One of our ICU nurses was experiencing chest pains and a blood test revealed he was having a heart attack. His EKG spoke of trouble so we headed straight to the cardiac catheterization lab.
The first picture showed a 99 percent blockage in the left artery and a 99 percent blockage in another major branch. Wires were placed down the artery and a stent was deployed. Despite a 100 percent opened artery, my patient’s chest pains intensified. The artery segment downstream from the stent was dissected, and I covered this cut with another stent. My patient’s pain escalated, so I thought it must be the other artery since the mended sites looked excellent.
We began concentrating on the other artery, placing a stent there as well. My patient was distraught that we had to place a stent in another artery. He continued to have pain, despite fixing everything possible. By this time, I would have been finished, but his ongoing pain prompted me to search. I looked back at the first artery and noted another dissection, one upstream from the first stent. It took 20 minutes to manifest itself, as it wasn’t present in the previous pictures. We placed another stent there and the pain resolved.
I think it’s fair to say that we hate pain. We’d like to go as far as we can on life’s freeway without hardship, sickness, conflicts, trials or betrayals. We’d like all our prayers and wishes answered in our time and our ways, and we’d like to exit before we lose our minds or our strength. But have you noticed? Pain has its own agenda.
We don’t have to wave down pain; life hurts, and someway pain finds us. I don’t like it or invite it, but I have to deal with it. In my patient’s case, multiple blockages and ongoing pain helped me detect a critical problem and fix it before it led to my patient’s demise. Blockages, roadblocks, suffering and pain can be a catalyst in helping us succeed, excel, and heal. Don’t waste your pain. If we listen to it, we can correct ourselves. If we heed it, we can protect ourselves. And if we learn from it, we can prepare ourselves to help others.
For further information on your cardiovascular health, contact Dr. Kojoglanian at 661-259-1711. The Mender of Hearts is located at 24868 Apple Street, Suite 103 in Santa Clarita. You may also visit www.drrap.com .