Alright folks, don't be deceived by that perfect blood pressure on the monitor behind my shoulder. Couple of weeks back on January 25, I had a heart attack. I had a heart attack tryin' to be healthy, so you see what clean livin' will bring. Now as Raven Jake die-hards know, I have a genetic disposition to depositing plaque on my coronary arteries. That's a gift I'd like to give back, but over the years, I've had four cardiac "incidents." This was my first actual heart attack (I think) and I got it walkin' up a hill near my house.
Because many Raven Jake stories are cautionary tales, like "don't do the fool thing I did" I include this for your consideration: People havin' a heart attack ain't in their right mind. Their brain isn't getting enough oxygen, they're in pain, and they're full of adrenaline. I had one thought "Get Home!" and that's what I did. The rational smart thing is to call 9-11, call someone for help, stop walking. I'm alive in spite of myself. So if you find yourself walkin' up a hill and you can't get yer breath and you think an invisible mule mighta kicked you in the chest - stop right there, amigo. It ain't getting better.
Anyway, my bro Anthony who lives across the street took me to Glendale Adventist Medical Center, the best place to have heart attack, and they got down to business. Shout out to Sylvia, who is a terrific nurse, and the whole team for making sure Jane got a cot to sleep on for the three nights we were camped out there. When you have a heart attack, your body produces an enzyme called troponin which builds over than 24 hours and then fades away. Mine were way up there, so my cardiologist, a fantastic guy named Sanjay Sharma, did an angiogram.
What he found is that while my bypass from two and a half years ago is holding up great, there's a blood vessel on the front that ain't doing so well and is clogging up some. Not enough to kill me, but enough to give me angina. And folks, let me tell you it's brutal. Now I'm not a guy who talks politics (I've got more friends that way) but I'm here because of the Medicaid expansion of the Affordable Care Act. Without that, I don't even know what would've happened with my pre-existing condition. I'm home now, but I've got a slow way back, so keep Raven Jake in your thoughts.
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