Walt's Journey

I spent the day in Ann Arbor yesterday having chest x-rays, an EKG and a visit with my surgeon.

When my surgeon walked in the room, he asked me how I was doing. He could certainly tell that I was discouraged and proceeded to give it to me strait, which is one thing that I appreciate about him. He told us that over 90% of the people that have the dissection the way that I had it, die on the spot. 25% of those that make it to the hospital do not make it out. To this I say that I have a great God. He proceeded in telling me that I made it to the hospital, I then made it out of the hospital, I am home with my wife and children, and is now sitting there with him talking about ways to get better. It was one of those “You have to be there” moments, but it was humbling. Dr. Patel said that I needed to realize that I now have a medical condition, and will always have a medical condition. With this, we moved on.

As far as my chest and other incisions are concerned, they are healing well. I am still often in a decent amount of pain, but feel that it can be managed. Dr. Patel said that I immediately need to get off of the pain medications that I came home with, and instead use extra strength Tylenol. I will be starting this today. At this point, there are no red flags directly related to my surgery on the aorta. Unfortunately Dr. Patel said that I would have life time restrictions such as no heavy lifting, and I probably will not be able to do any extremely strenuous cardio type activities. I am not sure what this all means yet, but will know more as I continue to meet with my new cardiologist.

My EKG did show the irregular heartbeats which are PVC’s (Premature Ventricular Contractions).  This is something that can happen to normal healthy people, but considering the fact that I just had major surgery around my heart, there is cause for concern. Dr. Patel is referring me to a specialist in this area, and I am hoping that I get in soon and be able to move forward with getting this resolved. Because of these, the surgeon is not too comfortable with me driving because there is possibility of dizziness and passing out. I have not had those direct symptoms, so as of today, I am going to do a little driving.

What’s next? Sarah and I both preferred to have a cardiologist that is located in Ann Arbor rather than close to home. Dr. Patel has assigned me to a cardiologist that specializes in Aorta diseases. I see her on the 24th of this month. In about three months, I will go back and have an Echo and CT scan. These tests will give a clear picture of how the aorta is healing. I do still have a small tear on the upper part of the aorta. I have discussed this a few times with Dr. Patel, and it is something that we will have to keep an eye on. There is a possibility that it grows over although this does not happen very often. There is also a possibility that they will have to go back in and repair it.

The items that I am asking specific prayer about are:

1)      My PVC”S

2)      That there will be no complications

3)      Pain management

I appreciate the support that so many of you have given me, and for the abundance of prayers.

–  Walt