It all started five to six weeks ago, when I started out on my standard run. About four or five minutes into the run my chest felt a chest discomfort, like indigestion. I stopped and walked a while and it went away. Unlike the previous time, this time it was very mild and I was able to finish my run. Again, I was in denial. For a long time before this occurred I felt tired during my runs, well at least shortly after I started and that also went away. I need to point out that I’ve slowed down considerably and I don’t know if this is just a result of old age or due to the blockage which they found when I went to the Emergency Room (ER) at Balboa Naval Hospital.

From that day on I would experience mild discomfort in the chest area and on occasion I wouldn’t have any. Each time I stopped and walked I was able to finish my run. I told myself if it were blocked arteries it would have come back like it did the first time.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025: I started my run as usual. Again, about four or five minutes into the run I experienced mild chest discomfort. I paused and walked for a couple of minutes then continued. A few minutes later the chest discomfort returned but was nearly painful, so I stopped again and walked for several minutes and then finished my run. As with all the previous runs when I walked there was no discomfort. Because the chest discomfort increase, I decided to go to the ER after I returned from my trip to the Grand Canyon and Palm Springs Tram with my son and his wife. They visit me from Florida once a year and find something to do that’s fun and a new experience. On previous visits they took me to: Lions Tigers and Bear sanctuary, Julian Wolf sanctuary, did a scavenger hunt in La Jolla, and a wine tasting at Callaway winery.

April 14. 2025: Even though there was an earthquake before I left, which I should have taken as a harbinger of things to come, I was optimistic and hoping that my trip to the ER would find a mild problem; a problem easily solved, then fixed, and I could resume my normal life. When I got there I told them I had chest discomfort while I ran. I was quickly taken in for vital signs check. The female tech was a runner and wanted to do the check. She said she was surprised that I was able to walk in. I guess when you’re eighty-seven people expect you to be barely able to walk and get up. While she did the check we discussed running. The last time they took me right into the ER. This time I was put back into the waiting room, where I waited around playing games on my phone for an hour or more before I was taken to an ER cubical.

In the ER cubical I was directed to take off my shirt. Then I was hooked up to a heart monitor, an automatic blood pressure cuff, and on my finger was a blood oxygen monitor. Like before I repeated my symptoms at least five times. First to the check in receptionist, then to the vital signs tech, then to an ER nurse, then to an ER doctor, and finally to a cardiologist. The cardiologist determined that I should be given an angiogram to determine if I had an artery blockage. I was scheduled to have the procedure done the next day and I needed to report at eleven. Just before departing I was taken for an Xray. I think they also drew some blood. I went home now believing I did have a problem similar to the previous time and it would be fix, like before, and I’d be on my way. Unlike my previous time when the cardiac catheter was inserted into a leg artery this one would be inserted in a wrist artery. Furthermore, It would be an outpatient procedure; assuming everything went as planned I would be sent home. I left the hospital feeling very optimistic.

April 15. 2025: Arriving optimistically, I checked in a little before eleven. While I was in the waiting room I was visited by my primary care cardiologist and the cardiologist that would do the procedure. I was told previously that if they found a blockage they would fix it and I had given them permission. Shortly after eleven I was taken to the preop room and given a hospital gown and directed to remove everything that is capable of being remove; I was bare as a newborn only a lot more wrinkled. Now that I think about it, along with this being April 15^th the next clue that all may not goes as planned was when the IV was to be put in. The tech first attempted to insert it in my hand; that failed. He tried again on my upper arm; he failed again. I now has two bandages on my left arm. I guess they went and got a more experienced tech that was successful. The cardiac surgeon came by and briefed me once more on what would happen. A short time later I was taken to the procedure room.

As I was being wheeled on my gurney, the nurse explained that there would be many people there performing various jobs on me all at the same time. In the procedure room I was moved to the procedural table; I shifted myself. While I was being positioned and prepped, I was given a shot of Novocain in my wrist where the cardiac catheter would be inserted in an artery. The people were scurrying about in all directions as I attempted to figure out when the anesthesia was going to take effect. I thought I was awake but when the doctor told me we were through and that she had to talk to me. I saw that only about twenty minutes had elapsed and guessed that everything didn’t happen as planned and I began to worry. You know when someone says, “We need to talk,” is generally not going to be good news. When I was sufficiently awake and returned to recovery she told me they had found a blockage in a high risk area. So, they didn’t put a stent in because they wanted me to make an informed decision; I wonder, do I really have a choice? Briefly, I think my choices are: drug treatment, the high risk stent, or bypass surgery, which they don’t like to do on old people because of anesthesia problems. I’ve got the impression that the high risk stent is what they would recommend. I have an appointment April 23 to discuss what will happen. Meanwhile I’ll just worry, check my will, write a letter to my kids, and post this page when I get back and have a course of action. You’ll know it failed if I don’t add to this after the scheduled procedure.

April 23. 2025: As I depart home, once again I’m optimistic but worried. Okay, I’m actually downright scared and stressed. My thoughts are:

There are so many mixed through running Helter Skelter through my mind, it’s hard to do anything or concentrate. Perhaps I’m overthinking this. I guess I’ll just have to wait. I’m going to ask the doctor what they would do if I had an attack that required me to call 911. I’m also going to ask what they would recommend if I were say sixty.