dodged a bullet

Mike(NEOhio) · Oct 13, 2016

While we were in Germany I started having severe chest pains when we were walking around the sites. I'd been having mild ones for a few weeks before but didn't think it was anything serious. Got home last week and I saw my doc, who sent me for a stress test. The cardiologist ran ultrasounds and scheduled a catheterization for yesterday. One artery was 99% blocked, got a stent. The nurse in the cath lab said we call that a widowmaker. I had no symptoms all summer. Don't ignore it, guys. I was real close to the "big one."

300jk · Oct 13, 2016

Glad your ok ! Haven't been to a doc since 2005. I had a lump on my chest they thought might be cancerous. It wasn't but boy was I scared. When I went for in for the ultrasound and mammogram you should have seen all the younger nurses who were embarrassed to do it. I am only 41 now and that was when I was only 30. Bye the way mammograms do hurt ! Glad your ok !

coshoo · Oct 13, 2016

Manual prostate tests don't hurt, but they are embarrassing, especially with female docs. Its a guy thing.

ditchwitch · Oct 13, 2016

Thats great news to hear Mike that they found it and fixed it before something bad happened. Really glad to hear good luck going forward

wjytexas · Oct 13, 2016

Prostate biopsies are NO fun and then there is the wait for results. My about 20 years ago and the results were good news. Necessary but scary.

300jk · Oct 13, 2016

Whoa hold on a minute. I only went for a mammogram. Nobody said anything about my posterior ! I know I need to go but I hate going. Been healthy since the last time and that was only 11 years ago so I should be good right ? Kidding. I think the wife is gonna drag me there.

Stephen Newell · Oct 13, 2016

Better get all of your family to learn CPR. My dad did the same thing and got a stint and one day if failed and nobody knew what to do until it was too late.

Kickinbull · Oct 13, 2016

Small female practitioner way better than huge man DR.

John B. · Oct 13, 2016

Glad you're ok! There's an old saying. "You have to get away to see what's ailing you". You're not the first one that I heard about who got sick while on vacation. When we're on vacation we tend to push ourselves a little more than we do at home but while on vacation we have to keep up with the crowd or family.

I had a stress test very early this year and the doc said everything is ok. I was having some pain on my left side but was diagnosed as muscle pain. I'll be 57 in January. We eat very healthy though too. I take a banana, orange or plum and a salad with shaved chicken or turkey on it in my lunch box every day. We just joined a gym this month too!

Kickinbull · Oct 13, 2016

had biopsy week ago. 3 of 12 were positive. ct and bone scan later in month. More waiting.

Russ from MN · Oct 13, 2016

The actual procedure wasn't as bad as waiting about 5 weeks to do it. We had to wait for my blood count to normalize before it was safe to do it.

guido · Oct 13, 2016

Hello Mike(NEOhio),

Its o.k. to be a hero, but when an elephant is sitting on your chest it is time to say uncle.... BTDT.

I am glade you dodged the proverbial bullet!..stay well!

Guido

504 · Oct 13, 2016

I did the annual check up for years,till they told me I am diabetic. Now it is twice a year,all four grandparents and my dad had it,mom is 87 and take eye drops.

DoubleR · Oct 13, 2016

I had my prostate removed a few years ago so longer have to get the yearly finger check. I would much rather have continued with the annual checkup though if I had a choice.

Thanks for the warning on the chest pain. I'm glad you caught in time and dodged the bullet.

Eldon (WA) · Oct 13, 2016

(quoted from post at 18:11:34 10/13/16) had biopsy week ago. 3 of 12 were positive. ct and bone scan later in month. More waiting.

It could be worse...mine were 12 of 12 at 56 years of age...and positive margins, but lymph and bone scans came back negative. Two and a half years out of surgery, 7 months out of radiation and psa is declining. As bad as it is, it is a good time to be diagnosed as the treatments have come a long way. I can honestly say I live a normal life.

Fred Werring · Oct 14, 2016

Not to make you nervous, but...

Had a stress test in February...chemical type, my knees wouldn't take the treadmill...said everything was OK.

Kept having a burning in my chest when I exerted myself, couldn't walk from the barn to the house without having to stop 2-3 times, even went to the ER once, they all kept looking at the stress test and saying it must be gas.

Before I went to the ER, My family Doc had said to see a cardiologist. Soonest they could get me in was 6 weeks.

When I followed up with family doc after ER visit he asked what the cardiologist said, and I told him my appointment was in a week and a half. He got mad, called the cardiologist office, I went straight from family docs office to the cardiologist.

Had 2 stents put in in the next day, over 90% blockage.

Fred

Roger in Iowa · Oct 14, 2016

I had prostate removed and Doc still wants to do the finger check. He had one patient that had problems 20 years after having prostate removed. It is not pleasant but beats the alternative. Get it checked! Also get PSA done.

Mike(NEOhio) · Oct 14, 2016

Thanks to all for the responses. I posted about it to encourage you to listen to your body. It's easy to say "Won't happen to me." I'm guilty of that, too. I had a checkup last April. PSA was slightly elevated but doc said except for the diabetes I'm in fine shape. He rechecked the PSA and I got a call Tuesday that it was way down. Both grandfathers, mom and dad all had heart issues. I eat healthy, never smoked and only a little drinking. Scared me how close I came.

Stephen Newell's comment on CPR is right on. I doubt my wife would have known what to do. I had a CPR class a long time ago but they have simplified to process since then. Now it's FIRST call 911, compressions only, no breaths and all the stuff about where to push and how deep is just "PUSH HARD, PUSH FAST." If you're not sure what to do, anything is better than "I don't know how."

docmirror · Oct 14, 2016

(quoted from post at 08:44:17 10/14/16) Thanks to all for the responses. I posted about it to encourage you to listen to your body. It's easy to say "Won't happen to me." I'm guilty of that, too.

My scare story. Early April 2014, I was up skiing at Breckenridge. I usually tolerate altitude well, but after a hard day of spring skiing I was starting to get tunnel vision, and hard to breathe at 11,000' off the lift. I bent over for a bit and when standing up I got dizzy. So, not wanting to fall down the ski run, I sat down for a bit. Didn't help. So - like an idiot I skied down slowly, and got to my car. Now it's getting worse, and feeling chest pain a bit. Went to the patrol and asked for some aspirin. They said I had to buy it upstairs, but when I tried to stand up I couldn't walk. Well, they got some aspirin real fast, and I took 4. After having some water, and gatorade, I felt well enough to drive home, but when I got there, I was dizzy so went to the ER. He listened to my chest and said I had a pulmonary embolism and admitted me with a couple of shots of blood thinner.

Blocked diaphragm in the middle of my lungs with some gob of goo I could see on the x-ray like a big blob of mucus. I was there for 11 days as it slowly dissolved under blood thinners. He told me I was lucky I made it off the ski slope and down to the ER.

dodged a bullet

Mike(NEOhio)

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300jk

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coshoo

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ditchwitch

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wjytexas

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300jk

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Stephen Newell

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Kickinbull

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John B.

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Kickinbull

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Russ from MN

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guido

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504

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DoubleR

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Eldon (WA)

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Fred Werring

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Roger in Iowa

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Mike(NEOhio)

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docmirror

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