A very generous friend suddenly had a disastrous turn of events in her life. Her husband, in his fifties, caught a flue like bug and felt ill for a few days. After a week he was not getting any better and even felt much worse. She took him to the emergency and he was examined. This is his story:
In late September 2010, I picked up what appeared to be a bad case of influenza. It progressively got worse and I was unable to shake it. On Sunday evening, October 3, as my conditioned worsened, my wife Gretchen decided to take me into the ER.
The ER diagnosed my condition as a pneumonia and gave me a course of antibiotics.
The antibiotics helped slightly, but did not cure the pneumonia. I was functioning, but with reduced energy, and still exhibiting symptoms such as congestion, gravelly voice, and loss of appetite.
I went to an internist recommended by a family friend who is also a radiologist. She examined me, and ended up with results that concerned her greatly. She broke off the examination and insisted I head to the ER directly from her office.
I did, and there, after numerous tests including a lengthy catheterization and an echocardiogram, discovered that the apparent pneumonia was actually a comparatively rare hereditary heart disease indigenous to east India (where my paternal family is from) and I was at serious risk for an imminent fatal heart attack.
Large parts of my heart had already died. The left ventricle was outputting about 15% efficiency and a large blood clot was observed near the apex. The aortas exhibited advanced artheriosclerosis, were barely functional, and were not repairable.
Despite this, I had no heart disease symptoms, such as chest compression. radiating pain to the left arm, etc. This apparently is another characteristic of the rapid onset of the hereditary disease.
I was stabilized at Naples Community Hospital and transferred by ambulance to Tampa General. I am still at Tampa General while they further stabilize me and determine the best course of treatment.
I am comfortable and believe I am receiving the best possible care from concerned and committed professionals.
His story can be followed on: http://www.Caringbridge.org/visit/tonichaudhuri.
