Gearhead life can be good, no?
I was back in the hospital last week after a rough patch or two, some chest pain and discomfort that really should have put me in the emergency room, but moi has a strong dislike of ambulance rides in the middle of the night, and the docs at the ER manage to produce truly amazing invoices that my health insurance doesn't cover as well as it does other things.
I had another cardiac cath and my doctor found -7- yes -7- new blockages. That's in addition to two in major arteries that were only 30 and 40 percent. I was concerned my stents or a stent had collapsed or reclogged with a blood clot, but they were open. That was the good news.
The bad news is the newly found blockages are in arteries downstream that are too small to stent. Stents in these small arteries will cause more damage than they fix, are likely to plug with clots, and inevitably collapse. No stents, no instant fix.
My cardiologist has me on Renexa now, which helps the heart process oxygen more efficiently, so it helps prevent pain from happening when heart muscle isn't getting enough O2. The upside, other than not having to deal with the pain, is that eventually these small arteries will develop new pathways around the blockages, and as long as I am a good boy, watch my diet and take my chorestoral meds, I should be fine.
So far it's working and I've been pretty much pain free. I sleep better now that I'm not awakened with chest pain (btw, the limit on Nitro tabs is 3 per day, and when you take #3 your supposed to do it after you call 911. I had a spell where the pain got so severe and wouldn't abate and I took 10 tabs over a 90 minute span. My doc was pretty cheesed when I told him about it).
Looks like I will survive to attend more C&O's and amuse you with my witty posts.
It was a good day today, the weather was great, I put new shoes on my SRT Challenger, washed and detailed her, and had a spirited and very theraputic drive. Gearhead life can be good, no?