I went back to Creighton to have a CT angiogram done to see if the artery has healed. The next day I saw Dr. Holmberg to get the results. It looks fine, he said. There was one part where the stents overlap that they couldn't see. Earlier he told me if everything looks fine I can get off all the blood thinners except aspirin. Now he said because of where the dissection occurred and the stents are placed he wants me to stay on blood thinners. He switched me from Effient to Plavix, which isn't as strong. The stents are at the top of the LAD (left anterior descending) artery, which feeds 75% of the heart. He said several times they really don't know how to treat this. It isn't heart disease and it's very rare. I have been his third patient in 20 years. Mayo Clinic is doing a research study on spontaneous coronary artery dissection. I have entered that study. So far all I had to do was release my medical records. Dr. Holmberg talked about calling the cardiologists from Mayo to ask them what they have found out. We have been so grateful for doctors and the wisdom God has given them. Somehow once I passed that first anniversary I felt more of a rest in my spirit. Maybe it was just hearing the doctor say, "Your artery is healed and the stents look ok". Whatever... I am just so grateful for a full recovery. I asked Dr. Holmberg if I still need to take care in the heat. "Well", he chuckled, "If the temperature is 110 and the humidity 90% you should probably let Edward do the work." My only restriction is to not lift too heavy stuff.
I will end with a song that expresses my feelings...
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