BREAKING: George W. Bush undergoes successful surgery to open blockage in heart artery
Source: NBC News
Former President George W. Bush underwent a procedure Tuesday morning to have a stent placed in an artery after a blockage was discovered in an annual physical examination, according to his office.
The procedure was conducted at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. According to a statement, the blockage was discovered at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas on Monday and at the recommendation of his doctors, he agreed to go ahead with the procedure which was successful.
President Bush is in "high spirits," according to the statement and is "eager to return home tomorrow and resume his normal schedule on Thursday. He is grateful to the skilled medical professionals who have cared for him. He thanks his family, friends, and fellow citizens for their prayers and well wishes. And he encourages us all to get our regular check-ups."
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/
EDITED to add story. This is it, folks; no need to go to the link.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)onehandle
(51,122 posts)greatauntoftriplets
(175,733 posts)jwirr
(39,215 posts)greatauntoftriplets
(175,733 posts)The artery likely stops just short. He inherits that from his mother. The lack of a brain is due to his father.
MissDeeds
(7,499 posts)Bet they had to bring out the binoculars to find it.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)You'll need that for the brain, not the heart.
liberal N proud
(60,334 posts)Beacool
(30,247 posts)I always wondered.
zbr6
(12 posts)My guess is he raised them up and realized the cap was on but you know those photographers snapping away at 100 shots a minute caught him anyway.
As for the OT, heart problems are terrible and can strike anybody so stay healthy!
Beacool
(30,247 posts)That IS a funny pic. LOL!!!
As for his heart issues. I don't wish that on anyone.
You too stay healthy.
William769
(55,146 posts)AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)Who knew?
kentauros
(29,414 posts)cosmicone
(11,014 posts)everyone knows it hahaha.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)Gore1FL
(21,130 posts)I was surprised to see the lack of human compassion on this thread. Your post stands out positively.
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)He thought having a heart would make him a better painter.
mikeysnot
(4,756 posts)Bologna on white bread sandwiches are catching up to him....
bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)as this total physical marvel. A magnificent specimen that managed to keep up with Lance Armstrong on his mountain bike, and riding at a pace that tired out the Secret Service agents assigned to ride alongside him.
I'm SHOCKED that this was nothing more than smoke and mirrors!
Greybnk48
(10,168 posts)The "healthiest President in history," was just more lies. And notice we never saw REAL footage of him keeping up with Armstrong when he's riding full out (and I wouldn't believe a single word Armstrong says right now anyway).
That said, I hope his Docs do "a heck of a job" keeping him safe and healthy.
yellowcanine
(35,699 posts)It just reduces the risk. Diet is also important, as are genetics.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)Hekate
(90,674 posts)Dubya had muscles we could all see from time to time due to those bicycle shorts -- according to written accounts he had an exercise compulsion.
jmowreader
(50,557 posts)He was the guy who popularized running...he died of atherosclerosis, and croaked right after a long run.
So yeah, I can believe our gym rat ex-prez needed this kind of surgery.
Myrina
(12,296 posts)n/t
democrank
(11,094 posts)Some hearts don`t beat anymore. Like the hearts of those soldiers you killed with your lies.
+1,000,000
Botany
(70,502 posts)earthside
(6,960 posts)I am really not a mean and vindictive person ... but when it comes to Bush and Cheney ...
I'm sorry, but because of what they did to thousands and thousands and thousands of Americans and innocent Iraqis, well, they cannot suffer enough in their remaining lifetimes, in my opinion.
BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)attack him. It may be the only justice we receive in this world regarding *
Beacool
(30,247 posts)AlRod
(7 posts)Thought they were still trying to get his head out of his ass.
BlueManFan
(256 posts)Maybe they should have snuck in a conscience.
graywarrior
(59,440 posts)I'm glad they didn't tell us before hand coz I woulda been frantic with worry. Hope he is gonna be ok.
AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)....next item.....
MADem
(135,425 posts)Everyone's getting those things these days...
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...we'd have known that it was brain surgery...micro-surgery, at that!
PEACE!
Lars39
(26,109 posts)MarianJack
(10,237 posts)Do you mind if I use it?
PEACE!
Didn't originate with me, though, I lifted it from DU.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)PEACE!
peace13
(11,076 posts)That is all......
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)I know someone with an aortic aneurysm. At some point it will have to be repaired and the cost could run as high as six figures. And then there is a recovery time of six months or longer. He's already said that when that time comes, he will basically do a cost/benefit analysis. If it's too much of a financial burden, he won't have the surgery. He will not bankrupt himself or his family for it.
Such is the choice we are being forced to make in this great country of ours. Health care is such an unaffordable luxury that it's just better to die.
PorridgeGun
(80 posts)..that the "routine" tests he had were anything but routine for average Americans.
I had a doctor tell me once that if you're getting to "that age" and have some family history, have smoked, poor diet etc. to lie. Tell them you get dull pressure under your sternum and nausea on exertion that resolves with rest etc. You get the idea.
He told me this stems from the fact that it is more cost effective for HMO's to treat cardiovascular disease after an acute event rather than testing people who fall into certain risk categories and catching it before a real problem happens. This sounded a bit silly.. angiograms, bypasses, drugs etc. are all very expensive.. until it was pointed out to me that the first sign of previously undiagnosed heart disease for a third of people who have it is sudden cardiac arrest, which conveniently reduces future treatment costs to an autopsy.
If only this were a civilized, first-world country with health care as a basic human right.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)bluedigger
(17,086 posts)Vodka and selfies?
formercia
(18,479 posts)for fear his Heart might try to escape.
Tikki
(14,557 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)Auggie
(31,169 posts)MyNameGoesHere
(7,638 posts)those poor bastards that can't afford it. Now watch me hit this ball.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)like everybody has access to good health care.
reflection
(6,286 posts)I sent him a gift basket full of Rold Golds.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)so I'll say nothing.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)for his whole life. I can't imagine him changing his ways. He'll need another, and then he'll need a bypass or three, and then a heart attack will get him.
At least Bill Clinton had the sense to finally go whole food, plant-based, low-fat so he'll do well in the long run. I can't see Bush admitting that he needs to change - that's simply not in him.
Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)for a brain.
So, now we know both Cheney and Bush actually had hearts, after all, but they did not function correctly.
You are welcome, George W. Bush, not that you'd ever thank tax payers for your medical care that you get using our tax money while many of us cannot afford the most basic care.
uwep
(108 posts)he did not care about NOLA, over 100K Iraqis, 4k Americans, and trillion $ not budgeted.
Why should we care about him???
LittleGirl
(8,287 posts)No Vested Interest
(5,166 posts)One can watch the procedure being done to oneself on a monitor.
I have five stents, two different procedures; family history of heart disease.
Interesting that the problem was found at the Cooper Clinic. This was founded by Dr. Kenneth Cooper ca 40 yrs ago. He's the doc who first popularized aerobic exercise.
shanti
(21,675 posts)how is a blockage discovered?
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)I believe Bush found his the way most do -- he was asymptomatic and this showed up during a physical.
No Vested Interest
(5,166 posts)Doc orders tests- Stress test on treadmill. You are assigned a (fairly high) target heart rate based on your age. Various monitors placed on your body; the rate of the treadmill and the incline are gradually increased, causing the heart rate to increase.
The test can also be given chemically rather than on a treadmill, causing the heart rate to increase, for those unable to do a treadmill test. I had this test one time, and felt very uncomfortable with that test, and continue to have a modified (shorter time period) treadmill test, owing to bad knees.
If the test indicates a heart problem, the cardiologist will order an angiogram, wherein a small tube is inserted into the groin or, more recently, someplace on the upper body, and inched up to the heart. A dye is run through the tube and, if there is a blockage, it will be shown on the monitor.
The physician will then insert one or more stents through the tube to open the blocked vein or artery.
The patient may have been sedated but not anesthetized and can often see the procedure being performed. The patient must be very careful that the area of entry (femoral artery in the groin) is fully sealed so that bleeding does not occur. Some patients can go home the same day, some may need to stay overnight.
I am not a medical person, so someone with training may be able to explain the procedure better than I, but that's the gist of it, to the best of my ability. There are likely many medical sites that can give you a more exact account.
shanti
(21,675 posts)That was very informative. I asked my dr for a stress test (family history of heart issues), but she only asked me why and didn't order one. I couldn't understand why not
No Vested Interest
(5,166 posts)I'm covered by Medicare Advantage, and had to pay very little - I don't recall.
Is your dr. a primary care physician? Perhaps they don't wish to get into ordering stress tests, but a cardiologist would, if you report symptoms. Perhaps family history is not reason enough in and of itself without symptoms.
An annual physical might include a EKG; if anything's askew there ask your physician for a referral to a cardiologist.
If nothing's wrong, count your blessings and eat well, exercise, no smoking, and alcohol in moderation.
Make sure you know your cholesterol counts, - total, LDL, HDL, etc.
I have been on a number of medications - blood pressure, blood thinner, anti-cholesterol, low-dose aspirin - since the stents were inserted and cardiologist says I'm doing fine.
Good luck in your quest for good health.
Ilsa
(61,695 posts)Cooper Clinic. They said he was fine. Then a month later he had a heart attack. His new cardiologist looked over his Cooper Clinic workup and said they blew it big time.
They might be great at rehab, but I guess it al depends on which dr is testing.
on point
(2,506 posts)cliffordu
(30,994 posts)Sanity Claws
(21,847 posts)Interesting how someone totally lacking in empathy has heart blockages.
Or in the case of Darth Cheney, a dead heart that had to be replaced with a machine.
Just stream of consciousness thinking.
rocktivity
(44,576 posts)His normal schedule of what -- DRINKING high spirits?
And who is he to be telling people to get regular checkups? His idea of health care is to go to the emergency room!
rocktivity
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)Iggo
(47,552 posts)prole_for_peace
(2,064 posts)The immediate goal is to make sure there are more people on private insurance plans. I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room.
George W. Bush, 2007
olddad56
(5,732 posts)I would normally not speak ill of sick people, but I don't consider him a people.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)They managed all this, for a time, through secrecya secrecy that depended on the aggressive suppression of two groups of voices.
Over and over again, in Afghanistan and Iraq, in Guantánamo, in secret CIA black sites and at CIA headquarters, in the Pentagon, and in Washington, men and women recognized the torture for what it was and refused to remain silent. They objected, protested, and fought to prevent, and then to end, these illegal and immoral interrogations. While the president and his top advisers approved and encouraged the torture of prisoners, there was dissent in every agency, at every level.
The documents are full of these voices. In fact, it is thanks to these dissenters that much of the documentary record exists. From emails among FBI agents sharing their shock over scenes they had witnessed in interrogation booths in Guantánamo, to letters and memoranda for the record, to major internal investigations, the documents show that those who ordered and carried out the torture did so despite constant warnings and objections that their actions were ineffective, short-sighted, and wrong. It is no wonder that so many of these documents were suppressed.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/04/george_w_bush_and_torture_america_s_highest_officials_are_responsible_for_the_enhanced_interrogation_of_prisoners_.html
Fuck you, George W. Bush
Hubert Flottz
(37,726 posts)that they found the blockage in time to fix it!
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)biggest Bush ll fan, but good for him that he is OK. I just wish that more Americans would have access to at least the same health care that he gets.
ejpoeta
(8,933 posts)without having to worry about going bankrupt and losing everything.
penultimate
(1,110 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,326 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)jasond54231
(51 posts)That's news to me, to be perfectly honest. I don't think someone with a real heart would be so thoroughly involved with something as bloody as the Iraq War. I wonder if a microscope is needed to find it?
As they say, only the good die young. Sad.