June 22, 2019 – Six months ago I was lying in a hospital bed wondering, “What the hell happened?”
Honestly, I knew what had happened – I had a heart attack! Actually, I had several heart attacks – myocardial infarctions – over a twenty-four hour period. It was surreal. I wasn’t supposed to have heart problems. I have plenty of issues with Stage IV cancer, so no one – myself included – was focused on my heart.
My doctors monitored my cholesterol numbers – good, but not great – and my liver values (also pretty good and stable). My heart? That was something obese people or older people worried about. Not me.
So my melanoma journey diverged to become a health journey. I not only had metastatic melanoma and any recurring skin cancers to worry about; now, I had heart problems to keep me up at night.
Once again, I was fortunate. There was no damage to my heart from the 100% blockage of my right coronary artery (RCA). My new cardiologist put a stent in my RCA and, less than 24 hours later, I went home. My release from the hospital gave new meaning to I’ll Be Home for Christmas.
Note – Here’s the link to the original post about my heart attack: All I Want for Christmas Is…
Christmas and New Years came and went. By mid-January, I was slowly adjusting to my new daily pill regimen. The meds did their job and my cholesterol significantly decreased.
At the end of January, a thirty-six session cardio rehab stint began (see Heart Update at the bottom of Status Quo). Three times a week I spent an hour riding exercise bikes, walking on treadmills, and getting my heart rhythms monitored. Rehab grudgingly became a good routine. After almost three solid months of consistent exercise, I was feeling pretty good and looking okay. (Still need to lose another 5 – 10 pounds.)
Rehab ended in early May and my heart grew lonely (hence the title of this post). Not really. But I did miss the routine and the normalcy of rehab. The steady exercise was good for my heart and, surprisingly, my soul. During that period, I realized that I still have it in me to change. That’s the key – to want it. I have to continue to motivate myself to stay healthy.
The rest of May was hectic for us. A couple of trips along with time at the beach. My cardio routine was broken and it’s taken awhile to get it back. Sometimes good beer and good food will do that.
So, I’m now the owner of a lonely heart. It’s mine and it’s up to me to keep it beating. Like the lyrics of the original Yes song: You’ve got to want to succeed.
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| Miss Susan grows some beautiful irises.
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Melanoma Update – In early June I had my six-month CT scan and blood work. Everything was virtually the same as last November. No new tumors and my existing tumors remain stable and unchanged. Great news! My dermatologist took an additional margin on my back (Ouch!) which turned out to be benign. Also, great news! (See Wake-Up Call for details.)
Heart Update – Nothing new to report (other than what you read above). I’ve been having some issues with excessive heat and humidity. Who doesn’t? I see my cardiologist at the end of July. Hope he has some answers.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis. No set schedule. So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you.
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Ornament currently on our tree.
(See Note below.)
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Comment – This is an abbreviated version of a longer piece that I intend to have published.
December 21, 2018 – The pain literally pulled me up from the bed. My chest was starting to burn – no other way to truly describe it. This feels weird! I thought. I made it downstairs and drank some ice water from the fridge. I felt a little nauseous and a bit disoriented. It was, after all, just past midnight, and I had only been asleep for three hours. The burning sensation continued, so I took some Tums thinking that I had the mother of all heartburn. The Tums didn’t help.
I sat in the big brown chair in our den. I was alone downstairs. Zoe, our new border collie, decided it was more important to sleep than to come down and check on me. So much for saving Timmy in the well!
Still thirsty, I stood up to get some more water. That’s when my chest pain went nuclear. Now, instead of a burning sensation, my chest pain felt like a combination of being pressed with a giant vise along with a full-grown male elephant balancing on it with one leg.
(Later at the hospital, I told the doctor my chest felt like a curb-stop with a Chevy Suburban perched on top.)
Painful…to say the least. I was doubled over the leather ottoman asking God, What is going on? He didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he pointed me to the true authority on all health matters: Google. So, as the pain eased, I sat in the big brown chair and used my phone to search the Internet for “chest pain.” 761 million entries later I still wasn’t sure what was wrong.
I finally fell asleep and woke up three hours later. I ate a small breakfast and took Zoe for our morning walk. It was already drizzling, so I bundled up.
We never made it off our block. The chest pain was excruciating! Back inside the house, I called Vicki – whose office is less than 5 minutes away – and told her we needed to go to the emergency room.
– – –
The attending physician came into the exam room to tell me that my troponin levels were elevated, but not too high. Congratulations…I had a mild heart attack! (There was nothing mild about that pain.)
Wonderful. With everything else we’ve dealt with over the past three years, we end 2018 with a real bang.
– – –
A cardiologist arrived about an hour later to explain the cardiac catheterization procedure. I had the procedure that afternoon and the cardiologist found 100% blockage of my right coronary artery. He cleaned out the blockage and inserted a stent.
I spent the rest of Friday and Saturday (Dec. 22) morning recovering in a private hospital room. The good news: there was no significant damage to my heart. The bad news: I will be on a multitude of meds for the foreseeable future.
We were happy to be back home in-time for the arrival of our son, Zach, for the Christmas holiday. Being home for Christmas and not laid up in a hospital bed was a true Christmas present.
So, Merry Christmas! Ours was another one to remember. Just thankful I was around to celebrate it.
Note: The heart ornament shown above was a gift from my sister-in-law, Alisa. I thought it was an appropriate symbol for this post – not simply because it’s a heart and not because it’s a Christmas ornament, but because the year (2011) was when I had my major melanoma surgery.
I survived that period to continue my journey. I’ll survive this as well.
Note: If you want to leave a comment, just choose “Anonymous” from the Profile Selection drop down bar right below the Comment box. (It’s the very last choice.) Sorry for any confusion.
Also, please make sure you leave your name or sign-in somewhere in your comment. Thanks.
Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis. No set schedule. So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you.
Christmas and New Years came and went. By mid-January, I was slowly adjusting to my new daily pill regimen. The meds did their job and my cholesterol significantly decreased.
Rehab ended in early May and my heart grew lonely (hence the title of this post). Not really. But I did miss the routine and the normalcy of rehab. The steady exercise was good for my heart and, surprisingly, my soul. During that period, I realized that I still have it in me to change. That’s the key – to want it. I have to continue to motivate myself to stay healthy.
