How it all started Part 2

Ok Guys so let’s jump back into where we left off! So, we are at July 7, 2023 JHH for the Cardiac Angiogram or Cardiac Catherization, this is the test that happens while you are still awake…. SMH!  Yes, I said it still awake… you are given a twilight anesthetic so the surgeons are still able to talk to you… but I had to remain very still because my arm is strapped to the procedure table and a very thin catheter being inserted in one of two places…. Either in the right wrist artery (which is where mine was inserted) or the left groin artery.  So yall know I am jive listening to the surgeons talk through the meds LOL!  I tell them hey guys I can feel a little pressure and they tell the anesthesiologist to give me more.  So, now I’m feeling a little dizzier but still trying to ear hustle and find out what’s going on.  One of the nurses ask me am I ok and I said sure I’m good.  So, the surgeons said you are almost done we are starting to remove the catheter, all the pictures and scans have been taken so I say to the surgeons, “ok guys so what we doing a stint or two”?  I get a very swift NO and we will talk to you in recovery.  So, I got quiet and said Oh Boy!  While in recovery the surgeons said to me it was revealed that severe triple-vessel coronary artery disease, with 100% chronic total occlusion of the mid left anterior descending artery, mid left circumflex with 80% stenosis, ostial to proximal obtuse marginal 1 with 60% stenosis, and right posterior descending artery with ostial 95% stenosis. Okay that was everything in medical terms but in plain text all three of my major cardiac arteries were blocked one 100%, one 80%, and one 60%.... basically, I’m barely getting any blood through this body. The surgeons told me you have been referred for surgical revascularization.  I was told to go home and rest, do little or nothing going forward.  Very little driving, walking, working, and no exertion at all.  So, I was still trying to process all that has happened in my mind and things still seemed to be a little foggy…. Well after leaving the hospital I received a call from my surgeon’s office. His nurse Megan called to get me set up for the surgery.  Let me just say that Megan was the best of the best!  She was so sweet and helped me with everything I needed to be properly ready for surgery. She immediately did paperwork for my job to prepare for my long-term sick leave as I would be out of work for 6 months, after this call with her she set up a meeting with Dr. Aziz (my surgeon) myself, my aunt, and my mom.  When I tell you, he came in the exam room and he took me through this situation from top to bottom!  He explained how the blockages happened, he taught me about the dangers of my A1C being a 13 for long periods of time, which means the blood sugar readings were between 300-400 or higher!  And I had the nerve to try and brag and say well I got it down to a 11…. SMH!  Whoop-D-Do was the look he gave me.   LOL!!  So, I said okay Doc I got it I must do better than what I’m doing. He looked me in the eyes and he said this to me,” Errica I can fix this problem but you have to get the blood sugars under control, loose some weight, exercise, and eat to live or you will be back here with the same problem if not worst”.  I sat there on that exam table and my mom and my auntie were taking notes like crazy.  He showed me the pictures of my heart from the stress test and explained everything to me that he was going to do, he told me that he was going to remove the artery from my lower left arm, my right thigh, and from my thoracic area or my chest.  He also explained to me that the surgery would take about 12 hours. 6 hours for the procedure and 6 hours in recovery, he also explained that my lungs and my heart will be shut down and I will be on basically the life support assistance machine until my sternum is closed and the process to wake me up from anesthesia.  After this meeting I was much more informed about what was about to happen to me. Dr. Aziz informed me that he was leaving for vacation on the next day but my surgery has been scheduled for August 2, 2023 and I will need to be at the hospital at 4 am as I am the first patient on the list for surgery. He also told me to go home and continue to take it easy, if I have any issues like a heart attack, stroke, or anything out of the ordinary call 911 and have them bring me to JHH. This was July 11, 2023 so that means I have about 21 days prior to surgery. As I went home and prepared for bed that night I began to have a conversation with God and I said to Him “ok God what’s going on here?”  I heard the voice of Holy Spirit say to me, “By my stripes you are healed…(1Peter 2:24) Now endure the process”.   Guys the activities that transpire in the next 10 days prior to surgery are going to cause your mouth to fall open and make you say WTW!  Now let me say I was beginning to move pretty slow but I didn’t know that I was moving slow, I thought I was moving at my normal pace; however, I was pretty tired all the time in the morning when I got out of bed I was tired, I was taking naps throughout the day because I was exhausted and didn’t realize it.  I had no idea how close I was to death, BUT GOD! 

It was nothing but the Grace of God that kept me alive through this entire ordeal.  Now as we ended the convo last week do me a favor and put your hands on your chest and tell me How’s your Heart?