Health ? No excuses. Do it for yourself.

[MeanV2]

Good Post Doug! I have had my own issues this year. I went down early this year and found out I had a bladder infection and was running 101.5 temp. My blood pressure was also high. It is now under control. Last month it averaged 118-70. I have had 2 EKGs, chest x-rays, hida scan, ultra sound of my liver and gall bladder, ultra sound of my heart. I started a total diet make over and a weight lose plan May 1st and have since lost 61# which is over 25% of my original body weight. Oct 1st found me starting a walking program and I am now up to 3 miles, 5 days a week, walking a minute and a half and then jogging 4 1/2 minutes. I have also started some strength training. I am 60 years old and was told in August that I had evidence of an old heart attack, which has since been confirmed.At the urging of my Cardiologist I guess I will have a heart catheterization next week. I am not looking forward to it and it was hard to decide whether to do it or not since I feel better than I have felt in 10 to 15 years but I guess I need to trust the Doc.Dan

[Fish Doc]

I lost my fishing buddy last summer to prostate cancer that spread before he was diagnosed. He was 64. Jim was a “mans man”. Never complained about anything except that he ignored his prostate symptoms too long before checking it out. This post hits home today. I took his Champion in for winterizing today for his widow. Did not seem right seeing that boat in my rear view mirror. Bill

[schodackbassman]

Dan – Get the the catheterization. You will be glad you did. Ive had 3 resulting in 5 stents between 12/10/12 when I had a heart attack (100% blockage) when I got my first two stents. In January and March of this year had 3 more put in. Ive had more EKGs then I can count. Last week had the stress test/pictures (thought I was having some signs) but passed with flying colors. Catherizations are pretty routine for good hospitals. If you have a choice on where they go in, take the groin. I healed much faster and had less discomfort that way then when the one time they went in through the wrist.Havent been as good about changing life style to loose weight like you have but Im way more careful then before. No more cigars, way less beer (drink less but drink better! Lots of good brewerys in Vermont), less baked goods, no more donuts, lots more yogurt and veggies from my garden. For red meat 90% venison and small portions. Walking is mandatory.I know health care can be expensive but if you can afford a boat……. No excuses guys – If you dont look after your health for yourself, at least do it for your wife, kids, and those awesome grand kids. Ill never forget the look on my wives face when I was having the heart attack. She was way more scared then I was.

[MeanV2]

schodackbassman wrote:Dan – Get the the catheterization. You will be glad you did. Ive had 3 resulting in 5 stents between 12/10/12 when I had a heart attack (100% blockage) when I got my first two stents. In January and March of this year had 3 more put in. Ive had more EKGs then I can count. Last week had the stress test/pictures (thought I was having some signs) but passed with flying colors. Catherizations are pretty routine for good hospitals. If you have a choice on where they go in, take the groin. I healed much faster and had less discomfort that way then when the one time they went in through the wrist.Havent been as good about changing life style to loose weight like you have but Im way more careful then before. No more cigars, way less beer (drink less but drink better! Lots of good brewerys in Vermont), less baked goods, no more donuts, lots more yogurt and veggies from my garden. For red meat 90% venison and small portions. Walking is mandatory.I know health care can be expensive but if you can afford a boat……. No excuses guys – If you dont look after your health for yourself, at least do it for your wife, kids, and those awesome grand kids. Ill never forget the look on my wives face when I was having the heart attack. She was way more scared then I was.Thanks for the encouragement! I told Dad last week “Well I never smoked, & rarely drank. I guess I just ate too much Bacon and Potatoe Chips!” I love them both and I am a dessert hound! I lost from 235 to 174 and hope to maintain right there. The little red meat I eat is usually venison also. Most of my protein anymore comes from Crappie (baked), chicken, tuna, beans, and salmon. Lots of salads, broccoli, green beans, brussel sprouts, asparagus, etc. I have learned that I am not afraid to die but I sure dont want to. I want to be here for my significant other, my 2 daughters, and my 7 grand kids. I am hoping all these tests, etc come to an end or at least slow way down, and they give me some good news instead of moving me over to the next set of tests. I think before 2014 I had not seen a Dr in about 12 to 15 years. Matter of fact I didnt even have what I would call a family Doctor. That is not good! A person really needs to do regular check ups. It is important! I will not neglect myself again for as long as the Good Lord gives me here on earth.Dan

[schodackbassman]

Seeing a doctor on regular basis is no guarantee. I always got a physical every year and it still happened. Of course if I had gone on the Lipitor several years ago like he told me I probably would have avoided all this! You will be fine and feel even better. Congrats on the weight loss, that is very impressive. And yeah, I gave up the chips and dip that I love too…. I do miss them.

[basnbran]

I have been doing the doc thing a little this year also. Few different things with the kicker coming Thursday. Triple ankle arthrodesis, remove some existing hardware, maybe re-break previous fusion for alignment, whatever.It is gonna be a grand time..but well overdue. I expect to be crutching it into April if things go well. On the bright side, I get to squeeze it in on this years deductible!!! Weird thing is I am a little excited. It will be a time to rest, reflect, and ponder my future. Hopefully be back to work, in the surf, on troll motor, etc. early spring. Wish my wife and kids luck!Last edited by basnbran on December 14th, 2014, 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[MeanV2]

Anybody that has went through a Heart catherization is there any questions I should ask? Have you been alert enough during the procedure to remember what was going on? Any body with experiences, Drs, family of those that have went through it, etc. feel free to post up too.Dan

[Wizard]

Ive had the heart cath. You are awake the whole time and able to see your heart with the wires on a screen. They will put dye and an immense amount of fluids into you. The process is very quick and if they go through your groin, pretty painless. We are talking about a lot of fluids and you will fill a urine bottle about every 10 minutes until the dye is out of your body. You will lie in bed for a day with a heavy sandbag on the spot where they went into your groin. It keeps weight on the incision and keeps you from bleeding. Keep many urine bottles nearby—–many, many bottles.

[schodackbassman]

I was alert through two of the three including the heart attack. There isnt really any pain involved with the procedure itself. There are a lot of pricks from needles/blood test that are tedious but not bad depending on who does them. Most are pretty good at sticking you. I could feel the catheter move in and out when conscious. It was tough during the heart attack because I already had massive pressure in my chest (think tow vehicle parked on your chest) and the catheter going into the heart was wicked but pressure was short as they broke up the clot you got instant relief. The Doc and lab team watch process on a big screen so you can watch. I did and thought it was pretty cool. Then again, Im easily amused….. I think whether to be awake or not may be up to you. Its question to ask ahead of time.Doctors should go over process including prep and post procedure in detail. They should explain everything until you are comfortable. Its your show, dont be shy about asking question until you are comfortable. Feel free to have better half or other family member/friend (one with medical back ground never hurts) be there for the conversation. In fact I recommend it because they might catch something you miss because you are likely to be a little nervous. If your doc doesnt make you feel comfortable or explain to your satisfaction what is going on, ask for another doctor. Its your butt, you got choices. If you are in a teaching hospital like I was, Id insist on doctor not intern do procedure. Its fine if students are in the room but senior doc should be actually doing procedure as far as Im concerned.Some things to be prepared for. Modesty – forgetaboutit! You will have everyone from every part of the world picking at, sticking you, cleaning your room, bringing your food, nursing, checking signs, doing EKGs etc. for a couple days. Get used to it. I was at Albany Med. Almost all my caregivers were extremely nice and most very competent. They took good care of me every time. Shaving – If they go in the groin you are about to get bare. The last time in they had some new fangled shaving machine the tore me up like disc plow behind a Farmall. Damn that hurt. Opt for the old razor or smarter yet, ask the doc what they want gone and do it yourself. Im dead serious, its easier believe me especially on your new stealth self. Sleep – sleep when you can. Be prepared to be woke up at 3 am to do a blood test or some weird thing. When you get home, when you feel tired, no matter the time, take a damn nap. Will help your recovery be faster. The gowns – are useless. I learned to wear very loose boxers so they can get to groin area but I still could walk to the can without my fat butt bouncing in the breeze. Bruising – You are going to be on Plavix and asprin for at least a year. Be prepared to turn black and blue everytime you bump into something. Goes with the territory. I tell friends my wife has been beating me. They told me I deserved it…..Im sure others will chime in. Feel free to PM me if you got more personal questions. BTW – I feel great and glad I had the procedures done. Think you will too. Those doctor types, they kinda know what they are doing. If they want to go rooto-rooter on ya, its probably a good idea to let them.Good luck,Brian

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