More about me.

 "A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." Steve Martin

We had a very long week beginning Monday the 7th of April. 

Over the weekend leading up to that day I had an unusal amount of chest pain (angina) that was occasionally relieved by the use of nitroglycerin (sub-lingual) and a longer acting version that I take twice daily. The Aortic valve replacement I mentioned in my last post was scheduled for the morning of the 8th. Monday afternoon and evening I was not obtaining any relief from using the nitro tablets. By 8:00 p.m. it had become so intense that I called 911 and the paramedics were dispatched.

They came and did their assessment determining that it did not appear that I was having a heart attack. We explained that I was scheduled for an aortic valve replacement the next morning and asked if they would transport me to Utah Valley Hospital so they could examine me and monitor the difficulty through the night. Since they determined that there was not an emergency situation they would transport me to that facility. On the way they administered 2 doses of pain relief that helped somewhat and they also communicated with the emergency department that they were transporting me to their facility.

We arrived at about 9:00 p.m. and the emergency personelle took over. Long story short, I ended up in the Cath-lab that night with the on call doctor who had just worked on my heart a few weeks earlier. He found no other blockages and was in and out of my heart arteries pretty quickly. 

My family members who had followed the ambulance to the ER went to their various homes after I had been settled into the ICU for the night.

The TAVR (TransAortic Valve Replacement) occurred Tuesday morning and all was well. Back to the ICU for that day and night. The overnight RN who cared for me mentioned that there was a brief rhythm issue about a half hour prior to her coming check vitals and surgical sites. 

She mentioned the skipped beats to me and indicated that she would be closely monitoring my heart beat for the remaining hours of the early morning. It seemed to have settled into normal rhythm through the remaining overnight.

That did change during the daylight hours and we met with the cardiac electrician that afternoon. He gave me a couple options to be monitored - one in the hospital and one at home. We chose home but the plan changed as the condition worsened over the next hours. and we went back to the Cath-lab with the same physician who placed the new valve to place a temporary (Transvenous) pacemaker through my jugular vein. 

Something happened when the first one was placed and it somehow bent and cracked. The second one I apparently tore at while coming out of sedation. Finally the third was successful.

The next morning the cardiac electrician ( Dr. Wang) placed a permanent pacemaker and removed the temporary. All was well once again. A few more hours in the ICU and then we were moved from ICU to a more general care floor. 

4 times sedated and entry made into this old body nearly wore me out. My sweetheart and daughters didn't fare any better than I, but they did get to sleep in their own beds each night (Cindy stayed with me the night of the temporary pacemaker placement). 

We returned home on Friday afternoon and settled in for a restful weekend. No complications since (so far) and I feel great. My hope is that I can return to work in a few weeks. 

I'm not sure I have words to express the gratitude I feel toward the nurses who cared for me. Their professionalism, knowledge, and kindness blow me away whenever I think of the care I received. The truly amazing thing to me is that they each have their own life concerns (family, relationships, personal health), yet they put those troubles aside and care for their charges above and beyond expectations.

More to come soon. Thanks for checking in. See you soon.

Health update

 "I installed a skylight in my apartment... the people who live above me are furious."                                                            Steven Wright

So to give an update to one of my posts (maybe my only post) from last year. 

I had a mild heart attack on February 29 of 2024 which resulted in 3 stents being placed in heart arteries. Following that procedure I was feeling great for about a week and then some slight angina returned with more strenuous exertion (more than normal since there is a very small part of my heart muscle that does not have any blood flow). It got progressively worse over the next few months prompting a return to my Cardiologist for a follow up visit. We scheduled another angiogram as a result.

July 27, 2024 that angiogram was completed and it was discovered that one of the stents placed in February had become partially occluded and some additional areas needed to have stents placed (3 this time). Again I had a period when I felt better than I had for some months but the angina returned and some additional stresses were introduced into my life that made things slightly worse (I won't go into details now).

November 7, 2024 I experienced another slight heart attack. This event was a bit more intense but still I was able to summon the ambulance and let my wife know what was happening so she could meet us at the hospital. Another angiogram with several additional stents added to the total and the surgeon re-inspecting all the other areas that had been a problem before to make sure that they were open and clear of occlusion. Once again I was feeling pretty darn good for a few weeks but then angina and other new issues began to appear, so...

March 10, 2025 I met with my primary Cardiologist at one of his offices to discuss all the discomforts I had been experiencing for several months. He suggested that we have a cardiac MRI done and got me added to the schedule for the next day.

March 11, 2025 Cardiac MRI. This imaging (with contrast) takes about an hour of your life. It feels like it takes much, much longer. There is a need for the patient to hold their breath for 5 - 20 seconds about 45 times during the hour you are in the MRI device. I survived this imaging test and was headed to the changing room so I could get dressed to go to work. On the way I met my cardiologist coming in to view the images so we could discuss what he saw. He took a look while I was being given another EKG and blood pressure check and came to let me know that he saw some potential problem areas that we would discuss the next morning via telephone call. He did let me know that after a quick look at the images there is a new blockage that needs to be addressed.

March 12, 2025 Before I heard from my primary cardiologist I received a phone call from the hospital cath. lab. scheduler to get me on the calendar for March 14. A few hours later my cardiologist called with the confirmation that there was a blockage near a previously placed stent but the larger concern is that the moderate stenosis of my Aortic Valve had progressed to a severe. He indicated that he would speak with the surgeon who would be performing the angiogram to take a closer look at the Aortic Valve to confirm the imaging.

March 14, 2025 Catheterization Lab. An additional stent was placed in the area that was becoming occluded. The imaging of the Aortic Valve was confirmed. 

April 2025. We (me and my heart) will be receiving some attention from a new (to us) cardiologist who will be placing a new valve in my heart. I will keep you updated as we move through this new adventure. 

More to come soon. Thanks for checking in. See you soon.

"Joy is the serious business of Heaven." C.S. Lewis

 As I was sitting at the drive through window at a local mixed soft drink store, I noticed the young woman who was taking orders and receiving payment was wearing a sweatshirt that had what I thought was a logo on the front. I finally got a good look at the words and saw this:

                                                I Love you

                                                Say it back

After she handed me the finished product and started to turn away from the window I asked her if I could ask a question? 

She indicated that I could so I asked about the words on the sweatshirt. She spread the shirt a little so we could both read it. I asked what it meant to her? She didn't have a response other than she just likes the shirt. (It is a logo).

I said to her,

                                                "I love you"

just to see what her reaction would be. Keep in mind I'm old enough to be her grandfather. 

She and the other young women in the store started squealing with surprise and delight. Then I drove off.

I've shared this story with several people over the last months since it happened and they all smile and sometimes chuckle at the experience. which leads me to think that it may have just been happiness that the interaction at the drive through window caused - not joy. After all, happiness is fleeting but joy is something we can have every day.

Carlos Santana is quoted as saying, "If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment." (Rolling Stone March 16, 2020).

I'm discovering that one of the best ways to carry joy in my heart every day is to share that joy, in some small way, with others (the drive through window) even if it just brings a fleeting bit of happiness for the other person. I think that, sometimes, those fleeting moments bring about a simple joy as these interactions are shared with others.

I'm learning that brief but more in depth conversation with others can bring joyful moments. Beginning to learn about a co-worker and their family for example can cause a simple smile to blossom into a warmth in those relationships and cause a reverberation of joy through all future interactions between those involved. I sat at the break room table recently with a co-worker who I met, in passing, during my new employee orientation, many months ago. We had a great conversation about  different topics related to the job I am currently serving in. We shared some personal and some general experiences that led to additional training and discussion. It was a good 2 hours of sharing that will help me be a better person and employee. I hope her view is the same as mine.

I came home later that day in a much better than normal mood (and I'm a pretty positive person) for a day of sitting in the office waiting for an assignment to come my way when none did. 

I've had other similar opportunities to spend a few minutes to a few hours getting to know co-workers on a personal level. I guess I'm fairly easy to talk with. I have learned that I also am willing to share my life experience with others once a conversation has started. I understand that I am not always easy to approach and can be a little stand-offish at times. Once that wall comes down there is very little that will not be thoughtfully shared.

My belief is that we ought to take every opportunity to spend time listening to, and sharing with those around us. 

Jim Rohn said, "The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy."

Today let's knock down some walls (or at the least, poke some holes) and let joy become a part of our day. 

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.