March 8 - 10, 2004

I had a doctor's appointment with Dr. R today. I had been feeling just plain yucky for a few months and decided it was time to address the situation. So, off I went with my list in hand. I had a feeling, he might admit me and I wasn't really happy about the thought.

As I shared the following symptoms and thoughts, I tried real hard to get Dr R. to interact as we normally do but he was strictly business.

Chest pain... some type of chest pain on a near daily basis. Pain in bones of right hand - 4th and 5th digit Lumps in left arm No periods since 2002 Decreased urination ~7 pounds of fluid in the past month Wheezing Frequent low grade temperature Frequent headaches Bloated and gassy all the time Flatulence Mushy stools Smelling smoke Seeing colors Muscle spasms in my toes and shoulders

After listening to my list of complaints, he decided to do an EKG. The results showed...

Frequent premature ventricular contractions Long QTc : Possible hypocalcemia or T - U Fusion Inferior Infarction ST-T changes in anterior leads Low QRS voltages in precordial leads

When he returned, he said we needed to go to Big Baptist... that is the hospital in Jacksonville... for a cardiac cath. The hospital here on the the island is referred to as Little Baptist. Anyway, he said, they were expecting me and to get right up there but don't speed.

On the way, I was glad to realize all I had ate or drank so far had been coffee. I figured they would do the cath and 4 hours later I would be headed back home. They had a different idea.

I was taken to the ER where they did the typical blood tests, x-rays, and EKG. They said my Troponin and BMP were high... but not that high. The cardiologist came in and said that they would do the cath on Tuesday at 1:30PM.

The hospital was full so I spent the night in the ER. Sheesh. Between my heart monitor going off and patients and medical staff, I am surprised I got any rest at all. Around 6AM they brought in a liquid breakfast. I questioned this knowing I was NPO and was not suppose to eat or drink after midnight. My nurse said since the procedure was not scheduled until 1:30pm I could have a liquid breakfast. I looked at it and sleep seemed more appetizing than the Jell-O. When I could not fall back to sleep, I decided to go ahead and eat one of the Jell-O cups. No sooner had I finished it and my nurse popped his head in and said I was going NOW! I told him I had just ate the Jell-O and he said it shouldn't be a problem.

I was wheeled to the cath lab. They prepped me by shaving the groin area and put me on the table. The nurse started to add something to my IV and I asked if it was Versed and she said yes. And I said goodnight and I was out.

My husband arrived around 10:00AM to spend some time with me before the cath to find I was done and had had an 80% blockage that was corrected with a stent. Shortly thereafter he was able to go into the cath lab recovery room to see me and shortly after that I threw-up all over him, the floor, the walls, everything. I was so nauseated, I could not stand it.

I was taken to my room where I threw-up all over Mike again. I do not know if it was that Jell-O that made me so sick or what but I was sick. I tried to eat a little bit to help my stomach but it only made it worse so I gave up on that thought.

Now, the recovery after angioplasty and a stent is interesting. You have to lay flat, not even lifting your head, while they have this plastic pressure vice thing clamped down on your groin. Every few hours, they would release the pressure slightly, check for bleeding and lay some more. I had to lay completely flat from 10AM Tuesday until 6AM Wednesday. That 20 hours was HORRID! I don't know if it was my osteoporosis or what but my back and hips hurt so bad. The nurse kept saying she could give me something but it seems so silly, I refused. It did not take too awfully long before I was in tears and asking for the Dilaudid. I found that it relieved the pain enough that I could rest for almost 2 hours and be pain-free and unaware of any nausea. I ended up having 5 doses. I felt like a baby that I needed it but I'm telling you it sure helped.

Throughout the evening and night of my recovery, the nurse would come in and wake me up because my heart rate, blood pressure, and/or respiration would drop too low. I know my heart rate dropped as low as 24, my blood pressure as low as 60/40 and respiration as low as 8. I also continued to throw frequent PVC's.

Once they removed the pressure device, I was allowed to get up. Once the doctor said I could go home, my urinary catheter was removed, I walked the halls a bit and I went home.

I was excited to get home because I recalled going home from the stent in 2002 and going right back into my routine but that did not happen this time. I had a fever for about 24 to 36 hours and felt rather lethargic but by Friday night, I was feeling the best I had felt in a long time. Today was not as good but, hey, that's just me and may have nothing to do with all of this.

I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. R on the 18th and I imagine we'll address the other issues. Oh, speaking of the other issues, most all of those above have disappeared. I so not know if it is related to more blood and therefore more oxygen getting through or what but, I'll take it.

My DH was going through my purse to see what he should take and/or leave and found my camera so he decided to take a picture. lol... I think this is going a bit to the extreme but he took so here it is. This is shortly after we got there... before the IVs and O2. All I had was the oximeter... the thing on my finger to measure the oxygen level in my blood and the heart monitor.

Cost?  A mere $29,930.