Aortic Dissection

9 February 2005

It began on October 28th 2003, the day was a quiet one absolutely nothing at all happened. Sitting at the foot of my bed, watching television with a tray eating dinner, all of a sudden I had the feeling exactly like heavily starched lace being pressed to my upper chest; I fell gasping for breath back on the bed, then was able to breathe normally, then had this annoying pain in my upper back. (When I was 18 I had smooshed 5 vertebrae in my lower back; I am use to back pain.) The pain in my back was sharp and only lasted a few moments then reappeared in my lower back. I figured damn, oh well time for bed. Went to bed and got into my no back pain position and tried to go to sleep.

Slept a few hours and woke up still in pain. Drove to the Emergency Room, filled out the little slip of paper listing why I was there; either I was having a heart attack or I ate something real bad. Next thing I know I am in an ambulance zooming off to JFK Medical Center; another hospital.

I don't remember any thing from the time I lay down on the gurney till I looked up from the, what they ever call the thing, in the ambulance. In the hospital I zoom by my wife and a priest, oh boy I think to my self. The next few days are a mystery, in and out of sleep I am awakened by another nurse attaching another tube to my arm. Six days later I leave the critical care unit of JFK to begin my journey. I sleep until the end of February and then have a heart attack. The cardiac section is nowhere near as nice as the Critical Care Unit. I come home again and sleep until April. At this time fear, depression and anger take over, almost like a coma victim, I begin going out, walking with an outlandish purple, pink and blue patterned cane. Slowly I have regained my strength and balance. But the various medications for blood pressure reduction are taking their toll. I now have what I refer to as Shrek feet, swollen feet and thighs.

On December of 2003 I applied for Social Security Disability and so far have been denied twice. My original thoracic surgeon told me that there was absolutely nothing he could do for me and that yes you have this situation but good luck, see ya , bye. I checked with the Mayo Clinic, man your messed up but we cant help you, Shands Medical Center same news. So now I am in that nether world of I could either die in an hour or 10 years and no one can tell me much. As time passes and I regain my health and stamina I find that doctors don't know about aortic dissections and have no real clue what to do with me.

So here I sit. Social Security says I am ok and doctors cower when they hear of my condition and no one will put in writing exactly my limitations. Its real frustrating.

Discussion, comments, or questions: Devin Garrity