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Kstme
Member
08-14-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 6:56 am
On Monday, I had a mild heart attack. I had the medics and the firemen here (cute guys!) and was taken to the hospital. I chose not to stay and have surgery. I didn't know the cardiologist on staff and I needed to step back, take a breath and then go forward in my own way. ER was NOT happy with me. I have an appt. on Friday, with a very reputable cardiologist. I am presuming he will want to perform the surgery they wanted to do at the hospital. I am wondering if anyone here has had this done? It's the catheter through the groin and to the heart to repair the closing artery. I know this is a routine surgery, but I don't know anyone who has had it. This was not my first attack, but the first time I told anyone about them. Thanks for any input!! 
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Abbynormal
Member
08-04-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 7:41 am
I'm calling you right now and you better answer or you'll be in trouble missy.
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Spygirl
Member
04-23-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 7:47 am
I don't have any personal experience to share with you, Kstme, but I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking about you - and I'm proud of you for sharing this information with a group of people who can offer you support. Some helpful folks will be by shortly, I'm sure. Take care! 
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Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 8:00 am
Kstme, no helpful advice here either. Just wanted to let you know I think you're one brave lady and you'll be in my thoughts and prayers, whatever surgery you decide upon. (((hugs)))
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Jan
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 8:48 am
My Stepdad had this surgery maybe 8 to 10 years ago and it really was routine. He was really not in the hospital very long. Since he has lung problems as well and STILL SMOKES, I can't say it improved his health but it certainly has for most people who get it. BTW, a few years after the surgery , he had to have it redone and have a STINT(??) put in. Again the surgery was relatively routine and he was in and out in a relatively short time ( I can't remember how long but we are not talking weeks). I think the most pain he had was from the groin area where they went in to do the surgery..but I think he wasn't expecting it and that increased his discomfort. Since the operations, he goes to regular exercise classes at a physio centre and his heart is in very good health (I wish his lungs were too!) When you consider that he still smokes and has bad lungs but has a healthy heart, I would say the operation is a good thing, n'est-ce pas? Both of his brothers had actual bypass surgery. I think his recovery time was far, far less than theirs! So just remember that "catching it early" is a good thing Kstme, all the best to you. Take good care of yourself.
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 8:51 am
BIG HUGS!!! My Mom had this and I believe that she stayed overnight in the hospital and was really groggy and weird for a few days after. I think that the groggy and weird were because her blood sugars were out of whack because of the fasting required for surgery. She was still in cardiac rehab from her quintupal bypass 18 months earlier. THAT surgery and recovery was truly hideous. BUT the other option, well the other option is death, so she made the right choice. Get this nipped in the bud before you have to have the major major surgery. This one is "only one" major! I'm sure that someone on the board has had this done and can offer first hand experience. If you email me, I can get you in contact with my Mom. She's a lot like me, and will offer her advice. I know that she will advise you to watch what you eat and to exercise. She is very faithful in her cardiac rehab. She has had diabetes for years, and the heart problems go along with that.
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Bobbie_552001
Member
03-26-2003
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 10:11 am
Kstme....its called angioplasty. Check out www.cardiologychannel.com That should give you MORE information than you need. Hugs and prayers are coming your way...and hey...just try and behave yourself!! 
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Kstme
Member
08-14-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 10:13 am
Everyone! THANK YOU! This is pretty much what the doctor in the ER told me it would be like and what to expect. It's just nicer to hear from people I feel I know. Thanks so very much! Marm, I eat VERY healthy. I have a terrific cholesterol rating...138! I can thank my parents for this. Jan, I do smoke and, like your father, I doubt very much I will quit. Spy and Rupert, thank you...BIG HUGS back! I'm truly not scared, at all. I just want to be informed BEFORE I have the procedure done. I felt like I was the basketball net in a slam-dunk contest, the other day. Too much, too fast. If anyone else has anything to add regarding this procedure, PLEASE do! Edited to add: Bobbie...THANKS!! I am going to the site now!!
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 10:28 am
Please quit. My mom died of a heart attack 16 months ago. We didn't know until she died that she had heart problems related to her smoking. You've actually been given a wonderful gift in that you have a warning. I smoked 2 packs a day for over 20 years, and quit cold turkey 4 years ago. You can do.
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Egbok
Member
07-13-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 10:43 am
Kstme, if I understand you correctly, you've had a previous heart attack? Did you have an angioplasty at that time where they placed stents in your artery(s) to open up the blood flow? Was your heart muscle damaged at that time? I'm just wondering... As for this time around, it sounds like you're going in for stent placements, which I understand are replaced over a period of years. You sound in excellent spirits and I'm impressed. However, I'm with Texannie....smoking isn't going to improve your future dealings with possible additional heart attacks. When you inhale the nicotine, you constrict your arteries, making blood flow even harder than it already is with regards to your apparent placque build up in your heart arteries. I certainly wish you all the best Kstme....and I hope you will re-evaluate your choices about smoking and not smoking with regards to your most valuable organ in your body....your pump, your heart. I think alot of you Kstme and that's why I say these things to you....so please, re-consider. xoxo, Eggie
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 11:04 am
{{{Kstme}}}
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Secretsmile
Member
08-19-2002
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 11:34 am
Kst, I worked for years in the cardiac care unit. We did angioplasty on about 10 patients a day. It really was routine, although not without some dangers. I have never known of any worse case scenarios just to reassure you on that count. You will go to a procedure room after being given something to relax you. They will numb the area on your groin before puncturing it. You will be awake and in some cases can watch on the monitor, that depends on the doctor. The nursing staff will help you and be there to reassure you through out the whole thing. Every patient I ever dealt with only had complaints about laying still for hours afterwards. That is very important and can be uncomfortable. The large artery in the groin needs time to close off tight so it doesn't bleed. Arteries close off quickly, but there is a large amount of blood that comes through it and it moves with a lot of pressure behind it. The main reason for this procedure is so that the doctors have an accurate view of what blood vessels on the heart are narrowed and where the damage was exactly from the heart attack. A heart attack is called a myocardial infarction. It means that an area has had a decreased blood supply for long enough that a certain amount of tissue dies and turns to scar tissue. The heart is made of muscle and is circled by blood vessels, that keep it supplied with oxygen and nutrients, just like any other muscle of the body. Those are the blood vessels that become blocked and cause heart attacks. It doesn't have anything to do with the blood that flows through the heart. I tell you that, not to talk down to you, but some people remember from school that the heart is filled with blood so they don't understand how a heart attack means blood didn't get to the heart muscles. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask anytime.
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Weinermr
Member
08-18-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 11:49 am
Kstme, You're dealing with this with a tremendous amount of poise and calm, and a great deal of common sense (except for the smoking! end of lecture). All our thoughts and prayers sent your way so that your procedure goes smoothly, and that you have a quick recovery. We'll be thinking about you continuously. I hope you can check in shortly afterwards and let us know how you're doing. You know that we care.
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Kstme
Member
08-14-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:05 pm
Secret, thank you so much. Very well explained and exactly what I needed to hear. OK GUYS! Smoking will NOT be discussed here! I mean it! The ONLY thing I will say about it...I live with tremendous pain from Lupus and Fibromyalgia EVERYDAY of my life. I cannot take ANY pain meds, anti-inflammatories or drugs such as Zyloft or Xanax. Smoking is how I 'chose' to cope. OK??? Thank you, Juju!
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Kstme
Member
08-14-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:11 pm
Weiner, thanks so much for your kind words. I don't think I really am that poised OR calm!! I am sure much of my demeanor has to do with having so many operations. I've learned, forewarned is forearmed. ((HUGS)) Eggie, I forgot to add...this will be my first operation for my heart. During the other attacks, I was out on a river called 'DeNial.'
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Weinermr
Member
08-18-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:12 pm
Fair enough Kstme. I do understand. {{{{Kstme}}}}
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:19 pm
Kstme, I have had a cardiac catheter before, when I was diagnosed for congestive heart failure, but they did it through my collarbone. There is a possibility for infection, but I understand it's unlikely. I go to several sites about cardiac health every day, and one that might be of particular interest to you is the Cleveland Clinic's. They have the best cardiac care unit in the nation (and they do some of the most innovative research, too). This is the "ask the doctor" board's link, here; you might also be interested in this site, which has info about heart conditions generally, or in this one, which offers heart healthy foods. If you had CHF, I could tell you EVERYTHING you need to know, but (thank god) you don'thave to cope with that, too.
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Halfunit
Member
09-02-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:25 pm
My mom had this procedure done at the Cleveland Clinic. She had a stroke, not a heart attack. She also has a stent in her neck, in what we call her "corroded" artery. She is much healthier now, after the stent than before - I wish I had more to tell. PS - Kstme - my mom smokes.
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Egbok
Member
07-13-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:36 pm
It's all good Kstme....just as long as you know that I care about you!! I'll keep you in my thoughts...take care sweets! Edit: OMG...you are too funny and I'm loopy from some meds...I just saw the river DeNial...LOL!!
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Wargod
Member
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:47 pm
{{{kstme}}} My thoughts and prayers are with you!
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 1:24 pm
I am sorry if I offended you. I am just having a hard time dealing with my mom's death. I wish you the best and hope that the proceedure is a great success.
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 1:45 pm
Kstme -- I hope you get through this well. Good for you for having such a seemingly-good attitude about having the angioplasty done. My father has had four heart attacks, open heart surgery and recently had a defibrillator put in, so I certainly have experience with this area. He is in his low-sixties. Secretsmile -- thanks for that. While it was directed at Kstme, through all my father's operations, no one ever explained it that succinctly. (By the way, my father's cholesterol levels are low/good too, which I can't understand given his condition... SS if you know of a possible explanation, please feel free to drop by my folder!!) Hugs and best wishes to you, kstme.
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Calamity
Member
10-18-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 2:00 pm
Please take care of yourself, Kstme! I'll be thinking about you.
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Kstme
Member
08-14-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 2:21 pm
Eggie, you've got to get off those meds! ((HUGS}} back at you! Tex, I KNOW how hard it's been for you, dear and I promise I won't bite you're head off! ((Tex)) Everyone else HUGE ((((HUGS)))! Thank you! The information is terrific! I just got off the phone with the cardiologist's nurse. She was checking to see how I was doing. Very sweet and totally unexpected. Of course, I was taking my nap! I am so glad I waiting for this cardiologist! AGAIN, THANKS to EVERYONE! You're input has been AWESOME!
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Lancecrossfire
Moderator
07-13-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 7:11 pm
Kstme, thanks for sharing the information about what's going on in your life. No lecture on the smoking. It looks like you have lots of information provided here, and a doctor worth his'her salt will explain this to you carefully, and include information about the risks involved (no surgery is risk free) and the potential benefits. They should also field any questions you have--all questions you have. Please be sure to ask your doc anything that pops up in your mind--no matter how small it seems to you. Going into this with as much information as possible and as comfortable a mind set as possible for you will help a lot.
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