This title is a reference to a book from back in the 1980's written by Atlanta writer comedian, and Georgia Dawg fan Louis Grizzard. The true title is "they yanked my heart our and stomped that sucker flat". It was a book Grizzard wrote after having a value in his heart replaced with a pig value...from a pig he said was named Jerome. Anyways, now I understand what he meant by that title. Here is my story:
For years I have had to deal with high cholestral and blood pressure. It is just a running theme in my family...from both sides. I'm 52 right now and have been on blood pressure meds since I was around 27. Yes, I have had some pains in my chest through the years, but what's another pain...right? So, back in July of 2021 I received the gift of COVID which really kicked my tail. I spent months trying to get my breath back and to this day I still do not smell most things (which may not be bad considering I live in a house of boys). Continue on til fall of '22 and I'm still not myself when it comes to breathing so my Dr. and I decide to start running test. Heart EKG showed some stuff that made the doctor refer me to a cardiologist. I chose to use Asheville Cardiologist because my father has been with them form 30 years and they are good folks. Before Christmas my loving wife and I went to Asheville to have them do an Echo Cardiogram and a stress test. Well, we never go to the stress test because the echo showed my heart was too damaged from prior heart attacks. Again, I had felt some pains and twitches and shortness of breath...but a heart attack? Nah. This lead us to schedule for a heart cath. 10 years ago, for my birthday, I had a heart cath done and my heart looked like it should for a 42/43 year old. So we went on January 5th at real early in the morning for my cath. This is where the fun really began.
Just a note here, January 4th marks the date that my brother passed away from liver failure, in Asheville's Mission Hospital, just a few years ago. So here I was having test run in the same hospital, the thought was there. We have the cath done early in the morning and then we wait for the results. Basically I was told that I needed by-pass surgery, on 3-4 arteries. However, somebody in the hospital wanted me to return home and wait for an appointment at the end of the month to discuss further action. That didn't set well with my wife or myself because I already had 1-2 total blockages and 2 other near total blockages. Add that with the thought that we live over 2 hours away from this hospital and my local one would want to fly me to Chattanooga, where they don't know me. It is my understanding that some of the doctors and nursed went to bat for at this point and we ended up scheduling the surgery for around 2ish the next day, Jan 6. At around 10:45 they came to get me and started prepping me for surgery, which means shaving me from my neck to my feet and getting a bunch of IV's started. Somewhere around this time I went to sleep to only wake up late that night in an ICU room with tubes coming out more holes than I had to start with.
From this point it is just about learning to cough or breath without moving your chest, walk with a bunch of tubes hanging out of you, and dragging a rolling tent pole that only wanted to beep at me. A few days, 5 actually, and I got to go home. Being at home is the only way to feel better and now I was. I'm 4 weeks out and doing ok. It's interesting think that they split my chest bone in half and then put it back together with thin fence wire. I know I am blessed beyond measure to have many friends and family to have been praying for me. I would not be where I am now without a wonderful wife. And most importantly, God has brought me through because He has more for me to do.
I'll write more about this wild experience as time goes on.
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