By Robert Mosner
My name is Robert Mosner; I was born in June 1955. When I finished college in 1977 my first job was in the BioMedical department at Union Memorial Hospital. After three years, I took a job at Beckman Instruments, continuing to work in the health care field. In 1980, when I left Union Memorial Hospital, I never imagined 39 years later I would be returning to that hospital for major heart surgery, particularly since I always maintained my health and considered myself to be in excellent shape. My world changed on February 19, 2019. I was about to experience major heart surgery from a patient perspective.
My journey began in mid-January 2019 when I went to my doctor for a refill of my blood pressure meds. We talked several times in the past about a heart calcification scan. We both agreed I didnt need one. This appointment was no different, except I was given the paperwork for the scan. When I left his office I had no intention of doing the test. Im 63 years old and exercise seven days a week, have never smoked and am not overweight. There was simply no need for the test.
On Feb 19th at 9 a.m. I was lying on the table having the test done. Why, I really dont know! I was convinced it was a total waste of $85. That afternoon around 4 p.m. my doctor called and said I had the worst score he had ever seen. All I knew about the test was that if you get a score of 70, youre going on a statin. When I inquired about my score, I was in total shock. He informed me my score was 3800, and I needed a cardiologist immediately. A friend managed to get me an appointment with the chief of cardiology at Mercy Hospital. Things started happening pretty quickly at that point.
On March 7th I was in the cath lab at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. It wasnt long before I realized God had been with me for a long while. My LAD (widow maker) was 100 percent blocked, right coronary artery was 90 percent blocked, and my circumflex artery was 92 percent blocked. I was alive because collateral arteries formed from my right coronary artery and grew to the left side of my heart. Ive been one step ahead of death for a long while. Im amazed I had no symptoms whatsoever. Looking back, I realize the $85 I spent for the heart calcification scan was the best investment I ever made. After the cardiac cath, I was moved to CCU. Three days later I was in the OR, and the chief cardiac surgeon was doing what we thought was going to be a triple bypass. I ended up with a quadruple bypass. Ten hours later I woke up in intensive care fighting to remove the breathing tube. At that point I was given Versed, and I dont remember anything until 3 a.m. I have no memory of the breathing tube being removed. Around 8 a.m. I was moved to the step down unit. Two days later I was discharged from the hospital.
I want to spend a few minutes discussing how my life has changed after surgery. Believe me, your life will change after open heart surgery. My life has so much meaning now. Ive never been a religious person and had little faith in God. The day of my calcification scan a friend at the gym put me in touch with a nondenominational church. She was one of the few people who saw me with tears of fear. The church she directed me to was the first church Ive ever attended and enjoyed going to. My faith in God has grown tremendously. Before surgery, life always revolved around me. Other people were not important. Ive learned how important other people are. Now my life revolves around helping others. Youll never realize how much joy you will receive by giving time to others in need.
Sixteen weeks have passed since surgery. My recovery has gone very smoothly. Pain was never an issue. The only lingering problem I have is more psychological than anything else. I wake up around 2 a.m. with tears in my eyes. My tears are tears of happiness. When I look at everything that happened, I marvel at the journey God created for me. So many things happened at just the right time for me to be alive to write this. Not only did God write a script to save my life, but He saved my soul as well. Thats why I cry every night. Lastly, I cry when I see my scar in the mirror. Every time I see it I thank God for giving me a day which I shouldnt have had. My scar reminds me I belong to God and that my lifes purpose is to help others.
I want to thank all the doctors and nurses at Union Memorial Hospital, particularly my surgeon Michael Fiocco. A truly wonderful person and exceptional cardiologist at Mercy Hospital, Mark Applefeld. And last but not least my internal medicine doctor also at Mercy Hospital, Jeffery Landsman. Guys and girls, I owe you my life!
Robert Mosner, age 64, worked in health care early in his career and has always taken an active role in his own health, exercising daily, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight. He was surprised earlier this year to discover through a test that he needed a quadruple bypass to save his life.
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