Heart Bypass Surgery

Hey Ed........stop already......you're embarassing me!!! Actually I always hope that anything I say can shed a little light for some who wonder what is going on with their bodies...........and no I certainly am no modern day Florence Nightingale running around sounding the alarm. But as one who "saw the light" and came back from a harrowing near death experience from my surgery I became determined to never ever be placed in a position where I felt trapped into something without doing my own research. As for doctors and pharma reps..............one day I was sitting in my husbands pulmonologist office waiting for him when a sales rep came in.....sat down next to me and we started talking about various drugs etc. He was pushing the upgraded Lescol XP or something like that for lowering cholestrol.......I proceded to tell him of my problems with lipitor and he then went on to tell me this drug was better.....absolutely no side effects.....and he went on and on.... I thanked him and said I would mention what he said to my dr. The next day I had appt with my cardio guy and before I could say anything he presented me with samples of a new drug called Lescol XP.......he then proceded to tell me almost word for word what the sales rep had told me the day before. I laughed inwardly as I asked him if he had heard about the drug before and just what studies had been done for determining side effects.........again it was the words of the sales rep that came out. My cardio guy once told me that they are so busy that they don't have time to do their own research on new drugs......or on new procedures etc........I can understand this but then on the other hand not sure I like what I'm told to take based on what a sales rep says as his main motivation is to make money by pushing the new drugs. I don't know what the answers are.....a doctor has to base his prescribing of new drugs based on what the sales rep tells him so are we saying the sales reps need more knowledge of what it is they are selling? After I listened to the sales pitch for lescol xp from the sales rep I went home and did my own little research and sure enough there it was.......another satin drug with basically the same side effects etc..............and for those who say we are bashing the statins....I don't think it is a case of bashing them as much as a need to recognize that we are all different and each drug will react differently to every one of us......boy, how easy would it be to pop a statin......lower the cholestrol and feel great. Unfortunately there is a growing number of people who have symptoms of something wrong and they have no clue what to pin it on......their own body deteriorating ........their meds.......disease......... Ed......bravo to your wife for becoming a nurse!!! What a dedicated field she is in and trust me when I say that had it not been for a nurse I would not bere today. I was put in ICU after bypass but only for 3 hours and then moved down to regular room. Instead of monitoring every 15 minutes it was more like every hour......but one of the nurses noticed I was not responding as I should and before long was in total organ failure.........fortunately she had feelings that I was sinking and so she stayed right there with me until a doctor could be found.......it wasn't long before all organs were near total failure when she took it upon herself to bring me back to ICU and indeed I was back in surgery before long..........just one small example of how important it is that we train good nurses......... Well, there I go again rambling again.........by the way Ed.....when the dr put you on lipitor and said you needed to get well for the grandkids.......what a tyical statement that is being made all over this country today by doctors........when I had my heart catherization and it showed blockages the doc said to me "surgery must be done immediately".......I said I wanted one of my kids to come up and stay with my husband while I had surgery..........he jumped at me and quite frankly yelled "you won't be alive by next week if you wait for your daughter to come".......needless to say I had surgery the next day.....After it took a year for my recovery I started doing my research and every thing I have read says I should have been offered options.......should have been told WHY it was necessary for immediate surgery.....should have been informed on just what was wrong with my body and lastly explain to my satisfaction just why it was that I had absolutely no symptoms of anything wrong........no angina.....no shortness of breath.......no high bp (under control)......was walking 3miles a day......and felt 10 years younger than I was. Yes we must trust our doctors but do it with an informed mind and never be afraid to question them if we have doubts..........I admit I used to be intimidated by my doctors........today I feel empowered by knowledge to speak up (nicely) and say what I think........... Keep up the good work Ed.......I realize some will not appreciate all that you do but in the long run you have been placed here at this time for some special reason and it could be to make people realize some of our destiny is in our own hands and we shouldn't always leave it up to others................... Carol in Atlanta..