Chest update

TLDR – I did have a heart attack. They fixed me up a bit. Next step life changes.maybe more typos than normal sorry. Loads of wires and stuff – See here for Part I 

Whining about the room and being bored – Skippable – 

Been sitting in the hospital for three nights and four days now,. Not much exciting at all to report. I’m in a room with three other gentlemen. On the guy who loves to moan loudly and yawn oh Gawd multiple times a day. He’s snuck out a few times to smoke and says he is missing drinking. Sounds like he’ll make positive changes.

The guy across from me spent the last 30 years as a touring singer all over the world. He has a bad valve made worse by a tooth infection that spread to his valve. He has to have a bunch of dental work done before he can have his heart valve fixed. He’s the only one of the bunch I’m interacting with. He has a few weeks in hospital in front of him and has already lost 30kg since June when his valve first had issues – he will do well long term I’m betting

The guy next to me is a bit older and much big grumpy. Has refused to give blood and tells the nurses to fuck off when they ask him to drink water. Says he only drinks coffee tea or beer never water. Refuses to eat the food without salt or sugar on it. Has four sugars in his tea. – not really sure why he is here he obviously does not want to be here.

Kevin Update

Then there is me. Sitting in my bed listening to Harry Dresden writing or watching movies on my laptop. Open office working has taught me well when the area is loud wear headphones and ignore everyone.

Yesterday the doctors gave me the ok to walk around the building. I went out a few times for a total of 3 miles in the building. Felt great to get up and move. Found the massive chapel in the building and a pacing room. Turns out, thanks to Wes for the knowledge, The pacing room is not for walking back and forth. It’s for a clean room for heart procedure where they insert a pacing wire into your heart; read pacemaker. I no longer want to see what’s in the pacing room.

It’s been a boring weekend. Sitting here doing next to nothing taking pills, giving blood, getting injections. I’m ready to get an angiogram and go home and be comfortable with the family. I don’t feel like anything is wrong at all. The angiogram will tell us for sure.

Angiogram and stints

Shortly after breakfast three gentlemen showed up and told me strip, remove all jewelry, and put on a gown. Guess my angiogram is now and they are going to wheel me there in a bed; Exciting. They set me up in a waiting area for about 20 minutes going over what was going to happen then I’m off into a big room filled with people wearing lead,  a bunch of screens, and an X-ray machine on an arm hanging from the ceiling

They moved me to the X-ray table, numbed my right hand, and started jamming tubes into my vein up around my heart. I got to watch as my veins light up on the screen every time they spray in some dye. After about 10 minutes of poking around the doctor tells me I have some blockage and he needs to put in some stints. Ok, you’re the expert fix me up. 20 minutes later I’ve a few metal stints in my arteries and a few more narrowed up veins he poked at I’m told we’re going to fix with a medication I’ll be on for the rest of my life.

Wow. Ok. So I did have a heart attack. from the blockage it was pretty bad – some tears – it’s good to be alive. Did not expect that. I’m not thin but I’m not in horrible shape either, I don’t drink or smoke and get regular exercise. Pre-COVID I commuted 32k a day on a bicycle. Guess life is going to have some drastic changes in the future with diet and exercise and stuff.

As soon as they rolled me out of the big room back to the waiting area I started to get hot and sweat. My BP and heart rate dropped. All of the sudden they’re all of the nurses were all around me putting fluids in, opening windows checking things asking where I am, asking what hurts. – five minutes later its all gone and I’m back to normal. Great scare! I’m told next step is an echocardiogram to make sure my heart is happy and at least one more night in the hospital of observations. 

Post-hospital will be a new diet and physical therapy to make sure I’m making all of the changes needed to; Plus pills. Some pills for a year to set the stints in and others for the rest of the life never to be missed unless otherwise told I can miss them. Oh goodie I need one of those pill organizers and a timer like I’m old.

Some Bonus pictures