@mschwett and
@Catalyzt One of the things that keeps me going is guys like both of you. There are so many ways in which people struggle with health issues. Dealing with the kind of rare, multiple system and/or multiple symptom issues that are so hard to accurately diagnose and treat, that you guys have endured with such determination and patience, truly inspires me.
Another thing that keeps me going in this strange cancer journey is what I call reverse schadenfreude. Every two weeks, I go into the cancer center for a chemo infusion. During the period between infusions, feeling constantly cruddy, it tempting to devolve into self pity. When I am at the cancer center, just about all of the other patients are so pale, weary, and obviously faring so much worse than I am. I almost feel guilty about riding my bike back and forth to the chemo center. The staff and providers cheer me on but the other patients make me count my blessings.
The first big challenge that I dealt with in my life occurred in August of 2017. I told part of that tale a few years ago here, but I though I would recount that event as it is a tale of extreme good fortune and uncanny survival.
Originally written in October of 2017 - I have been working as a charter boat owner/captain in Southeast Alaska since 1996. While it was a fairly active life, I did not get much real exercise and had grown fat and lazy.
At the age of 67, during the last scheduled charter for the season, after dinner, on August 31, 2017, while anchored in a remote cove on Baranof Island, Alaska, 80 miles from the nearest town, I started experiencing chest and arm pain.
For the past 10 years we have had an automatic defibrillator on board and have kept the battery updated. In addition, that week one of our guests was the first woman to come out of the Mayo clinic as a board certified cardiologist. If not for these two facts, I would not be writing this.
I asked my wife, Nancy to bring Margaret back to the pilot house. Her husband, Randy, a urologist, had stent put in a few years ago and carried nitro. She informed me that I was having a heart attack, gave me some nitro and had me chew up five aspirin. Then gave me another Nitro and then a third, monitoring my BP the whole time. The pain would not subside. Nancy mentioned that we had an AED (automatic electric defibrillator) on board. Margaret asked her to get that out
about a minute afterr Margaret opened up the AED, while she was at my side, holding the pads in her hand, I went into a cold sweat and went into cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation. I lost consciousness and stopped breathing. The AED was deployed, a shock administered, followed by 5-10 compresions of CPR at which point my heart started pumping again, I resumed breathing and regained consciousness.
Because of the heavy rain, fog and darkness, it was another seven hours before I could be lifted into a helicopter and taken to an emergency room in Juneau. As there is no cardiac care in Juneau Margaret insisted on accompanying me to the hospital Emergency Room and was also lifted off the boat in a basket into the Coast Guard Helicopter. In Juneau I was given a clot buster and sent off on a medivac plane to the cath lab in Anchorage, arriving 12 hours after cardiac arrest.
In Anchorage two stents were put in through the radial artery in my wrist in the medial and distal left anterior descending coronary artery. From everything I have been told, I should never have made it to the cath lab. The fact I am writing this is in a probability range of something close to 0%. This was what is referred to as a "Widow Maker" heart attack.
A truly good friend from whom we purchased our boat, the Alaskan Song, had ended his charter season and was home on Bainbridge Island. We called him while we were waiting for the helicopter. He flew up to Juneau the next morning, meeting up with Margaret and the two of them flew out to the boat in a chartered float plane to finish the charter trip as planned. Nancy flew back on that plane and then flew to Anchorage, joining me in the hospital.
I remained in the hospital for four nights after which we flew back to Bellingham, our home port. Good friends, who are capable mariners, ran the boat south from Alaska to Bellingham for us.
According to the national heart association, less than 6% of those who experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive and only 30% of those survive without measurable cognitive impairment. This gives you some idea of how miraculous my survival was and how grateful I am to be writing this.
It has been quite the ordeal but I have survived it and even thrived despite or perhaps because of it. This served to confirm the need for us to retire. We have hired a captain and chef to take over operations for us. I continued to manage the marketing and booking of our charters and manage the finances and maintenance on our boat until covid hit. We are now selling the boat
I am on a cocktail of medications right now but feeling good and have not had any angina since. My cardiologist said my ejection fraction wa down to 35% which puts me just into the range of congestive Heart failure. He said that is highly unlikely to improve but I can prevent further deterioration through regular exercise.
I intend to make the very best of this second chance.
End of 2017 update - In November we brought a puppy in to our lives, which gets me walking more and is good for the heart in other ways as well.
End of 2018 update -: In early January, 2018 I had a defibrillator/pacemaker implanted in my chest due to scar tissue on my left ventrical posing a risk of sudden deadly heart rhythm. By late January I was attending a cardiac rehabilitation exercise program, a directed program, of building cardio conditioning with cardiac EKG monitoring. This was three days per week for six week.
We were told we needed to find a regular cardio exercise program and stick with it. In early February I bought an electrically assisted bicycle and began to ride it most days instead of driving a car. I finished 2018 with over 6,000 miles on my bicycle, averaging 20 miles per day. I have now lost 30 lbs. and have not had any tobacco since my heart stopped (I was a pipe smoker) I have more energy and feel more vital than I have in decades. My latest echo cardiogram shows an ejection fraction of 40. My cardiologist calls me the "miracle man"
End of 2019 update: I rode 7,212 miles this year, averaging just over 600 miles per month. In July of 2019 I rode 1,412 miles. My ebike has become my principal vehicle, I rode it 332 out of 365 days this past year. I have also added a circuit of 14 weight lifting machines three times a week to keep my upper body and core strong. I have gained back twelve pounds but this time it is all muscle. My waist has stayed the same while the circumference of my thighs has increased 3" along with noticeable increase in upper body muscle. At my December cardiology appointment, my ejection fraction is now 45%. I have not experienced any episodes of angina and no longer carry nitro glycerin.
The implanted defibrillator has never gone off and has not detected any arrhythmias.
I have never engaged in any form of regular exercise for a sustained period in my life. Friends and family joke about who has taken over my body. It is just me with a new zest for life and a desire to stay alive.
Life is good.
Two months later I got the cancer diagnosis for a sarcoma buried under my left quadricep. The irony of having a tumor in my leg, the engine of my heart's recovery was not lost on me.
I will strive to be healthy and fit as long as I can. I draw sustaining inspiration from fellow cancer survivors & patients, brave people here on EBR fighting through more debilitating conditions than I and generous, aging roady friends who can still ride 40 miles, three times a week on acoustic road bikes.
I know that my fate is the same as every single one of us. Some day I will turn a corner, something with reach up and bite me in the ass and not let go. Till then I will keep shaking them off. You never know which one will keep holding on and seal your fate, so just keep shaking and "ride anyway" any day you can.
