Not my ideal bucket list item
So it has been quite a ride over the last 8 months. I went from looking forward to retiring at the beginning of 2022 to having a heart bypass, recovering from that and finally retiring on June 1, six months later than expected. I was eager to retire having given my boss a heads up that I was hanging it up in the new year in a conversation we had back in June or July 2021. After working from home for almost two years as a result of the pandemic, I knew I was ready.
In November 2021 I went for a cardiac catheterization and a Coronary Angiography was performed. The Mayo Clinic explains, “that during a coronary angiogram, a catheter is inserted into an artery in the groin, arm or neck and threaded through the blood vessels to the heart. A coronary angiogram can show blocked or narrowed blood vessels in the heart.” In my case for this initial procedure the doctor went in through my wrist. While taking the ride through my arteries, the doctor discovered that he wasn’t going to be placing any stents. Instead he found that I had a blockage and needed a bypass to correct what my doctor called a widow maker. According to the Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials website “there are three main arteries in the heart –one on the right side and two on the left side. The coronary arteries carry blood to all regions of the heart to keep the muscle pumping. A widow maker is when the left descending (LAD) artery, which supplies blood to the larger front part of the heart, is blocked at its origin. Mine was over 80 percent blocked. The doctor announced that I was a lucky man having this issue identified before I had a heart attack. Needless to say my mind was spinning with this bit of news as I was looking for, at the worst, a stent being placed that day. They don’t call it the widow maker because they ran out of names.
As I said this was in the beginning of November 2021 and according to my cardiologist it was an urgent matter. The odd thing is although it was categorized as urgent, it is deemed an elective procedure in my case. Again, this is better than having the need for an emergency by pass. I was referred to a cardiac surgeon for the bypass. The procedure is commonly called Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) and according to the Cleveland Clinic is considered a major surgery, which means there are some potential risks and complications. While most of these risks and complications are avoidable or treatable, it’s still important to understand them. Possible risks include: Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
Taking a look at the traditional process where a large incision in the chest is made and the heart is temporarily stopped. The part that scared me, is that the doctor needs to cut open the breastbone (sternum) in half lengthwise and spread it apart. I am breaking a sweat just writing this. Once the heart is exposed, tubes are inserted into the heart so that the blood can be pumped through the body by a heart-lung bypass machine. The bypass machine is necessary to pump blood while the heart is stopped.
While the traditional “open heart” procedure is still commonly done, less invasive techniques have been developed to bypass blocked coronary arteries. “Off-pump” procedures, in which the heart does not have to be stopped, were developed in the 1990’s. Other minimally invasive procedures, such as keyhole surgery (done through very small incisions) and robotic procedures (done with the aid of a moving mechanical device), may be used.
I have to admit I was deathly afraid of the traditional procedure after doing some research. During my research of the traditional method I found a less invasive technique that, if I qualified, presented an alternative to the “open heart” CABG procedure. The less invasive procedure involved the use of robotics.
The doctor still has to go in and work on the arteries around the heart but not through the sternum. I read that recovery is supposed to be less lengthy. And the patient doesn’t need to be placed on a pump to keep the heart going and the blood flowing while the bypass is being performed. I mentioned the robotics to my daughter, Casey, did some research and found that the surgeon I was recommended had experience with robotics in performing CABG. I mentioned this find to my doctor who texted a request to the surgeon to see if I was a candidate for the less invasive surgery. When I visited the surgeon to discuss the surgery and next steps, I was informed that I qualified for the robotic surgery. Needless to say that although apprehensive I was very relieved with that bit of news.
After some back and forth with scheduling I was given the date. It was scheduled for the day after my birthday, November 17. Of all the things I ever wanted for my birthday heart surgery never seemed to make my top 5 list.
The long and the short of it was that I had the operation. As my luck would have it something went sideways and I needed an emergency stent placed the day after the bypass surgery. I then had an issue with AFib, Atrial Fibrillation or abnormal heartbeat, one of the possible risk I mentioned earlier. It was explained that the AFib I was experiencing was caused by the surgery. Because someone, in this case the doctor and the robot were in my chest playing with my heart the process threw off my hearts rhythm. I was given some meds to see if that fixed the problem but the meds did not work as well as expected. I was then introduced to another process called cardioversion which is essentially electrical shock. I was given the shock treatment, which I was put to sleep for, and it took care of the problem.
Upon returning home it has been a shaky road to recovery, a bit slower that I thought it would be. I started out walking and slowly built up to a half hour of sustained walking. I have completed cardiac rehab which was luckily covered by my insurance. Since completing rehab I continued a program of working out doing a combination of cardio and weights to rebuild my heart health. I have had issues with anxiety so I try to avoid crowds, feeling more comfortable staying home and catching up on my reading.
I am surprised at the number of people I talk to who had heart issues or know of someone who had heart problems. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), is considered to be the most common cardiothoracic surgical procedure in the United States. Several articles I have seen puts the cost of heart bypass operations at approximately $6.5 billion in health care costs annually—making it rank as one of the most expensive surgical procedures in the United States.
Over time my meds have been reduced. The best medication so far has been the birth of my grandson, RJ, who is approaching his 3-month birthday.
I would like to also give a big shout out to The Sahni Heart Center who was very supportive every step of the way. Dr. Shiela Sahni made sure that I was taken care of in the hospital even visiting me on a Sunday morning as well as monitoring my rehab. She also took the time to ensure that I understood what was going on and took the time to answer my questions. Also Dr. Rakesh Sahni, whom identified the blockage, made me feel at ease on the day of the angiography. During the entire process and continuing today I feel that they and the entire Sahni Heart Center have acted in my best interest to ensure that my recovery has me headed in the right direction.
AgingwithHennessey 