18 February 2004
I woke up on the couch on Friday, 4-26-2002 with a horrible back ache. Luckily my kids were home and I had my oldest son Joey try to massage my back a little and then I went to bed to 'straighten' my back out. I had excruciating pain trying to lay down on the bed, and when I finally did lay down, I could hardly breath the pain was so intense. So I called my family doctor and got an appointment to see her that afternoon. I don't remember if I waited very long but I got to see the doctor.
She thought it could be a kidney stone or an infection, so she sent me for a cat-scan. I had to drive to another facility but I somehow managed it and I had a cat-scan. The doctor who did the scan said my kidneys looked o.k. and could he move on up to my chest. I said o.k. and a few minutes later the doctor came out and said; "I don't want to alarm you, but your having an aortic dissection." He then shot me up with morphine and told me an ambulance was on the way.
I never heard of Aortic dissection before but I knew it wasn't good. Luckily the morphine was kicking in. The ambulance people came (I had never been in an ambulance before) and they gave me more morph. The next thing I remember is seeing my best friend John. I told him that I was really messed up on morph. I live in Evansville, IN. I am from Chicago and so is John, It didn't dawn on me why he was in Evansville. It turns out he wasn't. Neither was I.
I had been sent to Methodist Hospital. in Indianapolis. Next thing I know, I'm being wheeled into a special room after hours at the hospital to view an energy transforming device being unwrapped that night. Dignitaries from around the world were there. I saw the machine change into many fantastic colors and people were applauding. Next thing I knew I was in bed, my wife was sitting next to me and a nurse was unhooking me from a breathing machine. It was the following Thursday and I had been out of it for 6 days. The whole thing about the energy machine was a dream.
A team of young doctors came in and checked me out. The head Dr. explained what an aortic dissection was and that I had to make some changes in my life. My blood press. was 200/100 when I was brought into the hospital. In Evansville it was decided that they couldn't care for me properly and were going to helicopter me to Indianapolis, but the weather was too stormy so I went by ambulance . I was met by my buddy John. He later told me how I almost died and how a team of surgeons stayed with me all night and were deciding if I should have surgery or not. They decided not to operate because they thought I wouldn't survive. They finally got my blood pressure down.
My doctor explained to me that I won't be able to return to work (I am a pipe fitter, local 597, and a heating and air-condition and refrigeration serviceman) and that I'm at high risk for an aneurism and spontaneous rupture of the aorta. I was advised to find a cardiologist in my area immediately.
Since this has happened to me I have experienced dizzy spells out of the blue (not when getting up or bending), forgetful of little things, am on 4 blood pressure meds, tingling and numbness in my left outer thigh. I am weaker in my walking, can't keep up with my kids. Can't walk too far, get tired easy. It doesn't get better with walking. I can't go farther, there's no improvement, as if I were out of shape and by exercising my walking would improve. It hasn't.
I have filed for disability and have been turned down twice. They acknowledge that I can't go back to my old line of work, but that I can do something that is less strenuous and concede that I won't get payed a fraction of what I made but thats not their problem. I went to my cardiologist and he made some remarks about "people who try to take the easy way out while some guys suffer with pain and go to work" etc. Disability sent me to a psychologist to test my memory and came to the conclusion that I'm making it all up! I'm just out to get that money. Lets forget the fact that I made a pretty good living when I worked. I managed to get my Dr.'s files on me from a lawyer who dropped me. Says I don't have a case because my doctor is witting that I'm doing fine. He also lists the things I tell him but to read my file he spins it so that it sounds like I'm exaggerating. I have gone to a specialist in Indianapolis I just started. He's giving me the battery of tests I have taken before.I asked him if he thought I was disabled or not and he said he didn't know. I asked my family doctor and though sympathetic, says nothing one way or the other.
None of the doctors can give me much info on most things I ask them. I think that they just don't know because either people die of this or they get surgery. I didn't have either, but I'm left with a ripped aorta, high risk for a spontaneous rupture or aneurism, and doctors who don't want to commit to giving any concrete answers. My wife now works three jobs to keep food on the table and I feel like a worthless piece of crap. I would love to hear from anyone who has had the same problems. I am 53 years old. Thank you