Guest Commentary | Local man shares appreciation for life-saving cardiac care, full recovery
At 70, I pride myself on being healthy, active and prioritizing wellness. Overall, I have felt confident in my health. But last fall, everything changed.
I was experiencing abdominal pain that I thought could be appendicitis. I visited the emergency department at Lee Health Coconut Point and a CT scan revealed a case of diverticulitis. That diagnosis answered questions about the sudden stomach pain, but a new level of concern arose when the scans found calcium deposits near my heart.
Cardiac testing, all because of that finding, revealed blockages in three arteries.
Initially, it looked as if a stent would be in my future. But after a heart catheterization at Lee Health’s Gulf Coast Medical Center in late September, I learned a stent would not be my solution. I would need a bypass.
Undergoing a triple bypass
In October, Dr. Randall Buss performed a successful triple bypass surgery at the Shipley Cardiothoracic Center, part of the Lee Health Heart Institute inside HealthPark Medical Center.
The Lee Health Heart Institute is passionate about ensuring optimal heart health for the community, and my time there proved that to be true. As the second-largest cardiac surgery program in Florida, I was among the more than 1,500 surgical cases performed each year.
Thankfully, my experience showed me that I was more than just one of many surgeries. I received personalized attention and coordination from the entire Lee Health team and their support helped make a worrisome and unexpected experience much more bearable.
Bypass surgery utilizes a blood vessel from another part of the patient’s body to create a bypass route for blood to skip the blocked artery sections — in my case it came from my left leg — and keep flowing to the heart muscle. For me, it took three of those bypasses to solve the areas of concern.
I didn’t experience any pain after the surgery, and I had a quick recovery. It was minimally invasive with a relatively small incision, less pain and a minimal length of stay in the hospital. In fact, my surgery was performed Tuesday morning, and I was home by Sunday afternoon.
Cardiac rehabilitation
Once I recovered from the surgery, I started the cardiac rehab program.
It has been essential to my recovery, helping me push myself, regain my strength and get my system back on an even keel after such a heavy-duty surgery.
The Cardiac Rehabilitation program at Lee Health helps provide a comprehensive plan for heart patients, including medical expertise, exercise, education and counseling, allowing me to recover from illness and move forward to live a full and active life.
This program helped educate me on what I needed to do to get back on track: supporting weight loss, improving my cholesterol, blood sugar and triglycerides, providing direction and guidance on multiple factors of diet as well as increasing my strength and endurance. Overall, this surgical follow-up process offers better long-term survival and has improved my quality of life and focus on my health.
The nurses, doctors and caregivers — from my emergency visit to my surgery and rehab — were all fantastic. Their friendly support kept me moving forward to improve my health one day at a time.
Being there for family
This journey is about more than physical recovery. It’s about being there for my children and my seven grandkids.
They are my why and I’m grateful to be part of their future thanks to my always improving health.
This experience also holds deep personal meaning for me since my father passed away from a cardiac issue in his late 50s. The new awareness and knowledge I have will continue to serve me in my continued health journey.
Technology and improvements in care have come a long way since the 1960s and I’m thankful for the care and expertise that have allowed me to keep going.
If you are experiencing any symptoms, have a family history of heart disease or have any questions about your heart health, please make an appointment with a physician and learn more at LeeHealth.org.
To reach MIKE BRAUN, please email news@breezenewspapers.com