A Testimony Of God’s Faithfulness Chapter Six
In November of 2023, I began to feel chest pressure once again. It was similar to what I experienced with my prior heart challenges and I knew something was wrong. But my mind kept questioning how this could happen again. After all, I had gone through the cath lab in November 2022 and again in March 2023 and now had seven stents.
We were home for Thanksgiving, and it snowed a few inches so I was out pushing snow. It was that same feeling I experienced in 2005, and again in 2020 and 2022 and 2023, and there was really no denying something was wrong.
We returned back to Tampa after the Thanksgiving holiday and I got a call from the clinic about changing the date of my next cardiologist visit. I talked with them about the pressure I was experiencing and they rescheduled a visit sooner. Dr. Philips is a great listener, and as I described my symptoms, he interrupted and said ‘you know what this means’.
After a short conversation, he scheduled me for a visit to the cath lab yet again. I was put on the schedule for Thursday December 14, 2023 which was much quicker than the normal process. I’m so grateful that it wasn’t a struggle to convince people there was an issue.
That day started with an early ride over with my bride to the Clearwater Cardiovascular Cath Lab with a 7:45 AM arrival. I was prepped and ready for Dr. Bernardo Stein who would do the procedure. He was my doc back in November 2022 and March 2023 and we liked him. The prep process was smooth and the team in the lab remembered me (I’m almost a regular there now) and we had good interaction as they got things ready. It was around 9:30 AM when the procedure got underway.
After my last few procedures, I was clear I didn’t want to experience anything in the cath lab so they obliged and put me completely out. I remember being wheeled in, and then waking up in recovery. That was a much improved experience to the pain I felt on the table the previous times.
Back in the room I was waiting patiently for Dr. Stein to come in and report. I was there for a few hours lying flat on my back to allow the cut in my groin to reconnect. That actually is the ongoing pain of the procedure, and the slowest to heal. He came in after noon and reported that there was a 95% blockage and he showed us the video before and after which went from a trickle to a steady stream of blood moving through. So it was an obvious need and result.
These blockages are occurring in the back of my heart, and mostly in the same area. There is concern that continued blockage in that area will require a different response as they can only put two stents in the same spot. There are some new treatment options under development, but those are still experimental and not approved in the US yet.
The relief was immediate and felt while in recovery. I was able to walk the next morning without chest pressure or pain which was a wonderful feeling. God was faithful and good as He always is. I feel blessed by His love!
Only God knows what the future holds. I expect there may be more cath lab visits, but I’ll just trust God and His plan. He alone knows what lies ahead, and I’m very comfortable with His outcome.