Dave,
The TEE is the gold standard to determine if your truly have an ASD. About 3.5 years ago I had an ASD closed using an Amplatzer closure device. The important thing is that they've found your condition prior to any long term problems. Get it taken care of and you should be back better than ever for the Bay swim next year. Good luck.
Dave, you might consider changing your picture on this thread.
It almost looks like you're glancing wistfully towards the other side, where Don Ameche and the rest of them have flown off to rejuvenate...
Maybe something with a bow tie and a thumb's up?
Dave,
The TEE is the gold standard to determine if your truly have an ASD. About 3.5 years ago I had an ASD closed using an Amplatzer closure device. The important thing is that they've found your condition prior to any long term problems. Get it taken care of and you should be back better than ever for the Bay swim next year. Good luck.
thanks ken.
i like the sound of that "better than ever" part.
well, today was cardio cath day at st. peters in albany.... not a day i was looking forward to, but everyone kept reassuring me that the procedure was painless; and for the most part... it was. i spent last night reading the lit that the hospital sent me about the cath and the types of hardware (stents) that seemed likely to be joined with my anatomy. needless to say; there was very little sleeping to be had by yours truly.
alarm goes off at 6:00 and we are on the road at 6:30. (my sis-in-law is a speed demon so we arrive 1/2 hour early). sign papers - hospital gown and silly socks with grippy bottoms - check vitals - I V drip - off we go to the cath lab holding area. i booked the second appointment of the day (i figure the doc will get warmed up on someone else) its cold in here but being the "non wetsuit" type i choose to tuff it out sans the blankets that are being offered every twenty seconds.
my turn in the lab. some happy juice is injected into my IV... some shaving (hey be careful down there)... and now some blankets that feel like they just came out of the dryer. there is a monitor near my head so i can watch the cath as it pokes around my heart. its true, no pain, no discomfort.
good news, you could drive a truck through my arteries, so, no hardware necessary. i'll be going home tonight....all i have to do is clot!
about 1 1/2 hours post op, i pop my clot while reaching for a pot to piss in... damn i sure can bleed. a nurse is alerted and applies a vulcan death pinch to my groin that she holds for twenty minutes. (thats going to leave a mark) now on top of a hematoma the size of a regulation volley ball a 10 pound sand bag is placed (new dressing of course) only three more hours of lying here.
well, it hurts like hell when i walk but i'm happy about the clear arteries.
i will have a talk with my cardiologist tomorrow. i suspect a TEE will be prescribed for me before the bruise in my groin disappears.
