8-16-26. Hello all. I am a 71 year old, overweight male and had a triple bypass nine years ago. Since then I was diagnosed with mild COPD and sleep apnea, so use a CPAP machine. When I got my triple I asked the doctor how long these things last and he said about ten years. I asked how do you know and he said we monitor you. A year or so ago out of the blue, my right foot and ankle started to swell. I retired in February and decided I should get myself checked out now that I had the time. The swelling was really the catalyst, but I embellished some symptoms to pressure my cardiologist to run some tests because he was reluctant to do so. First a sonogram. That detected some abnormalities. Then a CT scan. That really showed some serious issues. Then, three weeks ago, a cardiac catherization procedure. That surgeon said my blockages were too complex and rescheduled me for four days ago with another surgeon. One of my bypasses had collapsed and I had three blockages; two at 80% and one in my LAD (the widow maker) at 90%. I was in and out in one day. The surgeon put me on a very strong blood thinner called Effien and a baby aspirin plus the meds I had been on: Atvorstatin and Losartin. Took me off of Plavix and replaced with the Effien.
Here it is, three full days later and I feel close to 100%. 😎. The first day I was wobbly and tired but I feel good now. I had a bout of severe cramping and diarrhea after each procedure. My Doctor says it’s unrelated. I have had IBS -D all my life, but had not had any issues for two months prior. I think the diarrhea must be a reaction to the contrast die or something as I had it after each procedure. Very unpleasant and completely flushed my bowels over a period of several hours. Then it passed and I was fine.
Has anybody else experienced this? It seems to be a one and done.
I feel lucky to be alive and I’m looking forward to doing the rehab and moving on with my life.
It’s really quite amazing how routine the procedure has become. In and out the same day. Thank God for the skill of my surgeon and the advanced technology we have today.
My surgeon told me the stents were made out of cobalt and should last at least thirty years. So I am circling my calendar on my 100th birthday to remind me to have them checked out. 😉.
Other than experiencing severe bruising on my arms and hands and feeling very mildly dizzy from the Effrien combined with the baby aspirin, I feel fine. I walked maybe a half mile this evening and did fine, other than having to deal with the heat here in Dallas. I’m still overweight and out of shape but I will be working on that soon and look forward to at least another ten years of healthy living 🙂❤️‍🩹.