Cardiac Catheterization

Why was it so much harder to do yard work?

I wondered why I needed to sit down so often doing yard work. Was it my age or was something else going on. I decided to call my cardiologist. Like other folks in their seventies I now have a cardiologist. I got a new pacemaker in December of 2022, so I knew it wasn't that. He suggested a stress test.

I become radioactive

I knew this was going to be an interesting test when the nurse came out with a lead lined box with a hypodermic. I was injected with the radio isotope Technetium which allowed me to radiate Gamma rays. I had brought my own Geiger Muller Counter  and had fun  listening the clicks as it coursed through my blood stream. The nurse brought out her counter and we had a good time talking about nuclear medicine. Later I climbed on a table where a Gamma camera scanned my body for blockages. The Technetium has a half life of a few hours and I was able to impress my wife and friends by remaining radioactive throughout the weekend. By Monday I had calmed down a bit.

My Doctor called to tell me that he had some concerns about the blood flow to my heart and we scheduled a Cardiac Catheterization, the gold standard for determining blockages.

The Ride to Catholic Medical Center

The city of Manchester closed the road for paving on the day of my procedure. Our detour route was  analogous to the condition of my arteries. We poked along through neighborhoods with school buses and lights, just barely inching along. I was late so I ran to the front desk and found I was out of breath. I needed to get fixed.

The Cardiac Radial Lounge

I was directed to the Cardiac Radial Lounge where I sat in  lounge chair (really) behind curtain five. It was a very well organized procedure and people were constantly being shuttled to have the catheterization performed and returned for recovery. There was the constant sound of clippers since the wrist and groin area are shaved. The groin is a backup area if they can't run the catheter through the wrist. I was nervous as hell which spiked my blood pressure but the nurses were terrific. It was a very efficient operations.

The Procedure

When curtain five was called I was wheeled into the operating room. They were deciding which Tina Turner music to play while they wired me up and tied down my right hand. I grateful that they chose Tina Turner instead of the Rolling Stones Let it Bleed.  I lay under a fluoroscope attached to gimbal which could rotate about my body. A large screen was a bit out of my view. They gave me some meds which relaxed me but I was fully conscious. They inserted the catheter and injected a contrast dye to make the arteries visible. I did catch a glimpse of my beating heart on the screen. It is really quite interesting.

The Stent

The doctor announced that I had a blockage on my left anterior descending artery and inserted a stent to open it up. This artery is commonly called the "Widow Maker" so I was perfectly okay with getting the stent since it was not my intention to make anyone a widow.

Recovery

I was wheeled back to the Lounge for a coffee and blueberry muffin. I saw some before and after photos. The after photos were encouraging. I had a compression sleeve on my wrist which prevented bleeding since I was on Heparin and Clopidogrel. The sleeve was filled with compressed air and they relieved it slowly for about two hours. I spoked with dietician about healthier choices for meals.

Discharge

My daughter picked me up and we had a nice lunch at my son's house. I chose a healthy wrap for lunch. My daughter took a great selfie of us. Only a small incision on my wrist.

My Pharmacy

Until now I only had two prescriptions. Now I could open my own Pharmacy. I left Rite-Aid with a bag of pills. My life has change quite a bit but once again I'm grateful for medical technology. Cue some Rolling Stones.