OH well well...so much has transpired since the last post regarding High Blood Pressure readings.
Suffice to say now I have experienced first hand CT Scans, being infused with contrast dyes, and the grand overture of them all - a double Stent angioplasty plus one balloon to boot!
Imagine these contraptions in your heart! Amazing!!
All these were undertaken by my gd Dr Eric and the
procedures conducted at Mt Elizabeth.... yes - the angiogram /angioplasty is technically a
procedure and not an operation, even tho' I was under sedation and knocked out on Propafol the infamous Michael Jackson drug) and had to be in ICU for the whole night....
I was laid out on the operating (I mean procedure) table , infused with great stuff thru my branula by the anaesthetist Dr See Toh, and whilst blissfully asleep and unconscious was prodded with a fine catheter inserted thru' my right femoral artery (just to right of my groin) which gingerly made its way all the way to my ailing heart.
In the LAD (Left Anterior Descending) artery, where Dr Eric had previously found 50% or so blockage from the CT and Ultrasound scans done a few weeks prior, the clinical evidence now revealed a far worse 80% blockage and the pre-consent given was to insert the stents! And yes - one balloon too. I had two ABSORB stents put in - the new fangled ones which are biodegradable and will slowly be absorbed into the body in about two years. (as opposed to the metal mesh variety which will stay there till kingdom come!)
So to ICU for the rest of the night after the successful procedure. (During which after about 6 hrs the affable Dr Justinian came to remove the catheter stuck in my groin and I experienced plummeting Low Blood Pressure that really was quite a frightful affair..... I was discharged the next day (none the worse for wera except for HUGE welts/ haematoma marks on my groin where the blood pooled post catheher withdrawal) and given a daily cocktail regime of Aspirin , Approvel, Simvastatin..etc - all to ensure anti-clotting, anti-thrombotic events and also to treat the high cholesterol as well as build up the heart again and address the hypertension. I hear I have to be on these drugs long term and have to deal with the side effects as best I can. :)
MY ICU STAY with loads of TLC
The shocking revelation here is that I have coronary heart disease (CAD). at 80% blockage, any higher and I wld be a fitting candidate for a by pass surgery. But I count myself lucky that this was averted and found out in the course of my stress test. So all that panting and wheezing when I exerted myself in endurance races all those years prior were a direct result of a bad heart! Those niggling pains I had were not heart burn but prob small little heart attacks! Oh my - reality sets in really deep and i am so lucky to have discovered this early enough in my active life.
Someone told me a blog about active aging wld garner quite a gd following - how to make the best of what you have and staying fit, active and pursuing healthy pursuits. I guess the buzzword now is everthing in moderation. You have only one heart, and one has gotta take care of it. regular exercise is good, and staying active aerobically will also go a long way to keep the ticker healthy. Alas, the CAD is irreversible in the other arteries, and it has to be a regimen of better diet , with judicious food intake so as not to hasten the CAD any faster than it shld be. Still , I believe we can still forge a meaningful existence balancing work , play and even my pursuits of sailing and triathlon. The gd cardiologist acknowledged this and fd me to be a prime candidate for the absorbable stent.
Living is Believing - I say - and I will go on living as best I can in the circumstances as Life is meant o be lived and lived abundantly. I will share my life's journey with all who wish to read and travel this road with me post-stent.
Till then , gd health to all - and go for check ups if you can. It is never too early!
