Hi, Granny!

Thanks so much for writing. Sorry to hear that your husband has heart trouble, too. I had a heart attack when I was very young brought on by an undiagnosed, genetic blood disorder. I have a missing protein in my blood and it causes my blood to become hypercoagulable. I large blood clot hit my coronary artery, causing a heart attack. This missing protein is very rare and there are only five thousand people worldwide who have this. It is quite an ominous disease to have in your thirties. If it had hit my carotid artery it would have caused a stroke, leaving me a vegetable. There are probably many more people who have this genetic disease and don't know it. Scary stuff, to be sure. They could not operate on me because my blood made me a high risk for death. They obviously had to do something to stop the heart attack and dissolve the clot, so they placed stents in the arteries leading to the heart. They also titrated my blood with heparin and got me on coumadin and plavix. They said I was very, very fortunate to be alive, and of course, I am.

This whole thing with my back has had such an impact on me. Yes, I am very depressed about it. I have already asked my cardiologist about antidepressants. I hope there is something I can take that will not interfere with my other medications. I finally slept well last night for the first time in three nights. It really makes all the difference in the world. I am worried about the pain medication and I wonder -- has anyone ever been successfully tapered off of it??? Or will I have to be put on replacement therapy like Suboxone???

Well, thanks very much for writing!!!