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Insomnia might've saved my life

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Thor View Drop Down
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    Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 4:45pm
A few months back, I developed insomnia.  To make a long story short, I went to my doctor who prescribed me sleep medication, but also did bloodwork and an EKG, considering I hadn't been to a doctor in years (and that I had a family history of heart problems and diabetes).
 
Well, the EKG led to an echocardiogram which led to a heart catheterization.  This last procedure was done Monday, 10/22.  I thought I'd either have to get a stent, or follow up with more meds (the doc had already prescribed a cholesterol medication and a blood pressure med).
 
Well---not!!!  I was sent immediately to Morristown Medical Center for a quadruple coronary bypass.  I just got out, and will now have to recover for the next 7 weeks or so.  My heart was in really bad shape.
 
So, I guess the insomnia worked out well for me.  It got me to a doctor.  Otherwise, having had absolutely no heart symptoms (chest pain, shortness of breath, indigestion, etc), I would probably not have gone to the doc.
 
Hugs.  LOL
 
 
 
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aka ron View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aka ron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 4:48pm
Holy Sh!t!!  I'm glad you're OK, you old fart.  That's open heart surgery, right?  Damn! I'm a walking heart attack.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 4:55pm
Yep---open heart surgery.  Sternum cut down the middle and all.
 
I guess I was a walking heart attack, too---though I'd never have thought so.  No symptoms PLUS a job that gives me a good workout every day.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aka ron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 5:09pm
You quit smoking...that should have helped too.  I really should treat my body better.

Have a speedy recovery and thanks for letting your pals here on the forum know.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 6:12pm
My pleasure, though "pleasure" doesn't seem quite the best word.  The whole thing was awful.  I'm still in pain.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 7:27pm
Good thing you caught it in time!!!

You coulda croaked on Halloween!!!



Anyway, I saw a cardiologist about a year ago.

Had an echocardiogram done too.

He said everything looked OK, though I need to get in better shape.

I didn't do as well on the treadmill test as I should have.
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C'mon, man!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aka ron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 5:40pm
Originally posted by Thor Thor wrote:

My pleasure, though "pleasure" doesn't seem quite the best word.  The whole thing was awful.  I'm still in pain.
 
 
Are you kidding me?  I can't imagine that kind of pain!

I don't think I would survive the operation. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2018 at 12:10am
Wow. Here's Pawishes for a speedy recovery...but question remain:
You got carved, sliced & diced so close to Halloween! Can we have a KitKat, or would a request like that be a bit too 'Alienesque'? Can you have a little heart and grant our request? 
 
Now, did you go to a good Catholic hospital and get operated on by Dr. Tucker? 
Get well and get back! Converse with us more and your stress levels will decline and your life expectancy should increase. Maybe ours will too as all our worst traits are showing as we pick on and beat each other continually...well, not each other, necessarily...Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MrTim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2018 at 4:44am
Glad you made it. Thumbs Up Just don't do anything strenuous or lift heavy weights for a while (last thing you need is to spring a leak.)  Or sneeze or crap too hard...   LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2018 at 4:22pm
Ermm...are you still alive?
You never call, You never write!
 
You were able to type the other day, but since then?
 
Now, The Inquiring Mindless NEED TO KNOW!
 
1.) Did you have any sort of 'near death' experience while getting all fixed up?
2.) If so, did you meet any kind stranger with a beard and long hair?
3.) If so, are you still allowed to talk about Darlene and her puppy dog, or were you advised continued behaviors of that type might lead to an extended vacation in a very warm climate?
4.) Will you be coming back to us a 'changed person', kinda like 'Barbara Lewis'?
5.) Are you developing an opioid addiction?
 
Seriously! HOW THE HECK ARE YOU COMING ALONG?
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2018 at 4:29pm
Maybe Thor is pulling a Yossarian on us.

From Catch 22:

"After he made up his mind to spend the rest of the war in the hospital, Yossarian wrote letters to everyone he knew saying that he was in the hospital but never mentioning why. One day he had a better idea. To everyone he knew he wrote that he was going on a very dangerous mission. "They asked for volunteers. It's very dangerous, but someone has to do it. I'll write you the instant I get back." And he had not written anyone since."


...the ads take aim and lay their claim to the heart and the soul of the spender
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

C'mon, man!
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2018 at 4:38pm
^^^THAT'S what I'm thinking!
Maybe we need to do a 'GhostyHunters'-type thing:
 
"Thor? If you're here, can you knock on my monitor 3 times without breaking it, bitch?"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2018 at 10:00pm
Thanks, all.
 
As far as "near-death experiences", being extubated comes pretty close.  They pull the breathing apparatus out from your esophagus, and all the phlegm that had collected behind the tubes comes out.  Then you gag and are forced to cough it out.  Thick stuff.  I made phlegm bubbles I could see.  And coughing it all out is brutally painful.  It feels like a burning torch trying to ram through your broken sternum.
 
Drainage tubes were left in, and for the next four days, coughing was as I described.
 
But I'm doing OK.  I feel kinda feeble.  I have to go on 5-10 minute walks, and I can't lift more than 5lbs each arm (don't want to damage the bones that had to be wired together, nor the stitches).  Plus, I can't drive for maybe 6 weeks.  In fact, I feel quite capable of driving.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2018 at 10:02pm
Originally posted by MrTim MrTim wrote:

Glad you made it. Thumbs Up Just don't do anything strenuous or lift heavy weights for a while (last thing you need is to spring a leak.)  Or sneeze or crap too hard...   LOL
 
Yeah, I know.  If I lift a gallon of milk, I have to use both hands.  Confused
 
Thank God I haven't had to sneeze.  LOL
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 8MorDaz2Halloween Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 3:15am
Happy Halloween to Thor!  May You Rest In Peace While You Recover As Swiftly As A Bat Flies Outta Hell.

Here's Hoping You Get Nothing But Treats This Year!

Have A Spooktacular Halloween and a Merry Rest Of The Year!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 9:18am
Thanks, but I have high cholesterol, so I think my Halloween treats this year will be limited to apples, boxes of raisins and those popcorn ball things that no one ever wanted.  Cry
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 6:48pm
The coughing is a killer. 
For each of my oral cancer surgeries, my tongue would swell up like a cucumber for about a week. I remember times when I wish I had not woke up. God help you if you have a stuffy nose to go with it.
Now, with the TIA's, everything goes out the window because they often come with coughing fits that I sometimes do not believe I will recover from. Even though the onset is fast, I've learned to react a step faster - to get down or get off the road and wait until the coughing fits & TIAs subside.

Now, The Inquiring Mindless NEED TO KNOW what church you belong to these days? I mean, well...if you were to earn your MudMonkeyMeritBadge and got your own padded 1-room estate, would the church goers pack your box with fudge?Wink 

Does it hurt to laugh?

Will you take up jogging or have you now experienced something that has left you with a new-found respect for life?
(one of my all-time favorite movies)



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 8:16pm
New-found respect for life??
 
I dunno.  Maybe had I been experiencing problems associated with heart disease (like shortness of breath, heartburn, chest pain, etc.) and this surgery was to relieve all that, I might be more appreciative of what I've been through.  But considering I feel much, much worse than I did two weeks ago...plus, all the inconvenience and limitations---it's kinda hard to feel thankful right now.  I guess in an objective rather than subjective way, I feel some new respect for life.  The doc did say I probably had some "pretty significant" heart attacks that I just didn't recognize.
 
Your oral cancer must suck.  Well, I haven't heard much good about too many cancers to begin with.  But from what I heard (and from what you said), it must bite (pun intended).
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 9:34pm
if the suffocation factor from coughing or trying to find any way to catch a breath didn't suck enough, what is worse is when people ask if they can help when you can;t talk. In those moments aaaaand while suffering mini-strokes, I've found myself begging for death just to get away from the well-meaning but totally hopeless idiots who all want to make the news for saving a life - they all see the opportunity for those 15 minutes of fame, yet don't have a clue...and then there is the ever-present possibility of the oral cancer flaring back up. I love tomatoes. Can't eat tomatoes - like pouring acid in your mouth. I even had a mini-stroke in one of the top neurologist's office in a hospital about a year back...they panicked, I came out of it, they ordered brain scans which meant I had to come back (I thought they would do it then and there). They never have called to set up an appointment and I go through the same stuff every few days, so...let's let nature take its course, especially given I am surrounded by death, the dying, those trying to get dead, and those too stupid to be allowed to live. And I'm trying to cover my parents final days which has been since I lost my wife. I am more than amazed at how expensive it is to die and how great the leaches are at keeping people right at death's door so they can take care of the patient's earthly belongings.
Be SURE and get better and get out on your own as soon as possible so you don't become a semi-permanent part of the farm's residential crowd supporting the administrative staff. Dying is a booming business around here and I hate it with a passion.
Do I care about or am I scared of death? No and not in the least...but watch out for yourself - be sure you don't go admiring available spots in cemeteries and trying to decide where you wish to rest...me? I could hang out with the Missus, but I really think it is like she always said...nobody will ever find me (no, I'm not heading to Aokigahara, no - I don't speak Japanese. Maybe some remote spot in the Algonquin Provincial Park, or maybe atop some temple in India where the buzzards can pick my eyes out after I vacate the premises and no longer have any need for them...I always tell the kids if they don't like it, they can go 'talk to the rock'. Some fine day they will be able to look to the skies, or maybe a fire pit - I don't know - and tell me they're thinking of me.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 10:10am
Wow, PaW.  That certainly was intense.
 
But the whole "thinking too much about death" thing.  I certainly get it.
 
At this point, I'm ready to get back to normal.  I mean, I don't want to have to wait 6 weeks to drive.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aka ron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 5:19pm
^ If you feel like driving, just do it!  Nobody knows how you feel better than you!

How about the recent suspensions?  Do you have an e-mail for Jimbo?  PM me if you please.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 7:32pm
Holy sh*t!  Jimbo's not even in the member list!  What the hell happened?
 
I have an email address for him.  I'll pm you.
 
 
edit:  PaW, too?  Damn!  I see "cornflake" has been suspended, too...but I don't care about him.
 
Cry
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote msmadz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 7:56pm
WOW, Thor! Speedy recovery, my friend.



I know I haven't been posting much but WTF? Crazy stuff going on when madawee takes a little time off.
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Thanks, Msmadz!!
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aka ron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 5:28pm
If I counted right it's been 2 weeks and 2 days since the operation.  How are you feeling?

Scratch my advice about driving, they are probably concerned about if you get in an accident.

My brother sent me an email.  I'll quote him directly.

I’m going to need another abdominal aortic  bypass. I’m going to put it off for as long as I can stand it. Walking far is a challenge. Not enough blood gets to my legs fast enough so I have to stop walking till cramps go away. So I’ve been trying to gain weight. I lost 35 pounds post surgery the last time. I’m not allowed to eat for almost a week afterwards. I don’t get hungry tho. They will have a tube in the stomach sucking acid out which normally makes me hungry. Nothing but ice chips. Brenda said I can recover at her place. That was so nice of her to offer.

Brenda is his 1st ex-wife.

Do you have good insurance? A procedure like that must cost 6 figures.  Are you going back to Walmart?
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