Angioplast-me
 

So I went in for a stress test last month. I had one two years ago with no issue. This time, they found that there might be an issue.

The plan is for me to get a catherterization. If they find an issue, they do the angioplasty and I spend an extra day in the hospital.

My issue is that the specialist is in Delaware and I'm in PA. It turns out the hospital choices are Christiana down in south DE, and Saint Francis, which is nearer to PA. If there is a complication, I will be half a state away from my family.

The issue is that, while Delaware doesn't do medical report cards, their are third party rating agencies. Healthgrades gave St. Francis 1 star instead of the normal 3. So, unless I switch doctors and run around trying to get a better choice, I can be far away from home or wonder at what went in to the hospital only getting one star. It could be that they have a large percentage of elderly patients, inmates, or people in poor health.

Does St. Francis agree with Health Grades? They do when the report is good. Look at this press release for areas of care where they got a good report.

It's a tough call for me. The hospital is not some pit. They do good work in many areas. I'm just not sure about the numbers behind the grade.

Is there anything preventing you from changing to a doctor who has privileges at a more convenient, well-rated hospital? Lots of good heart guys out there.

Yes, but that would delay everything. The practice I'm dealing with is the one who has my history, even though the doctor doing the surgery is not the one who I've seen.

Also, the best hospital for this would probably be Einstein, which is also pretty far. Everyone tells me this procedure is almost routine now.

I've been juggling things around to figure out what's best for me, my family, even my employer. Being closer to home adds to my comfort level. The 1 star hospital rating does not.

Good luck Rich. I'm sorry I don't have any special knowlege for you.

Good luck, Rich.

I would strongly recommend Christiana over St. Francis any day! There is absolutely no comparison. I have personally been to both and St. Francis is as old and outdated as they come. Christiana is a far better facility and all the best Docs are there and its really not that much further away. It certainly isn't in southern DE its about 20 minutes past St. Francis at most. PM me if you want more info.

I wish you the best of luck either way.

Good luck Rich. Let us know how you get on.

The wife and I send our best wishes and good vibes.

That's a tough one, Rich. I wish I had some advice for you; all I can say is that LARGE teaching hospitals in LARGE cities are almost always a better choice than a Nowhere's-ville place. If I have a serious health issue, I go to Cincinnati for care. They are more aggressive, more cutting edge than any Dayton doc or hospital.

Best of luck to you. Prayers.

I have rebooked my surgery to Christiana, which is a much larger hospital.

I concur 1000% Very wise choice, but then I expected nothing less from you.

Having been through this several times with my mom ... ONLY GO FOR THE BEST. Also, you don't want a cath anywhere that they don't have a full cardiothoracic surgical suite.

If at all possible, try to get booked into the Cath Lab at UPenn/Presbyterian.

I recommend Dr. Bradford Lin if you can specify. Awesome man. Phenomenal doctor. He's done my mom's cath twice (out of a total of three or four, we've lost count).

The only downside is that they charge through the nose for parking, but for Philadelphia, it's easy to get to, the campus is a kind of enclosed courtyard so it's hardly like being in the city. The staff were courteous, the facility nice, and everything is top of the line, state of the art, and other encouraging words.

Good luck. My thoughts are with you. I am sure you will come out of it fine.

Thanks for the support, everyone. I have switched to Christiana. Everything appears to be good to go, and I am scheduled in a few weeks.

Hey rich, lemme know when your there and I'll sneak in some burgers & fries and cigars - perhaps even a beer or 2.

Good vibes your way Rich.

Keep us posted.

I'm back. They did the catheterization but did not have to put in a stent. It appears the stress test results were faulty and I do not have a blockage. This is good and bad news since I was hoping that my lack of energy would be explained away and fixed by a stent.

Still, I have a hole in my groin and a shaved pubic area. I'm under restrictions for the next few days so that I cannot carry anything or drive.

I had to take Monday off since it would not be a good thing to start bleeding out at my desk if the wound site popped.

Rich, I'm glad you made it through okay. All in all, it's good that there was no blockage. I hope your recovery goes smoothly.

I hope you figure out what's really going on.

COOKIE!

Take it easy while you recover.

Glad to hear your ticker is ticking well. Get checked for anemia, sleep apnea, and talk to your doctor about vitamins.

Oh, I like the sleep apnea idea, wolf. Rich, have you done a sleep study?

No, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had it. I also get tired with even moderate activity, beyond what I think my age and weight would account for.

see if you can get your doc to approve the sleep study, Rich. I know loads of people who do the apnea thing----once they get a normal sleep going, their energy goes right up.

Great news Rich, Glad to hear things are working out. Hope your recovery goes well.

My ex HM insisted I had apnea, despite me not fitting any of the criteria for it, until I told him how many times I'd have to stop breathing a night before it could be classified as apnea. He was basing it on the fact that before I fall asleep I often stop breathing for a couple of seconds and then gasp the air in. This might happen twice in one night then not again for a week. Bless him - lovely man but too fond of immediate diagnosis (he told me he thought my cats were deaf... because they didn't react to him playing the guitar).

Anyway, saying that, a 50 yo friend of mine was diagnosed with quite severe apnea and the treatment (and consequential change of habits) made him feel 15 years younger - at least he said he hadn't felt so good since he was my age. I'm sure he'd been prematurely aged by it in terms of energy etc, but hey - who wouldn't jump at the chance of taking 15 years off?!!

I had a bit of trouble today. I found a noticeable lump above the site. A little swelling is to be expected 5 days after, but this seemed larger.

They called me in for an ultrasound and everything is ok. Some Acetaminophen and rest made things better.

BTW, the one thing you never want to hear anyone say during a surgical procedure is 'oh shit'. When they tried to close the hole, they were unable to put in a 'boomerang' and had to apply pressure for 20 minutes to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, with the anesthetic, this only seemed to be about 2 minutes.

I think the squeezing, more than the catheterization, is why I have been sore and walking with a slight limp the past few days.

Rich, I had an angioplasty when I was 9... I vividly remember the grogginess and the forced inactivity for a few days after. I'm glad everything went ok for you and that there was no blockage! Heal quickly and well... thoughts, prayers, and good vibes your way :)

Glad to hear you are on the mend! :D