Ken, for what it's worth, I've had two of those angiograms several years apart. While not the most enjoyable way to spend the morning, it's not that bad at all. Just make sure the people involved know you are very concerned about all this and that you want to be thoroughly sedated for the procedure.
If you are awake, though, it may be one of the most fascinating things you have ever seen. The first time I had this done I was not sufficiently sedated, for whatever reason, so there was some pain involved with inserting the catheter. After that was over, though, and the catheter was threaded up through my aorta and into my heart, I could easily see what was happening on the monitor (like a TV) above the table I was on. To see your own heart beating is an astonishing thing! Several times little puffs of dye were injected into the blood from this catheter to increase to contrast of the image on the screen, and all this was very plainly visible to me. The catheter itself was easy to see, but the dye came out the end of it like a little puffy cloud maybe two inches across when the doctor did that part.
There are two methods that I know of to insert the catheter. Apparently the more common method is to make a tiny incision into the large artery in the upper leg near the groin. That's the way my first angiogram was done. Not to frighten you, but because I was not sufficiently sedated there was some burning pain from the scalpel and a lot of fear on my part for a couple of minutes there. After the catheter was inserted it was duck soup, though.
The second method of inserting the catheter is to make a half-inch incision into the wrist about two inches from the hand. My second angiogram was done this way because it is the preferred method of the cardiologist I had that time. Apparently going in through the wrist is a little more difficult for the doctor, so going in through the extreme upper inside of the leg is more common. I told my doctor the second time about the unpleasant results of not being sufficiently sedated the first time, so he made sure I didn't feel a thing the second time. I missed out on seeing it all on the monitor screen, but once was enough anyway.
Just tell the doctor you insist on being knocked out for this business and you won't have anything to worry about. Believe me, it really is not all that bad.
Think good thoughts. You'll be OK. :thumbup:
If you are awake, though, it may be one of the most fascinating things you have ever seen. The first time I had this done I was not sufficiently sedated, for whatever reason, so there was some pain involved with inserting the catheter. After that was over, though, and the catheter was threaded up through my aorta and into my heart, I could easily see what was happening on the monitor (like a TV) above the table I was on. To see your own heart beating is an astonishing thing! Several times little puffs of dye were injected into the blood from this catheter to increase to contrast of the image on the screen, and all this was very plainly visible to me. The catheter itself was easy to see, but the dye came out the end of it like a little puffy cloud maybe two inches across when the doctor did that part.
There are two methods that I know of to insert the catheter. Apparently the more common method is to make a tiny incision into the large artery in the upper leg near the groin. That's the way my first angiogram was done. Not to frighten you, but because I was not sufficiently sedated there was some burning pain from the scalpel and a lot of fear on my part for a couple of minutes there. After the catheter was inserted it was duck soup, though.
The second method of inserting the catheter is to make a half-inch incision into the wrist about two inches from the hand. My second angiogram was done this way because it is the preferred method of the cardiologist I had that time. Apparently going in through the wrist is a little more difficult for the doctor, so going in through the extreme upper inside of the leg is more common. I told my doctor the second time about the unpleasant results of not being sufficiently sedated the first time, so he made sure I didn't feel a thing the second time. I missed out on seeing it all on the monitor screen, but once was enough anyway.
Just tell the doctor you insist on being knocked out for this business and you won't have anything to worry about. Believe me, it really is not all that bad.
Think good thoughts. You'll be OK. :thumbup:
