8-02-11 Making sense of recent events....

What a whirl wind to say the least! I am sure that everyone who has read my blog also knows I was a little out of commission for a while. I am back home now and doing much better. A couple Thursdays ago I wrote on my blog and I was feeling really good about the rest of the tri season. The training had been going well, I had trained for the majority of the summer at altitude, and just had two pretty darn good races. I elected to stay home on that morning and not go for my usual run, bike, or swim. This decision would later prove to be my life saver. I was on the couch and smelled pizza, so naturally I got up to get a piece. My plan was to eat a little bit then head out for a nice little ride. As I got off the couch I felt what seemed like indigestion, but I hadn't eaten anything yet...not a big deal, then it turned to dizzy, cold sweats, and more pressure. I figured I would lie down and let the feeling pass..maybe I was catching a little cold from all the travels?? Long story short it never went away and by 5 that evening I was in the cath lab with what appeared to be a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) this was a total freak thing and extremely rare. Luckily, the best cath lab Dr. was the one who worked on me. I was awake the entire time and heard everything. I could tell there was confusion and my arteries were clear and huge, except for the spot in the right coronary artery which was full of clotting. When the artery dissected it was not the dissection which caused the block, it was my body doing what it normally does...clot any cut. This condition is extremely rare and I have been told by numerous people not to look up the condition on the internet. I wish that would have been the end of it and I could have recovered from that point forward, but unfortunately by 5 the next morning I was back in the cath lab with the same damn symptoms. The clotting came back and in the same place. This time it seemed to go much smoother and the clotting responded better to the newer medication. I was given a second stent. The sizes were each around 5.3 or so...the biggest ever used at MMC (a total edge for me)! Back to my room and my bed n the CCU. I had already had to lay still for the 12 hrs since the last procedure, and for those of you who know me....well...my hyper ass does not take well to sitting still:) Not 10 minutes back in my room, my nurse notices I have began to bleed from my femoral artery (the one they used the second time) this was cause for much commotion, pain, the use of a Fem Stop device that turned my left leg purple, and me having to lay perfectly still for the next 30 hours!! They put me on some heavy duty blood thinners which unfortunately had to be monitored every two hrs via blood tests, tried to figure out what was going on, and tried to reassure me that it was not going to happen again. During that time I was able to think and re prioritize my world, look over and see Marlene right there beside me through the whole ordeal, be thankful for all the wonderful people I have in my life (family and friends), but unfortunately not sleep a whole lot. I had lost my appetite, and was on some pretty good pain killers, so this made it nearly impossible for me to tell if my stomach was growling, my heart was jacking up again, or it was all in my head....it sucked..just a little bit. Turned out, yes, I was starving, and yes the other noise I was feeling (kinda like a cat purr) was coming from a condition known as a pericardial rub. This is where the sack around the heart becomes inflamed and rub against the out side protecting wall of the heart (I still get a little of this now). Great I thought, at least I am not going back to the cath lab....both sides were already used up and sore! A little pain killers and the rub would subside, a little sandwich and the growling would subside as well. Finally on Saturday I made the Dr. promise me that if I were to lay as still as possible maybe I could get up out of bed... he agreed. A Mike funny... I must confess one of my main motivators of getting my ass out of bed was that the toilet was about eight feet away from my bed...I was bound and determined NOT to use the bed pan...mission accomplished :) After I was able to get out of bed I began to feel better each day, I could take sponge bath (something I do quite frequently after a ride), got my sheets changed, and sit in a regular chair to eat and visit. I knew I had scared a lot of people and at least if they would get to see me up and walking I felt that it would make them feel better. It was not too long after I started walking again that the I was removed from all the IVs and I could unplug myself and cruise around the nurses station by myself. After about 5 or so days in the CCU, I was moved to the main floor, and then released the next morning. Seems like the Dr. felt the nurses were going to give me another heart attack when they would all come rushing in every night at 3am when I had finally fallen asleep and my heart rate would drop to the high 20's... Another long story short: Nobody that worked on me or that was in charge of me had ever experienced this (SCAD) before so I signed over all my medical records to be reviewed by my sister in law. She is a wonderful Dr. who runs a cardiac rehab clinic in Boise, ID. Yesterday I went to see my cardiologist for the first time since the hospital and I was very happy to be in his care. He told me I could start swimming again!!! I am on quite a dose of blood thinners (Effient), I can not run for a spell, and it would be a little unwise for me to go for a bike ride outside (at least until they lessen the dose of thinners)...that's okay though I already put a Lemond trainer on my wish list ;) I have been doing some single leg cycling as I stand on one side of the spinning bike, taking long family walks, and just trying to focus solely on the positives....which far out weigh the negatives in my opinion. At yesterday's visit I was wondering if the Doc would change his diagnosis, but nope, he kept it....We all realized (Mar too) just how lucky I am to be alive! I am not angry at God that this happened nor am I going to feel sorry for myself instead I am going to do my best to get better each day (both mentally and physically), hold my family and friend even more deeply, take full advantage everyday to bring laughter and joy to those around me, and be thankful for a second chance! To my family and friends who have remained by side: Thank you all so very much! You were and will remain to be an inspiration to me. To my wife, kids, mom, grandma,  bros and in laws...take a deep breath, The Dr.s have all told me that I am fixed...my dumb ass is going to be around a while longer. To my Trisports.com team mates: KICK SOME ASS for me! I totally enjoy reading about all your successes via blogs, emails, etc. To anyone who might be reading this that I have ever wronged or pissed off... Sorry... Whatever bad that there may have been in my heart was sucked, stented, or medicated out... now my job is to fill that sucker up with good, love, and positive vibes.... For now peace out and MUCH LOVE,   Mike

Kids got me this shirt....says it all!!

So Happy to be messing around with little man again...Levi's 7th birthday :) :) A few days ago..He needed help learning how to slide...