Ventured to UMass Medical in Worcester today for my rescheduled appointment with Dr. Schanzer. He is my second opinion for my abdominal aortic aneurysm (Triple A).
Although my appointment was mid-day, and there was no snow to deal with, it was still quite tricky getting there. Of course GPS had me take a road that was closed for bridge reconstruction, but I was able to traverse by blazing through an alternative route.
The UMass Medical Campus is HUGE. I finally got to the parking garage and arrived at the doctor's reception/check in area more than the half hour prior to the appointment as they requested. Of course I had to fill out the obligatory paperwork and complete the multitude of questionnaires focusing on my current and past health issues. However, I completed those in time for my scheduled appointment, but I guess they weren't ready for me. I hate waiting, but I had to endure a two and a half hour wait. This unto itself was unpleasant, but the icing on the cake was having to hear my 'neighbors' watch endless You tube/Facebook animal videos WITH THE SOUND ON. I had all I could do to not say anything. Others in the area shared the rolling of the eyes, but not one person asked them to turn the phone volume down. I finally had to get up and find another area to sit. [I used to laugh at the sheep singing Whitney Houston songs, but WTF?]
Finally I was called in. I was so happy to see fresh faces and be away from the LOUD family. The medical professional started taking my vitals and led me to an examination room, where she entered information (from my work sheets) onto their system. She was pleasant - and quick. She had me disrobe and had me on the examination table when she realized how big I am. She said, "They don't make these tables for people your size." I said, "I get that a lot" as I chuckled.
I waited for some time before Dr Schanzer arrived. Once seated, I caught him up on my back story and he proceeded to tell me that he reviewed my CT scan results. "According to my calculations on what I could see, your aneurysm is 5.6 cm. Generally we don't do anything until it's 5.5 cm, so you are there. I wouldn't put it off, but you are at a 5% rupture rate if you wait much longer. The risk factors for the stint are 3%, so the benefits do outweigh the risks. Those risks are the same for most types of surgery: heart attack; internal bleeding due to damage to a vessel, and others."
He continued, "There are two ways to approach this. One being open surgery, where we go in and fix the area of the aneurysm. However, given your anatomy, I recommend EVAR (endovascular insertion of a stint). The procedure takes about 2 hours and requires an overnight stay (for most) with a follow-up in a week, then a month, then three, then six - for the rest of your life. An ultrasound will indicate if there is any slippage or endo-leaks, but most can be treated as outpatient procedures."
He looked at his calendar and said he could schedule something for March 28th. I raised my eyebrows. Thought a moment and said, "That makes sense to get it out of the way since it's been weighing on my mind since it was discovered." I asked what the recovery period was and if I would have to come back within a few days for a check on the femoral artery incision. Dr Schanzer pointed to my gut and said, "We'll go in through here, so there will be only two small entry holes. So there's no major pain. You'll probably feel 'beaten up' for about a week, but able to resume life shortly after." I asked if I would have any physical limitations. He said, "I wouldn't go to the gym or do any heavy lifting for about a week, but after - no problem."
So I agreed to have him pencil in the 28th. He asked if I had any further questions, but I told him I may after, but not right now. He gave me his card (contact info) and told me to call if I did. He added that his office will be contacting me and that I would need to come in for a visit with the anesthesiologist as part of the pre-op.
Upon leaving the campus, I needed to visit the parking cashier. The line was outside and around the corner. Apparently, their computer systems and self service kiosks were down. I felt sorry for the one attendant. When I got here attention, she told me to just leave and hit the 'help' button at the gate and I could get out. [Really?] I thanked her and left. Apparently everyone leaving had this inside knowledge and the gates were being raised almost automatically. [Why do I get the feeling that I won't hear the end of this?]
So I killed much of the day traveling, waiting and skipping out without having to pay for parking. At least when I left it was still sunny and I was traveling East, so I had no problems with solar slowdowns. I'll take it.
So it looks like this become real as I embark on a health side trip.
More to come!
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