A diligent healthcare team likely saved my life, so this column is about taking routine medical exams very seriously.
Most of my family has been blessed with good genes and long lives. I am practically a clone of my father, and he lived to the age of 96. I’ve been healthy, and lucky, most all of my life. The problem is these things can give one a false sense of invincibility.
So far good fortune has seen me through four very close calls; two near fatal mishaps in U.S. Marine Corps helicopters, narrowly escaping the path of a runaway military truck that left a buddy dead and being peppered with buckshot while hog hunting deep in the Okaloacoochee Slough near Lake Okeechobee, which landed me in UF Health Shand’s Hospital to have my right retina surgically reattached.
As a side note, the hunting accident led to my summer camp nickname “Buckshot Scott.” This will make sense to thousands of local kids who have attended Camp Kiwanis over the years.
A 60th birthday and learning I had drunk and bathed in water made toxic from dry cleaning chemicals for three years as a young Marine at MCAS New River, next to Camp Lejeune, caused me to wonder how long my luck would last. Annual physical exams had suddenly become something to be taken seriously. This is where Certified Nurse Practitioner Stacey Graham comes in.
Graham is a man who lights up a room when he enters. His smile and signature coat and tie convey both warmth and knowledge. To me he is my “doc.” To most others he is an exceptionally talented healthcare provider who has been with the Ocala Family Medical Center since 2010. Regular checkups typically begin with a big smile and the greeting “talk to me.” He is someone I have come to admire and trust.
We all hear about the importance of preventative health care. I am here to tell you it is all true. After discussing my worries over the toxic water exposure at a routine checkup in January, Graham went one step further and ordered chest x-rays and an EKG. This meeting would change my life.
Other than slightly elevated cholesterol, the results showed me to be very healthy. However, he noticed a slightly abnormal EKG, which is that test that creates squiggly lines on a chart only physicians can make sense of. He assured me it was probably nothing to worry about and “just to be safe,” I was sent two doors down to see Dr. Bipul Roy, a cardiologist at the same practice. Dr. Roy put his stethoscope to my chest, studied something on a computer screen and then ordered an echocardiogram and a CT scan, tests that would yield images of my heart and essential plumbing.
I was called back early by the doctor’s office to review results, which, for the record, is never a good sign. They had found a life-threatening aortic aneurysm just above the heart. A genetic weakness had caused a large bulge to form on the main artery that supplies oxygenated blood to the body. A slowly leaking aneurism in this spot will give the patient time to get to an emergency room. However, a rupture is almost always lethal and much less forgiving than Marine helicopters or stray lead from a shotgun. The fact they had caught this early very likely saved my life.
There are lessons to be learned here. How important it is to have regular physical exams and finding a provider who pays close attention to you as a patient are critical. I had no symptoms, no high blood pressure, I’ve never smoked and other than an old back injury, I’m in fairly good shape. Graham heard my concerns, then took extra measures to evaluate me. Most importantly he and Dr. Roy investigated a slightly abnormal test result out of an abundance of caution.
By the time this goes to print, I will have had open-heart surgery to replace the faulty artery with a graft. They tell me to expect to have my aortic valve replaced as well. This is very serious business, yet also fairly routine. Recovery time is estimated to be three to four months. At six months I should be fully recovered, though I have told my wife Susan it may be years before I can resume chores.
The surgeons tell me I have a 99% chance of surviving the procedure. The risk of serious complications is also a worry. While some may say I am unlucky to have heart problems, I consider myself to be very fortunate indeed! Toxic water I drank decades ago led my health care providers to watch me closely, which ultimately gave me a second chance. For this, I am extremely grateful. So, the next time you realize your annual physical is due, please don’t put it off. You may be lucky, but prevention is key!
Scott Mitchell is a field archaeologist, scientific illustrator and director of the Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center at 1445 NE 58th Avenue, inside the Silver River State Park. To learn more, go to silverrivermuseum.com
