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Patrick Carroll
Member
Username: Plcarrolljr
Post Number: 9
Registered: 10-2010
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2011 - 12:45 am: | 
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My health history in a nutshell
In May of 1975 I was born with transposition of great arteries (TGA) and when I was 18 months old I had open heart sugery (Mustard procdure)
All thru childhood I was very active playing park leauge baseball, basketball and even flag football. I never let my heart problem slow me down.. I had one time I could remember while at basketball practice I copllased and then the next day the DR put me in hospital for a few days for CHF.
In 7th grade I had one of many pacemakers put in due to the Dr's saying my heartbeat slowed at night (which it might have for a while but I use the pacer now very little) . I was still very active which meant alot of broken wires.. I had one pacemaker scar get infected and that was no fun at all.. A few weeks in UCLA.
As I went thru high school, I was very active in the band at school and joined an award winning youth marching band which meant alot of parades and marching.. I really enjoyed it and it was a reason I was in such good shape (heart wise) thru i was 21.
After high school, I worked at a few schools as a recearation aide and I orangized sports for the students.. It was alot of walking also.
In my mid 20's i played Roller hockey, yes I said roller hockey. i enjoyed playing...
As I was getting into my late 20's while working at a warehouse. I had a couple times of CHF. I averaged it every 2 yrs since 2005-06. My dr then said I would need a heart transplant and reffered me to UCLA.. The dr's there told me that I had to get a bunch of different things in check (health wise) and they didnt give me much help there..
I met my current bosses thru a monster truck message board... Over time we became good friends and I was even helping them crew at local shows... Its a nice work out to push around a tire about 6 ft tall and 600+ lbs. I didn't over do...
Over time as our friendship built they knew I was being overwork at my job and that they could use a good person in their towing company's office running it while on the road with the monster trucks and where they didnt have to worry about it... So they offered me a job which meant moving 375 miles north to Watsonville area (Between Monterery and Santa Cruz). With some discussion with the wife. We decided it would be good for a change not knowing it would be the greatest move we have EVER done.
When we got up here we were haiving issues finding a dr in the area would take me on with TGA. In July of 2010 I was having breathing issues and ended up in the ER. I was once again in CHF and spent 2 days at the local hospital and was reffered to Stanford. I made an apt to see a dr on Aug 26 .
I was still having issues when we got to Stanford, I couldnt walk that far without stoping to catch breath... When the dr's came in and told me that they could see something going on and wanted to admit me to do tests and get to know my heart better... Which I asked the dr how long would it be... He said 2 days/ 48 hrs this being on a Thursday... Boy he was wrong...
That following Sunday the wife and kids came up to visit me. I wasnt feeling good at all and tried to enjoyed watching tv with them.. As I tried to eat my lunch, I started throwing up all over the place. The wife and kids left as all the staff came in and my heart rate sky rocketed to over 200. I was hot and sweaty during this all. I was wide awake for this.. They had to page my current heart faliure dr since he just stepped away to lunch, which we still joke about since I messed with his lunch..
But they put all these different IVs into me and moved me to to the CCU unit at Stanford. They decided to put in a new pacemaker since they said I was in A-fib that was on Sept 1. After a few days of more tests, meds and talk of shocking me to get me in a regular heart beat (which they didnt have to due since Meds worked) and then my INR was taking forever to get to the range they wanted I was there a few more days walked out on Sept 8.. My promised 2 days turned into 13 days.
With talking with the dr's at Stanford as they started the transplant workup. I had to do some different things. Including dealing with my poor kept up teeth.. So we meet with different densits they wouldnt touch me to pull all my teeth to help prevent dental infections. After looking around and talking to alot of different people. I was finally taken on as a patient by a Stanford oral suregon.
On March 1st I went in for surgery at Stanford. The surgery to remove all my teeth was a sucess BUT the recovery is where I had problems. During recovery my o2 level dropped low and as I was wakeing up I could tell I was heaving issues breathing... Well the next thing I remember is that they we telling me I would be admitted. So off to CCU i went and ended up there a week
After a couple of check ups with the dr's I was allowed to travel to Vegas the last weekend of March for the biggest monster jam show of the year. It was a great weekend to see all our friends which are more like family. It was all going good until about 3/4 way home and I got a bloody nose. As we still came on home and a couple hrs later I was still have a bloody nose. I went to the local ER... after sitting there for an hr or so. The drs did some tests and it came back as my INR had skyrocketed to over 4.
They wanted to get it down with giving me some plasma. We told them to contact Stanford 1st before giving me the plasma and since it was 1am by then the number that they were trying was an office phone and no one would be there, The drs went ahead and gave me the plasma which when Stanford got that message the next day they were not a bit happy since there is a 24 hr emerency number on voice mail and the dr didnt call that
I spent a day or two there but they pushed me out the door quickly, as it was going around the hospital that Stanford was mad at them for not doing the right thing..
As the year went one I had a bunch of different tests.. Which included 3 or 4 heart caths... I got to know the staff in the ped's heart cath lab pretty good. (peds due to my TGA and ped's dr are more knowledgable) a liver bio which took 2 times to do it... The 1st time as they were prepping me, I was asking if they could do it thru the neck as they were planning due to my plumbing in my heart.. The dr said they could do it... So as I was in the room getting prep, the dr walked in and said something to the nurse.. I asked the nurse what it was and she said he would be right back in to talk to me.
The dr came back in and over to me, and said thanks to me being on top of it and asking if they could do it. They went and looked at x-rays and decided they couldn't do it thru the neck and would have to do it with the long needle. He told me that we could do it then or not... My mind set was preped for going thru the neck. So i postponed it since I wasnt in mind set.
So when I rescheluded it. I went in with the mind set that it was really going to hurt my side... Well I was Wrong.. It didnt hurt me as i thought it would.
As they were getting the test results they thought my lung pressures were up and thats why for the mulitple heart caths as they tested them and stinted the baffle in my heart at one time..
As November passed the transplant team said that they would like me to do another heart cath after taking a new med for a while.. My dr went back thru and reviewed the prior heath cath results. As he discovered the numbers were read as they would for a kid. My pressures were fine and they told me that they were going to represent my case to the team on Friday Dec 3 ,2010 around mid morning..
The transplant team that morning accpected me to be listed for heart transplant. (which I got the call earlier that day then expected it was early mid morning) and thats where i stand now..
Patrick Carroll
Watsonville,Ca
Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/PLCarroll
Fan Page to follow my status.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Patricks-Long-Road-Ahead/148194351889449
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Hostess Rise'
Board Administrator
Username: Rise
Post Number: 15747
Registered: 05-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 09:50 am: |
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Hi Patrick
thanks for sharing your story. How are you feeling now. You left me wanting to know more.
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Patrick Carroll
Member
Username: Plcarrolljr
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2010
| | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 11:26 pm: |
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I am doing good... Feeling good no major issues... just weight gain up and down almost everyday but otherwise. I feel good.
Patrick Carroll
Watsonville,Ca
Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/PLCarroll
Fan Page to follow my status.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Patricks-Long-Road-Ahead/148194351889449
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