The "Widow-maker"

6 years ago this February (although an anniversary we no longer happily celebrate), my Pops had a triple bypass surgery, courtesy of the good folks at Stony Brook University Hospital and an artery from his left leg. For about a week prior, he began feeling weird sensations down his left arm accompanied by an ebbing pain in his chest. While he would normally run to Google and Web MD to secure proof he was suffering from one tragic malady or another ("for the love of god, Ron - it's not thumb cancer - IT'S A HANGNAIL!"), he was now trying to convince himself he was NOT having a heart attack. Finally, one morning on his way to work, it felt different. It made him scared. He turned around, went home and called the doctor. They told him to come right away. The Dr. examined him and told him to get his ass to the hospital NOW. My father asked how much time he had - can he take his car home? Get a change of clothes? Call his wife and daughter to accompany him? The doctor advised he was having a heart attack - period. Whether in 10 minutes, 10 hours or 10 months, it was coming. And there was no surviving it. The doctor predicted my Pops was on his way to having what they called "the Widow-maker". No grabbing your chest and popping an aspirin to hold it off until you got to the hospital. No revival via funny, electrified paddles and KY Jelly. No eat right, quit smoking and exercise and it'll be alright. Just BANG - your dead.

My pops went home and called me and my mum at our respective jobs. We rushed home then rushed him to Stony Brook. First they would do an angiogram to determine the damage and from there they would either do an angioplasty (while they were already in there doing the angiogram) or, if the blockages were too severe, he would be scheduled for heart bypass surgery. Of course it would be the latter - nothing is ever easy. So bypass he had - triple. He had three blocked arteries - one at 75%, one at 80% and one at 85%. His aortic "trunk" (the part that leads the aorta into the heart) was also blocked - 95%. Since that couldn't be bypassed, they would "scrape" it clean (shudders). The surgery was not only a success but my Pops bounced back very quickly which was unexpected. He also started taking much better care of himself - he quit smoking, started eating right and was the picture of health. Sadly, he took up smoking again - not because of the addiction but because it was the only way he was able to get his painful and excruciating Ulcerative Colitis to go into remission. Yeah, I know - smoking? Believe me, up until the day he died we've been getting the same (or harsher) reaction, mostly from doctors. But, the studies have been done and it's been proven (somewhat). Nonetheless, it's the only thing that worked for him. However, he continued eating right, getting excercise and seeing the doctor and cardiologist on a regular basis.

A few years later, after 40+ years as an auto mechanic, my Pops retired. Not only was he turning 60 and feeling older, he still suffered certain side affects from the surgery (pulling muscles in his chest, etc.) and was more and more limited to what he could do and how much he could exert himself. Looking back, I believe this may have been the beginning of the end. With no job, no hobby (he had all but abandoned the restoration of his beloved 48 Ford and 59 Studebaker due to his health), and nothing to look forward to except for the daily return of my mum from work, he sunk into depression. And with that, he was no longer taking very good care of himself. He wasn't out filling up on garbage, but he wasn't making the wisest choices either. And after a few years, it catches up with you.