My Triple Bypass Story

Prior Days

Starting 3 years ago I started swimming with my sister early in the morning. During the swim I could feel a "twinge" in my upper left arm on the inside of the bicep. I didn't think much of it but when I mentioned it to sis, she demanded I tall my primary care provider (PCP). He then referred me to Dr. George's office. After hearing my concerns he ordered a stress test. I did the stress test and the results came back as normal, (more on this later). He then put me on a beta-blocker and my PCP put me on blood pressure medicine.

As time went on, I would get chest pains whenever I exerted myself anaerobically; playing soccer with Lily or racing with the kids. The pain was very mild and I never had any other symptoms. I was never short of breath and my lower left arm never hurt. Also if I ever lifted something very heavy or moved furniture etc. I never had any problems. However, sometime this Summer or late Fall work provided food for us at work and on my way back from that, walking between buildings, I had massive chest pain. I stopped in my tracks and went through my head; "Am I short of breath? No. Does my arm hurt? No." I thought perhaps it was sever heartburn. I went back to my pcp and he prescribed me some stuff to take care of indigestion. I and everyone else were very perplexed because nothing was making complete sense.

The heartburn medicine did not seem to have an affect so my PCP sent me again to Dr. George's office. (This was almost 3 years after my initial visit and stress test.) I had noticed that my pain was occurring more often and rapidly. After explaining the Nurse Practitioner the entire story, she was just as perplexed and everyone else had been so she ordered the CCTA; which probably saved my life.

Wednesday November 27th

The day before Thanksgiving Erin and I went to St. Thomas to get my coronary computed topography angiography (CCTA) scan. They administered all sorts of medicine to get my heart rate down. Mine was in the nineties and they wanted it in the sixties for the test. The only vein they could find was in my upper left arm. There they administered certain medicines and it is where they would inject the dye used to create 3D images of the heart and blood vessels. The test lasted maybe 5 minutes where I was laying flat on my back in a table with my arms above my head. They moved me into what seemed like an MRI machine and it whirled around me. Then they injected the dye and it moved down my head all the way to my crouch. It was very sensational. It was like a laser started at the crown of my head and then went down in a straight line across my body until it went completely through me. I say laser because it was heat. They had warned me before so I was prepared for it and was able to almost enjoy the novelty of it.

After the test they said I would hear back probably next week as tomorrow was Thanksgiving. I felt completely fine and met Erin in the lobby. We made it a date and went she shopping at Fleet Feet and then went to Demos'. We both got the same thing; bacon-wrapped filet and garlic butter spaghetti. Just as we were coming into town from Shelbyville my phone rang and it was a nurse I had previously talked to to set up my appointment. She knew I was only 44 and had 5 kids. She told me the results came back as abnormal and they wanted me to check into the ER at Ascension. I was a little dubios and asked if she thought it could wait until Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. She said to let her know and that they would be calling in drugs for me to take until then, but she really stressed that the report was not good. Eventually, through electronic means, she gave me the report. We stopped by my PCP's office and had him look at it. He agreed with the nurse that I should check into the ER. Knowing that nothing would be happening immediately at the hospital, Erin and I drove home to tell the kids and get a few things packed for me. All of us in a group hug, all crying and praying, is a vivid image that I will never forget.

I called the nurse and told her we were on our way back to Ascension. The ER seemed a little confused on why I was there until we showed them my report. Part of the 'scoring' is a calcium score; a measure of how much blockage was occuring in the vessels of the heart. A score of 450 is high and immediate attention is needed. My score was above 1900. We stayed in the ER for about two hours until I was moved on to the 7th floor for observation until I could have a heart catheterization.

Thursday November 28th (Thanksgiving)

Erin spent the night with me while Cindy stayed late with the kids until they went to bed. Erin and I decided to make Thanksgiving feel as normal as it could that she would spend the day with the kids and have Thanksgiving at my dad's like we usually do. I stayed and actually had a decent turkey lunch. That morning a nurse came in and said she wanted to get ahead of her workload and did an echocardiogram or 'echo' which is basically an ultrasound of the heart. My heart cath was scheduled for Friday, the next day. Erin spent the majority of the day with the kids but came that night so I she would be with me before they came and got me early in the morning.

Friday, November 29th

That morning I was scheduled to be the 2nd heart catheritization. Marc came down early in the morning and arrived before I had the procedure. When it came time, they took me down to, I believe, the 2nd floor and into a preparation room. Erin and Marc were both allowed to be with me. They shaved my right arm, as that is where the typically start the cath from and also around my upper right leg as a secondary spot. I was nervous but hoped this would be the end of it as it would be during this procedure, they would put in the necessary stint. The CCTA scan can also give false positives and this would tell the doctor's exactly what was going on. I do remember being a little after I found out that I would still be conscious during the procedure, though highly drugged. I remember talking to Dr. Lichaa the cardiologist who also would be doing my cath. He seemed very friendly and both Marc and Erin were pleased with him.

When it was time I remember they already gave me drugs in the waiting room through the IV and that it was time. They wheeled me around in what seemed like a maze but I remember coming to a big room with huge monitors. I remember the nurses had to take off all the sticker leads that were attached for the EKGs and the echo. This hurt a lot as they were attached over my chest hair. I thought it woudld be cute if I yelled out "Ohh Kelly Clarkson!" but only one of the nurses got it. The rest of the procedure is a blur. I do not remember Dr. Lichaa coming in. The only thing I do remember was that the nurse confirmed I had multiple blockages. I knew that meant open heart surgery. I was dumbfounded and angry.

From the cath they saw that 2 major arteries supplying the heart were completely blocked and that the third was almost completely blocked. Had it been, I would have been dead. They believe that this had occured over years as the my body compensated and grew new vessels around the back of my heart and it was these that were keeping my alive. I felt lucky to be alive; still do, but also very angry that I let this happen to me and at such an early age. Yes this was caused by genetics, but I should have eaten better and for sure should of exercised more.

The Weekend through Monday, December 2nd

Several people contacted us over the weekend to say they were praying or thinking of us. Two people through Facebook said they had a Dr. Clemens and they were really impressed with him. We decided he would like him to so the surgery. Either Saturday or Sunday the doctor on call Dr. Hoffman came in and talked with me, and Erin on the phone, about the triple bypass and what that would entail. He said he could probably do the surgery Tuesday and that he thought Dr. Clemens could do it on Wednesday afternoon. Erin and I were so impressed with Dr. Hoffman, that we agreed we would like for him to do the surgery. He then came back in and gave us even more details, specifically how he would do the surgery. He confirmed on Sunday that I was scheduled for Tuesday morning at either 10 or 11.

Several people visited me over the weekend. On Saturday Karen Barton came in and she reassured me and my dad, who was the only person with me at the time that her husband had been through it the year before with Dr. Clemems. She was very impressed with him, his team, and the nurses who took care of him afterward. On Sunday my childhood-pastor Dr. Don Dixon came by and told me of his experience with bypass surgery. He had had a heart attack a decade earlier and wanted to assure me that I would come out it all right. Another person, Anthony Watts, whom I had never met before but he knew Cindy as he handled her investments and was actually a childhood friend of Marc's; they were both in the Scouts. He had by surgery just 7 weeks prior and he told me what his experience was like. He actually came in as brother Don was leaving and they both know each other from the Rotory club in Tullahoma.

My childhood friends Adam Prince and John Knight came and saw me as well. Each spent multiple hours with me and we reminiced on life.

December 3rd, Surgery Day

I don't remember much on this day. I do remember they woke me up a 4 a.m. to feed me Pedialyte and they gave me several pads to wash my body with. I was wheeled to a preparation room just like before my heart cath. There they shaved me from head to toe on my front side. (At last, no more sticky leads that stick to my hair). Erin was able to follow me down and be in the room at 6:15. That's all I remember. Erin said she got a text that I was in surgery by 8:15 a.m. My surgery lasted just shy of 3 hours. Everything went great with the surgery, so I'm told. However, I must have had an allergic reaction to an anitparalytic as my lips and tongue were swollen enough for them to keep me on the ventilator because they were not sure I could breathe on my own. I remember waking up late that night and being very upset that with the tubes down my throat. I felt like I couldn't breathe and that the tubes weren't working. I grew more and more upset typing Erin and the nurse messages on the her phone. Eventually they sedated me enough to knock me out.

Days After

I spent the next 4 days in the hospital going home that Saturday. My nurses were all very good and kept my pain in check. The day after the surgery they removed the tubes from my mouth and made me walk 3 times. I had 3 tubes inside me all exiting my stomach. On the 3rd day they to out the 2 of the 3. I could immediately tell a difference because If I took a deep breath, or tried too anyway, that I felt pain in my chest. The 4th day they took out my last tube and I could tell an ever bigger difference. They stitched those holes and they were removed 2 weeks later. I was able to go home. At home things at first were very difficult. My blood pressure was 80/40 and I could barely stand. The first few days at home I urinated into a urinal that Erin emptied. Once Erin called and they stopped the lasics and the blood pressure medicine, I was able to move around like normal. However a pain developed in my left leg, the leg they took the veins to use for the bypass. More than 2 weeks later and I still have this pain. They believe it is from some swelling which is normal, but I have to wear a compression sock on it during the day and keep it elevated at night.

I wanted to write as much down as I could before I forget it. I really want to start journaling. I believe that I got a new chance at life. I choose to believe that I was meant to be here. I have more work to do. I need to raise my kids but I also have work to do. Over the course of my recovery I have wondered what that is/means. I hope that journaling will help me determine and arrive at my goal. Perhaps through journaling I can plan my work and report on the work on the plan.