Need help after open heart surgery
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I am launching this Gofundme page because on
March 14, 2018 I had to have open-heart by-pass surgery. I didn't even know I was sick.
It came about because I passed out at the gym on February 19, 2018 after playing racquetball. One minute I was sitting on the bench catching my breath and the next, I'm on the ground and hear someone saying, "Miss, I think you passed out. You need to wake up".
I have never passed out before and I should mention the fact that I was in a puddle of my own urine. That's right, at the gym, during peak hours, in urine, not a pretty picture. I could barely sit up and started sweating profusely! I mean dripping sweat. The whole thing was nuts!
The staff offered to call an ambulance but I declined.
I sent my aunt a text to please come get me. She was there within 10 minutes and took me home.
The next day I called my doctor to make an appointment for an exam. Before you go thinking "good job, most people would've let it go" A friend of mine was very adamant that I call my doctor even though I was like "maybe it's nothing" He also made the point "if this happened to your son would you just let it go or would you do something about it?" Obviously if it was my son, I would've insisted on an ambulance and taken him to the hospital that day.
He also pointed out, I was in a puddle of my own urine, and you can't shrug that off :)
February 22 Dr. Appointment =she performed several tests and took lots of blood!!
Everything came back normal or negative (as in you don't have anything wrong with you).
Lucky for me, my doctor wasn't satisfied with those results and went a step further by ordering a Stress ECHO test. I couldn't get an appointment until March 9 but was given very strict orders to take it easy and NO racquetball.
I continued to work and do light workouts without any issues.
March 9, 2018 went to UCSD in Hillcrest and took stress ECHO test.
I failed the test!!! The RN and two other assistants looked at me with panic and said, "We need to get you into the ER right away"
I had lunch plans and hadn't eaten since 6 am (it was noon) I was starving and confused. I told them I needed a second to process what was happening.
That turned into an hour of me sitting in the waiting room crying because I was scared to death, I didn't know what they were going to do if I went to the emergency room.
I went to this appointment alone because I didn't know what to expect and I didn't want to be all freaked out by reading up on it. Irony at its finest right there.
I was able to convince the doctors and nurses I'd be better off at home for the weekend and would go to the ER first thing Monday morning.
I promised not to do anything but lay in bed all weekend!
March 12 - Went to ER posting to come soon.
My aunt drove me to ER at UCSD in La Jolla and I tell them my story and they got me in pretty quick.
The first day is lots of blood work and lots of doctors, giving me lots of information.
At about 2pm the decision is made to do an angiogram and put a stint in me and I should be going home in the morning. yeah!!
In case you don’t know what an Angiogram is, let me explain.
They take a teeny tiny microscope and stick it in a tiny vein in your wrist. Then somehow make it go up the arm and to your heart so they can see the heart close up. By the way, you can see it too …because your awake for the whole thing!!!! They give you a local something but your wide awake and can see your heart too.
Surprisingly it didn’t hurt and was pretty cool to see what all the fuss was about.
We have 3 main arteries that go to our heart and I notice theres was a huge something blocking 2 of mine at the base where they meet.
I wasn’t worried until they stopped everything, took the microscope out and then I over heard them saying “lets get the family in here and tell her then”
“I can hear you, tell me what?” The doctor proceeds to tell me they can’t do a stint, the size and placement of blockage made it unsafe. The 2 arteries were blocked 95% , that’s bad.
They roll me back to my room and it’s now 3:45 and I haven’t eaten anything all day.
There are 2 teams of doctors working on my case and each have strong arguments on what would be best for me; a stint or open heart surgery?
It came down to the fact that I’m pretty young and a stint would only last about 5 years and could snap at any point and I would die instantly. Even if that didn’t ;t happen I would still need to go back and have a new one put in in 5 years and I didn’t want to do that. Open heart-by pass surgery had it’s issues too; recovery time was 3-6 months with lots of limitations for at least a year. But I should be good after that.
To Be Continued……
So why did this happen...
I received Radiation Therapy to my chest 16 years ago when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Stage 2.
Over the years scar tissue developed from the radiation around my main artery creating a 95% blockage to two of the three arteries to my heart. The doctors said I could have died of a heart attack or stroke at any time!
I am lucky to be alive and that they found it when they did.
The surgery was a success and I am getting stronger every day. I am so thankful to the doctors and for my family and friends and their support.
I am so happy to be alive !!!
With life, comes bills and I've got some big ones!!
I have not worked for 3 weeks and still have 2 months before I can return work.
I need money to pay off medical expenses (I was in the hospital for 8 days) $5000.
Monthly expenses for 3 months $6000.
Ongoing medical care and check ups $2000. (this is an estimate)
Donations no matter how big or small are very very much appreciated and if you cannot afford a donation I completely understand because if you asked me for a donation right now,I couldn't help you.
Thank you for reading and have a great day!!
March 14, 2018 I had to have open-heart by-pass surgery. I didn't even know I was sick.
It came about because I passed out at the gym on February 19, 2018 after playing racquetball. One minute I was sitting on the bench catching my breath and the next, I'm on the ground and hear someone saying, "Miss, I think you passed out. You need to wake up".
I have never passed out before and I should mention the fact that I was in a puddle of my own urine. That's right, at the gym, during peak hours, in urine, not a pretty picture. I could barely sit up and started sweating profusely! I mean dripping sweat. The whole thing was nuts!
The staff offered to call an ambulance but I declined.
I sent my aunt a text to please come get me. She was there within 10 minutes and took me home.
The next day I called my doctor to make an appointment for an exam. Before you go thinking "good job, most people would've let it go" A friend of mine was very adamant that I call my doctor even though I was like "maybe it's nothing" He also made the point "if this happened to your son would you just let it go or would you do something about it?" Obviously if it was my son, I would've insisted on an ambulance and taken him to the hospital that day.
He also pointed out, I was in a puddle of my own urine, and you can't shrug that off :)
February 22 Dr. Appointment =she performed several tests and took lots of blood!!
Everything came back normal or negative (as in you don't have anything wrong with you).
Lucky for me, my doctor wasn't satisfied with those results and went a step further by ordering a Stress ECHO test. I couldn't get an appointment until March 9 but was given very strict orders to take it easy and NO racquetball.
I continued to work and do light workouts without any issues.
March 9, 2018 went to UCSD in Hillcrest and took stress ECHO test.
I failed the test!!! The RN and two other assistants looked at me with panic and said, "We need to get you into the ER right away"
I had lunch plans and hadn't eaten since 6 am (it was noon) I was starving and confused. I told them I needed a second to process what was happening.
That turned into an hour of me sitting in the waiting room crying because I was scared to death, I didn't know what they were going to do if I went to the emergency room.
I went to this appointment alone because I didn't know what to expect and I didn't want to be all freaked out by reading up on it. Irony at its finest right there.
I was able to convince the doctors and nurses I'd be better off at home for the weekend and would go to the ER first thing Monday morning.
I promised not to do anything but lay in bed all weekend!
March 12 - Went to ER posting to come soon.
My aunt drove me to ER at UCSD in La Jolla and I tell them my story and they got me in pretty quick.
The first day is lots of blood work and lots of doctors, giving me lots of information.
At about 2pm the decision is made to do an angiogram and put a stint in me and I should be going home in the morning. yeah!!
In case you don’t know what an Angiogram is, let me explain.
They take a teeny tiny microscope and stick it in a tiny vein in your wrist. Then somehow make it go up the arm and to your heart so they can see the heart close up. By the way, you can see it too …because your awake for the whole thing!!!! They give you a local something but your wide awake and can see your heart too.
Surprisingly it didn’t hurt and was pretty cool to see what all the fuss was about.
We have 3 main arteries that go to our heart and I notice theres was a huge something blocking 2 of mine at the base where they meet.
I wasn’t worried until they stopped everything, took the microscope out and then I over heard them saying “lets get the family in here and tell her then”
“I can hear you, tell me what?” The doctor proceeds to tell me they can’t do a stint, the size and placement of blockage made it unsafe. The 2 arteries were blocked 95% , that’s bad.
They roll me back to my room and it’s now 3:45 and I haven’t eaten anything all day.
There are 2 teams of doctors working on my case and each have strong arguments on what would be best for me; a stint or open heart surgery?
It came down to the fact that I’m pretty young and a stint would only last about 5 years and could snap at any point and I would die instantly. Even if that didn’t ;t happen I would still need to go back and have a new one put in in 5 years and I didn’t want to do that. Open heart-by pass surgery had it’s issues too; recovery time was 3-6 months with lots of limitations for at least a year. But I should be good after that.
To Be Continued……
So why did this happen...
I received Radiation Therapy to my chest 16 years ago when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Stage 2.
Over the years scar tissue developed from the radiation around my main artery creating a 95% blockage to two of the three arteries to my heart. The doctors said I could have died of a heart attack or stroke at any time!
I am lucky to be alive and that they found it when they did.
The surgery was a success and I am getting stronger every day. I am so thankful to the doctors and for my family and friends and their support.
I am so happy to be alive !!!
With life, comes bills and I've got some big ones!!
I have not worked for 3 weeks and still have 2 months before I can return work.
I need money to pay off medical expenses (I was in the hospital for 8 days) $5000.
Monthly expenses for 3 months $6000.
Ongoing medical care and check ups $2000. (this is an estimate)
Donations no matter how big or small are very very much appreciated and if you cannot afford a donation I completely understand because if you asked me for a donation right now,I couldn't help you.
Thank you for reading and have a great day!!
Organizer
Tobianna Drolette
Organizer
Valley Center, CA