Sunday, March 25, 2018
Correction
I am wrong and not for the first time. The EECP treatment is available in SD. We did not find any info when Hubby tried to look for it on Google, but we have heard from a friend who participated in the program last summer, driving 100 miles one way, 5 days a week for 7 weeks. Good to know it is an option for us and others.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
3 Down, 32 To Go
Since the post last month, Hubby has had two more appointments with cardiologists and has begun a new treatment called EECP. Enhanced External Counter Pulsation is a non-invasive treatment for the lack of blood flow through the body.
EECP increases blood flow to the heart, which opens and expands networks of small blood vessels within the heart called collaterals. These channels create natural bypasses around blocked arteries, boosting blood supply to oxygen-deprived areas of the heart. The results of the EECP treatment are: better circulation, blood supply meeting demand, and a decrease of heart disease symptoms.
This past week Hubby started the seven week treatment, five days a week, an hour each day. He drives 30 miles to a spa-like center where he lies on a bed and watches Netflix movies. His legs are wrapped in blood-pressure like cuffs from his ankles to his thighs. The pressure cuffs are connected to a monitor and an EKG. The cuffs squeeze during the relaxing phase of the heartbeat and deflate when the heart beats. (Counterpulsation) This process increases the blood flow to the heart, opening and creating new networks within the small blood vessels.
You can read more about EECP with the help of Google and you can watch a video by clicking on the link.
Hubby says the treatment is not as uncomfortable as it may look in the video. Movies help the time go faster. His treatment is in the morning so he doesn't eat or drink much prior to the morning drive. He feels fine afterwards.
We feel very fortunate to have this option available in AZ as it is not available in SD. Hubby was noticing the angina (pressure in his chest) was happening more often, usually later in the day (when the current medication was less effective) and when minimal exertion was required to complete a task (climbing steps, lifting objects). So it has become very important to get started on the treatments ASAP.
The 35 treatments are covered by Medicare and insurance. There is no surgery involved. The EECP therapy can be used again if Hubby feels the same symptoms he has felt the past 6 months. The EECP 'measure of success' will be if Hubby can mow the yard without experiencing angina.
What this means is we will not be going back home until May. (Last treatment is May 8th.) My hip replacement has been moved to June 5th. It is what it is and could be so much worse. All is well.
EECP increases blood flow to the heart, which opens and expands networks of small blood vessels within the heart called collaterals. These channels create natural bypasses around blocked arteries, boosting blood supply to oxygen-deprived areas of the heart. The results of the EECP treatment are: better circulation, blood supply meeting demand, and a decrease of heart disease symptoms.
This past week Hubby started the seven week treatment, five days a week, an hour each day. He drives 30 miles to a spa-like center where he lies on a bed and watches Netflix movies. His legs are wrapped in blood-pressure like cuffs from his ankles to his thighs. The pressure cuffs are connected to a monitor and an EKG. The cuffs squeeze during the relaxing phase of the heartbeat and deflate when the heart beats. (Counterpulsation) This process increases the blood flow to the heart, opening and creating new networks within the small blood vessels.
You can read more about EECP with the help of Google and you can watch a video by clicking on the link.
Hubby says the treatment is not as uncomfortable as it may look in the video. Movies help the time go faster. His treatment is in the morning so he doesn't eat or drink much prior to the morning drive. He feels fine afterwards.
We feel very fortunate to have this option available in AZ as it is not available in SD. Hubby was noticing the angina (pressure in his chest) was happening more often, usually later in the day (when the current medication was less effective) and when minimal exertion was required to complete a task (climbing steps, lifting objects). So it has become very important to get started on the treatments ASAP.
The 35 treatments are covered by Medicare and insurance. There is no surgery involved. The EECP therapy can be used again if Hubby feels the same symptoms he has felt the past 6 months. The EECP 'measure of success' will be if Hubby can mow the yard without experiencing angina.
What this means is we will not be going back home until May. (Last treatment is May 8th.) My hip replacement has been moved to June 5th. It is what it is and could be so much worse. All is well.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Hubby's Heart: Good News~Bad News
We really have not been doing much or anything too exciting, thus the lack of blogging. But this seems to be the right format for a health update as Curt's heart issues have been the focus for the last two months.
Ever since the last stent procedure the end of October, Hubby has felt things were still not right. He was experiencing angina on occasion when walking and exercising, especially when elevation was added to the mix. He shared his concern with the staff at the cardiac rehab center he has been attending (requirement since the October stent) and the staff shared the symptoms and concern with the cardiologist we were assigned when one was required for participation in the cardiac rehabilitation program here in AZ. We met with the cardiologist on January 16th and he ordered 4 tests over the next two weeks (in mid-January). The nuclear stress test result showed an abnormality. Another angiogram was scheduled for February 16th.
Dr. C shared after the procedure that he thought he had found the issue, but he was not comfortable trying to fix it. At the time we listened and asked a few questions, but did not really know what was found and where other than calcification causing blockage. A second angiogram was scheduled for February 21st, with a cardiologist "who likes challenges" in cleaning out blocked arteries.
Yesterday's procedure was not successful in terms of unblocking the artery. Dr. S shared it was too risky, although he did attempt to bore through the calcified material. But we did get more information, which is always good.
The blockage Dr. S worked on was the reason for the triple bypass surgery in July 2010. At that time that place was a 90% blockage and a vein from Hubby's thigh was used to reroute blood to the heart. (There were 2 more blockages, a 70% and a 50%, and they also had leg vein replacements in 2010.) Today that 90% is now 100% and hard as cement. Two of the three bypass veins are not working. Thus, the reason for the stents to open and keep open the arteries and veins that are working.
The good news is this area was not a new blockage. The bad news was it was not fixable.
Other good news: the angina is not constant and Hubby has learned little tricks to not bring it on, if possible. (He can walk and exercise 95% of the time without any issues.) Other good news: another medication has been prescribed to help with blood flow and angina.
The issue is genetics. Dietary changes have probably lessened the severity of Hubby's heart problems, but we are working with DNA and challenges which were in place long before his first symptom arose in 2010.
Life is a day-to-day operation for all of us whether there are health issues or not. We'll make the best of the situation as it could be so much worse. Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. Truly...All Is Well.
Ever since the last stent procedure the end of October, Hubby has felt things were still not right. He was experiencing angina on occasion when walking and exercising, especially when elevation was added to the mix. He shared his concern with the staff at the cardiac rehab center he has been attending (requirement since the October stent) and the staff shared the symptoms and concern with the cardiologist we were assigned when one was required for participation in the cardiac rehabilitation program here in AZ. We met with the cardiologist on January 16th and he ordered 4 tests over the next two weeks (in mid-January). The nuclear stress test result showed an abnormality. Another angiogram was scheduled for February 16th.
Dr. C shared after the procedure that he thought he had found the issue, but he was not comfortable trying to fix it. At the time we listened and asked a few questions, but did not really know what was found and where other than calcification causing blockage. A second angiogram was scheduled for February 21st, with a cardiologist "who likes challenges" in cleaning out blocked arteries.
Yesterday's procedure was not successful in terms of unblocking the artery. Dr. S shared it was too risky, although he did attempt to bore through the calcified material. But we did get more information, which is always good.
The blockage Dr. S worked on was the reason for the triple bypass surgery in July 2010. At that time that place was a 90% blockage and a vein from Hubby's thigh was used to reroute blood to the heart. (There were 2 more blockages, a 70% and a 50%, and they also had leg vein replacements in 2010.) Today that 90% is now 100% and hard as cement. Two of the three bypass veins are not working. Thus, the reason for the stents to open and keep open the arteries and veins that are working.
The good news is this area was not a new blockage. The bad news was it was not fixable.
Other good news: the angina is not constant and Hubby has learned little tricks to not bring it on, if possible. (He can walk and exercise 95% of the time without any issues.) Other good news: another medication has been prescribed to help with blood flow and angina.
The issue is genetics. Dietary changes have probably lessened the severity of Hubby's heart problems, but we are working with DNA and challenges which were in place long before his first symptom arose in 2010.
Life is a day-to-day operation for all of us whether there are health issues or not. We'll make the best of the situation as it could be so much worse. Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. Truly...All Is Well.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Saturday Morning in the Desert
Hubby, Lil' Red and I went for a ride in the desert Saturday morning in search of some geocaches.
a cool, dreary morning
Weaver's Needle, the pointy peak in the center background
one of the side roads off the old highway
dead cholla
some of the geocaches were called rusting away
not hard to find when the container is an old
two gallon can
someone has been attacking this old gate post
the old highway bed
abandoned bee hives
at first I though vandalized
but there were others along the road
a very dry desert this year
baby pin cushion cactus growing at the base of a dead
or almost dead cholla
Hubby did most of the running
I was the photographer
should have brought my good camera
the rain started as were drove back home
on the real highway
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Another Month Closer
In the post titled Catch-Up in November I posted about collecting geocaches which were placed each month geocaching has existed. Earlier this month we went out and collected another geocache to fill another month.
Dead Car cache was supposedly accessible using the jeep and unmarked ATV trails. We really did look for the road, but finally gave up and just crawled over/through the barb wire fence to walk about 400'... as the crow flies.
We had to cross dry gullies/washes, climb up the hills, just to go down again, cross a wash/gully, and climb up again. Three times. We avoided stag horn, cholla and thorny trees to reach the container under a palo verde tree.
Dead Car cache was supposedly accessible using the jeep and unmarked ATV trails. We really did look for the road, but finally gave up and just crawled over/through the barb wire fence to walk about 400'... as the crow flies.
We had to cross dry gullies/washes, climb up the hills, just to go down again, cross a wash/gully, and climb up again. Three times. We avoided stag horn, cholla and thorny trees to reach the container under a palo verde tree.
an old tin, about the size of a box of soda crackers
we got it
now we have to walk out
this shows exactly how dry the desert is this season
no rain for over 100 days
a walk of .40 mile when we reached the jeep
hard to tell, but that is Four Peaks in the background
the mountain on AZ license plates
the walk was not a problem for the worn-out right hip
I was also able to climb through the fence
Woo Hoo!
One month left! There are only 3 caches in the U.S. still active that were hid in August 2000...Utah, Michigan, and Georgia AND one in Sweden. We have a plan to fill that last box this summer.
Other geocaching excursions were not as exciting at finding Dead Car. We've also attended some geocaching events and hosted one.
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