Wordworks2001Wordworks2001I was compelled to start this site to alert unsuspecting patients that have been told they need a coronary bypass that you probably don't. I was told by a cardiologist in April 2004, that my heart was in great shape, but I needed a quintuple bypass!
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Medications & Supplements
2008-02-23 15:36:00 I have been asked to list the medications and supplements I take daily. While all of them are not for the hypertension/coronary artery disease this blog addresses, they all have a purpose in my plan for overall health. First,, let me list the prescribed drugs: Metoprolol Tartrate - 100mg 7 am and 7 pm - for blood pressure Fosinopril Sodium - 10mg 7 pm - for blood pressure Isosorbide Dinitrate More About: Supplements , Medications
Update #5
2008-02-22 18:25:00 I continue to be free of angina pain after once again dodging the knife of the cardio-thoracic surgeon. Just to bring you up to date, I once again opted to treat my coronary artery disease medically rather than through bypass surgery. My faith still lies with my former cardiologist, Howard Wayne, who explained angiogenesis and the collateral vessel system to me back in 2004, when I sought a More About: Update
Update #4
2008-02-16 15:13:00 This entry in my blog contains some references to sexual activity. If you find this embarrassing, please read no further. Also, patients on nitrates are advised to consult their cardiologist before attempting what you read here. Valentine's Day came and went and my vital signs stayed pretty much the same as they had the day before. The Isordil has not lowered the blood pressure to anywhere the More About: Update
Update #3
2008-02-14 04:41:00 I continue angina free, despite getting supplies of wood from outside to keep our wood stove burning. Today's vital signs are as follows: 02/13/08 - 0800 hrs - 112/64 - 68 02/13/08 - 1400 hrs - 109/59 - 70 02/13/08 - 2000 hrs - 108/60 - 64 More About: Update
Update #2
2008-02-12 13:19:00 My blood pressure has yet to get to the level it was when I started Dr. Wayne's medication regimen. I am going to continue with current dosages for the remainder of the month then will increase to 10mg at 7 am, 20mg at 1 pm and 30mg at 7 pm. o2/11/08 - 0800 hrs - 124/70 - 70 02/11/08 - 1400 hrs - 120/64 - 68 02/11/08 - 2000 hrs - 116/60 - 64 This morning's reading at 0720 hrs was 112/64 and More About: Update
Update #1
2008-02-10 17:55:00 I began taking the Isordil the evening of February 7. My dosage schedule is as follows: 7 am - 5mg, 1 pm - 10mg, 7 pm - 15mg. I have had no angina since beginning the Isordil. My blood pressures and pulse are as follows: 02/07/08 - 2000 hrs - 134/83, 86 02/08/08 - 1400 hrs - 136/85, 72 02/08/08 - 2200 hrs - 138/90, 90 02/09/08 - 1200 hrs - 139/79, 64 02/09/08 - 1500 hrs - 143/80, 68 02/09/08 More About: Update
Isodil Update
2008-02-07 15:23:00 On Monday I turned in my Isodil prescription to the pharmacist and learned the pharmaceutical company no longer makes that brand of drug. Since the doctor did not allow substitution and only generic drugs were available, the pharmacy called the cardiologist to get permission to substitute. By Tuesday the problem had not been resolved but the pharmacy technician said she would check with the More About: Update
Most Physicians Don't Understand
2008-02-05 14:49:00 I saw my primary care physician yesterday.In the past, she was very supportive of my desire to maintain control of my medical treatment plan. She is an osteopath by training and very open to alternative treatments. But yesterday, she asked me why I did not have stents put in when I had the angiogram last Thursday. I told her that the purpose for the angiogram was to compare it with the one done More About: Understand
Second Verse, Same as the First
2008-02-04 19:32:00 My cardiologist highly encouraged me to undergo a coronary artery bypass today. He said that I was a good candidate for the surgery because my heart is still in great shape. The post-angiogram diagnosis showed "severe three vessel obstructive coronary artery disease. Norma LV systolic function with an ejection fraction of 60%. Mildly elevated LVEDP 15mmHg." The angiogram report stated : LAD: " More About: Verse
Today is the Day
2008-02-04 15:32:00 I do battle with the medical/industrial complex today at 11:30 am. I will be meeting with my cardiologist, who will be making the case for a quintuple coronary artery bypass graft. He will make it sound as if he solely has my best interests in mind. What he will not discuss is the fact that not only does the surgeon and team performing the surgery have a vested interest in promoting CABG surgery More About: Today
Inaccurate and Unreliable
2008-02-01 17:58:00 That is what Dr. Howard Wayne called angiograms -- inaccurate and unreliable tests that won't diagnose coronary artery disease. When I arrived at t he Indiana Heart Hospital early in the morning of January 30, I came armed with Dr. Wayne's first book, Living Longer With Heart Disease: The Noninvasive Approach That Will Save Your Life. Published in 1998, this book probably has prevented more
Same Song, Different Verse
2008-02-01 01:12:00 I guess there are two ways to take the opposing beliefs of the invasive cardiologist versus the noninvasive cardiologist. They can't both be right, in every instance. The noninvasive, noninterventionalist cardiologist wouldn't think of performing a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) on a patient as a first resort any more than he would believe the best treatment for athlete's foot is to amputate More About: Song , Verse
Angina Attack
2008-01-29 20:25:00 On Sunday last, I did a very foolish thing. At 8 PM, I took two pills made of "natural" supplements that were to increase my sexual prowess. I took them despite the warning label that clearly stated I should consult my physician before using it. Two weeks before I ingested two of these blue capsules and enjoyed a remarkable session of sexual activity with my significant-other. I had absolutely More About: Attack
Cholesterol Scare
2008-01-27 14:15:00 The late Dr. Howard Wayne, the San Diego cardiologist who said I definitely did not need a quintuple coronary artery bypass graft, or any other "uple" graft for that matter, strongly discouraged me from using any medication, particularly statins, to lower my cholesterol level. He never even checked my cholesterol levels and said he didn't care what they were. He also told me he had not had his More About: Cholesterol
Still Angina-Pain-Free
2008-01-21 16:11:00 Well, I continue to be angina-pain-free since undergoing EECP last year. I also have managed to wean myself off Imdur. My blood pressure following the EECP therapy was averaging 110/70, higher than the BP I used to try to manage when Dr. Wayne was my cardiologist, but still low enough to control the angina. I wanted to get off of the Imdur so I could start taking Viagra again. Since I had no More About: Free , Pain
Happy New Year
2008-01-02 03:28:00 It has been more than two months since I returned from San Antonio after undergoing 35 sessions of EECP. The results of the therapy surprised even me. I can honestly say I went from having several (3-5) episodes of angina pain a day to having between 0 and 1 a week. Not only has the frequency of angina significantly diminished, the intensity and recovery time are much less. I don't remember the More About: New Year , Happy , Happy New Year , Year
Still Ticking
2007-10-28 14:57:00 Well, I am back in Indianapolis, ten days after finishing my EECP therapy in San Antonio. I consider the treatment to have been 95% effective in reducing the number and intensity of angina symptoms. Since returning lined eight days ago, I have had perhaps six angina events, all but one of which was self-limiting, lasting a minute or two and not requiring nitroglycerin. The one in which I used one
The Countdown Begins
2007-10-02 18:09:00 Well, just ten more therapy sessions and I'll be done with my EECP. While the results are not yet what I had hoped them to be, the angina has decreased in frequency, length and intensity. I haven't used nitroglycerin in at least a week. My stamina is generally better although I do take a short nap most days and I didn't before beginning EECP. I had hoped I might have a complete absence of More About: Countdown
A Junkie's Brain & Parkinson's
2007-09-21 11:37:00 From Wired.com ATASCADERO, California -- In Monterey County Jail, in the spring of 1981, a 21-year-old drug dealer and junkie named Toby Govea lay in bed shaking violently and uncontrollably. Thanks to a bad batch of homemade heroin, Govea had developed symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, an incurable neurological illness that causes muscle rigidity, tremors and eventually loss of movement. Today, More About: Brain
10th EECP Session
2007-09-10 20:21:00 This morning I had my tenth EECP session, which means some time this week I should be feeling the positive results of the therapy. Not that I haven't already been feeling better, however, that may be psychological. When my cardiologist, Dr. Ken LeClerc, examined me before I started EECP, he told me after the 35 consecutive hour-long sessions, he may be able to take me off of some of the
EECP & Me
2007-08-30 19:04:00 I finally began my therapy this past Monday. Yesterday, we went for an hour and got up to the highest therapeutic setting. My therapist, Daphne, is impressed with my tolerance of this rather grueling therapy. Velcro-secured wraps are placed securely around the legs and lower torso. They squeeze your body every time the heart is at rest. Yesterday Daphne took the pressure up to 6 psi, the
Orientation
2007-08-16 20:31:00 Well, I had my EECP orientation today from Daphne the EECP therapist at the South Texas Cardiology Consultants. She's a very personable and obviously dedicated young lady who made me feel right at home. The first thing I did was watch a video that gave me an overview of what EECP is, how it is performed, expected results, etc. It wasn't anything i hadn't already studied about, but the More About: Orientation
My EECP Begins Soon
2007-08-08 23:28:00 Today my quest to receive EECP therapy has taken a giant leap toward fruition. I had an appointment this afternoon with a cardiologist from the South Texas Cardiology Consultants in San Antonio. His name is Dr. Kenneth LeClerc and he calls himself an invasive noninterventionalist. Although he does use invasive diagnostic procedures, he treats without surgery. He is not requiring me to have any
Letter
2007-07-29 12:19:00 I received an email from my friend Maria in Mexico City yesterday. Sadly, it is as difficult there to find a noninvasive cardiologist as it is in the USA. Here is her news: Hello Jeff, I was reading your blog today. I´m sorry to know that Dr. De Vries is leaving his practice. And I´m sorry that every doctor wants to do an invasive test in order to prescribe EECP to you. We are also still More About: Letter
EDTA vs EECP
2007-07-29 11:14:00 On another forum that I spend a lot of time on, Cannuck had a comment about EDTA: Originally Posted by Cannuck Chelation has been used for many decades for a variety of reasons. My wife's Aunt was treated with EDTA for the aftereffects of the concentration camps, as were German citizens from the Ruhr Valley for heavy metal poisoning. I personally know seniors who have done
One More Opinion About EECP
2007-07-29 01:56:00 A noninvasive procedure for treating angina has proven nearly as effective as angioplasty, said a cardiologist who has been using Enhanced External Counterpulsation for his patients for the past several years. Dr. James P. O’Neil, a cardiologist with the Cardiology Group, which administers the procedure at its Mount Laurel office, said coronary angioplasty, a medical procedure which involves More About: Opinion
Don't Believe Your Cardiologist
2007-07-29 01:24:00 Recently, "Big Dave" made a statement regarding CAD on a forum I spend a lot of time. Here is his statement and my reply, for the record: Big Dave No matter how you do it, removing the plaque buildup is the cure to most coronary disease. A pharmacological cure would put a lot of heart surgeons out of business. Actually that's not so, especially for males over 50. We have an uncanny ability More About: Logi
Your EECP Questions Answered
2007-07-28 20:47:00 What is Enhanced External Counter-Pulsation (EECP)? The Cleveland Clinic defines EECP as a treatment for those with symptomatic coronary artery disease, not eligible for standard treatments of revascularization. During EECP, cuffs wrapped around the calves, thighs and buttocks are inflated and deflated, gently but firmly compressing the blood vessels in the lower limbs, increasing blood flow to More About: Questions
A Letter to the Editor about EECP
2007-07-22 10:14:00 Dear (Napa Valley Register ) editor, This is a belated thanks to Dr. Dizman, Napa cardiologist, and nurse Susan Hart for giving me medical service that changed my life and avoided the problems that come with bypass surgery. For some time before October 2001, I was suffering periodic chest pains. I finally went to a cardiologist (not Dr. Dizman) who after an examination scheduled me for a bypass More About: Letter , Editor , Letter to the Editor
Seeking a Noninvasive Cardiologist
More articles from this author:2007-07-22 09:33:00 I am actively seeking a noninvasive cardiologist to treat my stable angina and coronary artery disease using noninvasive diagnostic procedures and treatments. I do not want any tests that require the insertion of any tubes or catheters inside my body. I will not consider any invasive treatments such as coronary angioplasty, the insertion of stents, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, More About: Seeking , Seek , Logi 1, 2 |
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