Chicks On Lit discussion
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Some good wishes needed.
Good luck Jackie. I'll keep you in my thoughts. Heart procedures have come a long way since the first operation. I wish you a speedy and healthy recovery. :0)
God Bless.
God Bless.

Don't forget to put your dh in charge of packing the strongest disinfecting wipes you can find (and then wiping every surface that you might touch around your bed).
Now, be sure to choose a good book or two to read while you are recovering!

I will pray for you. Just remember God has you in his hands and will be there through the whole thing. Have faith and this will bring alot of peace.
God Bless.




I had 3 heart cath procedures after my heart attack so I really do understand what you are going to go through and what you are feeling now. I firmly believe that your mom will be there watching over you at that hospital and that is why you must go there to have this done. Keep that in your mind at all times and you will come out of this well and whole and feeling better again. This procedure is going to make your quality of life 10 million times better and you need that. You are too young to be in that much pain (I fully know what pain you are in) and I want you to know I'll be thinking of you and praying for you tomorrow.
Take care of yourself....I need you around so we can help each other with all this heart crap we have to endure from here on out!! :)
I will certainly keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Please let us know asap how things are going for you.





I've just finished packing my bag. I'll be out for a few days but I'll check in when I'm back home.



I know I'll be there at least overnight. The doctor was very vague after that. So, we'll see.
I'll see you guys on the other side.
(If I haven't said it lately, this place rocks)



I only had to stay overnight. I'm bruised up and my leg still feels a little weird but the cath went a lot smoother than any of us thought it would.. the good karma and prayers from my chickies and other friends must have worked!
I'm the proud owner of 2 new stents. The doc and I are both hoping this will help my angina. He went into the cath knowing I had 1 blockage. He found 2 that needed stenting. He said the surprise one he found was bad enough had it been there in the first cath he did last April, he would have stented it right then. It was a 90% blockage in an artery that supplies blood for about 40% of the heart. They call blockages in this area widow makers (yikes and I put him off for months).
So I'm a little concerned about the pace my CAD is progressing but I guess it's one thing at a time. For now, after about a week of taking it easy, I'm going to try to start walking again and then starting up Yoga again.
Again, thanks for all the good wishes!


Yes, Teri, I'm back!!
I have some nasty bruises and I look like I was attacked by an octopus. I don't stick well for IVs and stuff and the heart monitor leads left little round red marks. All in all, I look terrible! But I'm feeling pretty good. The best part it.. it's 11pm here and no nitro all day!

I am so glad that everything went well!!!! Now lay back and relax and let your husband treat you like a princess!!!

We were doing my most recent cath because of a blockage in another area he knew needed stenting. He felt that this blockage was the one causing my angina flares.
When he got in there, he found the widowmaker and he said it was worse than the one he was original going to stent.. so in less than 10 months it went from nothing to over 90% blocked. ..it's just scary to me and I'm trying to worry about what that means about the prgression of my CAD.
I'm relaxin for the next few days or so but then it's back to the gym, yoga and something new on the diet. The one I'm on isn't working. I might try Dean Ornish. I have his book but I haven't tried it yet because I heard it was really heard to stay on.

That's why when you were complaining to me about progressive chest pain I was urgently trying to get you to go in and get the cath done. I truly know how lucky I am to still be here because in all honesty I really shouldn't be.
I'm convinced that you will be ok now....I'm extremely glad you went in and had this done and repaired!
By the way....if you take your medicine faithfully and you exercise your heart muscle and you eat right (that's the important one) you can stop or significantly slow down your CAD progression. Have they given you an ejection fraction percentage yet?





I was looking for a yoga class but I haven't found any yet. Living in BFE is not fun sometimes.

I just had a MUGA study done on my heart yesterday and I was asking the nurse in there if they have young patients at their office with my problems. She said not with my exact problem but with other issues close to it and she said she'll see if she can put me in touch with them somehow. It would be nice!

Any know anything about yoga?

Any books or DVDs you recommend for a complete newbie?

The second suggestion is if you belong to netflix they have a few exercise/yoga videos on their watch instantly section.
So glad you are back and doing well.


Word of warning: I started doing yoga thinking that it would be nice, easy, relaxing. Boy was I wrong about the easy part. I could barely move for about 2 days after my first class. But it's the best exercise I've ever had, for mind, body and spirit.

My two oldest brothers suffered Sudden Cardiac Death - one at age 22 and the other at age 28. They both survived, thankfully. They now have defibrulators and live normal lives. I had a heart cath done about six months ago at age 25 to find out if I would suffer the same. The doctors do not know what my future holds.

So they aren't sure if you need it or not? Do they know what caused that in your brothers?

I had the heart cath and everything came back fine. But, my brothers never had any symptoms before their attacks so they are not sure if they would have shown symptoms years before their attacks. I don't think the insurance company would pay for an implant because I haven't had an attack and my cath came back fine. I wouldn't mind having one, though. It would give me peace of mind.


At this point I don't qualify for ICD either but the doctor has told me that I may have another (possibly fatal this time) heart attack in the future. There is no way to know. I am the process of making a will and living will, in case something happens. It could be enough to make someone curl up in their bedroom and never come out, thinking there is a ticking time bomb in your chest. But I'm not wasting any more of my life. I'll take what I can get and wring every drop out of it without looking back.
Sadly, there is no money for Wii at this poing but I did (amazingly) find a yoga studio in BFE. She has a beginners class tomorrow. The drop in fee is $14, if I decide to finish out the session (her studio goes in 6 week cycles) then she would let me sign up for the reminder of the classes for a reduce rate.
We'll see how it goes tomorrow but unless there is something scary about her or the studio, I've pretty much decided that I'm doing this.
I know yoga is not as "gentle" as people sometimes think, but it is peaceful(a plus) and it's low impact, which is what I'm looking for. It's also going to help me get my flexibility back, which is another plus for me.
Now it's pretty bad and I know I can't put it off anymore. So, I'm scheduled to go into the hospital on the 28th for a heart cath and stents.
I'm really not happy atm. I know it has to be done. The chest pain is bad enough that it's affecting my quality of life. It's a much simpler process than bypass, which would be my only other option, so this is my best choice. But my grandmother passed away as a result of complications suffered when she was having a heart cath. So, I can't help but freak out a little.
I'm also going to do this at the hospital where my mother spent the last months of her life. I almost said no when the doctor's office suggest I use this hospital instead of the hospital I first asked to use. But I decided to be logical instead of emotional and my only question was if there were any differences in their cath labs and if my outcome would be different at another hospital. The doctor said no and he prefers his suggestion because their lab seems to be able to keep up with their schedule better so there are fewer delays and they could get me in faster. I'm feeling miserable enough with the chest pain and I want to get this over with. So I agreed.
Now I'm just trying to remind myself not to be emotional about it. But I can admit, I never thought I'd drive into that parking lot again, so I'm a bit conflicted about it. My dad is completely unhappy about it, but (trying not to upset me) he hasn't really said a lot. But it's very obvious.
My husband is also a bit freaked out. Just because he's worried about me from a physical as well as emotional stand point. He doesn't think it was a good idea to agree to go to the hospital I'm using because he thinks if it upsets me, it could affect my recovery.
So, to use a southern expression, I could use a little head patting and a few prayers. I just want to get through this and come out on the other side in one piece and feeling better.