Pre-Op Appt Scare

Hi - haven't posted in a while. My pre-op appt was on Monday.  I was talking to the Anesthesiologist and he was looking at my most recent ekg which was done before my hystorectomy March 2011.  He said, "so I see you've had a heart attack".  O.o  I was flabbergasted. No one ever told me I had a heart attack and I would think I'd know if I had one. I told him that and he said that, while he's suprised no one followed up on it, it was definitely a heart attack and maybe I didn't feel it because of my diabetes.  I had not been diagosed with diabetes back then so who knows. He redid the ekg and it showed the same tissue damage as the one in 2011.

I immediately called my primary care doctor when I got back to work and demanded that they refer me to the cardiology dept. I have an appt tomorrow first thing and I'm sooooo scared that they're going to want to do testing and that it will hold up my surgery date for aug 27. Never mind that though - I'm so exhausted from all of the appts I had to go to and make up time for at work that I was really looking forward to two weeks without having to go to the damn doctor!!!!

I've been reading too much about silent heart attacks on the internet and have so many questions and fears. How did I ever pass the stress test a couple of weeks ago? Will I die and just not have any warning because I don't get symptoms? I have two teens ages 16 and 17 who live at home.  The whole reason I'm doing the surgery is to live a longer life. I quit smoking. I quit soda. I quit caffeine which was the hardest thing I've ever done with wicked bad headaches for a week and a half. NOw this? I'm so disappointed and sad. 

I had to have cardiac approval before my RNY but not before my knee replacement which was a much harder surgery.  It amazes me what Dr's relate to us and what they don't.  I've never had a heart attack but I imagine you have have to have an echo, maybe even a stress echo.  I'll have you in my thoughts that all goes well so your surgery isn't delayed. 

Thanks. I just had a stress test with imaging and dye though so I honestly don't know what they will do. Silent heart attacks are scarey.

I'll be thinking about you.  Hope everything is clear and they can go ahead with your surgery. 

Linda

An anesthesiologist is not a cardiologist. Before you get too worried, I'd make sure they are even right that what they saw means you had a heart attack and it's not that they are misreading the EKG. 

Also, if you passed the stress test, that means your heart is fine now and that's what counts.

Agree. That was the *anesthesiologist's* interpretation. I would trust the cardiologist more - do you have a list of questions for the cardio?

I agree with the above. Anesthesiologist is no cardiologist. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. And, yes, the doctor's appointments were so endless that I felt like they overtook my life.

It wasn't a heart attack! yay!  Apparently my heart tilts slightly to the right which is why the ekg comes out funny.  I love the cardiologist I saw. He is sending one of his team to see me each day I'm in the hospital. He said if you hadn't already scheduled this sleeve surgery I would have recommended it highly so that made me feel good about my decision too. What a relief!!!! Thanks everyone.

Great news! Congratulations.