I had eaten at a new restaurant and thought I had eaten garlic bread by mistake and had bad indigestion. We were in Knoxville at a UT football game. I grabbed a handful of Rolades, took two Tagamet and walked up and down East TN hills 2.5 miles toward the stadium. Almost there, I was in a cold sweat, white and my wife and I decided to go into Walgreens. It was 95 outside and wall to wall people inside. Went to a nearby dorm while I somewhat recovered, but still no thought I was having a heart attack. Attended the game, walked back 2.5 miles through the same hills and when arrived at the car, told my wife she had to drive the 3-1/2 hours home - I was too tired. She got within 1-1/2 hours from home, 2:00 AM, woke me and I drove the rest of the way. Got up at 7 and taught Sunday School that morning. Went home and crashed. At the time, 1999, we had a Hunter 260 and would have gone sailing 1-1/4 hours away, but I was too tired to go. Monday Morning my wife asked when we were going to the lake. I said, still too tired. I was 52 and burned the candle from both ends and was never tired. She knew something was wrong.
Next day, she called St Thomas in Nashville and made an appointment with her internist for me on Thursday. I am an Architect and we were planning on going to Florida the next weekend for the UT- Florida game. On Wednesday afternoon, she informed me of the appointment and I was raging mad because I didn't have time to go to a Doctor! I was to busy working!! Well she drug me there and I did a stress test. 8 minutes and 46 seconds later, the nurse looked at m with eyes that only foretell gloom and cut off the treadmill and gave me nitroglycerine. At that point, I became a believer. I saw the Internist, got a prescription for nitro and was told to be back at 9 the next morning to meet my Cardiologist. Said if I had "that feeling in my chest" to take one nitro tablet. If it didn't stop in 5 minutes to take another one as I was getting in the car to head to the hospital. Said to call and they would have a cardiologist meet me at the ER. I didn't sleep well that night.
Showed up at 9, met my cardiologist as the nurse was giving me a nitroglycerine tablet. They rushed me for an arterogram, found two 99.9% widow maker's and rushed me to the OR for a double bypass. Me fuming and telling them I was not sick as my wife was saying " Take him".
I barely survived, but with major heart damage. I had complications and was in a coma for 5 days. My heart ejection fraction is about half what a normal person is and I have a defibrillator - but I am alive thanks to my wife and the excellant physicians at St Thomas hospital in Nashville. I have had one bypass collapse and two stents put in to reopen it. A year later, they inserted a catheter with a radiological device and burned the scar tissue out of the stents. In 2010, two new stents went inside the old ones. I am on my third defibrillator, one having been recalled. Just a month ago, after my annual stress echo, my cardiologist, and now very good friend came into the exam room and said " I don't like what I saw today and we need an arteriogram. Do you want to do it this week or next week?" Two days later I was at St Thomas for the procedure. My oldest bypass that had never been stinted had failed, but to our good luck, my body had grown new arteries around it in the last 16 years and I was providing the needed blood flow, albeit not quite as efficient as the bypass had. I was released the same day and have an appointment 6 months later for a routine checkup.
I am the lucky one. I had a persistent wife who forced me to go to the Doctor. Now, I go to my Cardiologist every 6 months, my Internist every 4 months, my defibrillator is wirelessly monitoring me as I write this and I see my Elctrophysiology Cardiologist for an office visit once a year. I traded that 1998 Hunter 260 for a new Hunter 356 in the spring of 2003 and I have sailed it over 8500 miles, to Florida and back from Kentucky lake and I feel great. If you are even thinking you may have heart disease I want you to go call your Doctor now and mak an appointment for a check-up. My Dad was 50 and on a trip with my Mother in Europe in 1968 and died of a massive heart attack, I was 52 and damn near died too. Only the advancement of medical technology has kep me alive. My Cardiologist says I am an 8 cylinder engine on 4 cylinders and I can do anything anybody can, I just do it half as fast. Avoid the heart attack by an ounce of prevention.
I think I'll live a lot longer, but one thing I know is that somebody reading this is about to have a heart attack. GO GET A CHECKUP - and spare yourself and your family your potential death or months of recovery. Don't be stupid like I was and ignore your own symptoms. Recoveryfrom a stent is like getting your teeth cleaned.
