Angioplasti

Well the day started at 4:17 am, I got up, took my meds and a breathing treatment then took Annwn out for a morning walk. 5:00 am  we headed out the door for Union Hospital in Terre Haute. I checked in at 6 am then was taken a speedy trip through the maze  in  a wheelchair to Coronary section where I was prepped. I laid there for about an hour and a half before being wheeled to the operating room. The Doc was pretty much on time at 8 am and I laid there on that uncomfortable table long enough that my tail bone felt like it was strategically placed on a bolder. After an hour of working on me the Doc finally announced that they were done. Then he told me that he has gotten the 95% blockage opened and the stint put in but that he could not get the 100% block opened. He said it was like hitting a concrete wall. So the treatment will have to be blood thinners and cholesterol meds. Then he vanished while post Op team moved in and got me mobile and back on the bed laying flat again. I laid in the recovery room for a short while then was taken up to a room on the 3rd floor, where AI had to lay flat for another 2 hours. Now I have always had  a problem with laying flat. If I lay too flat I get a sick headache and nauseous. I have always been that way, so it was quite an ordeal for me. During the whole thing except in the Op room and recovery, my wife was at my side. Finally about 12:30 pm she had to leave and go take care of our Furkid, Annwn who was himself quite worried about me. Annwn, my service dog is basically my shadow, we are hardly ever apart. About 12:30 pm they removed the tube from my leg, while the nurse held hand pressure on the wound for 20 minutes. Then I had to lay flat for another two hours, staring at the ceiling or out the window. The BP monitor squeezing my arm every 10-15 minutes and the nurse running in to check on me every 15 min prevented me from dozing off. then finally I was able to sit up and my wife returned with my comp and glasses so I could see to read. While I laid there another 7 hours. My tailbone had been screaming at me for several hours and my back felt like one huge knot by the time I was finally unhooked from the assortment of wires and tubes and allowed to get out of bed, of course with quite a draft going on in the back. The Nurse had to stretch to reach the top ties then she tied off the bottom, and holding the back end closed, took me for a stroll around the wing. Since I did not fall on my face or spring a leak I was pretty much turned loose to be on my own. I stood up just enjoying the feeling for at least 20 minutes and watched TV. Then puttered around a bit in the room and sat in a chair, to watch some TV reruns and do one last facebook update. Sitting here doing this blog entry and watching the news the gown is getting where it is not quite enough to ward off the chill. I know the bed would be warmer  with the pile of blankets but I look at it in dread though I know that sooner or later I will have to bite the bullet and crawl in there to sleep. But right now I am just not sleepy. The nurse said that when I go to bed she needs to check me again. Then hopefully I can sleep through the long night and be able to go home in the morning.

tomorrow it is

Sitting here in the ole chair looking out at a dismal looking morning that finally holds the promise of rain. Some had fallen over night, not much of course but enough to wet the porch and sidewalk. looking at the clock I notice that in 24 Hr from now I will be undergoing heart surgery to open one of the blockages. I am not fond of having any sort of surgery, but the idea of someone poking around in the ole ticker is even less appealing. But the alternative is worse and sometimes in life we need to select the lesser of two undesirable choices, simply because the outcome we actually want is just not a possibility at that point in time. I see this in politics all the time. I have not seen a really good candidate for a political office in many many years. So the choice is boiled down to having to choose from a rotten apple and a REALLY rotten apple. But there are other life events that are similar. Hard times limit a persons choices. When you have no money and the bill collectors are hounding you and you cannot buy food for your family, the choices you see are very limited and none are actually good or ideal by any means. Some people resort to robbery, which is probably the worst choice, some borrow money and get further into debt, then a very few individuals and I stress very few in this day and time, will knock on a few doors and ask if there is some sort of work the house holder may have in exchange for a little food or a few dollars. No not always good choices but we always have a choice. My choice is to try to live longer and regain my health so that I can again lead a somewhat productive life, given my own limitations. But still I do not look forward to the procedure. Sometimes we just need to "suck it up and bite the bullet" For that too is a part of life.