Significant Life Event !!

[Bob_Roller]

I'll try to make this as sort as possible, no guarantee !!
I got up Saturday morning feeling lousy, felt like a cross between the flu and a hangover, didn't have any alcohol in days .
Got to work and started my work chores, started sweating profusely sitting at my work station .
At about 9 AM started experiencing  minor chest pain, been to the ER numerous times over the last 40 years for chest pain, nothing ever came of it .
It felt like all the other episodes, so I wasn't overly concerned .
About 1230 PM I started getting a dull ache/pain in my upper arms, OK this isn't the usual that I have experienced .
Left work on my silver '82 LS, got home took a shower and went to the local hospital .
Within 45 minutes after arriving there, and having blood drawn and analyzed, I was informed that I would be a guest there for a few days,  had coronary artery blockage, a heart attack .
Not overly surprised by this, my risk factors for this were high for over 3 decades .
I had three stents installed in the affected arteries .
Got home about 2 hours ago and other than the plug that was installed in the right femoral artery, no pain or discomfort, a few doses of over the counter pain medication, solved that .
So it looks like I'm off of work for about 6 weeks or so .
Big negative of this, is taking a blood thinning medication, Brilinta, which can cause excessive bleeding to a wound .
I was told if I get a serious injury at work with major bleeding, I need to be rushed to an ER, no exceptions .
Also riding a motorcycle is considered an extreme risk for internal bleeding if involved in an incident .
I turn 63 next Thursday, welcome to old age baby boomers !!

[Justin B.]

Dang, Bob!  I'm glad you were able to nip this in the bud quickly.  How long will you have to take the Brilinta?

[Bob_Roller]

At this point in time, 1 year .

[Tony Smith]

Bob

Yep us baby boomers routinely live through things that would have (or indeed did( kill our parents, we are the recipients of incredible medical advances.

Wish you all the very best for a full recovery.

Continuing to ride or not is of course your decision  -  but remember that the only motorcycles parked in a psychiatrist's parking lot usually belong to the shrink him/her self.

Me - I'd continue to ride.

[Tony Smith]

It's been a week of "discovery" for me too. A batery of medical imaging and multiple biopsies im the course of investigating soem long time minor health irritations  has resulted in a diagnosis of lymphoma.

Second time round for me with the "Spanish fan dancer," last time (1983) it was melanoma and I lucked out with that in spite of a gloomy prognosis at the time.

At present all i have is a bare diagnosis on the basis of lymph node biopsy, so my first appointment at the haematology clinic for this latest round of fun is in two days time for further tests to type and stage me.

The good news is that Dr Google suggests I have a better than 65% chance of being completely cured and a better than 80% chance of still being around in 5 years time. Which, when you are already 62, is a comforting thing.

To continue my earlier post - even a decade ago my lymphoma would have escaped detection at this time and I would not have been diagnosed until something far more nasty happened and at that point both my treatment options and my prognosis would be far worse than they are now.

It's good to be a baby-boomer.

[ged in oz]

Oh wow you guys... I haven’t even known either of you for very long, but I’m really saddened by both of those posts. That sux.

I guess as you say Tony, medical technology and the health system (here in Australia anyway) has never been better so at least you’ve got that on your side. Best of luck to the both of you.

[tiggum]

For now, Guys, FOLLOW THE RULES!  Let your Doc make the call on when and how much you can slack off.  We want you better so you can continue to add so much to this forum.

[jp9094]

Tony,
Sorry to hear your news. Have some experience with this (from the other side). Half the battle is keeping a positive outlook. Will be pulling for you.

All the best!

[wilcom]

Best wishes and concern for both of you. Steady on the course of treatment and recovery.

[skippyc]

Best wishes to both of you and this forum wouldn't be what it is without your knowledge. We have never met but I feel like we are good friends.

[Tony Smith]

Have some experience with this (from the other side). Half the battle is keeping a positive outlook.

I'll leave Bob's thread alone after this. going through the fun of being typed and staged at present.

I have Mantle Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Given my circumstances the staging is pretty much irrelevant, I will be Type IV (and I understand most Mantle Cell diagnosis is). The next few days is taken up with CT and PET scans and the fun of bone marrow extraction. Yesterday I had an echocardiogram which indicated that my heart is in pretty good condition.

Got my fingers crossed that I have good response to chemo and that there is not too much involvement beyond my lymphatic system and that I therefore get a lengthy period of remission. As you will be aware current medical science is that Mantles is incurable.

[Bob_Roller]

Tony, sorry to hear about your condition .

[Bob_Roller]

I had a setback on Thursday, went to my primary care doctor .
I was feeling a bit light headed, they took my blood pressure and it was 90/50, way too low .
The  physician assistant that was seeing me that day, left the room for about 5 minutes to get paperwork .
When she came back, I was about to pass out, took my blood pressure again, it was 50/25 .
Got an ambulance ride back to the hospital I was  treated at a few days earlier .
Diagnosis, my heart is working much better now and I do not need any blood pressure medication .
Spent the night there and was released Friday morning .
Blood pressure was back in the normal range, 125/65 .

[wilcom]

it was 50/25

Bob you had me right on the edge of my seat reading those numbers...… good the outcome was too much medicine rather than another issue. Keep up the good work!

[Bob_Roller]

Recieved the total bill for my stay at the ' resort and spa' !!
My part is just under $5000US .
Without insurance, $245,000US .
How do people survie without decent health insurance ?? :-?