Speaker: Brian
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Brian: Well, my name is Brian. I'm 70 years old. I live in Windsor, in, in, subsidized housing and, you know, I, I have respiratory issues and, heart disease.
Tell us about your diagnosis
Brian: Well, I've, I, I've had a number of heart attacks, With my first heart attack, they treated me with Heparin, which is just a blood thinner and, and whatever blockage was there came out. But then I guess, four or five years later I had another heart attack and, they treated me that by giving me, bypasses five stents. And, that's how I was treated for that. And, well, I was, you know, the, the, the stents worked and I felt good for probably two years when I had another heart attack.
Brian: How's your health during that time? Oh, terrible. Every time, every time you, I would have one of these events it would be followed by between six months and one year of actual recovery. And my first, my first heart attack, I had to learn to walk again.
Brian: So during that time, you're not able to work. No, you're not able to work. If you overdo anything, you're just dizzy and you know, you just have to sit down and recover.
How has Best Care impacted your life?
Brian: Well, good, Best Care has affected my life, well, greatly and I, and I, I lucked into it. I, I went to see my doctor for another issue and I was so gray and just by the grace of God, they were doing a pilot project there where I met my, educator and I was diagnosed with COPD and asthma on top of my other issues. So they diagnosed me and they prescribed puffers that changed my life from that day forward. completely. Well, once I started taking those, those puffers I was able to breathe again.
Brian: Since then, they've also encouraged me and I've been encouraged me to get tested for sleep apnea. And it turns out I have sleep apnea. I have severe severe sleep apnea. To the tune of I stopped breathing 58 times an hour. Almost once every minute. I was sleeping till 10 o'clock every day and I woke up exhausted. Had to have a nap in the afternoon. How do you feel now that the sleep apnea is being treated? Well, the treat, the sleep apnea treated, which, which I resisted. I didn't believe I, I had it or needed it. But when I finally got my, my little apparatus thing, and I use it the first night I realized how bad it was.
Brian: But the, the first time that I wore that and got used to it. Oh, my God. I woke up in the morning probably around seven o'clock in the morning and I just jumped out of bed. I thought, oh, my God. Is this my new life? Is this my new life now? Oh, my God. I just went cleaning here doing dishes, doing laundry, vacuuming. I just felt like a million dollars because I had finally had a night's sleep where I hadn't for so, so long. I, I can't imagine it.
Do you have a message for others about the Best Care program?
Brian: Absolutely. If you don't have someone to advocate for you, you're, you're, in the wind and you can't be in the wind. To have an advocate is everything. There is no one. I, I stumbled on my advocate, my educator by the luck of the draw, but it doesn't have to be like that. I don't know why it's not part of a, any doctor's office that they send you to someone that can help you with these issues, your breathing issues and advocate for you.
Brian: So, I, I recommend everyone, do everyone, you know, get an educator, educate yourself. It saved my life. I consider my educator, someone who saved my life and not because because it's, it's totally true.
Brian: And I, you know, I truly appreciate her, advocacy. So, you know, thank you, Melissa.
