BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present

Subject: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: Midchuck
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 06:22 PM

I had been noticing for some time that my wind wasn't what it used to be, but dismissed it as an inevitable consequence of aging. Mowing the "lawn" last summer (using a power mower, but not a self-propelled one), I'd sometimes have to stop and breathe when I got to the end of a row and turned around. I haven't run regularly for quite a few years, but I've done a lot of walking, mostly at a fairly vigorous "forced march" pace. A couple of times this Fall, I had to stop to breathe, usually on uphill stretches when I had just started out.

I got in to see my primary care physician about the issue. He did an EKG (resting), found nothing of interest, and referred me to a cardiologist who did a stress EKG and an echocardiogram. He found that while the heart itself appeared healthy, there was enough evidence of trouble in the blood supply to it to suggest a catheterization to find out what was going on.

I went into the hospital and had the catheterization on Dec. 7. Local anesthesia and sedation and a tiny incision down just above and to the right of the...well, anyway. According to the cardio doctor, he found multiple blockages of coronary arteries, i. e., a heart attack waiting to happen. It's somewhat surprising, since I have not had pain at any time; and you would expect angina with this problem. The cardiologist actually asked at one point, "Are you SURE you haven't had any chest pain?" But I was sure. I'm not a stoic. I hate pain. If I had pain I'd have been howling for drugs.

There are three treatment options: 1) conservative treatment - medicate with beta blockers and Atorvastatin, and avoid stress. Not acceptable - however I try to avoid mental stress, too many of the things I consider essential to a life worth living involve physical stress. 2) Stenting - essentially putting little tubes in the blocked places to hold them open. Probably wouldn't work for all that long, according to the Drs. I would need so many stents that the probability of all of them functioning as they should is low. 3) Cardiac bypass surgery. Breaking my chest open down the middle with a hammer and chisel, taking my heart "off line," and running my blood circulation through a machine (and hoping there's no major power failure that day), and using some veins or arteries from other parts of my body (ones that the doctors assume are non-essential) to run blood circulation around the blocked areas. 3 appears to be the most realistic option for me, even though it's the most brutal in the short term. If I'm not in the one or two percent where the operation goes bad, and once I make it through the lengthy recovery period, I have a fairly good chance of having some more time during which I'll still be able to Do Stuff. (Play gigs, hike, ski, maybe even get back to running.)

I have a consult set up with a surgeon at Dartmouth-Hitchcock for Dec. 28th, the Wednesday after Christmas. I am planning, as of now, to go ahead with the surgery as soon as possible, unless the surgeon has a different opinion after reviewing my case. I have no idea when "as soon as possible" will be, but I'd assume it would be within January, unless the surgeon winters in the Bahamas or the Alps.

A cynic might say, "Well, so much for not smoking and getting plenty of exercise. You might as well sit on the couch and chain smoke, you end up the same way." Another cynic might say, "What did you expect, you old fool? You never saw a steak or a piece of bacon or a dish of fried butter with lard sauce or (in earlier years) a beer, without scarfing it down!" They'd probably both be right. But all I can do is go on from where I'm at. And who knows? Maybe I can get back to doing the Stowe Derby next year. Maybe I can finally perform Greg Keeler's "Cold Dead Fingers," and sing the bridge with proper phrasing:

"S'posin'-I'm-at-home-asleep-the-kids-an'-Little-Honey-sleepin'-too-an'-alla'-sudden-there's-this-great-big-shadow-on-the-winda-talkin'-Russian-to-some-other-shadow-what-the-hell-I-gonna-do,-'f-I-can't-reach-right-down-beside-the-bed-'n-grab-that-cold-an'-shiny-steel-an'-fill-that-shadow-up-with-lead-an'-keep-America-strong-unless-they-kill-me-first-an'-when-they-pry-it-out-of-my...

Cold Dead Fingers, I'll give up my gun...."

Wish me luck.

P.

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: Jeri
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 06:46 PM

Don't forget the da Vinci robot. No cracking of chest. (Ask Spaw.) Apparently, they don't do cardiothoracic surgery with it in VT (or NH), but they DO in Boston and NY.

I'm sorry you ended up in this particular club!

http://www.davincisurgery.com/cardiothoracic/

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: gnu
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 07:19 PM

Gee whiz! There is far too much of this going on here these days!

I composed a witty response and then deleted it in favour of this... I hope all goes well and that you speedily recover and regail us with you wisdom again soon and for many years to come.

Good luck. (Even tho that seems like a stunned thing to say, I mean it.)

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: kendall
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 07:40 PM

They examined your heart but didn't find anything? Do they know you are a lawyer?

Seriously, it's nothing to scoff at, but other than the initial carving of the chest and the inability to cough without pain, it's better than the alternative.
Mamma Fried just crossed my mind.

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 07:55 PM

Well, I've been there and done that. Felt a lot better afterwards.

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 09:32 PM

Oh, no! I'm sorry you will have to go through this. I wish you well. Keep us posted.

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: SINSULL
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 10:26 PM

kENDALL HAD THE SURGERY (AND HE IS A big BABY) AND SURVIVED. nOT PLEasant but doable.
Damn Capslock!
Do what needs to be done, Midchuck. We have a lobster boil in the offing.
SINS

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: Midchuck
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 10:33 PM

I have every intention of going ahead with it. I don't see any real choice.

My problem is, paradoxically, I have been so lucky with my health for the first 70 years, I've never gotten used to this kind of thing.

I have another worry: If the procedure involves stopping your heart to work on it, and using an artificial heart for a short time - before a flat EEG was the criterion for death, the classic one was the heart stopping. That would imply that I would be dead for a short time during the procedure.

So if it goes well, and I recover, am I legally a zombie?

P.

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 10:43 PM

De Jure as opposed to De Facto?

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: bbc
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 08:56 AM

Sorry to hear this news, but I guess it beats having a no-notice heart attack. Wishing you all the best from Copake!

Barbara & Duane

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: kendall
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 09:43 AM

You will do just fine my friend.

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 12:41 PM

If the heart substitution does happen, you will only be a zombie for a very brief period of time until your own heart takes over again. No worries.

Subject: RE: BS: Midchuck's Christmas Present
From: gnu
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 02:06 PM

You could put that on your resumé under experience when you submit it to the various movie studios.