NARRATIVES
TALK TO A
ADVICE
Established April 15, 1995
University of West Georgia Disclaimer
7 June 2002
I am going to cut a lot of corners in this narrative for fear of putting you to sleep. Twelve years ago at age 54, I had a heart attack. While in the hospital they decided to give me an angiogram and found my heart attack blockage 100% but not too much damage to the heart. They also found two arteries blocked. One was 75% blocked and the other was 80% blocked. I was fortunate they could do the angioplasty instead of bypass surgery. It was performed the following day.
While in ICU, my cardiologist visited me and said everything went well with the exception that he could only get my blockages down to 35 to 40%. The plaques was awful hard and he did not want to take the chance of ballooning the blockages any more than he did which was 3 to 4 times. But he was happy with the results.
Could explain more but like I said at the beginning, trying to keep it short. The next day waiting anxiously to be released, I was told it is policy after having angioplasty, that you have to have a cat scan from the heart down to the abdomen. This went quickly and I was released.
While at home taking a little rest, my regular doctor called and informed me they found a little aneurysm on my abdominal aorta. It measured 2.8cm. He informed me that this was very small but we would have to keep an eye on it. Now the years started to go by and every 6 months I went and had either an ultra sound or cat scan. The first few years it stayed fairly stable. There are always two readings. The AP reading is from front to back and the transverse reading from side to side with the AP being the most important. I am now about 57 and the increases started (3.2/3.4, 3.6/3.8 and 4.0/4.2). I should tell you that surgery is considered when you reach 5cm. I am now about 64 years old and I am getting concerned. Next reading was 4.8/4.7.
By this time I was researching my options and there are not too many. As most of you know, there is the conventional way which they say is brutal. I won't get into the particulars. From what I read on some of these narratives, I don't think it would be as brutal. But then again, I don't think it would be a walk in the park either. I said I would not get to the particulars, but when they cut you open from the breast bone area down to your private parts and then take out your bowels and put them in a bowl, that is just the beginning. As W.C. Fields said, "As a whole, I would rather be in Philadelphia".
Thanks to modern medicine they now have a less invasive procedure called Endovascular. Believe it or not, they go up in the femoral arteries located in the upper groin. That procedure I cannot explain. I would have you reading for another hour.
In conclusion, I am now 66 and have reached 5cm AP and transverse 5.3. The radiologist who teams with a vascular surgeon on this Endovascular procedure has recommended surgery and the vascular surgeon elected to wait 6 more months. As far as I know, in fact I am sure of it, the surgeon is top gun with any decisions. Go figure.
Update: 12 Aug 2002
Besides my 5cm aneurysm on my abdominal aorta, I failed to mention in the above narrative I also have a 2.8cm aneurysm on my left common iliac artery. My vascular surgeon still felt I was an excellent candidate for endovascular repair as soon as my 5cm AAA got to around 5.5cm. I went along with him but informed him this is not easy to live with to which he replied "You are not a time bomb". (Easy for him to say.)
To make matters worse, I received a letter from him about a week ago (now listen to this one) and he stated that upon further review, we found a significant amount of calcification in your iliac artery which no longer makes me an excellent candidate for endo. The explanation he gave me was the two devices they have at the present time would make the procedure quite difficult.
The saga continues. I received a phone call from his private secretary stating that the FDA just approved another device that mey be right for me. Problem is, it won't be released until the first quarter of 2003. He knows I do not want to be cut and I am very adament about that. It is not the surgery itself that I fear. It is the recouperating. That I don't think I would make it through. Some other health problems that I won't bore you with.
I will have another CT scan coming up in early November. I would like to THANK everyone for your concerns and emails (especially Annie). They help a lot.
Some you win, some you lose and some are rained out.
Update: 27 Nov 2002
I took my 6 month CT scan a few weeks ago and I guess I should be happy the AAA is holding at 5cm and the common iliac left artery is holding at 3cm. My Vascular Surgeon informed me by phone and letter that everything is on hold for another 6 months. The reason I say I should be happy, well I suppose I should, but this is getting to me mentally (big time). I don't want this to sound like I am crying in my beer, but I have some other physical problems that keep me pretty much home bound.
I have always been a very physically active person. I don't think there are too many sports I have not participated in at one level or another. Physical activity is no longer a part of my life and to try and fill it with the computer, TV and reading just does not work for me. Life throws you a lot of curve balls. I just can't let this one get to me.
Discussion, comments, or questions: Clyde Burke
© Copyright 2002 Clyde Burke
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