Member Profiles
NURSERACHET
I am 47 years old and a nurse. Coming home after a eight hour shift and eating dinner, I experienced sharp chest pains. I knew right away what it was. I have no family history for the heart problems, no high b/p not diabetic and do not smoke. The triage nurse said I was fine at the hospital. B/p was normal, not diaphoretic (sweating)- nothing.
I told her I was a nurse and demanded a doctor and a ECG and blood enzmes drawn. Well she rolled her eyes much annoyed with me, but I insisted. few hours later I had a doc holding my hand saying I was going to another hospital for a triple bypass. Well everything that could happen did when I got home. My incision opened up from the bottom, got infected and my mental problems were just beginning. I stared at my carotid artery every time I passed a mirror, cried a lot, could not sleep, afraid I would die.
A month and a half later I was telling the doc I am blocked and they were saying it was not possible this quick. Well I was 90 % again. Back for 4 stents, lasted a few weeks and blocked again. Had 7 angiograms since then. Had a heart attack, chewed aspirin, got to hospital in 10 min, had no heart damage, very lucky. Then I was sent to Washington for radiation seeds to be put into stents for restenosis - they use the same ones for cancer pts, called brachytherapy. Well, this did not work for me either, after becoming part of a clinical experiment.
So that is triple bypass, 7 angios, heart attack, 4 stents and radiation. Now what??/
One last thing, going into experiment with gene therapy angiogenesis. They inject around blockages with vegf growth hormone in hopes the heart grows its own bypasses around blockages. I was 100% in November when I had it done. No pains nothing since and I feel great!! So I must be growing. Mind you all this has happened to me in a year and a half and I am on 13 pills a morning and some in afternoon now. So do not give up. They are always working on something. Be positive and know your body. When a doc says nothing wrong insist..... or find another doc. You are your best advocate. Love, Nurserachet.
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