Heart Surgery Time, Part the First
Well, I have problems with my heart. I found out late last year that I had an abnormality in my EKG, which we take regularly because of a medication’s effect on heart rhythm. Because of our current COVID-19 crisis, I was unable to follow up on that until July, when I scheduled a transthoracic echo-cardiogram and a visit to my cardiologist, Dr. David Sternheim.
I might mention that Elmhurst Hospital Center, at which I get my primary medical care in the I.D. Clinic, was the “epicenter of the epicenter”. They were slammed by the COVID-19 crisis, taking more than their share of critically ill patients. By mid-April, the entire hospital was devoted to taking care of COVID-19 patients. I had to reschedule appointments, cancelled during this time, and some of my appointments were (and are still) moved to telephone consultations. Fortunately, by the middle of June Elmhurst was able to resume some sense of normalcy. My heart goes out to all who lived through that crisis, taking care of so many who came down with COVID-19. I did what I could to support the health professionals with encouraging words and some humor as well.
However, I resumed my regular care at Elmhurst, and rescheduled (among many other appointments) the echocardiogram — a type of ultrasound.
On the ultrasound, the "apex" of the heart (bottom of left ventricle) showed that it was not functioning properly. After discussion, Dr. Sternheim and I concluded that it was probably a "silent" coronary event, which occurred some months before the EKG that showed an abnormal heart rhythm. I can still do moderately vigorous exercise; he told me "just don't push it". That, in itself, is encouraging.
I’ll be having cardiac catheterization/angiogram, during which a dye will be injected to show blood flow through my coronary arteries and into the smaller vessels. It’s possible that I’ll also have a stent or two or more inserted to widen a partially blocked coronary artery. The wait won’t be too long — just a couple of weeks.
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