Wow, sometimes life just takes you by surprise and makes you stop in your tracks. This happened to my husband and me during the last couple of weeks.
My husband went for a routine physical exam and informed his doctor that he had been feeling fatigued for several weeks. We just assumed that it was from his bladder cancer treatment and his age since he had no other significant symptoms except some GERD (reflux)-related issues. They agreed that my husband should have a stress test “just in case”.
The test indicated major blockages in his coronary arteries (the vessels that supply the heart muscle itself with blood). A cardiac catheter procedure was scheduled asap to diagnose the specific blocked areas and to possibly repair the damage using tubes or stents. Unfortunately, my husband’s heart needs more extensive correction. Sooooo, he is scheduled for a coronary bypass to replace his blocked arteries with new vessels taken from existing ones in his chest. We wish he did not need such an invasive procedure, but we feel so blessed that the disease was discovered before he had a massive heart attack that could have been fatal.
It is scary to think that someone you love so deeply could die, but yet we all know it is going to happen at some point. Our hope it is it will be much, much later rather than sooner. Perhaps the lesson to be learned is try to savor the moments and enjoy each day Easy to say, but not always easy to do, I know,
Now on a positive note, we are so thankful that my guy’s heart has served him well as it found ways to keep working while having such major problems. During his upcoming bypass surgery in a few days, he will be in the hands of a qualified thoracic surgeon. May all of the caring thoughts and prayers from his friends and our family bring my husband through the procedure and may he come home with a strong-beating, healthy HEART.
