An 11-hr day at the hospital w/dh today

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2003
An 11-hr day at the hospital w/dh today
18
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 9:06pm
Whew! What a day! Got there at 7:30 for dh's renal arteriogram, due to

an unexplained increase in his blood pressure. MRA last week showed

blockage in artery connecting aorta w/kidney. We had to wait TWO hrs

in the waiting room just for a room. THAT was fun....NOT! We got in

the room at 9:45, they gave him a valium, then took him to the cath lab

about 11:00. He was back in the room about 12:15. The blockage was only

40%, and they don't "blow out the blockage" unless its over 50%. So....

boo hoo! I'd rather have known that was the reason for his increase in

bp. I also had asked that they go ahead, & while they were 'in the

neighborhood', go ahead & do a heart cath, & check his arteries as he

had double bypass surgery 12 yrs ago. Now THAT was some good news, as

both the doc & the cath nurse said they looked amazingly well. The 3rd

artery, which was about 50% blocked 12 yrs, that they didn't bypass, was

about 40% blocked. I later saw the heart surgeon who had done the surgery

& told him, and he was so pleased I stopped to talk. Jimmy was a very

exceptional case back then, the youngest they had done in a new facility,

AND their first staph infection patient. Needless to say, he DID remember

us He said that if they looked that good now, they should last him

the rest of his life....as long as he doesn't smoke!

The cardiologist gave us some *unsettling* news, tho. His blood count

showed he was VERY anemic. Now he was 2 yrs ago, also. But the cardiologist

had ordered a consult w/a hematologist since we were already there. Well...

about 3:00 or so he gets wheeled down to that place, where the hemotologist

is also a oncologist (seems strange to me). Anyhoo.....we had to wait 2-1/2

hours to see him. By then, even after many many laps around the heart floor,

AND jumping jacks on the onc floor, I was goin' nuts. He had looked back

over Jimmy's history & said he was 'chronically anemic'...so wasn't so

worried. He ordered some more blood work, & Jimmy's to go back in a week

for MORE blood work. Then...possibly a bone marrow biopsy. So...we were

there from 7:30 to 6:30. At least this explains why my husband is sooo

tired all the time, I guess.

The end result is his bp med has been doubled already, and thankfully, the

cardio doc gave him a script for a mild diuretic, because his tummy is

always so bloated. And dh will go back to him next week to discuss other

meds. And hopefully the hemotologist will find out WHY he is so anemic.

But, nonetheless, he is a bit relieved nothing REALLY wrong was found today,

and I guess, so am I:) Although, I STILL would have liked that renal

artery to have been cleared, but...oh, well.

I told him I was ready to trade him in on a newer model! j/k of course.

But that guy has spent so much time in that hospital, it's ridiculous. The

bypass, then staph infection which nearly killed him, more surgery to

debreed the sternum of the infection, 2 neck fusions, rotator cuff surgery,

and other minor procedures such as colonoscopies, more arteriograms, etc.

etc. etc. But..........he was a 3pack a day Marlboro man b4 the bypass,

and has never had one since. Course he's gained quite a bit of weight,

substituting food for cigs. We make a *lovely* couple...LOLOL

So.........aren't you glad you read this thrilling post about my day? HA!

* stel *

* Stel *

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 10:21pm


Aww Stel,

Glad the day is over for you two. That's a long day in the hospital. I can understand your wanting them to have found a bigger blockage so that it could have been blown out this time and also explain the high bp. Maybe now that this session is over, his bp will go down some. Hope the diuretic helps. :)

He sure has spent more than his fair share in hospitals.

And hey, yes, you two do make a lovely couple. We've seen the pics! :)

Sleep well hon.

~Golly

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 11:09pm


Oh my on such a long day Stel ..

Glad it's over and yes, I am thrilled you shared

>>he is a bit relieved nothing REALLY wrong was found today,

and I guess, so am I

**Well yes for sure considering it could have been a lot worse ..

So now you know .. and the two of you shall ride off into the sunset

~Hugs~

          Click & Join the fun!
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2002
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 12:32am
Hmm , thanks for that I'm exhausted!!! Hey, sounds like pretty good news all round. You can sleep a little easier tonight and so can he!!! It really is good to know what you haven't got. Happy. Hil
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 8:06am
POOR YOU!! POOR JB!!What a day, I am surprised that everything wsnt blocked because of the "healthy way' JB eats!! LOL! God bless him tho..he is a trooper..and so are YOU!!tell him if he gets bored he can make me one of his pretty lamps!! xoxo Groover

"Mel on Wheels"    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 8:50am
HOpefully they will find the cause of the high BP....I know that will still be a worry.

Have a peaceful weekend - - GO TO THE LAKE!!

Will be thinking about you both.

XOXO,

tracy

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2003
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 8:50am
I can understand your wanting them to have found a bigger blockage so that it could have been blown out this time and also explain the high bp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, Golly. Well, maybe its just *time* to increase the bp med, after all......

he's been on the same low dosage for 12 years, so MAYBE this kind of thing just

*happens*.

* Stel *

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2003
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 8:58am
So now you know .. and the two of you shall ride off into the sunset

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

rofl...what a funny image I am conjuring up here! Poor horsies!!

* Stel *

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2003
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 8:59am
It really is good to know what you haven't got. Happy. Hil

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You're right, Hil. Thank you:)

* Stel *

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2003
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 9:02am
POOR YOU!! POOR JB!!What a day, I am surprised that everything wsnt blocked because of the "healthy way' JB eats!! LOL! God bless him tho..he is a trooper..and so are YOU!!tell him if he gets bored he can make me one of his pretty lamps!! xoxo Groover

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah, don't think I haven't asked his docs to PLEASE stress diet & exercise,

but they just DON'T! GRRRRRR!!!! I'll tell him about a lamp...he'll appreciate that!

* Stel *

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 08-21-2003 - 9:04am


>>maybe its just *time* to increase the bp med, after all......

he's been on the same low dosage for 12 years, so MAYBE this kind of thing just

*happens*.

**Could be Stel. My mom was in the danger zone for years.

~Golly

CRS-forgot, maybe you two should walk those horsies into the sunset!




Edited 8/21/2003 9:06:51 AM ET by cl-ibgollyg

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