2ND TIME, IS IT A CHARM?...

Well here we are, the epicenter of summer and the 4th of July weekend. Thank you for patiently waiting for me to get my health in check. It was late March when everything went down the tank and my hope was to be up and actively functioning in the world by now!

ONE OF 4 IV LINES IN MY ARMS A WEEK AGO

As you know, sometimes things don't work out the way you plan and so it is with me. As a result, my recovery, (which was always going to be a difficult one no matter what) is on the slow track. However, I have had some positive developments that I will explain in a moment after I tell you how those came about.

GETTING DESPERATE

About a week ago, pushing two months since my blood infection, heart valve replacement, repair of two heart blockages, ensuing heart attack, a full on "code" and heart resusitation, that I was grinding to recover. My blood pressure was so low I could not brush my teeth without sitting down. When I would stand, shortness of breath was so severe I could barely make it 5 steps with a walker before needing to sit down. All the little things you take for granted were now major chores. On top of that I had no appetite and had to fight to get food down. Despite recently going to heart rehab sessions at Finley Hospital, my weight was down to 127 pounds (my usual is 160). It was deeply painful for me to look at myself in the mirror. Whatever happened to that old guy I used to see there?

I knew that if I did not turn a corner my organs were going to fail and that would be the end of my story. I talked to doctors, nurses, therapists, google, and aanything that would listen, why can't I after 6 weeks out of the hospital breath and get stronger. You do what you are told, but you can see in your face and sense in your mind your life is slipping away. Every day was "Ground Hogs day". Get up, have a miserable day, go to bed, get up and do it again. You are nothing more than a burden to you wife and family. You start thinking there's not much to live for but survival.

THE GOOD NEWS

Now the good news. I had a follow up appointment last week at the University of Iowa. I was telling my story to my doctor (with my wife next to me) pleading for someome to help and he did. He said, I think you need to admit yourself to the ER and we build a counter offensive. Carolyn and I were escorted to the emergeny check in and 20 minutues later I was fully admitted to the ER. After 3 days there, and 3 more at the heart and vascular center, I underwent a CT angiogram-with and without contrast, A CT of the brain, and another of the head. There were no acutue findings. My organs were holding there own.

With time, specialists came to the conclustion the my issues were tied to medication. I was anemic and severely dehydrated. They stopped about half of the meds I was taking and tweaked the amounts of others. The bottom line is that in 6 days my blood pressure increased significantly and I could walk across the room without dizziness or significant shortness of breath. I was tooling around the halls of the Cardaic ward, My appetite returned and I was scarfing down food (hospital food) as fast as I could order it. I gained nearly 5 pounds. It was like, is this Kansas Dorothy?

I always believed the low blood pressure was my problem but could not get anybody to address it. What a difference. To be fair, I'm still in the early stages of the renaissance and I have no long sleeve pants that even fit (they litterally fall down to my knees). However, I can walk without a walker and brush my teeth and shave in my sink, intstead of sitting in a chair with a tupperware bowl.

Medication, medication, medication, that is the moral of this story. Had I not essentially admitted myself to the ER, my quality of life would still be minimal. Advocate for yourself. If you feel something isn't right, chances are it's not. Who knows where the journey will lead going forward. What I do know, is I have much to be thankful for and lots of work ahead of me, but at least for now I now have the energy to give myself a chance to be "that guy" once again.

Thanks again for all of you who continue to wish me well and lead me down the road of recovery!

Happy 4th of July America...