Steven Filardo is my cardiologist and the reason I had the triple by-pass operation. Tracy (my wonderful sister) had a heart attack about a year and a half ago and was taken to Floyd Memorial Hospital in New Albany, Indiana. I was very impressed with the facility and decided that I wanted to find a cardiologist that was associated with that hospital. Tracy suggested Dr. Filardo and I thought about it for a while, then made an appointment to meet him. I liked him immediately, he has a sense of humor and yet takes his job very seriously. I was also impressed with his staff that includes his wife and his mother in-law.
When I went to see Dr. Filardo and told him about my symptoms, he listened to my heart and hooked me up to an EKG machine. He told me that since I was entrusting him with my well being that he could not allow me to go home and was admitting me to the hospital. I thanked him, I was relieved that I was going to get some help. He was very impressive as a cardiologist and I am really very lucky to have him as my doctor. After he performed the cardiac catheterization and found that I had so much blockage, he called in a surgeon and they came to see me together and helped me make the decision to go ahead with the by-pass. Dr. Filardo could have placed some more stents and helped me out without the surgery, but he told me that the choice for either stents or an operation was not a 50/50 choice, that there was a 70/30 slant to the decision in favor of the surgery. So I went with the more dangerous, yet ultimately better choice.
Back to the follow-up visits. My pulmonary doctor is Dr. Kohorst. He is a really nice fellow who was called in by Dr. Filardo after my lungs gave me a little trouble following the surgery. He told me last week that he likes what he is seeing, that I am doing very good. However there is a spot on the lower right lung that he is slightly worried about. It is probably just where the lung is so damaged after all those years of smoking, but he wants to see me one more time and take one more X-ray to make sure.
Dr. Filardo says that I am doing just fine. He didn't seem to care for the swelling that is still quite evident in my right leg, but all in all he thinks I am doing fine. He even says that I can return to work in two weeks. So I will be taking another couple of weeks to rest up than I'll be going back to work. I must be doing fine because Dr. Filardo set my next appointment for six months from now! I'm very happy with how things are going.
I do still have some pain in my neck that is muscular, but other than that I feel good. I do have some trouble, feeling a little "fuzzy-headed" or "addle-brained", or just a little bit confused. I have always loved to read, but I am struggling to comprehend what I am reading. I have read quite a bit about "Pump Head", a problem associated with the heart-lung machine that some people have reported. I really hope that it goes away and I will be starting a blood pressure diary to rule out any problem at that level. Dr. Filardo wants to ensure that I am actually getting enough blood to my brain before he makes any other adjustments to medications or anything.
So that's how things stand right now. I feel good except for a few small problems. I can climb stairs with no problem. I climbed two flights Saturday and Kim actually had to get out of my way because I was going faster than she thought I could go. I didn't even get short of breath.
Something that I am really impressed by is the site of the incision on my chest. After the surgery I noticed that there were no stitches or staples holding it closed. The nurse informed me that they use a type of glue that is made from your own blood! It has healed really quickly and looks great. The incisions on my leg were given the same treatment and are healing just as well. Modern medical science never ceases to amaze me.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
No comments:
Post a Comment