I'm 62 (63 next month) and had my stint with the stent last July. All I can say is Indy, you a lucky man!
And Stumpy, better safe then sorry. I ignored my signs for a few days and it almost killed me! It seems the one artery that supplies blood to the right side of my heart decided the old ticker didn't need as much blood as it was supposed to get so it locked up tighter then a virgin's knees! A little chest pain, fatigue, cold sweats, numbness down my arm, etc., and everyone gets all excited! Heck, it'd been going on for a week but all of a sudden my doctor, wife, boss, even my cat and dog are all fired up about me going to the hospital! So I leave work and drive to the Hospital, walk in, slowly so's I could finish my cigarette, and the receptionest smiles (fake) and says "well how are we feeling today?" DUH, like dirt or I wouldn't be here! is what I want to say but being in a suit and tie I figure I'd better act respectable so I just tell her I've been having chest pain for about a week.
Well, she sticks a couple of clips on me, looks at a couple of computer screens for a few seconds, and all of a sudden jumps up and starts screaming "OH MY GOD!!!!!!" Then she starts pushes buttons and hollering codes and colors into a loud speaker! Let me tell you, I hadn't had time to take out my insurance card when the door busts open and this person pushing a wheelchair slams me down in it and we go flying down the hall at a speed that would scare the hell outa a NASCAR driver. Next thing I know they get me in a bed quicker then a hot date and hook me up at all kinda machines and start sucking blood out of me quicker then my ol' bike goes through gas!
Now, check this out. There is even a real doctor there! he's reading slips of paper as fast as they are coming out of the machines, mumbling stuff like "holy sh%*!" and hollering "where are those lab results" every few minutes. I don't know about you, but this impresses me! Usually you see every nurse, aide, assistant and water-boy for hours before a doctor finally appears and says "well, how are we feeling today?"
Anyway, all this time I ain't said jack since every time I open my mouth to say something ol' Doc sticks another nitro pill in my mouth and someone else takes another quart of blood from my arm!
After a couple of hours of this I want another cigarette and a beer REAL bad and am getting pretty tired of my wife Kathie going on and on about me not having a Will. But just then the candy man arrives with some GREAT stuff! All I want, just had to ask! About the time I'm beginning to feel pretty good about the Doc and his medicinal generosity he slides a bunch of papers in front of me, sticks a pen in my hand and starts talking real fast. I can only catch a word here and there like, imperative, procedure, artery, cut and die. After looking over at Kathie who is sobbing quietly and being comforted by a Priest who was holding a book entitled "Manual for the Administration of the Last Rights," I signed the papers and asked for another piece of candy.
The rest was uneventful but I do remember telling the VERY pretty young nurse who was going to prep me; they get to the heart through a hole they cut in the artery in your groin by the way, anyway I told her that if I'd known she was going to prep me I'd of had a penile implant done first... I'm sure she said something like I didn't need one or something like that.
All in all this is a life changing experience. But at least you still have a life to change!
