The previous morning we were in Annandale, VA at my parents house. We had left Assateague Island on Tuesday evening, August 27th, after visiting my dad. We planned to spend the night in Annandale then head south to Anderson, SC. George had some business to take care of in Anderson before we started on our Fantastic Falcon Voyage. This was also a great opportunity to test out our van so we decided to make it our Maiden Voyage & Shakedown Cruise.
We had decided to not pack our van for our Maiden Voyage & Shakedown Cruise. Our plan was to spend one week at most in Anderson. We would then head north to Annandale to pack the van with my belongings. Afterwards we planned to travel to York for George to pack the van with his belongings and then we would take off at last. We packed one small suitcase each.
When we awoke Wednesday morning, August 28th, to head down to South Carolina I was pulling together a few last minute things when George told me he did not feel too well. He thought he may have swallowed a pill wrong and it was stuck in his throat. Thinking nothing of it, I told him to take it easy and continued to pack while he laid down for a bit. After an hour he got up and said he was good to go. I joked that his timing was very convenient. All the work was done and our suitcases were packed and ready to go in the van!
We hit the road with tons of healthy snacks and drinks from my mom and slowly made our way south. Our campervan is a slow and steady type of girl. She's not breaking any speed records, but she will get us wherever we need to go!
We stopped every 2-3 hours and eventually made it to Anderson shortly before midnight. George was feeling fine with only a tiny bit of discomfort in his throat. Tired from the drive, we took our suitcases inside and quickly went to bed.
The next morning, August 29th, we were getting ready to go to breakfast a one of George's favorite spots in Anderson when things suddenly changed. George had been "laying down" for over an hour. I assumed his throat was still aggravated from the previous morning's episode and when he took another pill this morning he may have irritated something. Nancy went in to check on him and she emerged from his room very worried and asked me go in and talk to him. The moment I walked in, I knew why she had been so worried.
George had stripped down to his underwear and was drenched in cold sweats. His face was red and he did not look well. The sheets were all twisted and one look told me that this was not a repeat of the previous morning. He asked me to look up symptoms of Angina. As I read off the symptoms I started to feel his arms, hands, legs and feet. They were ice cold. It was clear there was no blood flow to his extremities. He was complaining of chest pain and jaw pain. These were classic symptoms of a heart attack, but could a healthy 33 year old man really be having a heart attack?
I told him that perhaps we should go to the hospital. He responded with, "Maybe. We'll see." When he did not flat out refuse to go, I knew this was something serious. Before he would head out though he asked for aspirin. I left the room and asked Nancy for some aspirin. She gave me an arsenal of acetaminophen, antacid and reluctantly aspirin. Like me, she couldn't fathom that this would be a heart attack and advised that it was likely acid reflux. Aspirin, she advised should not be taken if it was in fact acid reflux, hence the reason for the acetaminophen and antacid. I told George all of this. He ignored me and swallowed two aspirin then chewed a third one. He ingested a total of 975mg of aspirin. This may have saved his life.
We finally got him to get dressed and headed to the ER. Luckily, it wasn't busy when we arrived. We went in, said the words "chest pains" to the people working at the front desk and he was immediately whisked away for an EKG. Within 25 minutes of arriving to the ER, George was in Cath Lab having a blood clot removed from his artery. He had in fact suffered a heart attack due to a blood clot.
The aftermath of the attack revealed that George's heart was in a very weak state. His Ejection Fraction (EF) was only at 20-25%. A normal EF is 50-60%. What the doctor's couldn't tell yet was whether his heart was weak before the attack or if the heart attack caused the heart muscle to weaken. The source of the blood clot was also an unknown.
George was scanned from head to toe to find the origin of the clot, if it was part of a larger clot that broke off and got stuck in his heart, and to find any additional clots. All of his scans came back clean. A Hematologist was called in to run every possible test to rule out blood disorders. All of his blood tests came back normal.
The origin of the blood clot is still unknown. Our best hypothesis is that George may have had a virus that settled in his heart. Overtime, this will weaken the heart and reduce its pumping abilities. A reduction in pumping ability can very easily cause blood clots to form. With all other known possibilities ruled out, this is our best guess. However, we may never know what caused that clot to form. I am just grateful that it ended up in his heart and not his brain.
This page is dedicated to updates on George's progress.
August 29, 2013
Day 1
George in the ER moments before being taken to the Cath Lab.
He was in a good mood in the ER even during the most uncertain moments. He was joking and smiling while suffering in pain.
In the Cath Lab the contrast dye clearly shows the blockage and location of the clot. It's the dark spot on the page where the dye has pooled.
They started him on Warfarin (also known as Coumadin), a blood thinner, as well as host of other drugs to include beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.
The aspirin bottle that saved his life.
August 30, 2013
Day 2
Still in CCU but doing well. This was also the last day that George was eligible for COBRA. Nancy worked a miracle to get him signed up before the 5pm deadline and I made sure that all of his back payments were made. He was one lucky guy to have remembered that he may have still been eligible.
That night they moved him from CCU up to the 5th floor. He was in room 503 on 5 North.
August 31, 2013
Day 3
Ken and Joanna drove down from Pittsburgh to visit George.
George did not like the unsweetened apple sauce the hospital had to offer so Joanna offered to take it off his hands.
September 1, 2013
Day 4
George walking the halls of the 5th floor and harassing the nurses for his "numbers".
Mark drove down from York, PA to visit George and Jimmy skipped a connecting flight in Atlanta, GA to come see him. Jimmy tried to be kind and tell the airline agent in Florida that he would not be boarding his connecting flight in GA so there would be an extra seat available. This was frowned upon by the airline agent and a poor soul potentially traveling from Atlanta, GA to Baltimore, MD was denied the opportunity to take his place. Airlines need their heads checked.
September 2, 2013
Day 5 (Happy Labor Day!)
The menu line would call and take George's orders for his upcoming meals. He enjoyed hog portions of his favorite things while in the hospital. Because his blood clot and resulting heart attack were not cause by his diet or lack of exercise, George was allowed to eat as he liked. He actually gained weight during his stay at the hospital.
September 3, 2013
Day 6
After being fitted with a life vest, George was finally released from the hospital. Tonya, his nurses aid had the pleasure of wheeling him out. She was wonderful. Thank you for all the wonderful care Tonya and all the nurses and aids on 5 north.
Day 6
After being fitted with a life vest, George was finally released from the hospital. Tonya, his nurses aid had the pleasure of wheeling him out. She was wonderful. Thank you for all the wonderful care Tonya and all the nurses and aids on 5 north.
George at home in the living room showing off his "camera". He will have to wear the life vest for the next three months while we wait to see if his EF improves above 35%.
September 4, 2013
Day 7
We finally made it to Barnwood Grill.
George enjoyed his trash bowl breakfast plus my bacon strips.
We plan to travel for a while and return to Anderson in time for George's follow up appointment with Dr. McLauren on December 23rd. Follow our regular blog to see what adventures we might have.
December 23, 2013
We are back in Anderson and George had his ECHO today. We will find out on Thursday, December 26th if his EF has improved and what our next steps will be.
December 26, 2013
We saw Dr. McLauren today and found out that George's EF has improved from it's original 20-25% in September to 30-35% now. This is wonderful news, however his hearts pumping ability is still not quite where it should be. Dr. McLauren has advised George to have an ICD (CRT-D type) implanted. He stated specifically, "If you were my brother you would be getting an ICD." We have a follow up appointment with Dr. Manfredi to discuss the ICD. Dr. Manfredi will be the surgeon implanting the device if George decides to move forward with it.
January 3, 2014
We saw Dr. Manfredi today. George will be going in for his ICD on Tuesday, January 7th.
January 7, 2014
George had his ICD implanted today. Everything went well. He will spend one night in the hospital. After his release he will need to take it easy for the next two weeks. He will not be allowed to raise his right arm above his head or pick up more than 5 lbs for the next few weeks.
George's recovery room number is 505 in 5 North. He is next door to the room he stayed in back in September! Here he is resting after surgery. The sling is just to remind him not to raise his arm above his head.
Once he woke up he was hungry. Here he is hogging out on crackers, peanut butter and juice before dinner.
January 8, 2013
George was released today from the hospital. Everything looks great and he is feeling good. He is a little tired (it's hard to rest in the hospital when you're constantly being monitored), so he is heading home to take a nap. Here he is with his nurses aid Cathy. Thanks again to the staff on 5 North for the wonderful care.
George took a nice nap for a couple of hours. When he woke up we ate a late lunch. He went to lie down again was having very sharp pains high in his chest and difficulty breathing. When he stands the pain subsides and he is able to breath again. We decided to return to the hospital and are headed for the ER.
How many bracelets will George get this time?
In the ER waiting patiently to see the ER doctor.
The ER doctor listened to George's lungs, took a chest X-ray and contacted Dr. Manfredi. His X-ray looks great and his lungs sound good. Despite being released from the ER, the pain continued to worsen overnight and George had extreme pain and difficulty breathing in anything other than the complete upright position. He almost requested to return to the ER but with some prescription pain medication he was able to make it through a very restless night sitting completely still in a chair. Dr. Manfredi told us to call his office at 8am tomorrow morning.
January 9, 2013
We called Dr. Manfredi's office this morning and paged the doctor. He called us back and told us to meet him at the hospital for another ECHO.
The bracelets keep piling on.
After the ECHO, Dr Manfredi came to talk to us. He says everything looks great. The doctor thinks this may be what happened:
There is a fluid sac around the heart. When they place the electrodes into his heart it screws into the wall of the heart. During surgery one of these fell out and the doctor put it back in a slightly different spot. It's possible that either the screw found a soft spot in the heart wall and is being inflamed by the fluid sac surrounding it or that the original location of the fallen wire may have be a little sore or inflamed. If the former, there would be excess fluid around the area. At this time there is not and everything looks normal. For the time being George will be on an ibuprofen regimen to reduce any possible inflammation.
George says he is feeling better than he did last night. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he continues to feel better.
January 10, 2013
George slept well through the night. He had a little discomfort when he first laid down, but it subsided and he was able to sleep through the night.
We also had a little unrelated excitement last night. The oldest son of the neighbors across the street is not welcome at that house. George noticed a Chevy S10 pickup truck driving suspiciously slowly through the neighborhood last night. The son has an identical car. Nancy called the police to report the suspicious activity. It is alleged that the son is the one who tried to break into Nancy and Jesse's home on August 28th. The police showed up and searched the wooded area around the house. After less than an hour they left. We continued to watch the activity going on at the house.
George went and got his field glasses. Shortly before midnight I saw the son standing on the edge of the road with leaves stuck in his cap and a skateboard in his hand. He loitered around the trees in the side yard of parents house. After about 15 minutes a blonde girl with long hair walked up in a zebra striped dress with an orange top and pants under her dress. They exchanged a few words then disappeared around the corner and up the driveway. It was fun to watch the drama. At one point I think I may have seen the mother and or the father out there with a rifle.
George took a nap today and rested. He is doing well and is able to lay down and stand with little difficulty or discomfort. His back and shoulder are a little tight but this is normal since he is unable to freely move his right arm for a few weeks. We have a follow up appointment on January 15th at Dr. Manfredi's office for a wound check. His incision looks good and is healing well.
January 11, 2014
His incision looks good. The bruising is more prominent but everything is healing nicely.
January 14, 2014
Everything looks good and the bruising is going down. We have an appointment for a wound check tomorrow afternoon.
January 15, 2014
George had his first follow up appointment today after getting his ICD implanted. The appointment went well and he his healing nicely. His bi-ventricular pacing is at 95%. This means that 95% of the time his ventricles are in sync. The nurse practitioner, Mary Alice, would like to see this at 99%, however 95% is excellent news. Because he just had the ICD implanted this may increase to 99% on its own as everything heals and stabilizes.
We have a remote follow up appointment scheduled for 1 month from today. At that point we will see what his numbers look like and adjustments can be made if needed. Overall, the news received today was very positive and we were given the green light to continue on our travels.
We plan to leave Anderson early next week and hope to start updating our blog with more adventures.
Thanks to everyone for all the support and care.
Here is George at the doctor's office after receiving
January 24, 2014
George's steri-strips cam off today. His incision looks good and will continue to heal. He is now able to life his arm above his head and move freely.
January 30, 2014
Today I was able to access online the EOB's (Explanation of Benefits) from my insurance company showing the billed costs for my defibrillator implant, one night stay in the hospital, and associated 36 hours of care to include a return trip to the ER. I proceeded to add up the total billed cost of this procedure. Remember, MINOR surgery and one night in the hospital...
I don't think the "Affordable Care Act" is going to cure the afflictions in the healthcare sector in this country.
March 14, 2014
Just want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Carefirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield for contributing $272.24 to the $200k inpatient portion of my ICD implant bill. Per the statement below, I now only owe $200,582.14 of the original bill. Thank God I had insurance...it really made a difference! ;)
April 4, 2014
Fortunately, when I received the paper bill, the balance due was only $200,309.90, instead of the higher amount listed above. Maybe we can eat this month!
May 2014
The hospital and insurance company have finally resolved their differences and BC/BS has agreed to pay the amount of $144,855.11 for my ICD implant and associated costs. My health insurance policy has a maximum annual patient out-of-pocket expense limit of $1,500, which has been met, so my personal cost for this procedure is exactly $1,500.00. The balance of the amount due shown above will be written off by the hospital and not collected, i.e. the difference between "amount charged" by the hospital and "allowable amount" paid by the insurer will vanish into thin air. Remember however, if I were an uninsured patient responsible for paying for this procedure in cash, I would be responsible for the entire $200k liability. Can you say R-E-F-O-R-M NEEDED? Once again, the big corporations get all the breaks.
June 3, 2014
As we head further into the Rocky Mountains in the west, I have been noticing that feelings of general fatigue and malaise set in with much lower levels of exertion as elevation increases. Near constant shortness of breath is not unusual and slight chest discomfort may occur even while resting or light activites such as walking. We have spent the past several days at elevations of 7500-9000 feet and activities as simple as loading and unloading the motorbike off the van wear me out. We've done a few short hikes and I do fine on the straight and level, however as soon as the hills start, forget about it. A 750-ft vetical ascent over 3/4 of a mile out of the Grand Canyon whipped me pretty good! That's not a long distance but the switchbacks were compacted into a short area and significantly steep. I was similarly beat after a 5-6 mile round-trip partially in-river wading hike of The Narrows at Temple of Sinawava at Zion National Park. So after a few days of thorough fatigue, I sent a remote data transmission to my doctor via the nifty device that receives signals from my ICD and sends them over cell phone technology for review in my physicians' s office. I spoke with them regarding the results of the data transfer, and it turns out my heart is spending 28% of its time beating at a rate of above 130-140 bpm, even without significant exercise or exertion. While not overtly dangerous, I am going to monitor my activity for the next week and send and review the data with the doctor in 7 days. My device is programmed to begin recording copious metrics at 151 bpm and above, so we will see if it reaches that figure and additional measurements glean any more useful information.
No, I'm not coming down from the mountains.
August, 2014
While in South Carolina, George had several doctors appointments. His echocardiogram showed his ejection fraction was back down to 19% (this is the same as it was immediately following his heart attack). They checked his defibrillator and determined that the third lead going into his heart wasn’t sending a strong enough signal. They increased the joules on that lead and now he feels a lot better. His next follow up is in on November 24th. Since upping the joules on the third lead, he has been doing much better. He seems to be functioning significantly better than he was towards the end of our trip.
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