I got out of the hospital last night.

E took a car from brooklyn, picked me and Francine up from the hospital. Went home.

I went in to the hospital on Sunday afternoon after being struck with really awful chest pains. Like a stabbing in my right chest, something needing to be born from my ribs. One minute we’re eating the next my mind flashes to the Masspike with Michael in 1998, and the pains so severe he pulled off to go to Newton Hospital.

This time we were near union square and all I was looking forward to was going Christmas shopping. And the next few minutes my chest was shooting pain, and although it’s not exactly in the place of my heart, it was definitely in my chest.

Got to the ER. The ER is always a pretty quick process for someone with my history. So I got in. CAT scans, XRAY and ECG. They knew that I was hurt and were concerned enough to keep my overnight. See, I have literally the Mercedes Benz of heart surgeons. This guy is world renowned, and the sole reason I went up to there. To be seen by him is like achieving a bizarre celebrity status though right now it’s certainly not the status I need or desire. He directed one of his assistant’s to keep me overnight. I have only been admitted twice of my own direction in NYC. Once last October and now this. This surgeon (his assistant) had seen something on my CAT scan to alarm them. They had seen a possible new dissection in one of my arteries, the subclavian, and needed to re-affirm that with the radiologist. But I went in. Unhappy.

The next morning my fears were re-affirmed. We see a small dissection of the subclavian artery. Clavian relates to clavicle and I knew that at least. It wasn’t until the next morning that what was really going on was made clear.

“Ms. +++, this is very rare. I know you don’t want to hear this”.

No, I didn’t.

Apparently my subclavian artery dissected near where my vertebral artery meets. The vertebral arches off of the subclavian and the subclavian comes off of my aortic arch. The vertebral brings blood to the right side of the brain. My aortic arch is my future problem (I get it measured every year, it’s the next one to need grafting). Anyways, the new CAT scan revealed a .6 increase in my aortic arch, which, at the going rate puts my aortic grafting surgery in 2-3 years). On top of that, every one of my arteries is enlarged. My left subclavian artery is also. My entire aorta is grafted aside from my aortic arch, from my abdominal down to my illiacs. I even have my ascending aorta grafted with a slick saint jude’s valve clicking in its place. I have probably 5 feet of scarring from all of this shit.

My next imminent surgery will be in 4 weeks or so. The dissection (a small aneurysm) is so new and fragile that replacing it right now will make the surgery another emergency (I’ve had three emergencys at 30% survival chances). They need to let the walls thicken a bit and scar before they fix it. Because the dissection is so close to the vertebral they have to do a bypass of the carotid and re-join it to the upper undiseased part of the vertebral. The connection to the vertebral will most likely be cut off when the subclavian stint is put in through my right arm. It will leave me with a slick 6 inch scar from the base of my neck up to the right. No more modeling. Not that that is really too important. But yeah, another scar to add to the bunch.

Such a party.

Apparently it’s a really rare condition and once again I am a special case. I have literally the best cardiovascular team at my disposal because I had done my research and the best refers the best. This will be done at ++++. I cannot work because stress increases my blood pressure and an increase in blood pressure might be a recipe to something more terrible (a stroke pie anyone?). Hopefully within the next 4 to 6 weeks depending on how I do.

The strike didn’t help for obvious reasons. But that’s okay because I have just beat the odds again. Hopefully I can keep my luck running.

So I am double medicated and relaxing with Francine. Anyone who’s around who wants to come for Christmas dinner is welcome.