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Author Topic: I'm still alive too..but had a close call... Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 04-04-2008 01:17 AM                     Hi everyone, hope all of you are doing well... I haven't been around for a while for a few reasons...but last August I almost checked out for good. I had finally gotten another motocross bike, and went for my first ride in 14(!) years on August 11th. I did pretty good, but had problems with my left boot being tighter than my right. For several days after, my left calf hurt, which I chalked up to being out of shape and not stretching properly before my ride. On the 18th of August I was working in my garage and suddenly felt a weird sensation in my chest, first on the left and then the right, for a few seconds on each side. I thought it was a heart issue, but I had no other symptoms and actually felt quite o.k. afterwards. But on the 22nd, I was at work when my left calf suddenly felt like someone had stuck a knife in it...so I went home, and almost passed out going up the stairs to my apt. As I was getting my dinner, my cat was acting weird and staying right next to my left leg. I ate dinner and started feeling worse, so I asked my neighbor to take me to the hospital. The ER docs checked me out, and within a half hour of my arrival, sent me to CAT scan and Ultrasound. They found a major blood clot in my left calf (DVT) and clots in BOTH lungs (Double PE). After the tests, the doctor had me admitted for a few days, I was on Heparin and Lovenox, and am currently taking blood thinners. The doc said had I not come in when I did I would have been dead within the hour. Well, other than a few follow-up trips to ER (once I couldn't breathe again, turned out to simply be a panic attack) I am doing o.k., but still not out of danger. And I am still riding my mx bike (See the pic below, Brad, can we please set this as my new profile pic?))which actually helps make me feel better, even though the docs still freak out about it. I am still doing screening rooms and sound systems, I now have a CP-65-70 for my home room again, and am getting good at writing AMX system code. I did miss all of you and am glad to be back.. looking forward to learning more here too!!  |  IP: Logged Jeff Stricker Master Film Handler Posts: 481 From: Calumet, Mi USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 04-04-2008 06:14 AM                     Wow Tony, Sure glad to hear you're doing well. My wife had 2 PE's following leg and abdominal surgery. The first occured in the hospital while she was recovering from the surgery, but the second ocured at home and we were at a loss as to what was wrong with her. Finally took her to the ER where a catscan revealed the second PE. She needed a one-week hospital stay and a filter installed in her vein that returns blood from the legs. That means that she will need blood thinners for the remainder of her life. Doc. told her she was sure lucky since one in ten don't survive a PE and she had two of them! Not good odds! Keep doing well.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 04-05-2008 12:15 AM                     Thank you Jeff for your kind words, glad to hear your wife is going to be o.k. too. This was a surprise to me too, had no clue how dangerous my sore leg was. I guess I am lucky so far, since I don't need any filters and my blood thinner dose is relatively low. (My goal INR range is 2-3). I have a friend whose range is 4-5 and he has the filter in his vein too. As of now they have no idea what caused the clot in my leg, which as bad as it was had evidently been there for quite a while, and my mx boot aggravated it. The PE's were bad enough that they can't say if they were from my leg for sure, or if they also had been forming for a while too. (I think they were as I had been short of breath for some time before this, again I had just thought I was out of shape.) I have no family history of clot issues or diabetes, but my dad passed of heart issues back in 1999, he was only 53. I always have been different, so no surprise my health issue would be unique for our family.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 04-05-2008 07:07 PM                        Wow, definitely a close call! Glad you made it to this point Tony. One of the women I work with at the JACL here was recently diagnosed with DVT as well. Now she has to keep her leg elevated above her heart every time she sits down, and her docs have given her some good drugs. Keep those screening rooms tuned Tony. The progress on my portable setup project is going real slow these days due to LOF but some day...  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-05-2008 08:14 PM                  Tony, Glad that you have made it OK. I'm not familiar with your conditions, but I wish you well. Sincerely, >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 04-05-2008 08:22 PM                       Ooo-wee, guy... that WAS a close one! Jeepers, take care of yourself. Glad to hear the outlook is promising, you will have to keep a close watch on yourself. The carefree days fade as we get older, ya know. Wow. And, you, too Jeff! Take care of that little woman. You guys be careful out there.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-06-2008 12:30 AM                     Glad you're doing better Tony! I lost a good friend over in Fallon, Nevada late last year who had an anurisim in his right leg... We only get one go around and then we come back as a dog and have to eat dog food so most of all keep on doing what you like to do in this life! Mark  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 04-06-2008 12:49 AM                     I had the same problem back in 2000, same leg. I had some problems a couple of months before that, but thought I had strained a muscle. That eventually went away, but then it came back on Christmas Day (redddish and swowlen. I finally went in to emergency, but they had to send me to another hospital that had an ultrasound machine. I was admitted for 9 days, put on a heparin drip and x-rays showed small bits of clot had broken loose and were in my lungs. The problem was that for a day my blood was way over thin from the drip (lack of care in the hospital. Despite feeling woozy all day, I kept calling for a nurse, but it took 6 hours for one to finally come in. The whole experience taught me that hospitals can be dangerous, and you need to be vigilant while there. BTW, I was on Wayfarin (the generic of Comidin) for 6 months, with a warning that if I got it again, I would probably be on it for life (once every few months, I might get something resembling it, but it passes. It feels like a charlie horse, but lingers a lot longer). Several members of my family are on blood thinner for life. THere is a genetic factor where an enzyme in the blood is missing. Fortunately, the tests they ran showed that I dont have that genetic defect. There was a silver lining, however. I was also diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure, and have worked hard to live a better and healthier lifestyle, with a lot of walking and controlling what I eat. I definitely feel better at 51 tghen I did in my 40's.  |  IP: Logged Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-06-2008 11:49 PM                     Blood clots are certainty a serious problem. My wife had surgery in January to put in a pericardial window. This allowed her heart to begin working better. Problem was is that there as a undetected clot in her heart that once the heart functioned better was dislodged and found its way to her brain. She ended up having 2 minor (even minor is very devastating) strokes as a result. At first her left hand, and left side of her face was paralyzed. She has since regained some use of her hand, and face. Now she's on Warfarin (coumadin), trying to keep her INR above a 2.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 04-07-2008 12:57 AM                     This is actually why when I worked as a nursing assistant a while back they told us under no circumstances if the old person said "My leg hurts; will you massage it?" were we to actually do it. And the doctor was actually being "kind" when he said you would've/could've been dead within the hour... clots can easily kill someone in seconds if they move to the heart, lung, and/or brain. Lucky indeed.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 04-30-2008 12:29 AM                     Thanks to everyone who've replied since my last post. I am doing o.k, but did see a doctor of internal medicine a few weeks ago as I was having some difficulty breathing again and my heart would really start thudding when I had mild exertion. He gave me a through going-over and determined that I am too stressed out right now. Gee, I wonder why? My current job (three screening rooms at one time, two of them just got completed, the third's almost done) and my "boss" I'm contracted with is being a jerk again... A good A/V tech friend of mine suggested I get a medical pot card so I can relax... Thankfully my Reniassance Fest season starts in a few weeks so I get to dress up as a pirate (no wise comments Phil.. ) and sell some swords and knives. It'll be in Corona, Ca. for eight weekends starting May 10th. Cheers all!!  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 04-30-2008 09:55 AM                       What's a medical pot card, Tony? I'm going to the Dayton (Amateur Radio) Hamvention here in a couple weeks. That'll be my big break and chance to relax. Can't wait...  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 04-30-2008 12:01 PM                     Just an interesting side, Warfarin (Coumadin) was invented and first marketed as a rat killer. Spelling corrected [ 05-01-2008, 10:40 AM: Message edited by: Bill Enos ]  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-30-2008 12:09 PM                        My mother was on Coumadin (generic name is Warfarin, not "Wayfarin"). It was incredibly difficult for her doctors to manage it. It has to be monitored constantly, and the doseage adjusted to keep the blood from being too thick or too thin. She landed in the hospital several times due to complications from it. Early this year she developed a large lump in her abdomen that turned out to be a hematoma from internal bleeding due to her blood getting too thin. The doctor finally took her off the Warfarin and put her on a baby aspirin once a day and she's been absolutely fine since February. No more Warfarin/Coumadin for her, ever.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 06-12-2008 12:30 AM                     Bumping up and bringing a status update: I've been doing o.k. lately, other than job stress. A recent visit to a doctor almost got me a medical "mary jane" card for the stress..but I wasn't stressed enough, lol. I am a bit frustrated that I don't have the energy reserves I had before all this happened, but since I AM getting older... All indications are that I will continue with the Coumadin until at least late August, then I will be evaluated to see if I can stop taking it. That'll mean another battery of blood tests and a CAT scan to see if the PE's are gone. I again want to thank everyone who has sent well wishes on this thread, and those who have shared their experiences with the "rat poison" that I'm on daily.  |  IP: Logged

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