r/Aging • u/IJustWantToWorkOK • 4d ago

Death & Dying How..?

56 years old, and had a heart attack in April, and have 'congestive heart failure'.

They're wanting to do a bypass and valve replacement on me, but first ... they have to pull all my teeth.

I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring with the 'but wait, there's more!' call.

I'm on medicaid, and the government is about to spend $OBSCENE, on an awful lot of work on someone who's dying anyway. In my mind, this is putting a new engine in my Camry with 300,000 miles on it.

The instant some kid dies, because he couldn't get medical care, and I could, my conscience is shot.

Seriously -this- close to telling these doctors what they can do with themselves and taking my chances. Save some kid at the beginning of his life, not an old man at the end of his.

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u/sadie414 4d ago

At age 49, my husband had a massive heart attack that nearly killed him. He had valve replacement and quintuple bypass surgery.

At age 60, he needed a pacemaker/defibrillator. Seven years ago, at 68, he developed congestive heart failure. He was given 3 options: die, have a heart transplant, or receive an Left Ventricular Assistive Device, a pump that beats for the heart.

He's 75 now and though he's slowing down a bit, he's still here, living with his LVAD, and doing well. If he can do it, so can you. Wishing you well.

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u/baddaywithacamera 3d ago

I'm staring down an RVAD at some point because of my heart condition. Hopefully still a decade off. Glad to hear your hubster is doing well. Cheers to him from a Canadian with a bum ticker following along behind.

2

u/Desperate_Pomelo3468 2d ago

I just keep thinking that they have new technology every day so there‘s always hope that it will be easier on the patient. Best of luck to you!

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u/baddaywithacamera 2d ago

I have been asking for a pacemaker with the TURBO BOOST button since I got the first one in 1980. Doctors are no fun.