Seven years ago(?) I was having unstable angina attacks and actually had one or more small heart attacks. I had some diagnostics done and was about to have a catheterization procedure to (hopefully) place a stent.
The cardiologist explained that if my coronary artery disease was severe, then a stent would not work and I’d need to go straight into bypass surgery. I had already decided that I wasn’t going to have any major invasive surgery, and I told him that. He explained that I could die as a result of my decision. I asked if he could perform the bypass without postoperative pain and he said no. I told him I’d rather not experience any avoidable pain in what remained of my life. The stent worked.