Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

Traditionally at this time of year one gives thanks for the good things that have happened and will hopefully happen in future. We gloss over the bad stuff and cast a rosy countenance upon ourselves. I'm thankful, too, but there are no rose-coloured glasses astride my nose. No Siree!

Then we stuff ourselves silly on roast turkey with all the trimmings, beaucoup pies and sweets, topped off with Bordeaux and Bourbon, until replete, whence  we waddle off to the nearest easy chair to sleep off our excesses as we "watch" football.

Sadly, that hasn't been my modus operandi for many years. This year will be no different. Not sure what I am serving for dinner, but it won't be turkey, goose, duck or any other roast fowl. Roast veggies are a possibility if I can get my wife to drive me to Wally World in the AM, else it will be the luck of the pantry. Beans, more than likely. Rice. The staples of most of the non-Western world. Off to a daughter's for dessert in the evening, mostly for the company as this diet doesn't permit such luxuries as cheesecake or blueberry pie. Lunch for yours truly will be a revisit with the Hot and Sour Squid Soup I made for my supper today (SWMBO claims I'm part Squid...) while the Mrs. will probably opt for a PB&J if I get some bread in the morning. Steel cut oats laced with stewed raisins & a scrambled egg was my fast breaker. 

Such is the life of the cardiac challenged. Hope yours is a tastier repast. Nevertheless, beans and rice beats the alternative I stared down in the ER just 2 1/2 weeks ago. Wasn't quite ready for the Reaper and his scythe just yet.

And So It Goes. Have a happy holiday and drive safely ... the life you save might be mine.

Convalescent Ennui

It's been a quiet week devoted to recuperating from recent traumatic health events. A major mood setback occurred on Wednesday with the arrival of the hospital bill for nearly 60 grand, and that doesn't include doctors and surgeons, nor ambulance ride to the ER. All in, I suspect close to 80 grand before we are through. Seeing as how I have never earned that much money in my life in a year's time, I suspect a working familiarity with the bankruptcy system isn't far away in my future, if you know what I mean. I don't suspect I'll ever get it fully paid off before I die. Pisser.

Bone-headed move be me: I went to renew my drivers license the other day. The drive to the DMV is a far trip. SWMBO told me the night before to bring my birth certificate. Yours truly failed to do that. You can guess the rest. Got to the DMV on Thursday afternoon and the clerk informed me I HAD to have my birth certificate. I've had a DL for almost 50 years. Not once did I have to provide a birth certificate. This is utter bullshit. Bad enough the governor caved to the RFID chip in the license, now the pharking gestapo expect us to have "ze papers upon our person" at all times!?! Heil Hitler! The better half was some old PO'd at me. She still is and offers no sign of an inclination to desist, either.

Hope y'all stay warm and dry as much as possible this weekend and in the week ahead. Be thankful next week for what all you have, material and immaterial. The Pettybees will figure out a way to take it from you before long.

And So It Goes...

I’m Still Here, Sort of…

 

Yep, still amongst the living. I was discharged from the hospital last Friday night, too late to obtain the multiple prescriptions written by my cardiologists and hospitalist. But, that didn’t keep me from toodling around the local Wal-Mart on a scooter buying groceries while waiting for the one emergency prescription I could get filled.

Home again, finally, to a very excited Schipperke. Poor Iggy had to sleep outside with the other dogs, eating Old Roy Chinese dog kibble (Wally World brand) and generally feeling abandoned all week. So you imagine how happy he was to see his sleeping partner (me), his personal gourmet food provider and personal walker (also me), return to end his travails in the wilds of the backyard. Aside from a bad case of the itchies from the Chink Food, he appeared none the worse for wear.

The weekend was slow, but apparently I didn’t take it easy enough. A hematoma the size of a large grape arose on Sunday night and much spousal consternation ensued. Attempts at reaching the appropriate parties were fruitless until a PA at the hospital said I should go by the office the following day. That is about all that PA did, as I got chewed out by office staff the next day for showing up unannounced. An EKG, and a sonogram of the heart and I was told there was no damage, just a blood-filled vein with a bubble of blood. Take it easy, sir, and you’ll do fine…

So I did as told until last night, when I wrestled with a stuck kitchen drawer and the drawer won. Now I’m sore and we don’t know if the stent was disturbed or just a pulled chest muscle. We’ll see the Cardiologist on Monday afternoon as scheduled and find out then if there’s a problem.

Until then, we are trying to stay warm and dry in the coldest autumn we and Baton Rouge have ever experienced. Compared to the rest of the country, there isn’t much to complain about. Twenty-seven degrees and 3 1/2 inches of rain on Sunday to look forward to, I guess. Propane here is high, because of tailgating the LSU games, of all the ridiculous excuses for screwing the consumer.

The Doc has put the kybosh on any travels in the next year so am (literally) stuck here until Spring when I must renegotiate with said doctor about closing out my affairs in Maine. Maybe next year we’ll get to see the desert in Spring bloom. So much for the Gulf Coast of Texas, the Rio Grand Valley, Quartzite and beyond.

That’s my world today. Closing in around me, but it STILL beats the alternative,  ;)

And So It Goes…

Master of horror Stephen King talks baseball, his latest book ‘Revival’ and how he’s not done yet

I thought you might be interested in this article from the BDN:

=" http://bangordailynews.com/slideshow/master-of-horror-stephen-king-talks-baseball-his-latest-book-revival-and-how-hes-not-done-yet/ "

Still Amongst The Living

This'll be a quickie. Still in hospital in Louisiana. The cardiac docs did a cardiac catheterization on Wednesday afternoon. The bad news, all 3 grafts from the CABG 11 years ago were either partially or fully blocked. The good news is they reopened the blocked artery with the high-tech equivalent of a hand drill and opened and stented one of the original blocked veins. Two out of three isn't too bad in this situation. The post-operative time in the ICU was eventful as I tried to bleed out through my IV tubing.

The plan has me being discharged today to my RV for further recovery. As it will be a while before I can drive, travel planned for this year is on hold, dammit.

More news as it becomes available. And So It Goes...

New Home Away From Home

I have moved up in the world to the 7th floor of the "Tower That Cardiology Built":

Disgusted

Cardiacs Be Us

Had an episode of angina after eating a late supper last night. Not an unusual occurrjence, but this time I couldn't quash it, despite injestion of a couple of nitro tablets melting under the tongue. So after dithering a bit on the subject the folks at EMS were summoned, and a third nitro-stat consumed. In a few minutes, the men and women of the local house of fire and agony arrived and my nice, sedate life was turned into a race. A race to run a strip, a race to load up, a race to the thruway, and a race off the bus into an ER (A&E for Aussie and British acquaintances). Much poking, prodding, and inquiries as to "where does it hurt?" and "on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain you've ever felt, how much does that elephant sitting on you weigh?" Things like that there...all at a rate unbelievable in good folk in Louisiana. They can make a dissertation about breakfast last until dinner!

Multiple blood draws later, the general consensus is I had a heart attack, but only a little one. Probably my glucose levels are the proximate cause. In any event, their current plan involves stabilizing the glucose readings and doing a angioscopic catheterization tomorrow or Thursday and see what's what. That's the plan, Stan. More as I am able.