Member Profiles
GRANNIE ANNIE
It was April, 2002 and I had been to get my eyes checked and the
doctor gave be a test to see if I qualified to get my eyelids fixed as they
drooped way over and were causing problems with my peripheral vision. The test
showed I did need the surgery and I was referred to a plastic surgeon who
scheduled me for day surgery. It was to take about 30 minutes and I would be
home the same day. I had an ekg that showed ischemia and the surgery was
cancelled and I was sent to a cardiologist. He wanted to do a thallium stress
test but I could not schedule it for a month so I waited until September since I
had to wait anyway and we went to New Mexico, high in the mountains for the
summer. When I got back in September, I had the stress test and it showed
restricted blood flow to the lower part of my heart and the doctor wanted to do
an angiogram, heart cath, to probably put in a stent in a blocked artery. The
stress test was done on October 1 and showed extensive blockage in six places.
The least was 75% and most were 90 to 95% and I had quadruple bypass the next
day, October 2, 2002. I had no symptoms and according to the surgeon who was
quite a character, I would have had a massive heart attack and just dropped
dead on one of my hiking trips. I really felt bad after the surgery, Dressler's
syndrome, numbness and pain in my left leg where evidently nerves were cut and
have yet to grow back as I still have that numbness and pain. I also have
numbness in my left breast and just above my left breast. Same explanation,
nerves were cut and may or may not grow back. I just kept taking the medicine
prescribed, exercising and eating low fat, low cholesterol food. In October,
2004, I had a sore throat and it was badly swollen, my regular doc prescribed
prednisone for 6 days. On day 3, I had chest pains that were so severe it brought
tears to my eyes. It was a crushing, squeezing type of pain and I went to the ER
and was told it was not a heart attack. The cardio doctor did another one of
those thallium stress test and it showed restricted blood flow to the lower part of my heart. Just
like the original one. So I did not do another angiogram as I would expect the
same results as before, extensive blockage and bypass surgery again. Since I am
not going through that again I have made the decision to live with it like it
is, especially since the pain I had was probably brought on by the prednisone and
it has never come back since that day. I do have chest pains at rest and have
ever since the bypass surgery so if that's from blockage, it has been there
since maybe before the bypass or shortly after.
I am active, hike, ride bikes, swim and just spend lots of time outdoors. We are
retired, live in a 5th wheel travel trailer and follow the weather trying to
stay in the warmest places. Mentally I am now a wreck and take xanax for anxiety
about 4 times a month. My memory has not been the same since the surgery and I
would think being put to sleep again would only make that worse. This was my
first and unless I am totally unconscious at the time, it will be my last
surgery. I never want to be put to sleep again. My eyes will not be fixed and
when I want to look up I will just lift up the excess skin as I age.
That's my story. Birthdate, May, 1942
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