CABG surgery. Nervous, in a dilemma.
I'm in a bit of a dilemma and don't know where to turn. I'm a 47 year old male. Not sure if I have specific questions or just need to vent. I had a minor heart attack nearly 2 years ago. I went to the hospital and was told I had a 50% blockage of my LAD. Stress test ejection was fine. Over the course of the next 15 months I had 11 more (angina attacks? mini heart attacks?), was diagnosed with unstable angina possibly due to vasospasm. hospitalized 3 more times. Last time was in January then the attacks suddenly went away. Unfortunately the last visit in January showed multiple blockages in a bifurcated LAD artery, 60%, unable to stent due to location. Was scheduled for triple bypass, sent home, then the surgery was cancelled because Medi-Cal would not cover the surgery. The good news is I've now gone 7 months and the angina has disappeared completely. The bad news is I was told I cannot have the surgery unless it's an emergency (in other words I need to have a heart attack). Now I have another problem. rectal bleeding. My father had colorectal cancer. I need a colonoscopy but I need to go off my blood thinners for 7 days which of course is asking for a heart attack. Is it possible that a heart attack will never come? I know I can't ask for medical advice on here, but can anyone recommend resources? Studies to give me hope? Maybe a plan of action? I'm young and other than my heart am in relatively good shape. I want to live. Any response is greatly appreciated.
Hi.
I see you are new to our community, having just joined up this morning. Welcome to our community. Glad to see you are already participating here, in the forums. Sorry you are having to deal all of this at such a young age. I am hoping that others in the community will see your comment and question and respond by sharing their own personal response. In the meantime, I have something to contribute as well. Glad to hear that you have not experienced any angina in the past 7 months. I would imagine that this is a sign that you and your doctor are doing a good job of managing your condition. I probably don't have the specific response that you are looking for. But, I am wondering if this is something that you may want to discuss with your cardiologist. It is this doctor (I would imagine) who knows you and your heart best and should be able to give you some sort of idea of what to expect going forward. And, I would think, this doctor should be able to help you with your other questions as well, such as an action plan and whether you can go off your blood thinners and have the colonoscopy. What do you think? John. heart-failure.net community moderator 
I’m truly sorry to hear that Med-Cal wouldn’t pay for your surgery. Before my transplant, I had 5 stents placed in my heart, but unfortunately the cardiologist wasn’t able to coil anymore collaterals due to the location the blockages were in. I was told to live the best life possible and that possibly I would have the opportunity to be listed for a heart transplant. Eating healthy, thinking positive, and exercising helped me to maintain good health. Thank you for sharing your experience. Leslie (Community Moderator)
