Frank Fusco
Member
- Messages
- 12,791
- Location
- Mountain Home, Arkansas
Family, it has been a rough road and I have not reached end yet. But, today I was discharged from the hospital and am home. For those who may not know, I hade a quintipule (that's 5) artery by-pass. This is a chest opening and heat stopping procedure. As surgeries go this ranks as major-major serious.
My heart history previously was, I had no heart history.
OK, in the hopes it will help others, here is my story:
Friday night I was getting ready for bed and anticipating a meeting the next day almost 3 hours driving from my home. As I was doing this I suddenly got an overwhelming urge to close my eyes and go to sleep. Plus I was sweating profusley and had a small amount of chest tightness. But there was no pain and I was breathing OK. So, I went to bed.
The next day I fet fine, got up and went to the day long meeting plus the six hours driving.
That night as I was undressing I got some sharp pain on the left side of my chest, not a lot but some. I also had pain down my right arm. This was enought to tell me I needed checking out. Our daughter was visiting and I had her take me to ER.
That is where it started. We are fortunate to have a great heart surgeon in my town. He did what was needed.
However, when I woke up in CICU and the nurses tried to walk me this was the worst experience of my life. I never have felt more helpless or weak. I honestly felt like if this was to be my life I wished they had let me die. But, they were great nurses and encouraged me to do what was necessary. Each day there was small improvement and some of my strength came back.
So three weeks later, I'm home. I'm restricted to what I can life (no shop time) but improvement is expected daily. They say it will be a minimum of eight weeks for full recovery. I'm hopeful.
Those of you who contacted me contributed greatly to me recovery. The friendship and well wishes had a profound effect on my spirits. Better than any pills any time. Thank you.
My heart history previously was, I had no heart history.
OK, in the hopes it will help others, here is my story:
Friday night I was getting ready for bed and anticipating a meeting the next day almost 3 hours driving from my home. As I was doing this I suddenly got an overwhelming urge to close my eyes and go to sleep. Plus I was sweating profusley and had a small amount of chest tightness. But there was no pain and I was breathing OK. So, I went to bed.
The next day I fet fine, got up and went to the day long meeting plus the six hours driving.
That night as I was undressing I got some sharp pain on the left side of my chest, not a lot but some. I also had pain down my right arm. This was enought to tell me I needed checking out. Our daughter was visiting and I had her take me to ER.
That is where it started. We are fortunate to have a great heart surgeon in my town. He did what was needed.
However, when I woke up in CICU and the nurses tried to walk me this was the worst experience of my life. I never have felt more helpless or weak. I honestly felt like if this was to be my life I wished they had let me die. But, they were great nurses and encouraged me to do what was necessary. Each day there was small improvement and some of my strength came back.
So three weeks later, I'm home. I'm restricted to what I can life (no shop time) but improvement is expected daily. They say it will be a minimum of eight weeks for full recovery. I'm hopeful.
Those of you who contacted me contributed greatly to me recovery. The friendship and well wishes had a profound effect on my spirits. Better than any pills any time. Thank you.