Post by Gittyup on Aug 29, 2013 10:29:11 GMT -6
I have been absent from this Forum for about a month, this is intended to be a update on my health situation to explain what has been going on.
Some of you know, I had a 4-way heart bypass in July of 2011. I had progressed well and everything was going great, so I thought.
For the last 2 or 3 months, from time to time I experienced minor pain in my left hip and lower left leg more of a nuscience than pain. Then on July 28th, I woke up with excruitating pain in my left hip and entire lower leg to my ankle, unable to move at all with severe pain the doctor fitted me in for an examination. He suggested that I have an xray to first rule out any fracture or other injury. Later that day I went to the Imagery Lab and had the xray.
Having been home for about a half hour, the lab called after having the xray read, to tell me they wanted to do a Sonagram to an abnormality. I lived about 10 miles away, I told them I would be there in about 20 minutes. Twice during my return trip they called me to find out where I was and how much longer it would be be until I arrived. Why were they so concerned, it started to worry me. I arrived at the Lab and I noticed an ambulance sitting there with their emergency lights flashing, little did I know that it was waiting there for me.
It seems that while they had been doing the the xray on my hip, they noticed an irregularity in my abdomen area and wanted to check further. What they saw on the xray earlier confirmed their suspicions and alarmed them greatly, hence the waiting ambulance. I was told that I had a AAA Aorta Aneurysm and blockage (the Aorta is the main artery leaving the bottom of the heart feeding both legs). The usal size is 3cc, mine was 10cc, about as large as they get before they burst and if it burst it would be fatal. Very little was said as I was rushed into the ambulance. They advised me what was going on and that they would be going as fast as possible without risking hitting large road bumps, they may not have realized it but they were scaring the hell out of me.
We arrived at the local hospital and a team of doctors were waiting and wasted no time examining me. It was determined that a larger hospital with more experienced doctors and better equipment would be required so I was moved to Vannderbelt Hospital later that night and operated on for 5-1/2 hours the next morning. There were 3 options for surgery, the doctor explained the options to me. The preferred option would have taken 2 weeks to have the repair graft manufactured in Australia, the doctor said Richard, I do not believe you have longer than 5 days and I recommend a full adomen opening, now. It was a success, I remained at Vanderbelt for 10 days during which time I became disoriented, confused and had dislusions, visions and hallucinations. After being discharged, I remained home but still confused and after 4 days I apparently went off the deep end, not knowing anyone, not even myself or where I lived. Anne and her daughter took me back to the Emergency Room where I became quite disorderly, abusive and violent. I had contracted two blood viriuses which were affecting my brain function. It took 5-6 hospital workers to subdue me and to administer a seditive.
I stayed at Vanderbelt for 13 days until I was declared back to normal, mentally anyway. I'm home now, arrived home, 08/26 about 8:30pm. The doctor said he believed the aneurysm had been building for perhaps 20 years, It's pretty certain that the aneurysm was causing pressure on my spine which in turn was causing the hip and leg pain. I figured it was Sciatica like Anne has been experiercing.
Had my doctor not ordered the xray or had the Radiation Image Doctor not been paying attention to the xray, there's a good chance I might not be here! Miracles Do Happen!
Some of you know, I had a 4-way heart bypass in July of 2011. I had progressed well and everything was going great, so I thought.
For the last 2 or 3 months, from time to time I experienced minor pain in my left hip and lower left leg more of a nuscience than pain. Then on July 28th, I woke up with excruitating pain in my left hip and entire lower leg to my ankle, unable to move at all with severe pain the doctor fitted me in for an examination. He suggested that I have an xray to first rule out any fracture or other injury. Later that day I went to the Imagery Lab and had the xray.
Having been home for about a half hour, the lab called after having the xray read, to tell me they wanted to do a Sonagram to an abnormality. I lived about 10 miles away, I told them I would be there in about 20 minutes. Twice during my return trip they called me to find out where I was and how much longer it would be be until I arrived. Why were they so concerned, it started to worry me. I arrived at the Lab and I noticed an ambulance sitting there with their emergency lights flashing, little did I know that it was waiting there for me.
It seems that while they had been doing the the xray on my hip, they noticed an irregularity in my abdomen area and wanted to check further. What they saw on the xray earlier confirmed their suspicions and alarmed them greatly, hence the waiting ambulance. I was told that I had a AAA Aorta Aneurysm and blockage (the Aorta is the main artery leaving the bottom of the heart feeding both legs). The usal size is 3cc, mine was 10cc, about as large as they get before they burst and if it burst it would be fatal. Very little was said as I was rushed into the ambulance. They advised me what was going on and that they would be going as fast as possible without risking hitting large road bumps, they may not have realized it but they were scaring the hell out of me.
We arrived at the local hospital and a team of doctors were waiting and wasted no time examining me. It was determined that a larger hospital with more experienced doctors and better equipment would be required so I was moved to Vannderbelt Hospital later that night and operated on for 5-1/2 hours the next morning. There were 3 options for surgery, the doctor explained the options to me. The preferred option would have taken 2 weeks to have the repair graft manufactured in Australia, the doctor said Richard, I do not believe you have longer than 5 days and I recommend a full adomen opening, now. It was a success, I remained at Vanderbelt for 10 days during which time I became disoriented, confused and had dislusions, visions and hallucinations. After being discharged, I remained home but still confused and after 4 days I apparently went off the deep end, not knowing anyone, not even myself or where I lived. Anne and her daughter took me back to the Emergency Room where I became quite disorderly, abusive and violent. I had contracted two blood viriuses which were affecting my brain function. It took 5-6 hospital workers to subdue me and to administer a seditive.
I stayed at Vanderbelt for 13 days until I was declared back to normal, mentally anyway. I'm home now, arrived home, 08/26 about 8:30pm. The doctor said he believed the aneurysm had been building for perhaps 20 years, It's pretty certain that the aneurysm was causing pressure on my spine which in turn was causing the hip and leg pain. I figured it was Sciatica like Anne has been experiercing.
Had my doctor not ordered the xray or had the Radiation Image Doctor not been paying attention to the xray, there's a good chance I might not be here! Miracles Do Happen!