Now that I'm back at work...I find myself updating this site weekly now. I will continue to post as often as I can to keep you all up-to-date on my conditions.
I saw the cardiologist on Monday and the appointment didn't turn out to be that worthwhile. For one thing, the cardiologist didn't even review the test images we dropped off the Friday before. So he came in cold. John took the liberty to explain my brief medical history, since I have a bad habit of not explaining things too well (I tend to selectively share information according to John). Luckily, we had a print out of one of my CT scans that showed the aneurysm on my Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery on my heart. They hooked me up to an EKG and everything looked normal. John showed him the print out and mentioned the fibrous elastoma near one of my heart valves. The doc felt that based on the size of the aneurysm, I had nothing to worry about right now. Evidently, he currently had patients that are living with aneurysms that are much bigger than mine. I was suprised when he admitted that he never heard of a fibrous elastoma. ??!?!? At least he was honest. He recommended that based on the Moyamoya, aneurysms in my head, and these things found on my heart...I was better off seeing a specialist at Shands in Gainesville. The doc felt I didn't have to do any further test, but when we showed him my last email from Teresa which strongly recommended a cardiac stress test...the doc agreed to schedule the test.
So, Thursday was my cardiac stress test. I was a little nervous knowing that you are required to RUN during the test to get your heart rate up to 85% of your maximum heart rate. Luckily, my nerves were a little happy that day and I was able to run. I amazed myself that day. It was the first time I've run in months. I am still waiting for the results showing the blood flow through my heart. The initial comments from the doctor were that my EKG printouts looked good.
The plan now is to see the local cardiologist to review the test results next week. He is then going to refer me to a cardiologist or cardio thoracic surgeon at Shands.
In the mean time, I've started going back to the gym again. I am able to lift about half the weight I could prior to my surgeries. I'm also slowly starting to stretch (especially my leg and back muscles), since I haven't been able to bend at the waist for almost a month.
Aside from the heart issues, my head is doing well. The incision from my aneurysm surgery is healing well. The incision from the Moyamoya surgery still has the stitches on it...hopefully it dissolves soon. I'm still afraid the scrub the incision areas. I think it's going to take me a couple more weeks or even months before I am comfortable scrubbing the area or laying on the side of my head.
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