| Author | Message | ||
     Oldog |
Well I guess it was a matter of time I will be 50 at the end of July and was // AM really enjoying life, I had a check up and as a precautionary a cardiac stress test, After which I was told that there were issues with the under stress image indicating poor blood flow to the heart front side, I was not shown the image, and was told matter of fact that the cathoder / dye exam was "standard procedure" as a next step I asked about riding and got a shrug in terms of "recovery time", work a couple of days. I guess I will take 2 weeks off to try and avoid a potential accident. miraculously a 745 am monday slot was available, I don't like being stuck or cut but some thing is not entirely "true" to me here what other high def Non Invasive imaging method is available? Any way have any of you had experience with this? I had to vent Thanks Jim.. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Jim, I had stress test, cardiac catherization, and 3XCABG in the space of ~3 days. That was 6 years ago when I was 45 years old. Heart cath is a little scary and weird feeling, but is not really painful or anything. They numb your thigh and run the catheter up through big artery from your leg to just above your heart, shoot iodine-based dye into your bloodstream, and watch on an X-Ray monitor. You can see the blood flow (or lack of) in the arteries that feed blood to the muscles of your heart. When they inject the dye, you get this weird hot rush all over your body but it quickly subsides. If you're anything like me, you're feeling pretty damn down right now. Just consider yourself really lucky- for ~50% of people, the first indication they have that they have a heart problem is a fatal heart attack. You've already beaten those odds. It may turn out to be something minor, but even if you have to have heart surgery you can get through it and return to a normal (and maybe better) life. If you have any specific questions or anything, feel free to PM me. | ||
| Cowboy |
Att. old dog I am no DR. but 3 yr. ago I was told that the lower 1/2 of my heart was dead I was only pumping 10% of my blood ( valves were leaking) and would need a transplant, I was treated at oschners in New Orleans I have mostly recovered pumping 44% on last test and I have have never missed a day of rideing I have taken 2 long trips this yr. at 71 yr old I find that 3 to 4 hundred miles is still not a problem. so just hang in there and ride like hell I think it will do you GOOD. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Hang in there. They have some fantastic drug eluding stents out there that will possibly eliminate the need for surgery. Far as fantastic and new????? Nothing I know of. Some docs are using a laser from spectranetic to get rid of the blockages. The good news is that it is scheduled and not emergent. The proceedure is something done thousands of times a day acrossed the country. Just listen to what they tell you on discharge and you will be fine. I wish you the best. | ||
| Rotzaruck |
Old Dog I haven't had that experience yet, but I'm probably due. But folks I know of that had it done survived nicely, and were surprised at how how much they fretted about it and how simple it was. I've had the dye shot in me to look at other things, it is weird, but if you're expecting it, not so bad.It's good they can do it soon so you don't have to fret so long. Hugh's right, it's good to have the indication now instead of the proof unexpectedly. It would be awful to have a heart attack at the wrong time. You might ruin a nice Buell!! See what's wrong, if it is anything, and get it fixed and get back on that bike, for stress relief. I stay amazed at what they can do with your heart now and how fast people are back to or better than normal. Ride all you can just in case they decide to keep you!!! You guys make me feel silly moaning about a knee, it's not even a critical part. Just to be safe, I'll get you on the list tonight. Rotzaruck!!! | ||
| Asym50 |
Old Dog....not to worry. As Hughlysses said, you've beaten to worst odds. I've been through cardiac catheterization and had an ablation done about 5 years ago for cardiac conduction abnormalities. I'm an adult critical care nurse with about 15 years plus of cardio-vascular critical care. The catheterization may be all you need. As far as the drug eluting stents, some of the vendors for stents are rethinking the efficacy vs. long term side effects. Overall, its a well regulated industry and you'll do fine. The recovery from the catheterization is short and you'll be on the Buell in no time. You're on the right track by being proactive in the first place to get yourself checked out. | ||
| M2statz |
As imaging professionals we prefer not to mention any variation of "dye" for obvious reasons. Oldog the only other option is to find a place that does cardiac CTA. Much less invasive than the heart cath but many insurances wont cover the cost. Studies show results are close if not better than the cath depending on which study you read. It is a CT study that they inject the contrast thru an IV in your arm and do a CT scan of your heart. The contrast load is tons less and recovery time is hours instead of days. You must have a regular heart beat NO murmurs. The Dr. may give beta blocker to lower and keep the heart beat steady. Cardiac stress test do have a small number of false positives. The main thing to remember is it your heart and second opinions dont hurt and can only help for piece of mind. Best of luck and Godspeed. Michael PS I you have any more questions about the cardiac CTA just drop me a line. | ||
| Oldog |
Thank you all. Cowboy, my helmet is off to you my friend. 71 and 400 mi a day on a buell?,  Er I will quit whining now......  You are Hard core.. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Keep us in the loop Jim! | ||
| Teeps |
This may seem simplistic; but you probably should look into a Cardio Exercise program. 50 is too young to be having heart problems... | ||
| M2nc |
I had the same thing done last year. I was experiencing chest pains that could not be identified so they did the heart catheter. In my case the heart was fine and the latest guess is that I was experiencing chest wall muscle spasms that were probably stress related. I know how you are feeling now. The unknown can be scary but as for the procedure itself, its no big deal. Its an out patient procedure and the only thing you need to do is give time for the incision site to heal. They did my procedure on a Thursday and I was back to work on Monday. Hang in there, I know you are worried but the procedure is the least of your worries. It is a great way to find a problem before the heart is damaged and that is what this is all about. My father-in-law has been battling heart disease since 1992 with several heart catheters. The good part of that story is that after 15 years, he still has a health heart because of procedures like this one. The goal is to stay ahead of the major stuff. So go find out what the issue is on Monday and then you and the doctors will know what to do to stay ahead of any real problems. | ||
| Rotzaruck |
Oldog!!Warning!! Reading all this stuff again, I may have something legitimate for you to worry about. Hughlysses said they go in that big artery in your leg. They did that before my knee job. They went in there and went the other way, checked out both sides of my left leg from the right side groin area. Wonder how they steer that thing? I meant to watch the whole deal, but must have had a little napper. Of course they were just looking, didn't do anything, and it WAS just in my leg. Had no pain, no after effects, the little incision healed right up. BUT THAT BIKINI TRIM THEY GAVE ME WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!!! Ed | ||
| Ulywife |
Oldog - Hopefully as with Carlos they will have good news for your after your heart cath. As Carlos said, my Daddy has had nine over the last 15 years. Best to find out and this way you can be proactive instead of reactive. Keep us posted and we'll pray for good news. BTW - Carlos' heart cath cost Mark (Webethumpin) a Uly! Since Carlos couldn't ride for a few weeks Mark took the Uly to ride. Not long after that he traded his Dyna in for an 07 Uly! | ||
| Bads1 |
Olddog, If you have any questions my wife aka Naughtynurse is a Heart certified RN that works with hearts every day. I'm quite sure she'll be able to answer any questions you may have. I'll let her know of this thread and maybe she'll chime in later this afternoon. | ||
| Oldog |
BUT THAT BIKINI TRIM THEY GAVE ME WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!!! Ed}  BTW - Carlos' heart cath cost Mark (Webethumpin) a Uly! Since Carlos couldn't ride for a few weeks Mark took the Uly to ride. Not long after that he traded his Dyna in for an 07 Uly! Webe did the off road excursion on the Dyna? when we met at the fish camp? } BTW how long did Carlos doctor say no scootering? mine gave me a blank look when I asked. Dana thanks I may have some later If she has time its kind of you both | ||
| Oldog |
This may seem simplistic; but you probably should look into a Cardio Exercise program. 50 is too young to be having heart problems... you got that right, Can I do that from My computer?  I need to loose about 80 Lbs (gain 11.4 Hp) by my estimation I would be able then to find good fitting gear etc. rather than looking like the michellin man I was V shaped when I was young and I still am ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ | ||
| Bads1 |
Your never to young to have heart problem's. My wife see's men and women in their 20's commonly and even teen's from time to time. I'm still amazed by it. | ||
| Teeps |
Olddog, I gained a bunch of weight during my 30's. One day I woke up and decided to do something about it... So, I started riding a bicycle. Been cycling 21 years this August, I'm 55. Cycling is not a panacea to staying in shape, but it helps... a lot. | ||
| Blake |
It's rarely a bad idea to obtain a second opinion on your stress test results from another cardiologist, preferably one who comes highly recommended. The heart catheterization is routine outpatient procedure these days. My Dad, father-in-law, mother-in-law, wife, have all had it done. Dad had a double bipass days after. Sixteen years later he's doing great. | ||
| Etennuly |
Oldog, Wishing you the best. Ya ever think how much better things are for us than those from a couple of generations ago? Two BIG things that come to mind is how routinely medical prevention can locate and repair a problem like yours that would have been a guess during an autopsy back then, and they didn't have Buell motorcycles to ward off the strains of life!!  Oh, and I wish you would stop calling yourself old, 'cause I'll be fifty at the beginning of July!  HAPPY UP COMING BIRTHDAY! | ||
| Oldog |
Your never to young to have heart problems. My wife seen men and women in their 20 & 30scommonly and even teens from time to time. I am still amazed by it. Dana I dont doubt it at all Please thank NN for me I have HAD a good day other than some nerves earlier } I was having some questionable discomforts at odd times, Like the front brakes on my X1 I wont fool around with this its just for some reason I thought that Imaging these days was good enough to preclude this right out of the gate further tests maybe . 'Edit-- Etunnely its a long story it not OLD -og its OL- dog and it has more that 1 meaning, On the Fiddy years old thing, remember I'm right behind you AGAIN THANK YOU ALL I WILL POST TOMORROW pm as I am able, please keep me in your prayers. From the Porch Oldog. (Message edited by oldog on June 24, 2007) | ||
| M2nc |
Webe did the off road excursion on the Dyna? when we met at the fish camp? Yup - The same Webe. That was his misadventure. Proof that I am not a good leader or follower. I did not ride for two weeks after the procedure. When I did ride, I rode Webe's wife's Blast. Being lower to the ground and lighter than the Uly or M2, I thought it best to start riding that. Webe and I traded bikes for a week. I rode the Blast and he rode my Uly. After we traded back, he couldn't get the Uly out of his head. So he traded the Dyna for a Uly. The big issue is the incision site. They are opening a major vein. If you open it up the bleeding can be severe. So its best to lay off the bike for a couple of weeks. Then make sure you do not strain the leg. I will be thinking about you today. | ||
| Oldog |
I had decided 2 weeks and did not remember how long you went. Thanks Carlos.... | ||
| X1glider |
I'll be curious to hear how things go for you. good luck. Your never to young to have heart problems. My wife seen men and women in their 20 & 30s commonly and even teens from time to time. I am still amazed by it. If it's teens and 20 somethings, I has to be mostly a crappy diet of greasy fast food, junk food and lack of exercise. Look around at all the unfit overweight kids today. I'll be 38 tomorrow. Last Monday, I had an ultrasound on my heart and carotid arteries (very cool to watch the blood pulsating and the valves opening and closing!) and nuclear stress test with before and after movies. Wore a Holter monitor for 24 hours too. Will get the results back real soon. Only thing I found out that day is I occasionally stop breathing and my heart rate will vary between 40-65 bpm. I'd been suspect of problems for years as I occasionally feel faint, get blurry vision and feel my heart punding heavily throughout the day. A lot more frequent now. I thought I might be somewhat diabetic but not at all. According to the blood work, it turns out I have what the rest of my family has. High blood pressure and heart disease. Thanks family... Doesn't matter if you get lots of exercise and eat right. Some things you just can't prevent. Not looking forward to the analysis... | ||
| Oldog |
 sorry to hear this Glider, 1st I am ok no blocked any things, 2nd 5 attempts at getting an IV in both arms and they had to give me a valium then did an abdominal IV next to the cathoder site. the beginning was unpleasant in the extreme for me, once sedated it was ok. A BIG THANK TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSES } I needed them. From the Couch Ol-Dog Glider: I will Pray for you, please keep us in the loop.... } | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Oldog, sent you a PM last night, no reply yet, hope you got it, it basically said we love you like a brother and we have you in our thoughts and prayers. it also included a little "deal" i'm proposing between you 'n me... FB&D | ||
| M2statz |
GREAT news Oldog!! Happy Buelling from now on!! Sliante!! Michael | ||
| Hughlysses |
Oldog, Woohoo!  Glad to hear it.  That's a bitch about the IV.  Now, get your butt in gear, start exercising  , eat better, and avoid transfats as if they are arsenic!  X1glider, Good luck to you too. Any thought that it could be sleep apnea? That can cause heart problems but seems to be easy to fix. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"Your never to young to have heart problem's. My wife see's men and women in their 20's commonly and even teen's from time to time. I'm still amazed by it." My step-brothers both had open heart surgery and bypasses by the time they were 30. Their father died from his first hear attack at only 32. Every one of these guys was as skinny as a rail before they had their heart trouble, but their genetics dictate that cholesterol will build up in their arteries and clog them. Finding all this out now about your own condition is extremely fortunate... you should be doing cartwheels for finding out in time... when the doctor says it's OK, of course. | ||
| Court |
One of my best friends, the star of the 1969 Orange Bowl, is having his 60th b-day next week. He still plays beach volleyball in Southern Cal and is in tip top shape. He's had the angioplasty and a couple bypasses. Funny world. We're thinking of you and rooting for you. Court |
