I had a heart cath, yesterday, and my left arterial descending artery was 98% blocked! There were actually two blockages, one dislodged and broke up when he attempted to place the stent. The pieces then flowed to the next blockage. That one was successfully stented. I am so very grateful that my life was saved, yesterday! I had told the cardiologist during my office visit 10 days ago that I was afraid that I would have a big cardiac event and it would be my last breath. He was the second one that I saw this year. The first one gave me a prescription for GERD for the chest pain I was having, blew off my 125 per minute heart rate and sent me on my way. That was in May. In August I had more chest pain- angina. More shortness of breath with little exertion. How close I was to what could have been a fatal cardiac event! I did find out that I am allergic to contrast dye, too. It was quite a day.
I have been put on Effient aka Prasugrel. Has anyone had any experience with this drug? Also, my pre op labs revealed that my platelets are up to 923, hematocrit 50.1, WBC 17.84, RBC 5.9 so everything has gone up a lot in 4 weeks. Thankfully, I see a REAL MPN specialist on November 8th.
Thanks for being there for me! ❤️
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Wewo01
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Goodness, this must have been a distressing experience. It’s quite shocking to be told you have a 98% blockage but it must have been a real scary moment to know that a part had dislodged too. Poor you!
From previous posts I must say I’m not surprised at this clinical finding. The positives however are the procedure was a success. Moreover, in advocating so well for yourself a potential life threatening event has been avoided, apparently no thanks to some of your former healthcare providers.
All of those blood counts need lowering now, so onwards and upwards in seeing that MPN Specialist.
I strongly sense that you’re on a better path healthcare wise. Hope your consultation is everything you hope for.
Hope you’ve got family and friends supporting you too.
MaryThank you for your kindness. I believe that I already felt that something was deeply wrong. For the last few months, I have had a sense of impending doom. I nearly broke down and cried in front of my new cardiologist when I saw him because I could tell he was hearing me and he was concerned.
I am definitely on the right path for my health and my healthcare providers.
Hello my friend! I am so glad that you are still here to say hello to!! 💛💛💛
It makes a huge difference to have competent doctors provide your care. Like you, I learned that lesson the hard way. I am so glad to hear that you prevailed and found the right cardiologist/surgeon. You are truly fortunate to have had to outcome you had. It sounds like it was just in time.
I was awake for most of my heart surgery. I got to make the decision about what to do when the surgery for atrial tachycardia triggered atrial flutter. Like you, my procedure was successful. I am blessed to have an excellent cardiology care team. I worked hard to ensure I had one. It really paid off.
Likewise with my MPN care team. I have two wonderful hematologists. The MPN Specialist is world-class at Johns Hopkins. The local hematologist who handles my ongoing care is a gifted healer. It has made a huge difference in the quality of my MPN care. I am really glad to hear that you will be seeing a MPN Specialist in November. Given the CBC numbers you quote, it is certainly needed.
FYI - I always experience reactive thrombocytosis when I have a surgery. It settles down as my body heals and when I stop bleeding/reduce inflammation.
I am not familiar with Effient. Had to look that one up. Like aspirin and clopidogrel it is an Antiplatelet, Cardiovascular medication. Given everything you are going through it sure sounds like it makes sense. Like all these meds there are risks/side effects - but the benefits would appear to far outweigh the risks.
I’m so glad to still be here! It was a close one and I am so thankful to still be kicking! I will definitely give an update after my visit with the MPN doc. Thanks for your reply, Hunter. Your knowledge and kindness are appreciated! 🤗
Glad that your cath and stent placement went well, hope you are already feeling better.Everyone is glad that you are still here. Best of luck going forward, hope you have found a good mpn specialist.
You never cease to amaze me! Your knowledge and your willingness to reach out and give guidance is such a gift. I am grateful! Thanks for the wonderful info!
OMG - so glad you are still here to make this post. Congratulations! My husband had a heart attack last year with 5 total occlusions after being totally cleared by another cardiologist the previous year. You are very fortunate. Live life to the full and make every day count. As others have commented here, your bloods sound very high especially the haematocrit, so I do hope you get that sorted out ASAP. The drama you've just had is enough for now! Best wishes and do keep us posted.
Goodness, you have been through the mill. Absolutely delighted you had the intervention and the outcome was so positive. Thinking about ‘what if…?’ is good to gain a sense of perspective and urgency about living our lives but not worth dwelling on. Better to live in the present. Now to sort the MPN … Wishing you the very best.
What an ordeal!! I bet the pain was intolerable so glad you are able to share that experience it goes to show you are on the up. No doubt you will be off your feet fir a while so take it easy
Hello Wewo01 - what an utterly traumatic time you have been through - so glad your 2nd cardiologist was thorough and got you the procedure you needed - I wish you a speedy recovery - very best Anne-Marie x
Wow! So glad you are okay. Thank goodness you found a cardiologist that finally listened to you. Please continue to take care of yourself. I’m glad the worst is over and now you can concentrate on getting your blood counts down.
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