Aaron’s Story

Site created on May 17, 2023


Welcome!

Our Dad was brought to the Emergency Department on Sunday May 14th for feeling very short of breath. He was unable to walk a few steps without having to stop and take a break to catch his breathe. He had told the nurses and doctors that the Monday prior (May 8th) he was experiencing horrible shoulder pain while working on a job. Thinking it was his rotator cuff he took some aspirin, put on a lidocaine patch and took a quick nap. He woke up and the pain was almost gone so he continued working and finished out his day. After that day, he experienced shortness of breath that seemed to get worse as the week went on. After hearing all of this the doctor was concerned he may have had a heart attack. They did many tests and found he had a lot of extra fluid in his lungs which was causing his shortness of breath as well as finding out that he has type two diabetes and high blood pressure. He was later transferred to Regions Hospital via ambulance for further review and more in depth testing where they determined he did in fact have a heart attack on Monday, May 8th.


Once at Regions, he began undergoing many different tests to determine what caused the heart attack. Yesterday, May 16th he had an angiogram which determined blockage in three of his arteries that ranged from minor blockage to complete blockage.


Today, May 17th he had a cardiac MRI where they found that he has a small clot. At this point, there are two different routes that they can take and are weighing the risks of both options.


The two options:


Surgery (bypass) or just medicine!


The medicine will heighten his risk for a repeat heart attack! They are concerned that the tissue surrounding the heart might be dead and multiple vessels closed, with a limited chance of reopening.


According to the Endocrine Doctor, the
heart muscle on the left side squeezes blood to the tissues and is currently only pumping 25% to 30%. A normal level would be 60%. The heart muscles are extremely weak which is why the Cardiac Thoracic Surgeon is trying to weigh the risks and determine which option is best.


Sincerely,


Jen, Nicki, Stephanie and Felicia

Gofundme page-

https://gofund.me/3eb3e9aa

Newest Update

May 18, 2023

Journal entry by Felicia Frazee —

After a lot of back and forth he is being discharged today!  The doctor said that with the way that his heart is functioning at the 25%-30%, the bypass would not do him any good compared to just putting in a stent. Out of the many blockages only one of them is salvageable for a stent to be placed. 

From here on out, he will now be on a few different medications that will keep things pumping and stable to help him live a normal life. He will not be able to work until at least after the stent is placed (3weeks) and at that point he probably won’t be doing much of his usual tile laying. 

This will be a huge lifestyle change for him including diet change and not being able to drink alcohol anymore. It will all take some getting used to but he is very motivated to get better and to stay away from the bypass surgery. We will post updates as we have them. 

Thank you! 

Felicia
Read More of the journal titled "May 18, 2023"
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