I immediately decided to see a cardiologist and went to see Dr. Lipschitz. We did a stress test and everything looked fine. The calcium was present in my body, but it had not yet caused any significant problems.

However, during my most recent stress test in February of this year, Dr. Lipschitz performed a PET stress test, which is a specialized imaging study. The results showed that my blood pressure response during stress was blunted, meaning my blood pressure did not rise the way it should during exercise.

They knew something wasn’t right under stress conditions.

So we moved directly to cardiac catheterization to get a clearer picture of what was happening. That’s when they found an 80% blockage in the left anterior descending artery and significant blockages in two branches coming off the aorta.

Doctor: Right. And that’s why we performed coronary bypass grafting times two. The surgery took place just 11 days after the cardiac catheterization.

How do you feel now?

Michael: I feel great.

Doctor: Your surgery was on a Wednesday, and you went home on Sunday, correct?

Michael: Correct.

Doctor: And now it’s four weeks later. Talk about the pain.

Michael: Very minimal. Minimal pain.

Doctor: On a scale of one to ten, what would you rate it?

Michael: One.

Doctor: You also mentioned some numbness. The reason for that is we used a special pain-control technique called cryoablation of the intercostal nerves. We use a device from a company called AtriCure. For full disclosure, I have no relationship with the company, but we use their products because they allow us to proactively numb the area on both sides of the chest.

Describe where the numbness is.

Michael: It’s right along here and, of course, around the middle of the chest.

Doctor: But the tradeoff is that you’ve essentially had no pain.

Michael: That’s right. I’ve had no pain throughout the entire recovery.

Doctor: You also told me an interesting story about your grandfather’s experience with heart surgery when you were young.

Michael: Yes.

Doctor: That was many decades ago, in the early days of cardiac surgery.

Michael: Back then, it seemed like a chainsaw had gone through the chest. There was tremendous pain and a very long hospital stay.

Doctor: Times have changed. While many patients hear “heart surgery” and become worried, modern techniques have dramatically improved recovery. We have stents and minimally invasive procedures, but for patients who need open-heart surgery, it isn’t nearly as frightening as it once was.

Michael: Very true.

Doctor: Here we are only four weeks later, and you look fantastic.

Michael: Thank you.

Doctor: Would you like to show your incision?

Michael: Sure.

Doctor: As everyone can see, the incision is healing beautifully. It’s much smaller than many people expect. If you were wearing a V-neck shirt, it would hardly be noticeable.

Your bypass grafts look excellent. How was your care here at Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital?

Michael: Excellent. Absolutely excellent.

Doctor: You were a wonderful patient to care for. Not only are you a success story because of the bypass surgery itself, but also because of the newer pain-management approaches that significantly reduce postoperative discomfort.

What message would you like to share with other patients?

Michael: If you need the surgery, don’t be afraid. Especially if you have “widowmaker” blockages like I did, don’t delay.

Doctor: Excellent advice. Thank you very much, and continued good luck to you.

Michael: Thank you.

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