Russert's Death Deemed Preventable: What You Need to Ask Your Doctor

In this article about Mr. Russert's death, there is not one mention of what more Mr. Russert could have done to possibly prevent his untimely death.

As a heart patient myself, I am always amazed by all the press "after the fact". I had my first heart by-pass on 7-5-1996 at age 51, second by-pass and mitral valve replacement on 9-18-1997. Murphy's Law as continued to ride on my shoulder. It has been an incredibly long 11 years. Even if a patient does enough research and learns their own body and tries to help themselves I found it almost impossible to get the medical society to pay any attention. My doctors just thought I was a big pain in the backside and they had more important things to do. There egos get in the way and they are insulted that I might know my body better than them. I have been through 2 angioplasties, 2 blood transfusions, and 6 years of incredible pain in the feet and legs due a reaction to plavix with my coumadin, aspirin and naproxen. I am only alive today because of my own stubborness. After my last blood transfusion, I said under no circumstances would I take plavix again. That was 2 years ago and I am doing better than I had in a very long time. I am slowly improving, but it has certainly taken its toll on me. I feel the medical society failed me miserably. I would write a book regarding my journey living with familial high cholesterol if I thought it would help one person or family dealing with this problem.