New Years Eve 12/31/09 Not feeling too well!

I played tennis yesterday evening and hurt my back again. I had my doctor friend (Dr. Steve) get me some painkillers and I took one percoset (sp) and I almost threw up 4 times. I just can not handle that "hard core" pain pill-I just get sick every single time. However, my Aleve wasn't doing anything. So, it's just basic Advil for me!

I know Olivia really loved her boots and she also got a new cell phone and the IPOD touch, plus more goodies... I would say a very nice Christmas for her!

Owen scored well too! He got a new cell phone (his first one) as well as an IPOD Touch and some Itunes cards and video games.

That's my daughter and son, with our new dog Tilly! She's a Golden Doodle and a fun pet to have! We love her so much as I do my kids and I am so blessed to have them all! We had a great Christmas this year too! We usually spend Christmas Eve at my folks and open our family gifts at home on Christmas Day, then head over to my wife's mom's to open more presents with her sister and their family. My son and daughter at Christmas time!

Have a happy New Year... Me and my bro at my parents.

Our Christmas card!

Me and my beautiful wife Kathleen at Christmas with the folks.

Happy Wednesday December 30th, 2009

I am taking this week off and just hanging out with the family this week. Granted, I am still kind of checking my email and trying to lend a hand where needed, but I am just hanging out at home. As crazy as it sounds, still got up on Tuesday at 0445am and will get up again tomorrow at that outrageous hour to be able to play tennis at 5:30am.

The USTA season is creeping up on and I have to have 8 players by January 10th, 2010 for us to have our 4.5 team again. I am also going to be playing in my first tennis tourney of the year in Kirkland, WA from Jan 21-24th. I am hoping to make it to the finals or win that thing in the men's 45 age limit division. I then plan on playing in the tournament the following weekend in Olympia, WA for the Mike Anderson Memorial tourney. I had actually played him about 10 years ago, and he's since passed away due to cancer.

Another goal for 2010 is to get my weight down to under 200lbs. I am stuck at 213-215 and can't seem to get it lower. It doesn't help being on the 20mgs of Lexapro and 200mgs of Toporol XL. These are two of the worst drugs for having an effect on weight gain and sexual feelings-I will leave it at that.

My website, http://www.aorticdissection.com and http://www.aorticdissection.com/Forums are doing well and I am hoping that they are helping others live with the aortic dissection disease. I have over 200 stories now on my site, http://aorticdissection.com/Personal%20Stories1.htm and feel that I am blessed being able to try and give something back to help others. It's easy to get bogged down in all the negative readying, but... you have to have HOPE/FAITH and BELIEF that this all happened for a reason that YOUR life is in GOD's hands and that everything is part of the plan for you.

My kids now are expressing an interest in tennis and I am going to have to actually get them a racket so they can learn. In the past, they didn't want daddy trying to teach them. However, my daughter wants to try out for the high school team and I hope that we can get her to a level that she can at least try out. I know I can teach her and my son to be great players, like me! :)

Have a great day! Be thankful for everything!
Brian

Well, I finally decided to get a scooter. I got a screaming deal on it. I am waiting for it to be shipped from Chicago. I will probably get it in the early spring time as it's not scooter weather around here. I searched and searched and finally knew deep down that if I didn't get anything other than a Vespa, I would always be wishing I had one. I also didn't want to get the scooters that you could ride on the highway either.

Work is going well and I am super busy. I really like work there! Great people to work with! I am learning a ton as well. I played tennis this morning and picked up my Lexapro prescription. I ended up not being able to cut it back to my doctor's recommendations. I am still at the 20mg daily and this stuff ain't cheap! Even with my insurance, it was $70.00 for a monthly dosage.

It's my brother and wife's birthday celebration dinner this evening. My parents take us out to the Palisades restaurant and we always have a great dinner and time. I can't wait for Christmas!

I ended up getting some different home surround sound speakers, my son claims that he didn't like my present ones I got off Ebay. They are www.fluance.com and were $199.00. They are apparently pretty decide, but I found another brand, Energy and waiting to the them. They are considerably smaller.

I am price shopping my present Verizon Wireless and home FIOS/Internet/Phone services. I told the gal at Verizon Fios I was going to leave and since Comcast is offering some pretty good deals, she said to call back on Monday to see if they will match it. If I didn't have to pay for the HG box and the 2 other boxes, that would save me almost $40.00 a month!

Have a great day!

Brian

Not So Fast-Lexapro not that easy to get off of

I thought I could do it.. I had gone from 20 mgs a day to 15 mgs a day for about the last 7 days. Wow... I can NOT believe that 5 mgs would make that big of a difference. It started about 2 days ago, I have been so edgy and angry about anything... That's not me-I could not figure out why I was feeling like this. Then, I realized that my personality was getting angry and I was simply not happy and in a bad mood.

I took my meds today and then actually ended up taking an additional 10 mg pill bringing me to 25 mgs today. I feel 1000% better! Go figure! I just don't think the timing is right now to try and get off this drug during the Christmas season. It's stressful enough!

I went to the club today to try and chill out and took at hot sauna for 20 minutes and it's relaxing. I just hate being short-tempered and my kids and wife don't like that side of me either. Nor do I like it either. So, after taking the additional medication, I am feeling much happier and less stressed out.

Have a great day!

Oh yah... watched Kevin at the Champions center today on TV, great message about wearing the "armor" of GOD.

Saturday Morning... Kind of Chilly out there

I just got back from playing my usual Saturday 0700am doubles and I am waiting for a lady to come by at 10:00am to pick up my Keurig coffee maker. It turns out that my wife wants some of her counter space back. So, we have to get rid of one machine and she has hers and I have mine. I had bought the Keurig for my early Tues/Thursday 5:30am tennis. I wasn't quite awake for my usual 3 shots when I made my Cappuccino with my La Piccola machine. This is a great machine!

I am still wishing I could somehow get a small scooter, but with Christmas around the corner, it's a tough sell around here. But... it's fun to be looking around. I really need to try and find one that I can NOT ride on the highway as it's just too dangerous and granted it's appealing, I had to sell my last 2 bikes because my family didn't want me riding on the highway.

Our dog Tilly is really growing into a big dog. She's a Golden Doodle and likes to chew on everything-including the carpet where out old cat left off tearing up. I need hardwood floors now!!!!

I have been really liking my new "surround sound" set up. Wow.. you should check out Fluance.com and see for yourself, a $199.00 package is great. And, check out HSU Research as well for the sub. I got the STF-2 sub woofer.

I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for what GOD has given me, my family, friend, job and being able to play tennis. I am so grate full.

I think we are going to watch a football game today and it's about a 2 hour road trip... So, I need to get ready for the day.

The joys of Lexapro-Trying to get off this stuff

Well,

I am trying to get off the drug called Lexapro . I was originally prescribed it at Stanford when I went there for my claudication symptoms in my legs. After going to Standford and determining that my symptoms for my ache calves would go away, they decided that I was just a little depressed. Actually, I had never been depressed to my knowledge ever..... However, a majority of the patients who have open heart surgery, not to mention aortic dissection surgery, do have some issues with depression if they are lucky enough to make it out of the surgery.

That was back in early 2004 when I was first prescribed Lexapro. I think I started out at 10mgs a day and then soon over the years migrated up to 20 mgs. About 6 months ago, I had not been the best at taking all my Blood Pressure medications daily. After meeting with my cardiologist, Dr. Alex Sytman, he said that I would have to go on more BP meds if I didn't get my BP down. I was on average taking my medications about every 4 days. So, in order to have to take more meds, I started taking them religiously. My blood pressure has gone down and the side effects are absolutely no desire for any sexual activity. Period. Zero, Ziltch, Nada.

So, I spoke to Dr. Liang and he mentioned that I could get off the drug , but it would take a while. He said around 6 months. I met with my general physician, Dr. Steve Stukovsky on the 13th of November and he gave me a slightly more aggressive plan (around 3 months) to try. I started already and I am on my 3rd day with taking 15 mgs a day versus 20. I will keep you posted on my progress. It's also a very expensive drug to take because there's really no "generic" for it due to it's patent on the drug. However, I believe that ends within a few years. Regardless, I am wanting to just get off it completely and try to get back to feeling normal. It's also caused me to gain about 10 lbs back too! I have made a commitment to try and get back down to under 200 lbs. I am right now at 215.

Have a great day......
Brian

Got my eye on a scooter

Hi,

I am deciding whether or not I can get a scooter. I had 2 motorcycles before, but my family frowned on my riding on the highway. I can completely agree with them. I am just looking for something to putt around with on a nice sunny day for a 15 minute ride and then park it. I am looking at a 2006 Vespa. I am hoping that I can work something out.

Busy day at work today. I was head down all day with various projects. Now that we are an official CLEC, the local services side of the house is an entirely new ball game and very complicated. I think people take for granted just how great it is to have local phone service and what's entailed to get it.

Got another busy day tomorrow.... Early 5:30am doubles tennis too! I can't believe it but I am playing the best tennis of my life at 47!!! Oh.. almost forgot, I got my new speakers today. A company called FLUANCE. They are out of Canada and for $199.00 they have a screaming deal on a surround sound set up. It doesn't include a sub, but... you can get one of them from HSU research and you are set.

Need to get my Lexapro pills tomorrow as I am out.... I can't wait to get off of them.

Brian

Good Friends....and some tennis this morning

I played some singles this morning with one of my best friends. It was so enjoyable as we both reflected on how tennis is such a great game in life and a game that can help you in every avenue in life.

The amazing thing is that I am playing the best tennis of my life at 47 years of age and having suffered an aortic dissection on 8/22/2003.

My other goal is to get off this Lexapro crap. I have been taking 20mgs for almost 6 years now and I want off of it. My friend from Stanford has given me a "game plan" on how to weed myself off of it.

I am watching the Seahawks agains the Detroit Lions. It's a 4 point game now and the 3rd quarter is going to be starting soon!

I am interested in finding me a small scooter to cruize around on every now and then. I know that I can't get another motorcycle as my family doesn't want me on the highway.

My new surround system is comging this week and I am excited to try it out.

Have a great day!

Brian

Another "Declined" Life Insurance Policy

Wow! I can not believe that I have had MetLife,Aflac and now (just received in the mail on Friday), the DECLINE of service from Banner Lilfe Insurance Company. Reason-your aortic dissection history. BS! It's been 6 years now and I have not had one issue with anything. My BP is under control, I am playing the best tennis of my life and my latest CT/Angio shows still not growth on my aorta. I am completely at a lost!

There's one small possibility, I still have a $70K policy with UNUM via my old employer MCI Telecom. And, I have an 80K through UNUM with my former employee Verizon. I am trying to see if I can upgrade my old MCI to 100K and I will let you know. Update.. I also just found a site where they specialize in "high risk" folks and I sent them an email for help.

I played the best tennis match of my life since my open heart surgery on 8/22/03. I was able to finally beat Jack two straight sets. I played extremely well and had a ton of confidence and was so excited and proud of myself for continuing to stick with it and to keep coming back fighting to find a way to win.

It's definitely fall and the leaves are sure pretty! Have a great day!
Brian

Kiss comes to our house for Halloween! Not quite!

My kids and their cousins formed the newest version of KISS! I think they will give the real KISS a run for their money! They had a blast dressing up like the band. It just goes to show you how creative some kids can be for Halloween!

We had over 100 kids come to our doors last night! Granted, it rained partially, but I think it was a great turn out.

We watched some old videos today of when Owen was born and the Olivia show.. Brings back great memories!

Go Seahawks... I hope the beat Dallas today!

Brian

It's my birthday-the big 47

Hello!

I am very fortunate to be celebrating my birthday today. GOD's been very good to me and I have to be honest, I have let him down numerous times and let myself get carried away on things that are not of GOD, aka sinning. I am so thankful for the support of my family for all that they had to go through when I had my operation 6 years ago. It's the miracle of life and the second chance that I got that makes each and everyday worthwhile and rewarding.

I am going to enjoy some indoor tennis today with my friend, whom I was actually playing 6 years ago when my aortic dissection occurred! Today, I am going to beat him, he's very tough, but I have beat him before!

I got us season tickets to the new Stealth Lacrosse team in Everett today and we are going to my daughter's school last home game tonight.

Take care!
Brian

Blood Pressure Meds-Expensive!

I recently changed jobs and insurance providers. I had my cardiologist call in my perscriptions. I found out that my insurance company didn't want to pay for my Lexapro and Toporol XL and instead gave me what they thought were the "generic" versions. However, I discovered that the generics are not the same as these two drugs I am taking. So, I called my insurance company and got approval to get the brand names and granted they cost more, I do feel better again.

The job is going well, I really like working at X5 and love the people. It's a nice classy outfit with a great bunch of people who know how to run a phone company.

Kids are doing well in school and I can definitely feel that Fall is in the air!

I got my stringer again and have been stringing my racquet's. I have tried this tournagrip and just can't seem to get used to it... going back to my Yonex overwraps and have recently been playing with my Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 gauge w/o the poly for the mains. I am not 100% sold that I can go back since I have been playing with a hybrid for the last couple of years!

Take care!
Brian

Dr. James Brevig and team

I celebrated my 6th year anniversary on 8/22/09 as I mentioned on an early post, however, I neglected to stress the "key" reason that I was able to make it... Dr. James Brevig. He was my surgeon and to this day, I believe he'd had to work that Friday and all of the sudden at 4:45pm I come into the ER and if it hadn't been for the CT scan that saved my life as well, he might never have had to stay around and start enjoying his weekend. Luckily for me, he was still around and had a very long night ahead of him. Thanks to Dr. Brevig, I got a second chance at life.Also, my PA Sherri was excellent as well. Another key ingrediant to my success! Let me tell you, this is a top of the line surgeon and that team he's associated with, the Everett Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgical Associates are a dream team if you are going to require services for a heart condition at Everett General Hospital!



Meet Our Practitioners

The philosophy of our group is to remain the elite heart, lung, and esophageal surgical program in Washington and the Northwest, by being in the forefront with proven technology and skills resulting in the best patient care and outcomes.

Each surgeon continues to expand his knowledge of the latest techniques and procedures.

Please review their biographies as well as our team of highly trained physician assistants.



Alexander Frank Nieto, M.D.

Dr. Nieto is a native of Denver, Colorado. He received his under-graduate degree at the University of Northern Colorado. He did his general surgery residency at the University of Washington and then was on staff at the University of Washington. Dr. Nieto did his Cardiothoracic Fellowship at the University of Utah and has been practicing here in Everett since 1986.

Timothy Byrnes, M.D.

Dr. Byrnes has been in practice in Everett since 1990. He graduated from Harvard University in 1978, Magna Cum Laude in Biochemical Sciences. He attended Cornell University Medical College and graduated in 1982. He did a medical internship at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and then began a five year general surgery program at Saint Lukes Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Following that he returned to his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin where he did a Cardiothoracic Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin.

James Brevig, M.D.

Dr. Brevig is a native of New York. He graduated from Tufts University, Massachusetts, in 1982, B.S. in Biology and Philosophy, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He then attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York where he received his medical degree in 1986 followed by a five year general surgery program at St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. In 1990 and 1991 he was Chief Resident, Department of General Surgery, St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital. He completed his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, New York. He joined ECTSA in 1993.



Patrick Ryan, M.D.

Dr. Ryan received his BS in Biology at the College of William and Mary in 1983. He attended Medical School at the State University of New York at Buffalo followed by a five year General Surgery Residency at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts. His Cardiothoracic surgical training was completed at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center. He was an Assistant Professor at State University of New York in Syracuse from 1994 to 1997. He joined ECTSA in 1997.

Kimberly E. Costas, M.D.

Dr. Costas is a native of California. She attended the University of California, Davis and graduated in 1994, B.S. in Biological Sciences. She received her general surgery degree from Georgetown School of Medicine in 1998. Upon completion of her residency at the University of Washington in 2003, she moved to Sydney, Australia for a one-year registrarship in Cardio thoracic Surgery. She completed her fellowship training in Cardio thoracic Surgery at the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York in 2006. In August of 2006 she joined ECTSA.

Omar Habib, M.D.

Dr. Habib is a native of Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and his Doctor of Medicine degree at University of Illinois. He completed his General Surgery residency at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan in 2005. His cardiothoracic training was completed in 2007 at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Habib continued his surgical training by completing an endovascular and cardiovascular fellowship at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. He joined ECSTA in 2008.

Karen Tooley, PA-C

Karen Tooley graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. In addition to a firm background in general medicine, Karen’s training included rotations in general surgery and internal (geriatric) medicine. Karen is an avid bicycle tourist and beginning triathlete. Karen joined ECTSA in 2001.

Sherri Giragosian, PA-C

Sherri is a California state native. She worked as an operating room technician while pursuing an Associate Degree in Science. She completed her Bachelor of Science-Nursing degree at Fresno State University and then continued her studies and attended the University of California, Davis University Family Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant program. She moved to Washington in 1996 and joined ECTSA in 2001.

Kristin DeGroot, PA-C

Kristin is a native of Idaho and graduated from the University of Idaho with a BS in Biology. She attended Samuel Merritt College in California and graduated from the Physician Assistant program. Kristin joined ECTSA in 2007. She enjoys travel, skiing and fly fishing.

Martha Pao, PA-C

Martha is a native of Taiwan. Her career began as a public health nutritionist in 1991. She attended George Washington University and graduated from the Physician Assistant program in 1998. Martha worked as a physician assistant in both cardiac surgery and neurosurgery in Maryland and Washington D.C. She moved to the Everett area in 2003 and joined ECTSA in 2008. She enjoys spending time with her family.

Tiffany Yim, PA-C

Tiffany is a Washington State native and earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Portland. She graduated from the Western University of Health Sciences physician assistant program. Tiffany worked as a physician assistant in Richland, WA prior to joining ECTSA in 2008.

Home | Meet Our Practitioners | F.A.Q's | Contact Us

My 6th Year Anniversary since my Aortic Dissection Surgery

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been 6 years on 8/22/2009 since my aortic dissection while playing tennis at the age of 40 on 8/22/2003. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was super stressed out and had about a million things going on!

I don't know what button I hit, but my last 10 minutes of typing disappeared! LOL! Oh well, the US Open starts tomorrow and I am excited to watch the matches on TV. I remember all the 4-7pm matches on USA Today network. I am hoping that the Tennis Channel and/or ESPN2 picks up where they left off. I am hoping to sell one of my domain names this week. I could use the money and HOPE and PRAY that it goes through. I am asking $4,500.00 for the name, but... not sure if it's too high or they will take it. A car dealership wants the name.

It's my daughter's first day of High School tomorrow! WOW! Time has gone by at the speed of light, last time I checked, she was in diapers! Just kidding, but... it's an exciting time for her and I am just hoping that she enjoys it and does well there!

My son is going to go to the public school just up the street next year, we were just not seeing the benefits at his last school, or at least not the $500.00 a months worth!

Take care!
Brian T.

Remebering Debakey-Pioneering AD Surgery

Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, internationally acclaimed as the father of modern cardiovascular surgery — and considered by many to be the greatest surgeon ever — died Friday night at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. He was 99.

Methodist officials said DeBakey died of natural causes. They gave no additional details.

Medical statesman, chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine, and a surgeon at The Methodist Hospital since 1949, DeBakey trained thousands of surgeons over several generations, achieving legendary status decades before his death. During his career, he estimated he had performed more than 60,000 operations. His patients included the famous — Russian President Boris Yeltsin and movie actress Marlene Dietrich among them — and the uncelebrated.

"Dr. DeBakey singlehandedly raised the standard of medical care, teaching and research around the world," said Dr. George Noon, a cardiovascular surgeon and longtime partner of DeBakey's. "He was the greatest surgeon of the 20th century, and physicians everywhere are indebted to him for his contributions to medicine."

Debakey almost died in 2006, when he suffered an aortic aneurysm, a condition for which he pioneered the treatment. He is considered the oldest patient to have both undergone and survived surgery for it. He recovered well enough to go to Washington earlier this year to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's two highest civilian honors.

He remained vigorous and was a player in medicine well into his 90s, performing surgeries, traveling and publishing articles in scientific journals. His large hands were steady, his hearing sharp. His personal health regimen included taking the stairs at work and a single cup of coffee in the morning.

DeBakey's death was mourned Friday night by the leaders of Methodist and Baylor. Methodist President Ron Girotto said, "He has improved the human condition and touched the lives of generations to come. We will greatly miss him." And Baylor President Dr. Peter Traber added that "he set a standard for preeminence in all areas of his life that those who knew him and worked with him are compelled to emulate. And he served as a very visible reminder of the importance of leadership and giving back to ones community."

Debakey was born in Lake Charles, La., in 1908, a month before Ford began making Model Ts and a quarter-century before the discovery of bacteria-fighting drugs. His genius helped shape surgery and health care as we know it. While still in medical school, he developed the roller pump for the heart-lung machine. DeBakey invented many of the procedures and devices — more than 50 surgical instruments — used to repair hearts and arteries today.

He is widely credited with laying the foundation for the Texas Medical Center in Houston by recruiting pre-eminent doctors and researchers and giving the city an international reputation for leading-edge health care. He was a maverick, running afoul of the Harris County Medical Society for insisting that surgeons be certified by the American Board of Surgery. At the time, it was common for general physicians to operate.

"DeBakey built a department of surgery at Baylor and at The Methodist Hospital, which was to become one of the most celebrated in the world, a galaxy of young stars," the late author Thomas Thompson wrote in 1970 in Hearts: Of Surgeons and Transplants, Miracles and Disasters Along the Cardiac Frontier. "In a city where 25 years ago there was practiced medicine of the most mediocre sort, there sprung up in a swampy area six miles south of downtown ... one of the handful of distinguished medical centers in the world."

He invented and refined ways to repair weakened or clot-obstructed blood vessels using replacements made from preserved human blood vessels, and later, with artificial ones. He is credited with the first successful surgical treatment of potentially deadly aneurysms of various parts of the aorta. He co-authored one of the earliest papers linking smoking and lung cancer in 1939.

During World War II, serving in the office of the U.S. Surgeon General, DeBakey's work led to the development of mobile surgical hospitals, called MASH units. He helped President John F. Kennedy lobby for Medicare; he recommended creation of the National Library of Medicine, subsequently authorized by Congress. In 1963 DeBakey won the Lasker Award for Clinical Research, considered the U.S. equivalent of a Nobel.

"At times he could act like the meanest man in the world. He didn't let you breathe," said Dr. John L. Ochsner of New Orleans, who trained under DeBakey and whose father, Dr. Alton Ochsner, was DeBakey's mentor at Tulane University School of Medicine. DeBakey baby-sat the four Ochsner children, including John, and let them do chin-ups on his arm.

Said John Ochsner, "The thing that made him so mad all the time was he was trying to conquer the world and every minute was so important to him. He didn't have time for frivolity at all."

Patients and their families saw him otherwise. To them, DeBakey was a healer with quiet authority who seemed to work miracles. Enfolding a patient's hands in his, the patient's face would relax, some recalled.

He was pained by the breakup in 2004 of the historic, 50-year marriage between Baylor and Methodist, which dissolved over disagreements about the future of the institutions. DeBakey said the breakup made no sense and hurt both parties. Friends described him as "heartbroken" about the split and in an interview earlier this year he said the description was not inaccurate.

In 2003, his MicroMed DeBakey LVAD was implanted in a 10-year-old girl, the youngest patient in the world to receive the device. In 2004, a special child-sized version became available for children as young as 5. DeBakey developed the device, which boosts the heart's main pumping chamber, in collaboration with heart surgeon Dr. George Noon and NASA.

"The man has an incredible mind and an incredible grasp of details," said former MicroMed CEO Travis Baugh . "He's also never stopped inventing. We are working on a project with him a new way of attaching sutures to the heart.'"

The power to intimidate and awe

In his prime — and it was an unusually lengthy prime — DeBakey, with his sharp-nosed profile and dark brown eyes, had the power to intimidate and awe his acolytes. In surgery, DeBakey was famous for his withering remarks, delivered in a velvety Louisiana drawl, directed at the anxious and ambitious residents operating alongside him.

John Ochsner recalled how, if an operation was going slowly, DeBakey might ask, ''Am I the only one here doing anything?"

Or a clumsy resident might prompt DeBakey to say, ''Do you have two left hands?"

If DeBakey was displeased by the progress of a procedure, he would remark with an air of faint disgust, ''I am surrounded by incompetence."

DeBakey's trainees cringed at his criticism but, among themselves, recounted the barbs in a sometimes dead-on imitation of the revered surgeon. Ochsner, now chairman emeritus of the Department of Surgery at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, said DeBakey's stern manner came from a desire to prepare his students for the demanding career that lay ahead.

''He's not hard to work with if things are done right," said Noon, DeBakey's colleague of more than three decades, in a 1995 interview. ''He was hard on people who slacked off or made mistakes. But he was so busy. He had to depend on people, and he could be tough. But he was always tough for a reason."

Family roots in Lake Charles, La.

DeBakey was the eldest of five children born to Lebanese immigrants Raheehja and Shaker Morris DeBakey. Shaker Morris DeBakey was a well-to-do businessman and pharmacist in Lake Charles who invested in real estate and rice farming. Michael DeBakey grew up with his brother and three sisters in a large house two blocks from the public school with maids, butlers and gardeners.

The DeBakeys ate healthy foods — fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, seafood, rice and beans. They didn't smoke or drink. They encouraged their children to check out books from the library every week. At dinnertime, the family chatted about things that happened at the drugstore or the doings of politicians who sought out Shaker's advice.

"You could not get a word in edgewise until one of our parents announced who had the floor," DeBakey recounted to a reporter in 1997. "It was very stimulating."

Each Sunday after services at their Episcopal church, the DeBakeys would take clothing to a nearby orphanage. One time, the give-away bundle included DeBakey's favorite cap. When the youngster protested, his mother sat him down and said, "You have a lot of caps. These children have none."

"It made a great impression on me," he said.

DeBakey's mother also taught him one of his future career's essential skills — sewing. He would help her repair items headed for the orphanage. He also learned to tat, using a little bobbin to make lace. Years later, in the 1950s, DeBakey would introduce artificial arteries made from Dacron; he sewed the prototype on his wife's sewing machine using fabric purchased at Houston's downtown Foley's.

He went to medical school at Tulane after graduating as valedictorian from his high school class. During his senior medical school year, he developed the roller pump, a device which two decades later became a crucial component of the heart-lung machine used on patients during open-heart surgery.

As a surgery resident at New Orleans' Charity Hospital, DeBakey caught his first glimpse of a living human heart — pink and pulsating in the chest of a knifing victim.

''I saw it beating and it was beautiful, a work of art,'' DeBakey said in 1987. ''I still have an almost religious sense when I work on the heart. It is something God makes, and we have yet to duplicate."

Later, at Charity Hospital, DeBakey experienced a potentially catastrophic near-miss — he accidentally punched through a patient's aorta — which gave him an appreciation for the steadying influence of his mentor, Alton Ochsner.

He and Ochsner were operating in an amphitheater with a full audience of visiting surgeons. DeBakey was on one side of the patient, Ochsner on the other. DeBakey was attempting to lift up the aorta, which had been weakened by infection "when I suddenly realized, with a gripping terror, that I had entered the aorta."

DeBakey whispered this to Ochsner, who calmly instructed DeBakey to leave his finger over the hole. Ochsner stitched it up, and no one realized a near-fatal accident had occurred.

During the late 1930s, DeBakey married his first wife, Diana, a nurse he met in New Orleans. They had four sons: Michael, Ernest, Barry and Denis. When he came to Houston in 1948 to head up Baylor's surgery department, he moved his family into a home near Rice University, only five minutes from the Texas Medical Center, so he wouldn't waste time commuting. He never moved from that home.

Diana DeBakey died of a heart attack in 1972. They had been in Mexico for a medical meeting, staying with a close relative of the President of Mexico. They ate well and stayed up late, and when the DeBakeys got back home, Diana was complaining of an upset stomach.

At that time, gastrointestinal problems were not widely recognized as a heart attack symptom in women. When her discomfort worsened, DeBakey had her admitted to the hospital to find out what was wrong. While DeBakey was in surgery on someone else, he got a call that there was an emergency. When he reached his wife's bedside, she had died.

Three years after her death, DeBakey married German film actress Katrin Fehlhaber, whom he met through Frank Sinatra. They had a daughter, Olga. In 1978, DeBakey was hospitalized for smoke inhalation sustained in rescuing his daughter after a Christmas tree caught fire in his home, he told the New York Times.

A disciplined, hard-working life

The workaholic DeBakey rarely slept more than five hours a night, awaking at 5 most mornings to write research papers or read medical journals. He rarely drank, never smoked, ate sparingly — mostly salads, late in life — and didn't watch television. Lean and nearly 6 feet tall, he weighed the same as he did in 1926 when he graduated from high school — about 160 pounds. He spent much of his adult years in light-blue scrubs, and wore a pair of gleaming-white cowboy boots for the operating room. He liked to say that he conducted the presidency of Baylor between cases.

In 1948, when DeBakey came to Houston, he had turned the Baylor job down twice. The fledgling school had moved to Houston from Dallas just five years earlier, and Baylor students were scattered all over the city doing their clinical rotations, a situation that didn't appeal to DeBakey. He finally was persuaded to come when Hermann Hospital promised the school a 20-bed surgical service, according to Ruth SoRelle's history of Baylor, The Quest for Excellence.

The Hermann deal fell through, and DeBakey nearly left. But the Truman administration asked DeBakey to transfer Houston's Navy hospital into aVeterans Administration hospital, an idea championed by DeBakey that evolved into the national VA system. There, DeBakey's students started the city's first surgical residency program.

DeBakey's program was legendary for cutting its participants off from all contact with the outside world. As a DeBakey trainee, Dr. Edward Lefrak once spent 91 consecutive days on duty in the cardiovascular intensive care unit, missing the birth of one of his children, sleeping when he could in the patient recovery ward. Lefrak's rotation was supposed to last just 30 days, but DeBakey had a tendency, when things were going well, to keep arrangements unchanged.

''It was like a compliment,'' said Lefrak, medical director of cardiac surgery at the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute in Falls Church, Va. ''But then, on the other hand, it was another 30 days."

From colleagues to rivals

One of the most talked-about events of DeBakey's life was his legendary feud — more Arctic freeze than hot-tempered spat — with Dr. Denton Cooley, his one-time close collaborator. DeBakey hired Cooley in 1951 after the Houston native finished his training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

In 1965, DeBakey participated in a federally funded program to design an artificial heart. Within a few years he had a device that some physicians felt was ready for human trials, but DeBakey believed it needed more work.

Then, to international acclaim in 1969, Cooley performed the first implantation of an artificial heart into the chest of 47-year-old Haskell Karp, a dying heart surgery patient. Karp lived with the heart in his chest 65 hours before dying shortly after a heart transplant.

Cooley's fame was quickly tarnished after DeBakey said the heart was identical to one under development in the Baylor labs, and that Cooley had used it without permission.

Cooley said he and Dr. Domingo Liotta, who also designed artificial hearts in DeBakey's lab, had built the heart privately, and that he had no choice but to use the heart because the patient's life was in jeopardy.

After the incident, the American College of Surgeons voted to censure Cooley, and, amid a dispute with the trustees of Baylor, Cooley resigned from the institution. The two men never collaborated again and rarely spoke. DeBakey changed his focus and decided funds would be better spent developing pumps to assist failing hearts. Such devices became the mainstream treatment for patients with failing hearts.

The episode ''stole DeBakey's shot at a Nobel Prize," Methodist heart surgeon Mike Reardon said in 2004. ''What Mike needed was one crowning event to make him a candidate. And that was going to be the artificial heart."

But the two buried the hatchet last year. Cooley inducted DeBakey into his surgical society and, in a surprise, DeBakey accepted, telling his former colleague he was touched by the gesture. Earlier this year, DeBakey returned the favor, granting Cooley membership in his surgical society. In April, when DeBakey was given the Congressional Gold Medal, Cooley made the trip to Washington too.

For a man who outlived most of his peers, he seemed surprisingly unphilosophical about death, appearing to view it as a personal enemy. Losing a patient put him in a black mood and set his mind spinning with thoughts of what he might have done differently.

''You fight (death) all the time, and you never really can accept it," he once said. ''You know in reality that everybody is going to die, but you try to fight it, to push it away, hold it away with your hands."

DeBakey was preceded in death by his sons, Houston lawyer Ernest O. DeBakey, who died in 2004, and Barry E. DeBakey, who died in 2007; and a brother, Dr. Ernest G. DeBakey, who died in 2006.

In addition to his wife, Katrin, and their daughter, Olga, DeBakey is survived by sons Michael DeBakey of Lima, Peru, and Denis DeBakey, of Houston; and sisters Lois and Selma DeBakey, both medical editors and linguists at Baylor.

Saturday UFC 102 getting ready to start

I decided to do PayPerView this evening and watch UFC 102, there should be some good fights. I got my CT/Angio results and main Aorta has remained unchanged since my original surgery. It's now been 6 years this 8/22/09 since 8/22/2003. I am so thankful for the second chance at life.

Played some tennis with a good friend this morning, then came home and had the Banner Life Insurance nurse stop by as I am trying to get life insurance. As of late, I was turned down my Aflac and MetLife, so I am hoping to find some company that will take me.

Going to Gold Creek Church tomorrow and hoping to hear a good message. It's scary to think how close Jesus Christ return actually is!!!

Take care,
Brian

Sunday morning...what's happening with Brian

Hi,

Top of the morning to you!  I just returned from walking out new puppy Tilly. She is a Golden Doodle and such a sweet dog. It's amazing how a dog can add to a family!  We went to the Mill Creek festible yesterday and they had dog jumping like you see on TV, it was very fun to watch. I have just been watching some tennis videos and really need to figure out what happend to my second service last Friday night against Dave Baska. I was serving for the first set a 6-5 and should have won it. It was definitely the hottest temperature of a match I have ever played in. I would guess over 100 degrees and indoors! I learned a valueable lesson-come prepared to sweat and pace yourself. For a brief momement I was thinking of giving up!  The thing I like about tennis is it's a game of "going back to the drawing board" type of fun. It's a reflection on what you did right and what you need to work on. I would say my second service is something that has hurt me against tougher opponents. I was playing Phil Ansdel in the Seattle City 45's and started out great, up in the first serving well, then my service left me and my second serve was chewed up and attacked heavily. I have been studying where my first and second serves are breaking down and I am ready for an improvement (committed effort) to dig deep and bring out a better weapon. You basically live and die by your service motion and return of service. I think I actually have a pretty decent return game.  I am excited about playing in the Washington State Open this year in the Men's 45 age division. I know I do well and it's time for me to put it all together.

My doctor called and I need to call and schedule my MRI. I am coming up on my 6th year anniversary. Instead of having a CT/Angio, due to the radiation content, we are switching me to a MRI. I asked the doctor if it was the "tube" one and he said yes... but, they also have the open one as well. Part of me wants to go back and get in that tube and not be scared like I was the night of my open heart surgery.

Kids are having a fun summer and taking guitar lessons and attended a soccer camp. We are going to Lake Chelan with my parents and brother's family in early August. That should be fun and a relaxing time with the family.

Have a great day!

Brian

Back to Blogging

Well, it's been a while since I have been blogging. I guess I was thining my wordpress site would end up being my main blogging site, however, it's too much work to post comments there for me and I find this site to be easier to use. In fact, I had a nice blog before and it got deleted by me.. I tried to get it back and didn't have any luck. So... on to another one!

BTW... I am have my latest Echo Cardiogram and it appears to have remained stable and the valve leaking is also stayed the same. I have a deformed tricuspic/aortic valve. I am also coming up on my 6 year anniversary and on 8/22/2009, it will be here. I am now going to switch to a MRI instead of a CT Angio due to the amount of radiation from the CT scans... I hope my MRI goes well. My BP is also doing better now that I am taking my medications daily.

Thanks,
Brian

Wimbledon Final, Roger and Andy battle it out.

Well, it's Sunday morning, July 5th, 2009 and I am watching the Roger vs Andy final. So far, it's one set a piece and looks like it's going to be a good one. Andy's playing well! We celebrated the 4th yesterday by going to the Everett Aquasox baseball game. My son and I were picked to do the "fishing for tuition" and we caught the most fish (I was the catcher and Owen the tosser). We won a $100.00 saving bond!

I have been taking my blood pressure meds everyday now as when I went in for my last Echo Cardio gram, my BP was 160/78. I get the "white coat" syndrome every time I go there. So, I am tracking my BP on a daily basis now to let the doctor know that I am controlling it. I am also trying (could be doing better) of trying to get my weight under 200lbs. I get stuck at 207-212 range, which is too high!

I am looking for another tennis racket stringer, I should have never sold my last one and now am back to trying to buy another one. I like the Laserfibre or Stringway brand and will try to see if I can land one.  The AorticDissection.com site and Forum are continuing to grow daily. I am so glad that I am able to help others. I am also very thankful for my supporting doctors, Dr. David Laing from Stanford and Dr. Allen Stewart from Columbia. They are experts in the AD field and great support for the site. They are truly amazing men!

My daughter will be 14 years old this month! Wow! Time has flown by and I am so blessed to have such a beautiful and smart girl. My son turned 10 in late May and actually today we're finally getting around to shareing his b-day celebration with his cousin.

I have noticed that taken my BP meds in the morning and the one pill at night, I have been extremely tired and just have zero energy. I am hoping that I get used to this soon!  I watched the video symposium from the 2008 Aortic Dissection convention and it's so true how the BP controls the pressure on the aorta and how you need to keep that down.

Work is going good and I am so glad to be working for X5, it's a great group of people! And.. most of all, it's fun! My boss is just returning from Africa and it will be interesting to catch up with him.

Oh... I almost forgot... We got a new puppy...Tilly!  She's a Golden Doodle! She's actually trying to bite the keyboard or my pants right now.. She had some very sharp teeth! OK. gotta run.. Tilly's attacking me!

 

Brian :)

Trying to get Life Insurance with an Aortic Dissection condition

Wow... I thought I had my life insurance all taken care of. I still have my two previous policies with MCI ($70K) and my Verizon at ($80K). However, my new job only offers $20K coverage. Prior to getting this $20K additional coverage and when I was out of work laid off from Verizon, I met up with a Met Life Insurance rep. I took the tests, and was supposed to be able to get the $100K or $250K policy options. However, I neglected not to go with it as I got the job with Global Crossing and they had a $50K policy. However, when I started at this new company and all they had was $20K, I went back to my MetLife Agent and asked him to see if I could use the previous one I had been approved for. Fast forward and it turns out that I had to re-apply. Great! So, I had the nurse come out again and take the blood tests and BINGO!  I get the letter that not only had I not been eligible for the first policy, that they had made a mistake and that I am "declined" coverage due to my Aortic Dissection condition. So... there you have it! I am being discriminated against because of my pre-existing condition and now, if I do find coverage, I am going to probably have to pay out the ear for it.  I am waiting to get my test results to see what it is exactly that I am being declined for. However, I haven't heard yet. I really feel terrible that I am not able to provide more coverage for my family. I am also going to post this to my forum and find out what other people have run into when trying to apply for Life Insurance.  UPDATE: I signed up for AFLAC, a 150K policy and I am waiting to see if I get approved, it's through my work and I am hoping that I get approved. !

My tennis game is doing well, I am enjoying playing lots and our USTA team is about in the middle of the pack for the league.

Gotta run.. My daughter needs help with her iPod! :)

 

Brian

Working away-full steam ahead with new company!

Wow, I can't believe that I have been here for almost a month and an half now. Time is just flying by with this company-what a breath of fresh air. These guys have their act together and are a super bunch of fantastic folks to work with. I am so blessed to have landed here. I love my new job! I am doing a bit of everything and it keeps me on my toes. Everything around here is fast paced and exciting. I can't believe the opportunity for learning!

Back to work!

Brian :)

I get knocked down, but I get up again

As many of you may know, I was laid off from VerizonBusiness, formally MCI Telecommunications on 5/2/2008. I was treated very well severeance wise and time to look for a new job. Unfortunately, I didn't find a job till late August, 2008, but Global Crossing screwed around and took another 2 month's to finally bring me on board. I started with Global Crossing on 10/20/2008 and then....

 It was 2/24/2009 and I get this strange email from my boss with the email subject line titled "Brian-let's catch up" for a conference call the following morning at 0800am. That particular day the 24th, I was wondering why my boss would want to "catch up" as I was thinking to myself, "Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?" just what exactly did she want?.  Anyway, the following morning, I got on the call and it went like this, "Brian, this is Susan and I have on the line with me, Brandi, Susan doesn't say one more word and Brandi says, "Your position in Seattle has been eliminated" and please go mail back your pc and here our FedEx number to do it. Not one word from my former boss, Susan at Global Crossing. Talk about lack of professionalism? Where's the empathy? Sympathy? Just down right moral values for some one's life? It's didn't exist with her.  My wife couldn't believe it either. What a lousy out fit to work for when they treat you with no respect!

 After the news, I went and mailed back my pc and had to pay $16.00 to send the darn thing back as their account number didn't cover the "packing" costs. I basically took the rest of the day and started emailing my contacts about my situation and the terrible treatment and unprofessionalism I experienced working for GC.  To me, I look at this as their loss and a tremendous gain for my next employeer. There's an old saying,  "Champions make their own luck" and that's what I consider myself. So, I knew that they might be able to knock me down,  but... I have too much talent to stay down. I started with one of my close friends who I had worked with at MCI for 10+ years. I had explained to him the situation, and like me, he was blown away too! But... little did I know, they wanted to speak with me asap and knew about my experience and desire to win. So, my friend set up an interview for me and the rest is history! I am so looking forward to this new opportunity where there is the professionals, empathy, caring people and a proven success formula already in place. The leadership of this company is outstanding and full of talent. I know that GOD had a plan for me and I believe it was "fate" that led me to this new opportunity.  In retrospect, sometimes GOD leads you down paths to get you in place and prepared for bigger and better opportunities where you can really make an impact. What the ironic part was that I was actually doing that for GC in Seattle, yet they determined they needed to lay me off. I can now see what that company went bankrupt before, lousy leadership.

I am so thrilled about my new opportunity and the tremendous people that are working there! I am so thankful to be associated with a "high-class" outfit and look forward to a long term growth opportunity to be my very best.

They can knock you down, BUT.... YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE DECISION TO GET BACK UP-STRONGER AND BETTER THAN BEFORE.

 

Brian Tinsley

MLK Day!

It's about 3:15pm in the afternoon on MLK day. I am very thankful for all the great things that MLK was able to accomplish to make our nation a better place to live in. It's sure nice to also have the day off! The way the economy is going, many folks are going to find 2009 to be one of their toughest years ever. I know that I am so blessed to have a job again after my layoff. It's so evident that you need to have a "plan B" which includes a savings plan to be able to cover your expenses for at least 6 months. I was also lucky enough to have been granted a severance package which lasted me 6 months. It's tough now as I am not making the amount of money that I had made the last 10 years.... I am going to have to really watch everything as I am trying to basically live on 50% less than our family is used to living on.

I am hoping that I do get some type of financial help with my tax refund. I need to pay off my old 401 K loan of $5K and that will save me $300.00 a month on payments. Plus, we are going to need a newer car soon! We have two vehicles with both over 150,000!

Have a great day!

Brian

Happy New Year-2009

Well, it's a new year and a chance to start again with a "blank state" and really reach deep down -anddecide if this is going to be the year you really do reach those goals. Are you trying to get a promotion at work? Loose some weight? Get married... Really decide if you are going to live your life and be thankful each and every day. Why do we need this Jan 1st date to try and reinvent ourselves? Why can't we do it each day? We are so fortunate to have a room over our heads, food on the table and friends/family that care about us. I know that I am so blessed with a great new job that I was able to finally get on 10/20/2008 and really feel that GOD had this planned for me the entire time. It was a job that I really didnt' even apply for. There's a tremendous opportunity for growth here... especially with the economy the way it is, many companies will be looking to reduce their  expenses and I feel lucky to have landed with this great company. The potential is tremendous!

Our USTA tennis season is getting ready to start again in Feb-09 and I am going to be the captain of the team again. What's interested is I actually just got back from playing tennis and completely trounced my buddy who I hadn't really beat in 5.5 years! It's been a long road back since my Aortic Dissection. I have continued to play tennis and feel that I am actually a better player now than before the AD. It will be 6 years on 8/22/2009. I have had to go on cholesterol medicine and actually taking some vitamin D supplements as well. My BP still gets high even with all the medication that I am on. I know that if I could get from 210 lbs to 195 lbs that would not only help my BP, but I would be quicker on the court.

I love a great cup of coffee. I have a bizarre coffee ritual. We have a Saeco Vienna Deluxe which I like to make the drink first thing in the am as I just have to press 1 button and I have a cross between drip coffee and a late.  About  9am I then like to have my cappuccino and I will be making my own this year as I am getting a Gaggia Coffee to make myself my drink and save $$$ by not going to Starbucks.  Around the 2-3pm, I like to have a simple cup of drip coffee. I have discovered that Keurig K cup system works really great and usually have one of them. This could be pretty expensive if I bought it all at Starbucks, which is why I make it at home now. I also discovered that drinking coffee in my Bodum glass blown cup makes the coffee/cappuccino stay hotter longer. You should try them.. You will never go back!

I hope that you make 2009 the best year ever. I am hoping to finish in the top 5 in the PNW men's 45 division this year. I KNOW I can do it! I also am going to make a point to keep more organized this year and use my trusty Franklin Planner to keep me organized.  If you have any questions about an Aortic Dissection, please let me know! You can email me at brian@aorticdissection.com and we'll get you the answers.

God Bless You!

Brian