June 23rd Report

Hi! Still not Dead! I'm pretty happy about that!

The gout is pretty much gone. It's hanging on just enough to remind me that it could return at any time. 

My incision site is pretty much healed and for the most part does not bother me. Every once and an while in bites me when I move in a certain way. Determining that certain way is the mystery. It generally involves raising my arm above my head. So I try not to do that. 

In the meantime, I have a life to live, a party to prepare for and a bathroom to finish.

But I'm still not dead!

Gout Report

I am happy to report that the gout is waning. Right now, as I sit at my desk at the end of my lunch, I have my knee fully bent. There is still pain but not so bad that I can't move my knee.

So this is just a quick report of progress.

Normal for Me

It is 4:31AM. We are up and getting ready to go in for my Angiogram. The main problem this morning is my damn knee. It is worse today than yesterday. It is very painful to bend my right leg at all. 

I put a heating pad on my knee all night and that made no difference. I continue to take Cholchrys and it makes no difference. I hope that whatever it is will be reaching it's zenith soon and allow me to return to normal. Well...normal for me.

I fully expect to be back home this afternoon so I am not taking the computer or any extra crap with me. Well...extra crap for me.

5:17PM: It appears I have survived. I've been back home since eleven but went right up to bed and slept all afternoon. I'm still feeling kind of lowgee. I don't think that's really a word but it fits for me right now. 

Nothing new was discovered with the angiogram. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks and I guess we'll discuss things further at that time.

I'll tell you one thing I found kind of inspirational and gave me hope. My nurse that worked with me today is three years into a heart transplant. She works and is doing fine. I'm sure she has lots of conditions and limitations on her but my image of a transplant recipient was not her.

The main thing wrong with me right now is my right knee.

I would say that the right one looks swollen and inflammed. If it is not completely straight, it hurts like a mofo. I'm trying to drink a lot of water and cherry juice. So far, no help!

Full Blown Gout?

As predicted, my knee is very sore. I can't say it's gout, but it sure feels gout-like. I've been taking one of my medications to ease the gout and it is not making a difference. As is the case the last time, this will go away in a week.

Here Comes the Knee Pain

I started noticing yesterday that my right knee was developing an ever so slight twinge of pain. It's a little stronger today. It is clearly ramping up to becoming majorly stiff and sore. And I have no idea what to do to stop it. I guess the plan is to deal with it.

I'm not known for that.

Back Home Again

It's Friday and I have been home since Tuesday. I had one dizzy spell shortly after I got home and I kind of hung on for a jolt but it didn't happen.

All went well with the swap out of my defib generator. They got me into the Op Room around 2:30 and I was out of the hospital by se7en.

The next part of the adventures comes Monday morning. I report back to the Heart Institute at 5:30AM for an Angiogram. Hopefully, this will tell them what's happening with my extra heart beat.

Since then, all is smooth sailing. I've been taking it easy and doing a few little chores around the house. 

Today it is rainy. As I write, it is coming down in mini-buckets. I have a few projects to do today so I'll be under cover. 

The big event of today was that I got to get in the shower. I was feeling pretty gamy up until shower time. Now, I smell like turquoise bath beads and wild flowers.

Day Two in the Doctor Motel

It's 10:41AM. Jay is snoring which means he is not talking.

The surgery to change out my ICD (Defibrillator) is scheduled for 4:30. They thought there was a possibility of slipping me in at ten but that went by so I am assuming 4:30. So I shall sit here bored to tears and write in the Blog.

I'm watching lots of movies and trying to listen to podcasts but it seems they are not updating. iTunes picked a crappy time to stop working properly.

The other change to what is happening is we no longer know when the Angiogram will be scheduled. Dr. Kadel was in this morning and apologized but said he just didn't know. It has to occur when an Operating Room is available at the same time he is available.

4:10PM: Thr procedure is done. They managed to work me in around one and I was back in the room at three and they are discharging me at six.

All went well and I am feeling very little pain. 

Yea!

7:04PM: I'm home. Even bigger YEA! Other than a little mix up concerning the location of the main entrance and waiting for someone with a wheel chair, all went well.

Because I'm home! YEA!

Room 630

I had my doctor's appointment this morning and it went so well that I am writing this from the air conditioned comfort of Room 630 at Sacred Heart Hospital.

My Electro-Cardiologist decided that it is time to replace my defibrillator due to a software glitch. They are not really sure on the battery life of my unit, so I guess it's time.

My roommate is named Jay. He's in here for an angioplasty to see what's going on with his heart. As I type this, he is standing near me on his way to the bathroom and talking and talking and talking. He just goes on and on about his business and what he does and misses all my cues about not being interested in what he has to say. I'm typing away here and he is still talking.

Still talking.

Holy Shit! Still talking.

He is not going to stop. I haven't made eye contact with him for a couple of minutes and he hasn't slowed down at all.

Oh crap! I just responded to him and paid attention. Now I'm lost forever. 

There's a pause. Nope! I was wrong. Now he's telling me all about his retirement and all the places he's been to. Jeez! Can't he see that I'm not interested. He just cannot shut it off. 

Jay designs and makes machinery that trims foam insulation on new construction. He is going to tell me every detail of how he built the business. And the machines. I'm going to have to end up being rude to this guy to make him stop talking.

Okay, he's had a stroke so maybe he doesn't recognize those visual cues anymore.

His family is here now so that's keeping him from talking to me. 

I'm supposed to have the surgery to replace my defib sometime tomorrow afternoon. Then I was hoping they would release me and send me home. 

No such luck! Dr Kadel wants to do an angiogram and take a look at my heart. So that keeps me here until Wednesday.

I'll write more tomorrow and as I know more about what's going on.

Mo Shock Therapy

It happened again today. (See Yesterday's Post) 1:38PM in the afternoon. I was walking onto the deck and felt the dizziness coming on me, followed by the jolt. This one wasn't as bad although I did drop an unopened beer and smashed it on the cement.

Why must good beer suffer for my unhealthiness?!

Electro Shock Friday

It was a typical Friday at work. We were working on a project with a nextdoor neighbor company on our new laser machine. We were trying to figure out how to etch an image onto a circular silicone pad with some indentations on it.

At about 2:15, I sitting in front of the computer when a dizzy spell overcame me. Now we've all had spells of dizziness and I have had my share of them. Usually they pass quickly and it's no big deal.

This spell hung on for a while. I balanced my forehead on my hands and tried to work through the dizziness. I was coming out of it and raising my head when

BAM!

My defibrillator went off. It's the first time it has happened and it was an experience. I got a sudden electric shock in my chest. I've been told it will feel like getting hit in the chest with a board. That's a pretty good description except it wasn't as intense as I had imagined.

Nonetheless, when it went off, my arms splayed out and I knocked the flat screen computer monitor off the table and pretty much screwed it up.

I called my Cardiologist to report what happened and they wanted me to go home and download my defib info on the heart monitor I have next to the bed.

Unfortunately, my heart monitor didn't work properly so I have an appointment on Monday to find out what happened.

The aftermath of the whole ordeal is that I felt fine before it happened, I felt fine after it happened and haven't had any repercussions since.

I think it was an anomaly but I'll find out on Monday.