Its A Time To Appreciate...

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..this life you, and everyone else you love lives. During a visit to a cardiologist today, I was informed that I will need to have a pace-maker installed as soon as this coming Monday. I am a 26 year old man. I am healthy. I do not have high blood pressure, any kind of heart problems, no previous health problems, and a clean slate for all blood work that has been done. I have actually baffled doctors with my case. Do you know about the involuntary electrical pulse that tells your organs in your body to do what they do on their own? Well mine isnt telling my heart to beat... at random. After the surgery, God willing, all will be fine with me. I just wanted to take a moment to share with my "second family" in hopes to inspire some to remember or even discover/rediscover what this time of year means. Thank you all for reading and I wish you all here a loving, merry holiday season. Sub-compacts! FTW!

[custom Lftback]

I will be praying that everything goes well bro! that is crazy!

[SIPNGAS]

Well said..things we so easily forget and take for granted.

Please know we ARE your second family and you will be in our hearts while yours is getting better and beyond...

[Bob_VT]

Don you are in my prayers. Sincerely the Cardiac Doctors today are great. I had 6 heart attacks and not have stents in my heart. It really does not matter on the why it happens but it can be fixed!

Move forward with this and you will not even realize the change. This will enhance your life.

Hang in there brother.

[TinyGiant]

where is Dr. House when you need him.. lol I watch that show too much..


God bless.. and best of luck. Like bob said Doctors are good at what they do .. it always amazes me more and more what they can do. especially with the heart

[tuckevalastin]

I wish you the absolute best of luck

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Through my tears I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Those of you that have answered thus far have lifted my spirits significantly. I shall stand strong.

[SIPNGAS]

Please...please let us know how you are...as soon as you possibly can next week.

I don't need a Christmas wish this year...I just pray your surgery is a success and you have a quick recovery.

[jinxor]

Best of luck with your operation mate.... You will stand string !!!!
Coz the yaris is behind you... the whole YAris world is behind you...

[tk-421]

May your operation go as smoothly as possible, Don. I wish you the best of luck. Please keep us all posted on the developments!

[Bob_VT]

I will tell you to follow the Doctors instructions to the letter. They do not give awards to people who tough it out. You will do fine...... get some serious rest.

[PreciousPups4U]

We are all thinking of you. They can fix pretty much anything these days. I mean they gave some lady a new face. I saw it on the news today, this heart thing should be a piece of cake. Plus you are young and strong and should recover quickly. If anyone asks, just say you are getting a supercharger. I understand those are pretty awesome.

Seriously all the best. Keep us posted. Cindy

[Loren]

It's a pretty stunning situation for a 20-something to be in, but be glad that you know what's going on and that it can be fixed. My wife had a friend in college who just up and died one day from some mysterious heart problem. You've been given the gift of advance notice. Rock on, my friend!

[GeneW]

Saw a lot of folks die at work over the years, mainly from codes. So I know what gets folks hurt in medical settings - ignoring the doctor and sometimes being too agreeable.

Try to follow the Doctor's advice and directions, but be ready to challenge or question anything that does not make sense to you.

When it comes to patients the ones who refuse to listen to doctors die first, then the nice patients and finally the miserable nitpicking nasty folks survive for a long time.

We had one patient who the Nursing Staff swore had a case of Vaginum Dentata (her thing had teeth) because she was so demanding of them. However she survived far far longer than she would have had she been agreeable.

Good luck to you, Don.

Gene

[DFA]

Wow, that is really amazing to hear from a healthy someone in his 20's like you.

I wish you the best in getting through this, and I shall pray for you to have the strength to go through what appears in front of your path right now.

Please report back here and follow all of your doctor's advice. Even if he tells you you have to poop everyday at exactly 2:49AM for a month, do so.

Best of luck

[YAR1S]

The miracles of modern medicine still amaze me.
thanks to doctors these days.. my father is alive for 6 and counting years following a heart transplant..

hang in there... your in safe hands.

[TheRealEnth]

Yeah i watch house a lot... Wish he was real =(.. I have a similar case.. i have 20/20... sorta... I have CNVM which is common with older (40+) patients with diabetes. I of course am 19, no diabetes.. No problems at all, just a healthy teen =).. So out of one eye i see sort of a black hole, its black and starts to fade as it moves out but just blurs everything around the point. My other eye is perfectly fine though. So Both eyes working together give me perfect vision and i dont even see any black.

[Shroomster]

good luck Don and hey leave the roller coasters and the microwave pizza to me from now on my friend!

[1NZYaris1]

Well said..things we so easily forget and take for granted.

Please know we ARE your second family and you will be in our hearts while yours is getting better and beyond...

+1 on that, and remember on the lighter side of things , what does not kill us , makes us stronger.
Happy holidays :respekt:

[SailDesign]

I wish you all the best on this one (and for everything else, come to that!).
Money may not be able to buy you love, but it can mend a broken heart... :smile:

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Hope everything will be fine and successful. You'll be in my prayers, buddy.

[elmo]

one of the guys i work with has the same condition, got the pacemaker and he is fine !!

[Bob_VT]

This has been on my mind since last night and I am sure your's too.

It really is a new lease on life which is better than not knowing or ignoring the health problem.

I am willing to bet that you will be back here within days of the operation and back to work very quickly. Milk it out a bit.... it is the holiday season.

[eTiMaGo]

wow, that is kinda freaky, and yes, like most previous posters have mentioned, really good that you are able to do something about it now. I sincerely hope the operation goes well and that you have many many heart-trouble-free years ahead :smile:

[Bob_VT]

Going to be a PITA...... Give us updates when you can.

[Treyz]

Best of luck man .. sorry to hear. I'm truning 26 myself on Sunday and it scares me that these things can happen at a young age.

Keep us posted.

[Bob_VT]

bump

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- Update -

Yesterday was my echo which showed no abnormalities in my heart whatsoever. So now I am really baffling doctors. This morning I received a phone call from my cardiologist. I was expecting to be told what day and time I would be having my surgery. Instead, he informs me that he had just consulted a electrophysiologist (sp?). He is a doctor that specializes in the electrical system of the body. They have come to the conclusion that since my symptoms havent been severe enough yet, and they are post-poning my pace maker. Symptoms severe enough would have to include fainting/passing out. So, basically they are saying until I pass out from my heart slowly coming to a stop, they are putting it off. Sounds shitty huh? Yeah, thats what I thought. To elaborate on what I have been experiencing, at randoms times of the day, up to 20 or 30 times, or some days none, and somtimes days apart, I get a sinking feeling in my chest. I realize my heart is not beating. Just as fast as I realize that, I feel a "thump" in my chest. Which is my heart kicking back in, and continues to beat normally. Its a pretty scary feeling. SO for now, I have to play the waiting game...

To all of you kind souls that have expessed so much love I cannot tell you how much your words have meant to me. You all have truly made my past few days of craziness easier. I thank you from the bottom of my bum ticker ;)

[GeneW]

- Update -

Yesterday was my echo which showed no abnormalities in my heart whatsoever. So now I am really baffling doctors. This morning I received a phone call from my cardiologist. I was expecting to be told what day and time I would be having my surgery. Instead, he informs me that he had just consulted a electrophysiologist (sp?). He is a doctor that specializes in the electrical system of the body. They have come to the conclusion that since my symptoms havent been severe enough yet, and they are post-poning my pace maker. Symptoms severe enough would have to include fainting/passing out. So, basically they are saying until I pass out from my heart slowly coming to a stop, they are putting it off. Sounds shitty huh? Yeah, thats what I thought. SO for now, I have to play the waiting game...



No, you don't have to play the "Waiting Game". You get a second opinion from someone who isn't affiliated with the first cardiologist and electrophysiologist. Contact your Insurance Carrier as soon as you can do so and see if they'll pay for second opinion. Many plans will because a second opinion buys the patient time to get treatment while problems are small, before something awful happens that wracks up huge hospital bills.

Let's face it - you're still having symptoms... why not see if there is something that these two missed... such as diet, odd diseases, metabolic issues or what have you?

This was the point of my last post - the nice compliant patients get wasted after the hard heads died of being hard heads. The bastards who took care of themselves lived the longest.

The "bastards" who never said "Die" and never took anyone's word as gospel would do their homework and demand good care. The record that I saw was a guy who survive twenty six years on dialysis. Miserable SOB but he survived. Yes, he did what his doctor advised, if it made sense to him. He called his own shots.


My best friends Mom died last summer, a dozen years after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Five years after initial diagnosis of her disease the first team she dealt with had given her the "maximum lifetime dose" of Iodine-123 and told her that all she could get was "palliative care". In other words shuffle off to a hospice and die.

She and her son would not have any of that - they did some Internet work and discovered a program that was more aggressive. A few phone calls, some visits and lab work and the first team was given their walking papers. She fired them and signed up the hard asses.

She got more Iodine and more chemo and worked her ass off to be healthier.

She got five more good years, time to spend with her kids, friends and living. The last year was a bitch but not different than what would have happened six years before.

Seriously - get your records and start doing your own detective work. Don't take anyone's word as Gospel. For a Doctor it's not an insult to question what they say, but it is hurtful to them if you don't take care of business. Do not fight with them, take care of yourself.

Gene

[slvryaris]

Good luck to you. Wish you all the best.

[SIPNGAS]

Gene is brilliant. Take his advice, call your insurance carrier and get a second opinion. This isn't a broken bone that we're talking about. This is your HEART. That sinking feeling you get must be absolutely terrifying!

Still keeping you in my thoughts...

[PreciousPups4U]

Agreed, get a second opinion. If you wreck your car you get at least a couple of estimates, right? Well my god, this is your heart after all. Seems like that requires a second opinion. Heck maybe a third, fourth, and fifth opinion or whatever it takes. Surely another opinion can't hurt and maybe will give you some piece of mind.

Good luck. We are all with you.

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Gene

Lets face it, you dont know me, and you dont know exactly what I have been through the past week. You misunderstood me if you thought I meant I was "giving up". I AM going to pursue this further. By no means have I ever said "die". I sure as Hell dont plan on it now. I guess I just wanted to relax a bit after this whirlwind of bullshit just suddenly seemed like it wasnt so bad. I havent had any sinking or thump feelings since this past Monday. I have a follow-up appointment on January 14th to see where we want or can go with this. As for my cardiologists, they are the best in the surrounding area from what I have been told by many people including Doctors. As for my health, we have gone over my diet and blood. Plus I had a cardiogram. With all of them being perfectly normal and/or pefectly healthy. Thats why they, and myself are all like wtf?

[1NZYaris1]

Mate !!! keeping positive like you are, is the biggest thing, and being arround friends (us):biggrin:
can only help as well .
it must be the season of bad news , a very close friend of mine has just been told they have
a inopperable brain tuma, located in the centre of the brain, and the worst part of that , is it feeds on addrenalin:thumbdown:, not good when your a adrenalin junky.
But back to you , take care and our thoughts and prairs go out to you and your family.:bow::bow:

[GeneW]

Lets face it, you dont know me, and you dont know exactly what I have been through the past week. You misunderstood me if you thought I meant I was "giving up". I AM going to pursue this further. By no means have I ever said "die". I sure as Hell dont plan on it now. I guess I just wanted to relax a bit after this whirlwind of bullshit just suddenly seemed like it wasnt so bad. I havent had any sinking or thump feelings since this past Monday. I have a follow-up appointment on January 14th to see where we want or can go with this. As for my cardiologists, they are the best in the surrounding area from what I have been told by many people including Doctors. As for my health, we have gone over my diet and blood. Plus I had a cardiogram. With all of them being perfectly normal and/or pefectly healthy. Thats why they, and myself are all like wtf?

I don't know you, but I know the words... as in "I'll wait". Been there, done that... I saw quite a few patients take that passive attitude, usually before they got "sick", went to Hospital, and then never came back.

To be fair these people already knew what was wrong with them, they had End Stage Renal Disease. The ESRD isn't what killed them, most of the time they had heart attacks, pneumonia or got a nasty infection. However "wait and see" doesn't cut it, at least for myself.

Nothing wrong with a second opinion.... in fact if I were dealing with something that important I'd insist upon it.


They give you a Holter Monitor check yet? It's a computerized rig the size of a paperback that hangs off of your shoulder and has a dozen leads that a tech puts on your chest. Monitors your heart. I wore one for a time, an entire day, but nothing came of it.

Gene

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Yes, I have worn the Holter Monitor for 24 hours. Thats how they were able to see what exactly is happening. My heart pauses for several seconds, hence the "sinking" feeling. Then once it receives the electrical pulse, it just kicks back on again and thats the "thump" I feel.

-EDIT-

Everyones heart does actually pause at times, its just mine is for way too long.