|
|
|
|
Claire Blocker
Age: 58 |
|
October, 2006
Learning to love my heart!
In the spring of 1998, March 16th to be exact, my four-year-old Springer
Spaniel bit me on the hand. By the next day, I had red streaks all across my
chest. My husband rushed me to the ER and I was treated for what turned out to be a
Pasteurella bacteria in my lymphatic system. The next morning the hand
surgeon operated on my hand. Two days later the doctor was trying to send
me home. I told my husband that "I just didn't feel right". That was good
enough for him. He told the doctors that I could stay as long as I felt I
needed to, even if it meant "self pay". Two and a half days later I had a
heart attack in the hospital. Thank god the LPN on duty believed me and
called for the crash cart when I said I couldn't breathe. She gave me oxygen
and called the ER. The ER nurses thought it was reflux. When the LPN saw
the EKG, she faxed it to the cardiologist on duty and within minutes I was in
CICU.
On Monday morning I was taken to the cath lab with the thought that they
could do an angioplasty or stent. Forty-five minutes later the doctor told my
family that these options were not possible and that I would need to have
open-heart surgery; which they didn't do at that hospital.
On Monday afternoon I was put in an ambulance and rushed to the Main
hospital and readied for bypass surgery for the next morning. On Tuesday
the 25th of March 1998, I had quadruple by-pass surgery utilizing two venous
grafts and two mammary arteries.
I had a difficult recovery over the next four months and was unable to start
cardiac rehabilitation due to a staph infection in my sternum. The incision
festered and the surgeon had to open and drain it. I was then challenged
with changing and repacking the area 4 times a day at home for 4 weeks. July 1st I entered a cardiac rehabilitation program. By September of 1998 three
of my four grafts had failed. The cardiologist at the time suggested a stent;
this was done in October. After complications and 16 extra days in the
hospital I went home. In November I choose a preventative cardiologist in
lieu of the original doctor.
By January my three-month-old stent had occluded. After three sets of 37
EECP treatments, three contiguous cobalt chromium stents, 4 years of
twenty miles a week walking, twice a week weight training and daily
management of my familial hypertriglyceridemia, I am actually grateful for
the wake-up call I got almost five years ago. I am happier, healthier and far
more balanced than I have ever been. My heart disease has actually enriched
my life and been a positive thing for me.
Without the loving support of my devoted husband Tom, his incredible
parents, our five beautiful children and three adoring grandchildren though,
I couldn't have made it. Life is good!
|
|
Back
|
|
Learn more about what we do