PSA - Not Sure? Err on the Side of Caution and Go to the Doctor

[#41]

1250 miles form home last week my normal upper back pain that I have experienced on and off since forever ago was unusually worse than typical. It got worse when I took an evening walk. I contemplated between 1) toughing it and driving home, or 2) seeing an unfamiliar doctor to get what usually turns out to be a muscle relaxer prescription. I concluded that seeing the doctor before I hit the road was the smarter move, so I went to the ER thinking I would walk away with a prescription.

Short of the story... I ended up getting two stents for 90% heart artery blockages. This is despite that I do not smoke, drink much, last BP was 114/70, have no family history of heart issues, and even though I am +35 lbs, I am fairly active. I was shocked, to say the least. Apparently my conception that you would feel something like this coming over a longer period of time are false. Hell, I took a four mile hike straight up the switch-back logging roads to the top of the hill the week before!

The doc called these "widow-makers", and said that not all people experience these issues the same way. So, my PSA, in hope it may help someone else is:

>>> If it does not feel right, go to the doctor. Yes, it might be nothing and inconvenient, but it could save your life <<<

 

[Kern Dog]

Good for you, man. You dodged a bullet there.

 

[Dennis H]

Keep the Nitro handy. Back should not associate with Stent. I too have Stents and back issues. My back went out in Vegas at MATS. I drove home. The 300C drivers seat was the saving grace that time. And a couple of IB 500’s.

 

[The Rebel]

Phew that's some scary stuff, good thing you went to see the DR that was a smart move.

Glad to hear you're on the mend.

 

[Fran Blacker]

1250 miles form home last week my normal upper back pain that I have experienced on and off since forever ago was unusually worse than typical. It got worse when I took an evening walk. I contemplated between 1) toughing it and driving home, or 2) seeing an unfamiliar doctor to get what usually turns out to be a muscle relaxer prescription. I concluded that seeing the doctor before I hit the road was the smarter move, so I went to the ER thinking I would walk away with a prescription.

Short of the story... I ended up getting two stents for 90% heart artery blockages. This is despite that I do not smoke, drink much, last BP was 114/70, have no family history of heart issues, and even though I am +35 lbs, I am fairly active. I was shocked, to say the least. Apparently my conception that you would feel something like this coming over a longer period of time are false. Hell, I took a four mile hike straight up the switch-back logging roads to the top of the hill the week before!

The doc called these "widow-makers", and said that not all people experience these issues the same way. So, my PSA, in hope it may help someone else is:

>>> If it does not feel right, go to the doctor. Yes, it might be nothing and inconvenient, but it could save your life <<<

Glad your OK! I'd wonder why your regular Doc didn't catch it?

 

[1967coronet]

Glad you got checked out and they caught it in time.
That stuff scares me im not afraid to admit. Family history has made me run a few tread mill tests and i do take BP meds, my last test i went 9 minutes and got my rate to 160, pulse and bp came back to normal in their time frame. Passed each one but like you hiking the week before who knows ?
Glad your ok.
.

 

[#41]

Glad your OK! I'd wonder why your regular Doc didn't catch it?

That's just it. Ideal blood pressure, no family history, and not being aware of, or communicating any symptoms before hand. If I had not gone in based on this ONE occasion, I might not be here to tell the story.

Take care all!

 

[1967coronet]

That's just it. Ideal blood pressure, no family history, and not being aware of, or communicating any symptoms before hand. If I had not gone in based on this ONE occasion, I might not be here to tell the story.

Take care all!

What lead that dr. To do the angioplasty the back pains alone or were there other things going on ?

 

[Nutso]

I’m glad they found it! Good advice for sure, I have a friend in another forum who has a similar experience. He wasn’t feeling well, weak, tired, etc. so he went to the doctor and after analysis and tests, subsequently had two stints put in his arteries. He was a healthy weight, eats right, exercises, etc. You never know. Get well soon.

 

[Richard Cranium]

1250 miles form home last week my normal upper back pain that I have experienced on and off since forever ago was unusually worse than typical. It got worse when I took an evening walk. I contemplated between 1) toughing it and driving home, or 2) seeing an unfamiliar doctor to get what usually turns out to be a muscle relaxer prescription. I concluded that seeing the doctor before I hit the road was the smarter move, so I went to the ER thinking I would walk away with a prescription.

Short of the story... I ended up getting two stents for 90% heart artery blockages. This is despite that I do not smoke, drink much, last BP was 114/70, have no family history of heart issues, and even though I am +35 lbs, I am fairly active. I was shocked, to say the least. Apparently my conception that you would feel something like this coming over a longer period of time are false. Hell, I took a four mile hike straight up the switch-back logging roads to the top of the hill the week before!

The doc called these "widow-makers", and said that not all people experience these issues the same way. So, my PSA, in hope it may help someone else is:

>>> If it does not feel right, go to the doctor. Yes, it might be nothing and inconvenient, but it could save your life <<<

I’m glad you had the sense to go and get checked out. If I may ask, have you ever had a stress test?

 

[#41]

What lead that dr. To do the angioplasty the back pains alone or were there other things going on ?

I have had upper back issues for years and years. The bottom line is that I thought it was the same-old same-old until it got worse than usual and started to spread outward. That's what prompted me to go in. The docs tested my blood immediately and it came back with a marker indicating heart stress.

 

[Dennis H]

Had mine at 66. Similar numbers. Heart Dr quick to remind me “Stents aren’t forever.
Happened at work. Went home and laid in bed for 18 hours like a fool with pain similar to indigestion. Lucky to be alive. Pretty sure next will be last. In lieu of nursing home though.

 

[Budnicks]

My dad some 8-ish years ago now, was constantly burping
refused whan asked him to go get checked out &
it's not normal to burp like that for days
& it's gross too...
He wrote it off to the (32ozs in denial) booze that he drank daily
for 60 years, or the food, he had eaten, to indigestion...

I got him to cancel his RV trip, no easy task & go get checked out,
he did reluctantly...
And while at the General Partitioner, his personal internist/Dr.
he was having a cardiogram, part of the exam/check up
& he was having a heart ache, a real heart attack
right then & there & he said;
"he didn't feel anything 'allegedly' wrong"...

The nurse came out & told me, (they called it widow maker event also)
& they sent US to the ER right the next building over, post haste...

They admitted him, did a bunch of tests, blood & lungs
& had him hooked up everywhere
& he was going to have a stent, sent us down to
Dr.s Hospital Modesto some 75+ miles down & in the valley...

His arteries were so damn hard they couldn't, get it (stent) in
attempted & went in thru the main artery by the crotch...
Failed twice...
Then they scheduled him for a quadruple bypass, 7 days later
Dr. Lui in Modesto, Dr's hospital also,
12 hrs in surgery, 4 way bypass & a pigs valve,
7 days in ICU keeping him sedated, the whole time under
going thru nasty alcohol detox, just so he wouldn't tear out the stitches & staples
from the shakes, he was having from the alcohol withdrawals
it was nasty to see, convulsing & unconscious...

But he came thru (he was 81-82)
He ended up, went to rehab for 6 months after that,
Avolan (spell) Center up here
rset & recover, with nurses taking care of him 24 7
& to learn to eat, walk & somewhat talk again, get his strength back
all from the 7 days of being under sedation, to keep him under,
it took it's toll, bigtime...

He will be 89 Feb. 12th, he's skinny as hell, bent over 130#s now,
eats like a bird
I try to get him to eat more, he just won't
(I'm 6'+ 250+, we eat well, he just doesn't have an appetite now)
still walks around & can still drive (I'd rather he not, but it's his freedom)
He was 5'8" 180#s org. when all this started, he was in decent shape for an 'old dude'
(except the alcohol abuse) not a big guy, not fat, not skinny...
But he's still alive & kickin', stubborn as he ever was...
Heart is strong, the rest not so much...

don't be a Harvey, in denial

 

[wahya]

PSA. I was thinking a different direction.

 

[Skytrooper]

Wow ! You made a great choice !

 

[b-body-bob]

A PSA about PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) - be sure to get yours checked after a certain age (PSA screening age varies by risk, with general recommendations starting conversations around 50 for average-risk men, 45 for Black men or those with family history, and 40 for those with very high risk)

I was getting a routine blood draw and the lady at registration recommended I have my PSA checked due to my age (over 60). It turned out that mine wasn't real high, but it was in the watch zone and kept increasing over a year, so an MRI and then a biopsy was ordered, which led to 52 radiation treatments to kill it. It's been over a year since that ended and so far, it's gone.

Don't sleep on this. It's cheap, pain-free, and could save your life.

If you're around my age, you probably remember Ryne Sandberg playing for the Cubs. Prostate cancer took just a little over a year to kill him. If they'd found it a year or more sooner, he might be alive today.
What Ryne Sandberg’s Story Reminds Us About Prostate Cancer | Cancer News

 

[BigFlo]

PSA #3.
Get a calcium score CT scan. It costs around $100 in NJ. Health insurance doesn’t cover it (at least it didn’t when I did it a year ago) but that’s cheap insurance. You’re in and out, literally in a couple of minutes.

A calcium score test (or coronary artery calcium scan) is a quick, non-invasive CT scan that measures calcified plaque in your heart's arteries to assess your risk for a heart attack, revealing early signs of coronary artery disease (CAD) before symptoms appear, with results scored from 0 (no risk) to 300+ (high risk), guiding your doctor on lifestyle changes or medication.

 

[maxwedgechar]

Last January I got a CT scan. They didn't like what they saw. I got a scan with contrast, they didn't like what they saw. I got a Cardiac Cath to get a stent BUT THEY LIKED WHAT THEY SAW! I was 50% clogged and you need to be 70% for a stent and I with my diet and my meds I may never get there!

 

[dart4forte]

when I had the episode in 2017 my wife drove me to the hospital. My cardiologist politely chewed my ***, insisted next time take the ambulance ride. When I had the heart attack in 2024 I took them up on the ambulance ride. That ended with me getting three stents.