THB Enjoys Life in E-ville

QOTD

One of these days,

I’m gonna sit down

And write a long letter

To all the good friends I’ve known

One of these days,

One of these days,

One of these days,

And it won’t be long, it won’t be long

(well, unfortunately, since it’s THB, it probably will be a very long letter)

More Department of Clarification clarifications:

1.    Here’s the big one: THB got the stuff the doc told us wrong, twice! Wasn’t angioplasty vs angiogram. Blood work logic was different. Bring someone with you to the big meetings!

2.    It was a Physician’s Assistant that came in on the morning after the operation to go over with us what happened (the report of the operation was already on-line and she referred to it on a screen in the room) and next steps. THB is finding out that this is a new growing position, with almost-docs taking on this role (need a lot of training to do it well since there are lots of medical questions to be answered). Actually very helpful! Not the same thing as the computer jocks (i.e., “stenographer”) that some docs are bringing into the examination room with them now.

3.    It is Brilinta, not Brilantia (nor Brilliant, nor Lifeofbrian)

 

Even after showering, THB can see he is foot-marked

First off, THB would like to reiterate the following:

1.    The revelation stands (for those of you of a certain age): if you start to feel unusual pain and it persists, call 911.

2.    If you don’t call 911 and someone close to you suggests that you should call, make the call.

3.    If you’re having chest pains, don’t be surprised to be treated for heartburn/indigestion since that is by far the most likely cause. Ask if you should have a stress echo test. Then, if you don’t hear a “yes,” demand a stress echo test.

4.    Have someone with you when you’re hearing distressing personal news. THB got the main points of discussion with the doc (even the day after the surgery, when THB was supposedly feeling cured) wrong. DB caught it right away when reading the second posting (see comments above as a proof statement).

5.    More to the point of Travels of THB, the blog is fiction and much of what THB writes about is impressionistic, there ain’t what you might generously call “fact checking” going on, neither while the events are taking place nor afterwards.

 

As predicted, THB is exhibiting his bruises

Now some quotes from the report:

-        Description of Procedure: …bivalirudin was initiated and a 6-French R4 guide was advanced to the right coronary ostium through which a 0.014 inch BMW wire was advanced to the right coronary artery. Over this, a 2.5 x 15-mm balloon was advanced to the area of stenosis and inflated 8 atmospheres for 30 seconds and withdrawn and then a 2.75 x 15 mm Xience stent was deployed at 14 atmospheres…Angiograms revealed an excellent result…

-        Coronary angiography: There is a right dominant system. The left main is free of disease and branches into an LAD and circumflex. The LAD has no significant disease….there is a 90% plus stenosis with intraluminal filling defects

-        Ventriculography: In the RAQ projection, there is inferobasal hypokinesis. The ejection fraction calculates at 57%

-        Intervention: Prior to intervention, there is a 90% stenosis. Following intervention, there is no residual stenosis.

So, now THB can say he owns a BMW that he drives around all the time, and he is keeping his appreciation for all things French close to his heart (sorry, very bad pun). THB also totally rejects being right dominant. C’mon! Really? As for the RAQ projection, THB is going to dig out his old Bill James abstracts and see what the master-sabremetrician has to say about it. Something tells THB that if it was that important, he would’ve at least read about it in Money Ball.

Finally: THB does appreciate all the follow-up notes, calls and comments. It is amazing to look back on the last month and realize how many fun things THB did (not just the meals, several more of which THB forgot to mention), often with friends. Unusual? A bit because of the big b’day festivities. On other hand, not so much, it is nice to have such a varied and entertaining group of friends.