Member Profiles
JoAnn
Hello, I was happy to find this site and
decided to share my story. Last October(2002) I had by-pass surgery on three
blockages. I am 57 years old and an only child. Last August 25th (2002), my
mother died after a short illness. I was going about my daily chores when on
October 03rd while cutting an orange to eat, I had a sudden pain attack above my
left breast. I have had very severe rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 33
(23years) so I was very accustom to having sudden pain attacks come and then
subside as fast as they had came. I finished cutting my snack and went into the
family room to watch television. The pain was still there and was not the usual
type of pain I was accustom to having. My friend was sleeping upstairs and I
called her to come down to me. I told her where my pain was and she ask if it
felt like a squeezing sensation and I said yes and she told me I probably was
having a heart attack and we should head for the emergency room which was about
15 to 20 minutes away. I put my food away and got ready to go staying very calm
and matter of fact. On the trip to the hospital I started thinking about my
youngest aunt who had had open heart surgery and now had congestive heart
failure. In my mind I was thinking( oh shit---- they are going to break my chest
open just like they did to Aunt Nancy!) The pain had started to travel a little
up my neck but I still was trying to stay calm. I walked into emergency and told
the clerk I thought I might be having a heart attack! I was taken right back to
the doctors immediately and was hooked up to their machines and given something
to put under my tongue to let dissolve (nitro) After three pills the pain was
still there and I was joking to the doctor that it was probably just nothing and
I would really be embarrassed for coming to the emergency for nothing. I am not
much on medical terms and procedures so I cannot name all they did to me while I
was under their care. I was told I would stay there overnight for observation
purposes and was ho! oked up to oxygen and iv's and taken to the back of
emergency to stay. My friend left and I was alone with my thoughts. Well I
started thinking about my mother and how she would have stayed by my side. I
started crying and cried all night long!!! When the nurses would ask me why I
was crying, I would tell them about losing my beloved mother just 39 days ago
and missing her so much. Those that had lost their moms cried with me . The next
morning I was told my enzymes from a blood test had showed that I had a heart
attack and I was scheduled for a catheterization in a few hours. I was a little
nervous because my aunt's catheterization had burst her artery and her open
heart surgery was done very fast because of this happening. Well I went through
the catheterization with no troubles but laying in the still position for at
least nine hours afterwards was just plain hell on my arthritis! I could not pee
in their bed pan so I held my bladder until I could walk to the bathroom. I was
told that three blockages were found( left main 70% and two lesser blockages in
same area) and I needed to have surgery. I was tested for a week before the
surgery occurred because I had a little lung disease from smoking in past years
and I guess everyone goes through certain test before major surgeries. I was
kept as an inpatient while all this was happening and didn't go home till a week
after the surgery. The surgery went well but my breathing was very weak. I was
sent home and had to return in two weeks because they had sent me home with
pneumonia and I wasn't doing well according to the home care nurses. Once they
got the pneumonia fixed I was feeling pretty good. I could not sleep in my
regular bed because it hurt to lay there so I slept in a recliner chair for
about 3 or 4 months. It felt so good to go upstairs anf sleep in my own bed and
I really had a wonderful sleep. Its almost a year now since this all happen and
I am slowing recovering. Not as fast as I want to but I am getting better. I
would like to hear from other who had open he! art surgery and their recovery
procedure. My e-mail address is JACALSO@aol.com Thank you so much for providing
a space for us to tell our stories in. I enjoyed reading them all. JoAnn C
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