The Heart Thread

[Cincydawg]

A place to hear from Badger about his condition and to convey our very best wishes for a quick recovery and easy treatment.

[Cincydawg]

During a PCI, your cardiologist:

• Inserts a small hollow tube (sheath) through a blood vessel in your arm or at the top of your thigh.
• Guides a small, hollow tube (catheter) through the sheath and to your heart.
• Injects a contrast dye and uses X-rays to view the catheter in real time.
• Opens the blocked artery by inflating a balloon at the tip of the catheter.
• Places a stent, if needed, to help the artery stay open.
• Removes the catheter and closes the insertion site with a compression bandage (arm), a small stitch (thigh) or collagen plug (thigh).

The procedure usually lasts between 30 minutes and two hours. The exact treatment time depends on several factors, including the extent of plaque buildup.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) (clevelandclinic.org)

[Cincydawg]

I have pondered how critically important our hearts are to us (duh).  It beats on, day after day, usually steadily, for a long while we hope.

[847badgerfan]

When I first went in the operating room for a stent they only went in through my right wrist.  My cardiologist decided they couldn't get through it that way so they rescheduled for about a month later.  I was confused and worried at the time why it didn't happen.  They said they might not be able to get through the LAD CTO to install a stent, which would mean a bypass, but would try once again going in from both sides with a second surgical team.  When they eventually got through and installed a stent my cardiologist went out and high fived my wife so I get the feeling I was lucky.  Good luck to you and am hoping for the best.

Thanks for putting this on. Now I don't have to type out my full story, because this is almost it.


My doctor actually invented the two-way approach in his research. Now I will do medication to help break apart the blockage in my widowmaker. 

It is 100 percent blocked, but my heart was strand enough to create its own bypass. I can't believe I'm not dead.

[Temp430]

I had an issue shoveling some sleet snow in the winter.  So tired I could not get back in the house and had to lay over my trash roll out to rest.  In April I mentioned it to my primary care doc and he ordered a stress test.  By then I was feeling better because the heart somehow developed blood pathways to the starved tissue on it own.  A day after the stress test the doc phoned me and told me not to do anything more strenuous than walking up a single flight of stairs.

[medinabuckeye1]

From another thread:

Quote from: medinabuckeye1 9/24/2024, 8:42:26 AM

Good luck @847badgerfan !

Modern medicine is amazing. I never met my paternal grandfather because he died of heart disease at 60, before I was born. His son, my dad, had heart troubles starting at around age 60 but lived another 20 years because of modern treatments that weren't readily available for his dad in the late 1960's.

[847badgerfan]

Yes, I'm pretty limited right now. High heart rate and shortness of breath.

Doc told me I have the heart of a 25 y/o man. So at least I got that going for me.

[847badgerfan]

From another thread:

Quote from: medinabuckeye1 9/24/2024, 8:42:26 AM

Good luck @847badgerfan !

Modern medicine is amazing. I never met my paternal grandfather because he died of heart disease at 60, before I was born. His son, my dad, had heart troubles starting at around age 60 but lived another 20 years because of modern treatments that weren't readily available for his dad in the late 1960's.

Exactly.

[Gigem]

Mom had an ablation at 77 years old to fix a-fib. So far, so good. 

[SuperMario]

Sounds like you are in really good hands Badge. Although health moments can be terrifying, they can also be a moment to focus on the smaller and important things in life, especially family. My father had a stent put in 13 years ago and leading up to it was rough, but recovery was speedy and his heart health since has been great. Stay positive my man!

[utee94]

Some tough news, badge, but it sounds like you're in excellent hands!  Hang in there!

[847badgerfan]

I always thought I was a good-hearted person. Now I have it in writing.

[utee94]

You're not a woman but you get the gist...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MkY1LZ2ge8

[847badgerfan]