[thin4good]

For those of you that asked for an update. My best friend saw the specialist I researched for him today. It's as bad as I feared, perhaps a bit worse. He will need surgery. They wanted to get him in w/ the surgeon tomorrow, but aren't sure they can firt him so he will have to wait until next Wednesday if that is the case.

In the mean time he has to send his blood pressure and heart rate to the doctor ever day. The doctor said delaying or waiting is not an option. He informed his parents tonight.

His aorta is very dilated, he has a mild leak in his heart, and the root will also have to be replaced. And to think if his father hadn't almost lost his life this summer, I never would have encouraged him to get a full body scan, and we wouldn't have known any of this until his heart ruptured.

To think that I could have been out in the desert with him or taken him on a bike ride and had him die on me scares the hell out of me. Everyone keeps telling me I probably saved his life, but I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and I was meant to help him w/ this.

I don't think I saved his life, thoug I can't believe in encouraging him to get physically active I could have accidentally killed him.

I consider us all very lucky! Thanks guys for listening!

[sleventis]

I am sorry and happy for you all in the same breath...I will pray for your friend and you as well...and I agree...everything does happen for a reason..that is why you were brought into his life...and so dang smart...you can rock out information like no other.....haha....
please, please keep us updated on his progress!!!!!
Many blessings to you!

[mapgirl]

I am so glad that you researched all that you did. Otherwise he would have not known. At least now he and his doctors are aware of it.

You are such a good friend. I bet this is sort of a relief to you (well, sort of). The stress of thinking "what if" is almost worse than knowing. Give him a hug and let him know that there are people praying for him.

[Band Mamma]

I have been keeping tabs on this. Everyone had already said everything I would have, so I didn't post until now.

So, now he knows and can do something about it. Yes, it is scary. However, there's something he and the doctors can do and they will do it. Now he can look forward to a healthy life and achieving everything he wanted instead of "waiting for the other shoe to drop."

He can look at this like, "poor me" or "Thank God I'm taking care of this now so I can live a full life and perhaps help my family along the way with this familly information." Keep him pumped up because although the immediate future is hard, the long term is looking great!

[thin4good]

Yes, I keep reminding him that we're team "GI Joe" For those that don't remember the cartoon at the end they would teach a little lesson and then say "and now you know.. and Knowing is half the battle. Go Joe!"
So before I hang up with him every time we talk I do my best soldier/football player impression and bellow "Go Joe!" and he laughs a bit.

I spent the night on the phone with him again last night trying to prevent a panic attack. I think we kept it under control. To see someone who is normally so fearless be so afraid is difficult. I remind him that he is 25 and he wasn't sick (in terms of cardiac arrest or rupture or dissection of the heart) which means this procedure will be smooth sailing. He kept looking up procedures on the Internet last night, even though he doesn't technically know how the surgeon is going to handle it yet. I told him I'm the Internet queen and I'm not researching yet, because we don't have enough information, so tried to convince him to say off the computer... for now.

He mentioned that they will keep a breathing tube in him for 72 hours after the surgery pretty much regardless of which operation he gets done. I think this scares him the most, because when we had to go see his dad in the ICU the first time, this big powerful man looked so vulnerable, and I am positive my best friend is thinking of himself the same way and that probably bothers him more than the rest of it.

I reminded him his situation was different than his dad's. His dad went in under duress, he will go in under the best possible circumstances. That doing this will allow him to live the life that he wants. He teased me last night about convincing him to buy a bike and having him ride 22 miles his first time out. (Which I did because he was being a punk and telling me that riding a bike wasn't that hard). I do feel awful thinking that in trying to get him in shape and active I could have killed him, but I can't blame myself for something there is no way I could have known. He told me that the bike was $500 down the drain and I told him he was going to be back on that damn bike the second the doctor gives the go ahead beause his hear is going to be fine. That seemed to make him feel a little bit better.

I really do appreciate you guys letting me get this all off my chest here. I swear my life is normally so drama free it's frightening. I mean with no kids, family 3000 miles away, a steady job and a very low key boyfriend there's usually not much to stress about, but this summer has just been one thing after another!

[tifftiff8]

Thing4good! What a blessing for him to have YOU as his best friend! You only did what a best friend would/supposed to do! You are obedient to the voice within that told you to take each step that you have taken regarding this. I am so glad that you shared this with others. This thread and the one before was probably an inspiration for others to either go to the doctor or to encourage them to help someone they know! You never know!

Your friend and you will be in my prayers! And being that we are all praying and expecting healing and a surgery gone well, we are going to consider it done being that we KNOW GOD answers prayers! So don't you nor your friend have any fear! Tell him to go in there as though he already KNOWS that this is going to be successful!!!!!!!! You stay lifted!!!!!!

Have an awesome week!!!!

[MaggieinATL]

Does he have Marfans???

[thin4good]

The doctor's not even concerned about that at this point. His immediate focus is replacing his ascending aorta and the root ASAP as they are so enlarged he can't make any guesses as to how quickly a dissection will happen.

Once he addresses the immediate life threatening symptoms they can go back and do tests and determine why this happened but for now, they don't care about the "why" they just need to fix it.

[MrsB419]

T4G~ my thoughts and prayers have been with you & your friend, and everyone else in ya'lls life that is affected by this...
He is SOOOO freakin lucky to have you in his life!!! SO SO VERY LUCKY!!! You've gotta know how much of a blessing you must be in his life
I am just glad he listened to you and is doing something about this!
Bless you girl!!

[thin4good]

I composed an email for him to send to his doctor and his assistant, thanking them for the quick and conscientious efforts on his behalf, and also telling them that now that he is aware of the full extent of his health situation, if there is anyway for them to get him in today, he will make himself available.

The director emailed back at 11 p.m. last night ccing his assistant and asking her to try to get him in today. She just called him and he's on his way in to consult with the surgeon as we speak.

[thin4good]

So I ended up going w/ him to the appointment after all. We're now more confused than ever. The surgeon wants to wait several months. Have him do another CT scan. he didn't like the lack of clarity on the one he had done. He also would like to see if it increases at all over the next 2-3 months in size. How the director yesterday felt he needed to get into the surgeon today and how the surgeon feels he can wait 2-3 months is a bit baffling.

The surgeon also said he has to live his life in moderation and they want him to get his blood pressure down to 110/65 it was 132 over 94 yesterday. I asked if he should do aerobic exercise the doctor said no, I asked if he shoudl drink alcohol he said he's an adult and knows what moderation is, I asked if he should go out to remote areas, and the doctor said if he feels that's a risk he should take then he should be allowed to do it.

the thing about my best friend is, he frequently lifts 150 pound items in his family's garage. He doesn't even think about it. Just two weeks ago he flipped me off his back by standing up... He's a super strong intense extreme guy. He doesn't know moderation. I mean yes, he can learn, but at what cost?

I don't know if we should get a 2nd opinion. Ask the director what he would do, or just ask the surgeon to do the surgery now or wait the 2-3 months. I know he's having huge anxiety over all of it.

[katy625]

Wow what a guardian angel you are.......it is a bitter sweet situation but thank God things worked out the way they did! My prayers are certainly with him!