"This whole mess started in early 2005," he says. "I had difficulty walking and was getting tired and I'm only 64 years old, in relatively good health. My doctor thought I might have clogged arteries in my legs and sure enough, after tests for peripheral artery disease, he sent me to a vascular doctor in Redding, CA to have Drug Eluting Stents put in. Then I had a follow-up visit with Doctors Nelson and Brenner here in Yreka.It was during this visit that I told Dr. Nelson that I had a hard time breathing and felt even more tired than I did before the stents. And I had chest pains. 'Maybe there's something wrong with me above the waist,' I said, and suggested that maybe the rest of my arteries should be looked at. Instead, I was more or less dismissed with a prescription for Plavix, Lipitor and a few other drugs. I guess my blood was like water at this point.
Being naïve, I just did and took what I was told. What a coincidence that, just a few weeks after having the stents inserted, I suffered a massive stroke. Luckily my friend was over at my house and he called 911. All I remember saying to him was, 'I know this sounds strange, but I think I'm dying.' Next thing I remember was being in the helicopter. It flew me to Medford Medical Center in Oregon and I had a six-artery bypass. I barely made it to the hospital, in fact they almost lost me twice. I live about 60 miles outside Yreka, about as rural as you can get, so I was really lucky to get outa there alive.
I stayed in ICU for six days but I only have flashes of memory about my time there. I remember getting out of the helicopter, being wheeled through the hospital, then waking up.
When I was well enough to see my primary care doctor, he more or less agreed with me about the connection between the stents and my stroke. Then I read on the Internet that, right after people have stents put in, there is a very high incidence of heart attack and stroke.
After the bypass I was on numerous other medications. It has been very difficult to get the right medications and I can't even afford to buy some of them. Social security won't give me Medicare until I am 65, so I'm just holding on, hanging out and hoping I can get through this.
The whole thing escalated right after I had these stents put in. I want someone to know that my stroke could have been prevented. It was cause and affect, one thing led to the other. And I still have the same problem with my legs.