Health Update

[Sierra Bob]

Last February, I had a nuclear stress test. The test showed some heart muscle has died and I have a blocked artery. :-( My cardiologist "guesses" I had a "silent" heart attack which probably occurred in April of 1999, during my open heart surgery to replace my aortic heart valve, and the blocked artery is probably the one the surgeon didn't by-pass because I went critical on the operating table due to the extensive time involved for the surgery. My cardiologist says the next step to determine what is going on is to have another cardiac catheterization, but it was my option. I said, as long as have no angina, I am not short of breath, the annual echo-grams do not indicate a further reduction in the ejection factor (it's gone from 60% after the surgery to 45% in February) and he was not recommending (insisting) on one at this time, I would keep it as an option, as to proceed with the catheterization would require me going off the anticoagulant and risking a stroke. He agreed. I will have another echogram on May 4. The cardiologist did prescribe nitro caps for me to carry at all times.

Wishing the best to all. Sierra Bob

[lance]

Hello Sierra

Glad you are as well as you are.

About the warfarin withdrawal, I recently posted asking questions about the procedure and received excellent, informative replies from persons in the know so I'm more reassured than I was before I posted and at least know what questions to ask the surgeon during our consult prior to surgery coming up.

Cheers

[tobagotwo]

Not the news you wanted, but you're holding your own.

I hope things are stabilized now.

Best wishes,