What's New on July 31, 2002

JULY 31, 2002

I went to the hospital Wednesday for a colonoscopy and EGD [scope down the throat] due to near constant nausea and vomiting. Through a bit of complications after the procedure, my B/P dropped to 53/33 and I was admitted to the hospital. After a poor day Thursday of throwing multiple PVC's, PAC's, Bigeminy and Trigeminy, I was scheduled for a nuclear stress test on Friday. The test indicated I had a coronary blockage so I was transferred to Jacksonville for a Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty [PTCA], where a coronary artery balloon dilation or balloon angioplasty to determine which intervention is necessary.

So, Monday I underwent cardiac cath with placement of a stint. The procedure is done under conscience sedation because you have to be awake and it normally takes about 30 - 45 minutes. I knew, however that we were headed for another JO thing when I heard the doctor say oh shoot with the conviction that we'd probably say oh sh**. It ended up taking 2 hours because they kept having to find a smaller and smaller guide wire to get around a bend in my artery. I was worried about Mike being worried when I saw that it was 11:00AM and I should have been out but they had gone out and told him. The movie and literature I was given indicated that although I would be under conscience sedation I would need to stay awake so I did. At least I thought I did. It was actually a piece of cake procedure that I would have again long before I'd have a spinal.

With all my diagnoses, the doctor does not want to speculate on how I will feel but there is a good possibility I may feel much better. There are three main arteries in the heart. My right artery is extremely narrow [not blocked, just small] and my left artery is slightly bigger probably to compensate. The middle artery was 90 - 95% blocked. So, given that most of the heart was operating from just a little over one artery and I now a little over two, I may just feel tons better.

Oh, and the colonoscopy was clean but the EGD showed a Hiatal Hernia, Ulcer and highly inflamed stomach. They added a new medicine on Thursday and I have yet to be bothered by nausea or vomiting. YAY!

Oh and get this... my cholesterol is 144 [supposed to be <200], my triglycerides is 97 [supposed to be less than 150], my HDL is 41 [supposed to be <60], and my LDL is 84 [supposed to be <100]. So, I guess family history plays a very big part.

The only thing I forgot to mention was something funny I did during the colonoscopy and endoscopy. I was wheeled into the procedure room after receiving the sleepy medicine [versed] and was feeling no pain.

They placed that hard plastic thing in my mouth that has the hole in the center to guide the scope and we waited. Well, I was getting kind of bored so I decided to sing to the doctors and nurses. LOL... Yes, with the plastic thing in my mouth. LOL... They laughed and looked at me like I was nuts and just to make things more interesting, I chose to sing a song my Dad used to sing. A little ditty of a song and reminisce of a dirty joke.

Hey! What can I say? ROTFLOL. I was flying.

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You are listening to Memories from the musical Cats, written by
Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Eliot. I felt this song was a perfect selection
for this site because of the affiliation I feel with Grizabella. Although for her,
it was age and not health issues that changed her, neither of us are who we
were before, on the outside, and it can affect how we feel on the inside.