Not Cocky

I am posting something today because I actually have something to post today.

My knee is better today. The difference between today and yesterday is remarkable. 

I got up this morning and walked over to the local grocery store to procure some coffee. The walk was great and easy enough to accomplish so I'm feeling good about my recovery. But I'm not going to get cocky.

End of the Line?

I'm now up to 21 straight days of posting on this sight. I think everyone of them have been relatively informative, but that also sounds kind of self serving. 

I can unserve myself by saying that I don't have anything of consequence to report today. I am not going to post just because I'm on a run and want to try and keep it going. So, this may be the end of my continuous string.

While I'm here, I might as well not completely waste your time and say that I am feeling pretty good with occasional ever so slight waves of dizziness...mostly if I stand too quickly.

Knee Issues

It is approaching two weeks since my right knee started hurting. I thought it was fading as early as last Saturday when I got out of the hospital. However, it continues to hang on and perhaps has even reasserted the pain. Stairs are difficult and it is just generally uncomfortable.

Beyond that, I am doing relatively well. We had dinner with our friends Kelly and Ron last night and they both mentioned how much better I looked. 

I had not really realized that I was looking any crappier than I normally do, but I guess that was the case.

Windows Ten

We have updated to Windows 10 at work and that is where I am currently writing. I can't tell if I'm going to like it, but so far, because I'm unfamiliar with some of the procedures that used to be second nature, I am not a fan!

I'm happy to report that I'm almost back to normal as far going to the bathroom goes. There is hardly any burning when I pee, thank the Lord!

Morning Routine

I'm trying to get back into my schedule of morning rituals. I'm generally out of bed between 5:30 when my first alarm goes off and 6. I go down stairs and let the cats out. Then it is into the main floor bathroom with it's fabulous heated floor for my morning constitutional. I download a couple of podcasts for later in the day and check e-mail and play a couple of games of Freecell while I constitute.

Next I return upstairs and grab my pills for the morning. I take those and weigh myself. (Today, 202.5. I've lost 12 pounds since I went in to the hospital.)

Finally I get in the shower and take care of all the scrubbing, brushing, cleansing and defoliating. That's about a ten minute process. If I had a chair and a TV in there, it would take longer. 

Next I get dressed and get myself downstairs for some breakfast. Normally, I make a couple of eggs (sunny side up) and hash browns. Today, I had french toast, which I got in the habit of having in the hospital.

I try to get out of the house by se7en, that way I can be at work well before 7:30, which is what I consider to be the start of my work day.

I have a major change in my work life coming up. For the past 20 years, I've been on salary. The most important feature of that designation is that I did not have to punch a clock. 

That is ending.

Some new government regulation has changed the definition of who qualifies as a salaried employee and I no longer fit it. So starting August first, I'm back on the clock.

It's going to take some getting used to.

Back to Reality

I am back to work today! I've been going pretty slowly all day and now that it is approaching 4PM, I am feeling it. My problem with going to the bathroom is improving but I'm still feeling the burn.

Since I have been confined the last couple of weeks, I have not had a chance to prepare for Susan's birthday, which is tomorrow.

I'm stopping by K-Mart on my way home because that is where the towels she wants for the bathroom.

I have a couple of other items to give her but I'm woefully behind in my husbandly duties. She says she doesn't care but I need to make an effort to make it a good birthday.

Sunday Around the Park

We went to church this morning and it was nice to see everyone and receive all the greetings and love.

We went up to visit Mom and then finally made our way home. Susan got to work and got started on her wallpapering in the bathroom. I got to work doing nothing at all and managed to keep it up for most of the rest of the day.

Susan finally finished up around 7 and we walked over to Ferraro's for dinner. We had a lovely meal of spaghetti and meatballs. That was only $19.95 for the two of us. Then we got a carafe of wine for $11.00. Our total bill with tip was 40 bucks.

When we got back to the house, I was pretty wiped out. But I managed to stay up until 11PM.

Free at Last

Today I am writing you in a way that I was beginning to feel as though I would never write again. I am writing from home!

I am sore, I am tired, I am bruised, it hurts to pee and I could not be happier. 

I have been doing little things around the house and taking it very easy. I have one more day of lazing about and then it is back to reality. 

I hope reality is ready for me.

Finally! - Ablation Day

I woke up about 7AM with Susan sitting in the chair next to me and the transport guy rolling a bed into my room. It was time!

Shedding my clothes and putting on a fresh gown, I hopped on the bed and was taken out into the hallway, down to the elevator and floor L1. Then I was maneuvered through a series of twisting halls to disorient me and then to the hallway outside the mysterious room with the machine that goes "BIIIIING"!

There, I met the Anesthesiologist and her team who told me what was going to be happening. I talked briefly with Dr. Taylor who was performing the procedure along with Dr. Byazrova. At that point, I signed something...perhaps a waiver to all my rights and belongings.

I kissed Susan good-bye and they rolled me into the mysterious room with the machine that goes "BIIIIING"!

All these people in masks introduced themselves and I asked my standard operating room question, "Does anybody here think they are here for Gender Reassignment Surgery?", to lighten the mood.

There was no need to lighten the mood as they were all in great spirits. They were showing me the giant TV screen (the machine that goes BIIIIING!) where they would monitor all my vitals as well as watch what they were doing via x-ray or some miracle form of picture of my innards.

It wasn't long before they were administering the general anesthetic and off I went.

I woke up with a sore throat and a major burning sensation in my groinal area. That turned out to be a catheter they placed and not too well.

The deal now was four hours of non moving bed rest to allow the wounds in my leg veins to heal.

The catheter stayed in that whole time and was definitely the worst part of the whole ordeal.

No! The worst part of the whole ordeal is when the catheter came out. That was a hell of a burning sensation.

Susan left a while ago and I am settling down for the evening. I feel fine except when it comes time to pee. The initial sensation as urine exits my body is a tremendous burning, with 95 needles poking at the very tip of my penis. The good thing is that the burning subsides to about 17 needles and isn't quite so intense as I continue to empty my bladder.

All in all, a fabulous experience that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Fourteen Consecutive Posts

Imagine you had a day where you could do anything you want as long as you stayed on the sixth floor of a local major medical hotel and stayed within the guidelines of the guards (Nurses) who oversee you.

You would get up and have a nice breakfast, followed by a shower. The guards would change your sheets and then let you go out on a stroll around the floor.

Then you might come back and doze for a bit whilst listening to an audio book or podcast.

Then you walk some more and return to your cell just in time for lunch. You would devour your hamburger and salad and fruit cup and apple juice and then you would go on a walk.

Throughout the day, you would get phone calls from family and friends and then go on a walk.

That's a pretty good description of my day.

It is now 3:30, which means dinner is about an hour away. That will be my last meal unless I can get a snack later in the evening. After midnight, no food by mouth.

The next time I write, I shall have been ablated and all will be well.

Or, this is my last post! 

Nothing

This is Day Six of Hospital Confinement but Day One of Absolutely Nothing to do. Tomorrow will be Day Two of Same. There is just nothing to do but exist and get to Friday.

So I have been walking the floor here and watching TV and walking and listening to Podcasts and Audiobooks and eating Hospital food and walking.

At least I've still got my continuous posting going. I've still got that...and walking.

Pistoff Tuesday

Today I am pissed!

I woke up this morning, expecting an Ablation procedure. I was not sure because no one from my Doctors office had been in to see me since yesterday morning to keep me informed. 

Breakfast came and I refused it. Dr Kadel stopped in but while he is in the same office as Dr. Byazrova, he is not on the team to do the Ablation, so he didn't know anything.

I finally asked my nurse to see if she could find out anything or if any Doctors where coming around. That was about 9:30. 

About an hour later the nurse told me she found out the surgery was moved to Friday.........maybe. Nothing definite. It is after noon and I have yet to talk to one of my Doctors.

In the meantime, I've had lunch and better yet, I have had a shower. HALLELUJAH!

If they would have had a TV in the bathroom, I would not have come out.

UPDATE: About 4:00 I got a visit from Samantha, Byazrova's Physician Assistant. I expressed that I was feeling forgotten and she was very gracious and apologized and explained what has been going on.

What has been going on is that they have finally managed to get the ablation scheduled for Friday at 7:30AM. In the meantime, I have been removed from the IV Drip of Amiodorone and I am allowed to walk around the floor.

Dr. Taylor came and talked to both Susan and I around six. He explained what's been happening. Apparently, an ablation is not considered an emergency procedure. As such, it is difficult to assemble a surgical team on short notice.

Anyway, both Taylor and Byazrova will perform the surgery and hopefully, all will go well.

If not, this is almost my last post.

Pital Day Four

After an okay night of sleep, I got up about half an hour ago, brushed my teeth, went to the can, and now I am ready to take on the day.

My goal for the day is the get a surgery time nailed down. Beyond that, I'm just hanging out.

PICC Line

I am the proud recipient of a PICC line. That is to say that they have Peripherally Inserted a Central Venous Catheter into my right arm. It is a much more stable IV line that goes right to big vein above my heart.

It was quite a procedure to place it but they did it right here in Room 640.

Other than that, I have nothing to report.

Room 640

I am writing from the comfort of my private room. After Mark left, I asked if I was going to be alone for awhile or if someone was already scheduled back into the room.

They said they never knew but they were aware of a single opening up, and since I was going to be here until at least Tuesday, they were moving me.

So welcome to Room 640. 

The news from 640 is this. It's the weekend so no surgery for an Ablation is scheduled. The best they can do is Tuesday and we still don't really know what time.

Also, they do not appear to really want to do it until the scheduled date on August 10th. I don't think I would last that long on my own, and I sure as shit don't want to stay in the hospital for another two weeks.

I have no idea what kind of a bill I'm running up just sitting here since Friday.

Pital Day Two

Still here! Both in the hospital and of the earth.

Another fabulous night with Mark the snorer. I have been asked if I wanted ear plugs but I said no. It is my punishment for what I put Susan through.

He's nice guy and it looks like he's getting out of here today.

So hopefully, I'll have private room for a while.

I'm still in rhythm so that is good. However, I'm having a tough time with my breathing. We are hoping that goes away after the Ablation.

Back in the Pital.

The streek continues but this time, I have lots to update.

I am back in the hospital. I woke up just after midnight back in V-Tac. My heart rate was 165 when I checked with my blood pressure machine.

We got in the car drove down to the E.R. and they admitted me.

I'm good for the moment. I'm back to a regular rhythm and they are talking about an Ablation on Tuesday. In the meantime, I'll be staying here.

My roommates name is Mark and he is a champion snorer. 

Doctors Don't Talk to Each Other

I don't have anything terribly interesting to post but I'm on a se7en day roll now and I feel compelled to keep it going.

I had a doctor's appointment today and made it out without ending up in the hospital. That was the good news.

The bad news is that my doctors don't appear to talk to each other.

My appointment today was with my Cardiologist. Last week, I was dealing with my Electro-Physiologist. They both work in the same office. Dr. Kadel had no idea I had been in the hospital. In fact, even their computers don't talk to each other. My drug list they had in the computer file was the old one. 

What good is it to keep track of medications on a computer when it doesn't transfer to another doctor IN THE SAME OFFICE?!

It feels like my visit to Kadel was kind of a waste. 

So I headed out to work to see what that would be like. I didn't last long and ended up back here at the house around noon.

The rest of the day was just hanging out.

My plan is to return to work on Monday.

A Day of Rest

Wow! Look at the big posting chops on me. Six days in a row. It takes a major health crisis to get my off the streets and onto a blog.

I'm still feeling tired and a little weak but I'm going to attempt to go to work tomorrow after my Doctor's appointment with Dr. Kadel. I am assuming this will not end up in the same mess as my last appointment. That however, remains to be seen.

Susan had the morning off so we went to breakfast at Dolly's Cafe. She had the Eggs Benedict and I had the heart healthy Ham & Cheese Omelette. I actually ate the whole thing. I left some hash browns behind.

The rest of the day has consisted of TV watching, naps, piano playing, a short walk in the park, various doodads here and there and more naps.

Glory Hallelulah

I am writing from the spacious privateness of my kitchen. I was sprung at 10. Everything got sped up with a visit from my pastor Gary and his offer to deliver me from Satan (Sacred Heart Medical Center).

It is nice to be home. And now, a nap! Home Sweet Home.

You can expect many more posts.

Almost Home

The will be no ablation in my immediate future. I have been stable and as long as I stay that way, they are going to send me home tomorrow with a whole new configuration of my multitude of drugs.

I'm feeling okay and my appetite is returning. I got a roommate yesterday but he got out today so I'm back to a single. I hear tell that I'll probably not be alone tonight.

I have watched a bunch of movies and episodes of "NCIS", which I could watch forever. My sister made an announcement on my Facespot page thingy which suddenly made my e-mail fill up with greetings. I had a nurse show me how to turn that feature off.

I did have one exciting adventure today. The rolled me down to the Pulmonary Department where a nice young technician tortured me through some brutal breathing exercises designed to determine my lung functions and capacities, but secretly meant to make me pass out.

Ultimately, I think it showed that my breathing issues are related to my heart issues. The other option would be that I am developing breathing issues on top of my heart issues.

This could be my last post.

Room 625, Bed Two, Day Three

It looks as though there will be no second shocking. 

I am somewhat stabilizing on the amiodorone drip. The problem with the drip is that the drug must be administered slowly and it can cause a lot of damage to my veins. So they have been switching the IV from arm to arm every 24 hours, or as I complain about the burning sensation at the IV site.

I am on a heart monitor and I guess I have had some nice jumps in my heart rate. A couple of times it jumped to over 200 beats, but just for a few seconds. 

So every once and a while, a nurse stops in and asks if I felt that. And I say, "Felt what?"

The nausea is gone but the rib soreness remains. 

The word is that I am in line for an Ablation. Here is what WebMD says about it.

This is a procedure to treat atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heartbeat. It can help keep your heartbeat in a normal rhythm. Your doctor may try ablation if medications or resetting your heartbeat, called cardioversion, don’t work.

As we know, the cardioversion did not work and once they stabilized me on the drug, they saw no reason to hit me with another shock.

Here is more info from WebMD.

Catheter ablation , also called radiofrequency or pulmonary vein ablation, is nonsurgical and is the least invasive. Your doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube in a blood vessel in your leg or neck. Then they guide it to your heart. Your doctor uses either heat, cold, or radio energy to scar tissue inside your heart, in the location where the irregular beats are triggered. The treated tissue helps to stop your irregular heartbeat.

There is a surgical procedure as well but I am a candidate for the Cath version.

I guess they are waiting to see if they can fit me in now or if they will schedule it down the road. 

My preference is to do it now. I'm here, I'm ready, I'm not going skiing.

That is the latest from Room 625, presently a private room, but that could change at any moment.

This could be my last post.

Vomit Report

I had a fabulous morning of vomiting. They have cut back on the amount of amiodarone I am getting, which is the presumed culprit of my gastric distress.

In the meantime, I am sore from the vomiting. I was very productive on the first go round but since, it has been a dry hole...or perhaps heave is the better term.

In any event, it is Saturday. I am bored. I am tired. My ribs hurt when I cough.

This could be my last post.

V-Tac

I am writing from Room 625 of Sacred Heart Medical Center. I am an inmate for the time being.

It all began at 9:15 this morning with a follow up Doctor's appointment concerning my newly implanted defibrillator.

During the check of my device, it was discovered that my heart rate was at 118. I had noticed the same number the day before when I took my blood pressure.

They determined I was in Low V-Tac. V-Tac is Ventricular Tachycardia, and I had it. They decided they would take me upstairs to a lab, sedate me, and shock it back into rhythm. That did not work.

The next step was to admit me to "the pital" (that's what we regulars call the Hospital), administer a drug called Amiodarone, and see if that would promote stabilizing my heart for during the next shock.

The next shock is scheduled for Sunday at some time, depending on how I do.

Stay tuned to see how I do!

This could be my last post!

Defib Number Three

Yesterday, my old buddy Rob married his girlfriend Olga after a ten year courtship, at least seven of those years living together. 

They had a very nice small ceremony out at their house starting a 4PM. I helped to get a lady in a wheel chair up on the deck and had a really good dizzy spell once we got her settled. I was bracing for a jolt from my defibrillator. Rob's brother Doug saw me kind of weaving and asked if I was okay. The dizzy spell passed without a shock, which was good.

Fast forward 12 hours to 4:10 this morning when I was jolted awake by the difib. I had been asleep...at least mostly asleep when it happened, so I don't know if there was a dizzy spell prior to the shocking event.

I did not sleep very well due to the huge amount of food I consumed. I'm still not hungary.

That is now three shocks I have gotten and the first from the new unit they installed a few weeks back. I sat next to my home monitor after I got up and downloaded whatever info was there to download. 

I called in to my Cardiologists office and am awaiting a call back if they come up with anything I need to know.

In the meantime, they don't need to see me and we are heading to church to pray for my heart.