Triple By-Pass

[lxt]

Hey everyone,

been browsing lately as I finally feel decent enough to post, whatta past couple weeks!!!!!

On the 12th I get home just not feeling right, hadnt been for a couple weeks, pain in middle of my back/shoulder blade area.
so as a typical guy I blow it off as a pulled muscle, flu symptom, etc.. I had been feeling under the weather with allergies & such & thought maybe this is some respiratory thing??

while walking, mowing grass, working I would notice the pain.....which was a dull ache gravitate from the mid back & come through to the front chest/pec area.

So on the 12th to the hospital I goes..............stress test = concern which after the heart cath..........open heart triple by-pass!! HOLY S#%&...........what it comes down too & the mind set I had was, I have no choice! 3 blockages 80 - 95% so I get to wait in the hospital till the 17th for the big day!!

All went very good as I was told............More importantly I thought I would share this so anyone out there putting off any signs would consider getting looked at!! If it wouldnt had been for a death in the family of someone younger than me the day before, who ignored the warnings................I would be on the otherside now!!

I know times are tough but I thank god I had insurance & short term disability, believe me the bills keep coming!! so if this helps anyone or prompts some to get insurance/disability, etc..... then good! I often questioned why I pay for all that crap........well it now is paying for itself!! as tree "guys" were are thought of as a "tough" breed that the likes of only Thor can destroy!!

No so............be safe, check your health!! stay healthy cause people love ya!!! I know the support I had was awesome!! WOW...




LXT..............................

 

[tree MDS]

Glad to hear you caught that one!

Hope it all works out for you.

Damn good thinking with the insurance too... I'm sure there's a ton of us, like me, still living on the edge.

 

[Toddppm]

Damn man, glad you caught it in time. I figured you're about my age 45 or so? Every weird dull pain anywhere near the chest gets me paranoid anymore but I would have probably put it off too.

Oh and why is this in Arborist 101?

 

[Grace Tree]

Just keep going. I had one three years ago. No open heart but 99% blockage of the widowmaker (anterior descending somethingorother) so I was able to have a stint. Some free advice. Cardiologists seem to think they're God. They're not. Some are good and some are bad. After everything settles out, find one that you're comfortable with and trust. The standard procedure is to slow your body down through medication; blood pressure, heart rate, cholorestral. Watch for side effects. There are plenty of different types of meds. If you have side effects insist that your meds be switched. Watch for depression. It seems to be common in heart patients but it may also be from the meds. You've been through something pretty major so take the time to heal and adjust your lifestyle. I listened to the head of the Cleveland Clinic speak once. He said that when he first started open heart surgery they lost 30% of the patients. The ones that survived were grateful. He said they felt like they'd been kissed by God. He said that now everyone assumes they'll survive so they're not so grateful. My own personal opinion is that you've been kissed by God. Make the most of your second chance.
Best regards,
Phil

 

[TreeAce]

Glad u r doing well LXT. My Dad had had two quad bypasses about 15 years apart. He lived a great life (his own words) and always said he appreciated everyday. I know that the Docs told him back in 1980 that if he hadnt came in for that stress test he wouldnt have seen the end of summer that year! He was so winded from working in the garden that he went to the Doc. I sure am glad he did, I was only 10 at the time.

 

[Sagetown]

+1 Small Wood.
With a 2nd chance, show God how much you appreciate Him, and you'll enjoy your time left while doing it. I'm living proof.

 

[Fireaxman]

There is Much Productive Life after by-pass surgery for many of us. I felt 15 years younger after I got back on my feet following quad bypass 2 years ago. Both of my grandfathers died of heart attacks in mid to late 50's. Modern Medicine has made a big improvement in life at this age in the last couple of generations.

Hope they can do the same with Cancer - Soon!

Some people do have a problem with depression after bypass surgery. I felt so much better after mine that depression was not a problem. Only problem I had was eating enough prunes after surgery not to become a brickmaker instead of a treeclimber.

 

[Grouchy old man]

Yup, triple two years ago for me too. Chest pain on exertion, went to emergency. Tried to insert a stent, wouldn't work. Told them right there to schedule it and did it the next day. I didn't have to think about it because two friends had it done a few months before and I saw how well they did. I think the biggest problem most people will have is the pain when you cough from them cracking your ribs open, and you have to cough to keep your lungs clear. Only lasts a couple of weeks though and pressing in on your ribs where they wired them back together with a rolled up towel while coughing helps a lot.

The only advice I can give is that if you are having problems get it done, you really have no other choice and it isn't the big deal it once was. Most of us are in pretty good shape so you'll probably be back to light work in a month, back to better than your old self in six.

 

[lxt]

Wow....thanks guys!!

BTW.......Im 41, will be 42 this August, I have heard the depression syndrome & all I can do/say is: I am very thankful & I do believe God had his hand in alerting me! I never go to the hospital, but that thursday evening we had a bad storm, no electric & I thought......Ill show my girls im ok!! lol

the cough thing does suck......comes at all the wrong times, but boy do I feel good when its over, LMAO.....the brickmaker comment is all too true..........!! felt like I was passing road core samples for penn dot!! much better now!!

thanks guys!! I really didnt know what section to put this in, I chose 101 cause a lot of new guys to the trade come by this route, I figured it would be an eye opener for the young & those who changed careers mid way through life!!!

the advice on a second chance & giving back to God...............I will be sure to make time & allow whatever talents I have to be used by him!!!


LXT.................stay healthy & be safe!!

 

[Grouchy old man]

the brickmaker comment is all too true..........!! felt like I was passing road core samples for penn dot!! much better now!!

That's what narcotic pain killers will do to you but by now you should be done with them. Kinda makes you wonder how junkies survive.

 

[tree md]

Glad to hear you caught that in time buddy!

Hope you make a full and speedy recovery!

 

[treemandan]

Dam X Dam! Good to hear you are ok. What was the cause?

 

[lxt]

Dam X Dam! Good to hear you are ok. What was the cause?

guess its a genetic thing??, My father had a quad last year & my brother (younger) had a heart attack 3-5yrs ago, very scary!!

everyones doing good Now!! I had high blood pressure years ago & just ignored it...........it would be high...then regular...then high, etc.. I just figured it was life, Now Im aware of cholesterol, triglycerites, etc..etc.. So prolly inherited along with just bad food choices & lack of seeing the Doc!!

I guess one thing I wonder about is? once some time passes whats the climbing/bucket prognosis? can one return to somewhat a normal routine or are their extra precautions? thanks all, feeling better every day, keep using that breathing therapy device & notice improvements!!


LXT......................

 

[dingeryote]

Crap!:msp_w00t:

Good to hear ya got the plumbing fixed in time, and it all worked out!

All kinda scary,creepy, and worrisome but glad it worked out!

The doc should be able to tell you about what level of activity is OK and when. Ask him on one of the follow ups about doing bucket work and how soon.

Dunno about you, but it would make sense to ease into things after a good bit seeing as how the doc took a sawsall to your ribs, and patched things back together with thread.....don't wanna go popping a seam or working a knot loose.:msp_wink:

Wait a little bit to get used to or decide if ya need something different on the BP meds as well. Not everybody takes to them the same, and some can be a Butt kicker. First script doc gave me had me running to the John every 40 min. and drinking a gallon of water twice a day, as well as blacking out if I stood up too fast.LOL!!
The wife thought I was dead one time, smacked the grape on the coffee table getting up for another bathroom run. The stuff can be scary.
Ya might wanna ease into trusting the stuff you're on as it takes a week or so for the meds to start showing thier effects. Kinda sucks to be up in a Bucket and passed out like James the Narcoleptic tree trimmer.

Heal well, and heal fast!!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Fireaxman]

I guess one thing I wonder about is? once some time passes whats the climbing/bucket prognosis? can one return to somewhat a normal routine or are their extra precautions? thanks all, feeling better every day, keep using that breathing therapy device & notice improvements!!


LXT......................

Doc told me I could do anything I felt like doing after some time to get the sternum to heal. I've forgotten how much time that is, but I watched the clock on it very close at the time. Day after I was cleared, I was 100 feet up a Loblolly. Now he just wants me to keep heart rate below 155 bpm. Put me on Metoprolol to help keep it down, but ...

Started me on 25 mg/day. Too much, since it tends to lower blood pressure as well as heart rate. My blood pressure is already low, so any less and I get dizzy. Lowered the dose to 12.5 mg/day and I do fine.

On a particulary strenuous day, if I am having trouble keeping heart rate below 155, I'll take the other 12 mg of Metoprolol. As long as I am active it is not a problem. But if I sit down to rest for a spell I have to be careful getting back up. Once I get back to work, no problem.

I wear a Polar T31 heart monitor when I work to keep track of heart rate. I checked it out compared to the hospital Rehab monitors when I was in Rehab. It is exactly accurate. Very light, does not get in the way at all, I forget I have it on. It beeps when I exceed Target Heart Rate.

 

[boo]

Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Welcome back!

 

[indiansprings]

Thank God that you paid attention to the signs and were pro-active.
I was putting in a corner post at 38 and suddenly felt like a elephant was standing on my chest. Four stents later felt better, I've since been stented two more times. This last time they told me open heart within five years as one vessel couldn't be stented.
Stay on your meds, don't rush the healing process.
Glad your on the mend and doing well.

 

[squad143]

Glad to hear things went OK.

We all take our health for granted till its not there.

Mend well.

 

[Jumper]

. He said that when he first started open heart surgery they lost 30% of the patients. The ones that survived were grateful. He said they felt like they'd been kissed by God. He said that now everyone assumes they'll survive so they're not so grateful. My own personal opinion is that you've been kissed by God. Make the most of your second chance.
Best regards,
Phil

Try 100% fifty years ago. My mother's brother, my Uncle Bill died on the operating table at Montreal General in September, 1963 at age 28, his heart valves having been irrepairably damaged by rheumatic fever as a child. He knew he was going to die either way in all likelihood, so chose to go under the knife to further medical knowledge; the procedure is commonplace today with a high degree of success. This was pre medical insurance days here and McGill University took on the case gratis....I only remember him for his joking with me on the farm about putting my rubber boots in the refrigerator as I was all of four, also he had a 1958 Dodge with a push button tranny, but I know this was a great family tragedy at the time, and I do remember the day we were told he was gone.....we flew east prior to the surgery from Edmonton which must have cost a small fortune in those days. My late Aunt Isabel, my Dad's sister was volunteering in the hospital at the time and she knowing him through my parents' marriage visited him shortly before he went under the knife, and what she described had us both crying(I'll blame it on the wine), it was like your were doomed one way or the other which is not the case now. I still have his wallet with a 1962 Quebec drivers license and a purchase agreement for a 1956 Mercury....why?

I had chest pain bad this past two months, but as it turns out, after xrays, I had pneumonia, which thankfully is getting better-I went right straight the doc but was pretty sure it my lungs (again). Laid me flat for a few weeks. I do take my cholesterol meds and blood pressure meds faithfully, and plan on being around a few years yet.

Glad to hear you are on the mend.

 

[Rftreeman]

wishing you the best.....