Finally Having Surgery

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After 19 months of fucking around with doctors and having every test you can imagine and some more than once, I am going in to have 2 stents put in on Tuesday.

In case you weren’t aware, I have 8 plugged arteries between my belly button and my ankles.

This is causing a lack of blood flow to my legs which has led to a severe lack of mobility. I can’t walk 100 feet without having to stop because my calves and shins cramp like a dirty bitch. Both of my feet have neuropathy and the toes are kinda numb plus my lower back has been fucked up for 45 years too with a fusion and a blown out disc.

So the lady vascular surgeon I have is going to go in through my groin on both sides and put a stent in on either side where the aorta splits in two.

Called the iliac arteries at that point.

One side is going to have an incision and the other side she is going to poke through with a tiny catheter.

Whether or not this is going to improve the blood flow to my legs is anyone’s guess at this point but she says because the clots in my legs are so bad that no surgeon would touch them. Oh yeah, the artery going to my right kidney is 90% plugged and the two arteries that wrap around and go to my butt cheeks are also clogged.

This may improve that condition.

So anyways, this kinda came out of nowhere after all this fucking around with these damn doctors but I told her that I needed this to happen before the end of the year because I have paid so much in doctor bills that I would have paid my out of pocket deductible limit and the insurance company would pay for this whole thing without costing me anymore money.

I laid out almost $2,000 yesterday and paid off one hospital bill and that should have put me over the top for that to happen.

That is good because this is going to be wicked expensive.

She says I’ll be in the hospital for 3-5 days, I kept saying three and she kept saying 3-5 until she got frustrated. She’s a good lady, a youngish lady with Vietnamese heritage. She gets a kick out of me because I am so ornery and she likes the hats I wear saying I won’t comply and I identify as a pissed off American. So she has a sense of humor which I require.

So there it is. I’ll be gone for a couple days at least probably, I’m going to try and get my laptop in there so I don’t go insane because of course, gotta give up the smoking and can’t smoke in the hospitals anymore like ya could back in the day.

Fuckin’ Commies anyway.

There is of course, a lotta things that could go sideways here but I’m hoping for the best and going in hoping this will help at least a little.

Wish me luck and pray for The Wifely Unit because she is going to be worried.

87 thoughts on “Finally Having Surgery”

  2. Oh, wow! Incredible what surgeons can do these days! My best wishes for a successful surgery! I do so appreciate your posts!

  4. Bout dam time! Dammit man – no way it shoulda taken so long. Wish you and the wifey the best! I’ll be thinking good thoughts fer ya – and wifey too – cause they do tend to worry bout us!! Stay ornery, Bro!!!

    Y’all take care,
    Mike in FLA.

    • Best wishes in the world and prayers for both. I was on her side of things way too many times. Only 1 question is the length of time. Have 2 friends, one is my heart doc and other is ER retired. Asked both after the time you posted a more explicit info on all you were going through. Both were appalled that you hadn’t had anything done already.

  6. Retired anesthesiologist here. Worked at a VA most of my career. Lots of old veterans with vascular problems. Sometimes you just get to a point in life where all your choices suck, and you just have to pick the one that sucks the least. Hang tough and just bear with them.

  10. Hope everything goes without even a hint of a hitch, and you’re out of that place in TWO days.

  11. You’ll do fine, Phil. It’s a semi-regular surgical procedure, they have it down pat.
    When they gave me a new aortic valve (heart) I wasn’t worried because I had seen one 50 years earlier as an Explorer Scout and I figgered they knew what they were doing by now. Same for your surgery. No worries.

    Follow the Doctor’s orders.!! Don’t be a meathead or macho or anything, and you’ll do a helluva lot better than if you don’t. Ask me how I know. ANd not smoking won’t kill you either (the reverse is true)!

    Praying for ya, man. Don’t go checking out early on us, y’heah?

  18. Praying for you and your wife, Phil. Also for God to have His hand on the entire surgical team during the procedure. And may the nursing staff at the hospital be professional, courteous and understanding (especially on night shift!). Get well soon.

  20. About dang time! Good luck Phil, I sincerely hope it provides a boost on quality of life. We’ll be thinking about you in this neck of the Texas woods.

  21. All the best Phil … I can definitely relate ! … How ’bout we split the difference and say four days ? … Cut the young lady some slack … Then get home and relax …

  22. I have bad circulation too. Bad veins. Makes horrible sores on my right leg. Got diabetes too so wounds don’t heal. I’m going to a vein doc who is going to destroy some of the worst veins in the hope that new ones will grow in their place. I worry about the procedure. “Sclerotherapy” something or other. I anticipate sometime in the not too distant future having my lower leg removed. It is often the source of a lot of pain. That sure would make for a big life change.

    • I had both my Greater Saphenous veins ablated back in 2018 and this year I had Interventional Radiology and they preformed a foam sclerotherapy on superficial veins bilaterally(basically leaky veins) with foam ablation and placed two stents in the superficial femoral veins bilaterally. I have had a venous ulcer distally inferior on my left ankle opposite the Tibiofibular joint, it has been there for six years and it is starting to heal. I have no more venous ulcers on my calves and ankles.

  26. Sounds like you found a good Doc who explains things. If you cannot explain what you’re doing you don’t know what you’re doing. Best of outcomes.

  27. Best wishes, Phil. And just think how good that first smoke will be when you get home and things are working the way they should, more or less ;-)!

  31. As a 2-timer, card-carrying Stent carrier, I counsel to relax and enjoy the procedure. You’ll wake-up when it’s over and think good thoughts. I still see my son’s smile when I gave him a thumbs-up as I regained consciousness. And saw the relief in his eyes.

  32. The major number one massive cause of your vascular disease is smoking. If you won’t quit all this medical hoorah will be pointless. Quitting isn’t easy but plenty of people have managed to quit so it can be done.

  34. All the best to you. I’m sure you’ll come through it fine. I had two stents put in a year and a half ago due to blockages around my heart. Before my legs were so tired at night I hated to have to walk back to the shop a hundred yards away if I forgot something. Two days after I felt so good I over did it and it took me a couple more days to adjust to actually feeling good with out over doing work.
    We’re all rooting for you so don’t be too ornery and follow doctors orders.

  35. Good luck good sir, and no grab assing the cute nurses (assuming there are any to be found). Here’s hoping for a quick recovery and significant improvement post surgery.

  37. I could barely walk either until I too had the AFX stent implanted back in mid-October. Now I can walk again without any problems.
    Recovery time is minimal too. You’ll be amazed.
    Good luck.

  38. Phil, As one old wrench to another, I wish you the best. You’ve worked hard all your life and you have earned and paid for the care you deserve. Also I wish your Wife peace and comfort during this time. All us bustednuckles wish you and family the most positive outcome. Allan

  39. Geez. Yeah, about damn time.

    I thought you quit smoking. Well, you should. I’m sure the docs have told you that many times. And yes, I do know how difficult it is. But the forced abstinence is as good a time as any.

    The deal about the clots seems odd to me, but what do I know. There’s all this complicated micro / robotic surgery they do these days, you’d think they could to something. You mentioned something a while back about the body making new vessels to route around damage – maybe the increased blood flow will stimulate some of that.

    WIshing you the best here, and a speedy recovery.

  41. Praying for you and the wifely unit. You’ll be back in the Sprite before you know it. All your relatives need their cars worked on so don’t let them down!

  42. My sincere prayers for a rapid recovery and a positive outcome. Also, for His peace to your wife to help with her anxiety. Take it easy and come back soon!

  47. Hospitals are a drag, but the night shift is always fun. Get one of them to smuggle in some Velo so the nicci fits don’t get to you.
    Here’s to a speedy recovery.

  48. Prayers for you and the Wifely Unit; may His healing, comforting presence fill both of you. If I can make it through a collapsed lung, five stents, and two more stents six months later, so can you. Stay stubborn, cause that’s what keeps us on this side of the veil.

  50. wishing you well. prayers also inbound. anyway. it always seems like they testing your ass forever until you get a surgical date. and they never pick up the phone.
    I think the only part of any hospital that works well is BILLING.
    dropped Blue cross years ago. 6 bills a month they where charging me and they didn’t pay for anything ! and as a NON profit they always seem to have billions
    left over every year. image that ? does wonders for the bonuses they get at the end of every year. and that is in PA alone.
    it kind of a wonder more of these assholes haven’t got shot down in the street before now.

  53. Best wishes for the BEST of all possible outcomes. Surgery… well… it’s nothing PLEASANT that’s for sure. I’ve had a couple. One that was ugly and one that was HOLY FUCK THAT was UGLY AS HELL….

    Both were entirely necessary and while certainly no small undertaking, worth it as the consequences of _not_ having it done were far worse.

    Sounds like this will improve your ADL vastly. GOOD.

    Recover FULLY and as quickly as time allows and FFS don’t RUSH the process.

    God Bless

  54. Godspeed and good luck Sir!
    I’ll be sure to put you on the prayer list!
    Jeffery in Alabama

  56. I had ventricular bypass surgery around eleven years ago. Replaced the aorta from the kidney down past the y . Just about had recovered from that procedure and got smacked by a car , while riding the motorcycle…been almost ten years since that lil dustup. Still not recovered…fully. Just turned seventy one last month. Still smoking, but fug it , I’m old and just don’t care…

  57. Like me, you’re too damn mean for anything bad to happen.
    Get some rest and pinch one or two of the cuter nurses’ butts for me.

  60. Prayers for you and a quick healing. And prayers that the Good Lord guide the Dr. doing the surgery.
    Hang tough Wrench Monkey!

  62. Sending my prayers for the best outcome! Hang tough and we’ll be looking for updates when you can.

  63. Good luck with the surgery and prayers are on their way. I’m at the very beginning stages of probably having to do something similar because of the swelling in both my legs. They are of course trying drugs first. Been on them three weeks and swelling is the same with a couple of entirely unwanted side effects, so I’ll be off them shortly.

    Have the Doc rprescribe some nicotine lozenges to help with withdrawal. They helped me quit finally and you won’t be quite so cantankerous while recovering.

  66. Good luck. We’ll be praying for you. Be sure to wish your surgeon, anesthesiologist and their staffs to have a great day the day of your surgery. If they have a great day, so will you. We’ll be here when you get back.

  67. And here I was getting ready to shoot you an email for a catch up because I got too focused on my shit and hadn’t touched bases in some time.

    Glad they are finally going to be doing something for you. Best of luck, thoughts and prayers for you and the family.

    AND as many others have expressed, listen to the docs and don’t push too fast, give yourself the time to recover.

    Hopefully you will recover to the point we can do that fishing trip we kind of talked about three or five years ago.

    See you on the other side.

    wes
    wtdb

  68. Good luck Phil, be nice to the nurses as they deliver the pain meds and will make recommendations for more to the Docs. There’s gonna be rehab work, DO IT! Suffer early and the quality of life will improve in the future.

    Spin

  70. I have similar mobility issues but for lumbar reasons. Too much scar tissue etc. from past surgeries to go for any more.
    You’re in my thoughts and prayers.

  71. Prayers and best wishes for both of you. Especially for your completely regaining the ability to get around without having to stop every hundred feet. That’s an awful thing to go through.

  74. CederQ (or anybody else), please keep us apprised of progress!!

    Inquiring busybodies want to know!!!!!!!

  75. Phil- do you or Mr. CederQ know how to prevent this sort of grief? I was just told type 2 diabetes and wonder if there is some intermingling with such. I really hope the two of you get well and turn 20 again!

  76. God Bless ya Phil, aneurisms in those are as bad as the aortics I hear. Glad they be fixing you up

  77. Pingback: Prayer Request for Phil’s Surgery

  79. Good vascular surgeons are a pure God send. Smoking caused my artery blockage problems. If you to live you will quit smoking. I was a 3+ pack a day smoker. I have stents in both legs, a couple just before my aorta and in several arteries in my chest. I am fortunate in that I have some very good insurance. When I retired I signed up in medicare for the F Plan, my insurance pays 100 per cent of everything.
    The point is, You can do this. I’ll be looking forward to reading your new articles.

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