CH5; ANGIOGRAM

CHAPTER 5; THE DAY HIS PROZAC KICKED IN...
ANGIOGRAM

Today, well, yesterday, I had the CARDIAC ANGIOGRAM. It was about how I expected. I was GRUMPY and didn't want to go. It was RAINING and COLD, but my DAD was a good sport and took me...

The prepped me and did the IV and all the PAPERWORK...I was HUNGRY and WEAK and COLD (I was NPO, that's why i was hungry).

The CARDIOLOGIST was over a half hour late (but it was POURING...so i guess he got caught up in rain...) and the calming medicine, VERSED they gave me DIDN'T WORK AT ALL! I wish they would have just put me out, that was the WORST. They said I was 'resistant' because of all the PAIN MEDS i take, but i wish i could have been more groggy...

It took a good 45 minutes or so. Mayo Clinic had a good link, I'll share with you later, on what to expect. The 'FLUSHING' from the idea didn't hurt, but it still FREAKED me out. The LIDOCAINE shot in the femoral artery HURT A LOT, that sucked too.

Seemed to me they were in a hurry, which freaked me out too, but maybe that's how they do things...

They were done, I was afraid to MOVE and afraid to CRY for fear i'd mess something up since they had wires in my heart.

Anyway, afterwards, they put a LOT of pressure on the artery PUNCTURE site for 10 minutes and wheeled me to 'SHORT STAY.'

but as soon as i got there they found my pressure dressing was SOAKED with blood and, I couldn't see, but there was a huge puffy HEMATOMA there too. I couldn't see it, but i asked my dad later:

'they seemed really freaked out about the blood, how much was there?'

he said, 'all 4 gauze pads were soaked and it got on your legs, the gown, the bed, and the pillow,' boy, i guess that is a lot of blood.

so they put a huge 10 pound sandbag on it for 2 hours and there was no more bleeding and i rested and had a hospital turkey sandwich and rested some more.

my dad was real nice to stay there with me the whole time. i got to go home at 630pm but it was COLD and POURING rain!

got to go home, thank goodness. ate a little, went to bed. got up a little later to put on my nightshirt and started crying.

my dad found me crying and asked what was wrong...

i sobbed 'i didn't know it would hurt this much!...' because i was limping on the right leg where they did the ANGIOGRAM, but putting too much weight on the leg where they did the HIP REPLACEMENT, so i was HURTING A LOT!

so i decided to just take an AMBIEN an just try to go to bed and yeah, i feel better this morning, but i have a bruise the SIZE OF DELAWARE! I hope it will be ok.

NOT SOMETHING I'D EVER WANT TO DO AGAIN...

signed;
JOANNAJEAN

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coronary-angiogram/MY00541/DSECTION=what-you-can-expect,

**The link above is a good resource on what to expect during an cardiac angiogram, however, take into consideration that every individual's experience is difference