LIVING WITH MCL

Not that it did much to put a stop to the way I've been feeling the past several days [or weeks], but I received the results of my latest blood test, and all was good. Well at least it was all the same as it has been. Sure my lymphocyte count was still high, but no higher or lower than it's been for the past 3+ years, as was my hemoglobin, platelets and just about everything else. Even my creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) was fine. That was a test ordered by my primary care physician (PCP) because of some unusual bone and neck pains I was experiencing as of late, which I was thinking may be caused by the Lipitor I'm currently taking for cholesterol. So now all I have left to worry about are the intermittent pains I'm continuing to experience in my chest. My PCP doesn’t think it's angina, suggesting it could be the result of nerve damage from the CABG surgery, but has authorized another treadmill test, to hopefully rule out any problems. I always thought I should have ...

I'm sure lots of people will say they've had life changing experiences. I even thought I had one back on March 26, 2002, when I received the results of the blood test which eventually led to my diagnosis of MCL. (It's scary how easily some people can be fooled, especially when it's yourself.) While that certainly changed my life, for the better I would add, it can in no way compare to the truly life changing experience of having heart surgery. I am definitely not the same person I was 6 months ago, before my surgery, not physically or emotionally. Sure, I'm able to do most of the things I enjoy, but not with the same zeal or confidence I once had. From the moment I awake in the morning, to the point I'm finally able to drag myself out of bed, so goes the rest of my day. Every ache and pain, whether real or nuanced, causes me pause. Should I simply ignore it, should I call the doctor, or should I just simply give up? So far I've [mostly] chosen the first, but...