My Thanksgiving Holiday began with me experiencing my very first heart attack yesterday morning. No Joke...
I woke up feeling good and went through my normal morning routine, washing, bathrooming, shaving, dressing, etc., and then suddenly, I felt a bit of heartburn. I was gassy, and started burping and farting. Then, I broke into a cold-sweat, and started aching all over my body. My energy dissipated, and I considered going back to bed. My wife woke up and I told her how I suddenly felt terrible, and she asked me if I wanted her to call an ambulance. I told her to instead see if our Family Practitioner could fit me in (a possible heart attack didn't come to my mind at that time). We went to see Dr. David Smith, and he recommended we take me to an ER to get checked out (he told us we could probably drive me to the hospital faster than waiting for an ambulance to come to his clinic).
We chose West Florida Hospital--No way am I ever going back to Sacred Heart after spending 10 days in that place in December of 2008. The ER waiting room at WFH was empty, and they took me right in. They did an EKG and took a blood test, and then came in and told me I had experienced a heart attack, and that it was actually still underway. A cardiologist, Dr. Micheleanne Celigoj, came down to see me, and orderd I be immediately admitted and taken to their Cath Lab. They entered an artery in my groin and took a look at my heart, and found that the right-hand main coronary artery to my heart was 99.9% blocked. She did a balloon angioplasty on that artery and inserted a stent, and then kept me overnight. They told me they were going to keep me for 72 hours, but then Dr. Celigoj came to see me this morning, and said I could be released this afternoon.
So, I got home about an hour ago; just in time to have a late Thanksgiving Dinner.
So, I guess I need to ad cardiac issues to the other health issues I have (the ones I haven't really talked about here-but I thought I would share this incident with you).
I feel good. One thing I noticed right away, I am not so cold in the house, it seems (I am always cold--been that way for several years).
And West Florida is a first rate hospital. Professionals all. I will never, ever, allow anyone in my family to be admitted to Sacred Heart--the differences between the institutions are vast.
I woke up feeling good and went through my normal morning routine, washing, bathrooming, shaving, dressing, etc., and then suddenly, I felt a bit of heartburn. I was gassy, and started burping and farting. Then, I broke into a cold-sweat, and started aching all over my body. My energy dissipated, and I considered going back to bed. My wife woke up and I told her how I suddenly felt terrible, and she asked me if I wanted her to call an ambulance. I told her to instead see if our Family Practitioner could fit me in (a possible heart attack didn't come to my mind at that time). We went to see Dr. David Smith, and he recommended we take me to an ER to get checked out (he told us we could probably drive me to the hospital faster than waiting for an ambulance to come to his clinic).
We chose West Florida Hospital--No way am I ever going back to Sacred Heart after spending 10 days in that place in December of 2008. The ER waiting room at WFH was empty, and they took me right in. They did an EKG and took a blood test, and then came in and told me I had experienced a heart attack, and that it was actually still underway. A cardiologist, Dr. Micheleanne Celigoj, came down to see me, and orderd I be immediately admitted and taken to their Cath Lab. They entered an artery in my groin and took a look at my heart, and found that the right-hand main coronary artery to my heart was 99.9% blocked. She did a balloon angioplasty on that artery and inserted a stent, and then kept me overnight. They told me they were going to keep me for 72 hours, but then Dr. Celigoj came to see me this morning, and said I could be released this afternoon.
So, I got home about an hour ago; just in time to have a late Thanksgiving Dinner.
So, I guess I need to ad cardiac issues to the other health issues I have (the ones I haven't really talked about here-but I thought I would share this incident with you).
I feel good. One thing I noticed right away, I am not so cold in the house, it seems (I am always cold--been that way for several years).
And West Florida is a first rate hospital. Professionals all. I will never, ever, allow anyone in my family to be admitted to Sacred Heart--the differences between the institutions are vast.