My year in health

[dado potato]

to The Storyteller,

I am grateful that you are still among us. Be well, friend. All will be well.

[CathyA]

Oh Storyteller..........I'm so very sorry for all that has happened to you. I wondered where you were! As a former Open Heart Recovery R.N., I have to ask......did they give you an explanation about why the bypasses you had didn't prevent the next heart attack? Was the surgery done at a large hospital? Were your brain bleeds in 3 different places? What kind of brain damage do you have? What happened to all your chickens? (aren't you the guy that had a ton of them?) Weren't you also doing some hydroponics?

Sounds like you're a fighter, Storyteller. I will ask the universe to give you a break, so you can have a calm life now. You've paid your dues!!
We hope to hear from you more here!

[Lainey]

You've had more than your share, Storyteller, so here's to having the rest of your life be calm, healthy and boring....

[Teacher Terry]

So glad you survived all that and were able to retire. Enjoy!

[Williamsmith]

I’d be interested in knowing if you can describe where your strength to go on came from? And what are the daily challenges you face going forward?

[Gardenarian]

What a year Storyteller! I'd say things can only get better, but I don't want to tempt fate

How are you spending your days now?

[Gardenarian]

Also, I will get my shingles shot. Thank you!

[The Storyteller]

As a former Open Heart Recovery R.N., I have to ask......did they give you an explanation about why the bypasses you had didn't prevent the next heart attack? Was the surgery done at a large hospital?

Hi, CathyA. There was disagreement between my cardiologist and the heart surgeon as to why it happened. I think it boiled down to the connection between the grafts and the original veins either didn't take well or became occluded as I recovered. Both said that just happens sometimes. There was a third vein that needed a stent but the cardiologist said it is too small and narrow to stent. The risk of the procedure outweigh the benefits, so all is not exactly perfect. But I'm dealing.

It was in a smallish hospital near where I live.

Were your brain bleeds in 3 different places? What kind of brain damage do you have?

Yes, three different places. Two in the front of the brain on the left and right sides, and one on the side, near the ear. The local hospital couldn't get them to stop, thus the need for the helicopter ride. Which cost me about $1,000 a minute. And I can't even remember it, except for waking up at one point and remembering that familiar sound from my USMC days. Fortunately, it didn't require surgery to eventually stop them.

I only notice the damage every now and then. I used to have a pretty quick mind, but find myself getting confused sometimes during complex, multiple layered reference questions and have to hand it off to a colleague. And some people seem to talk too fast and I have to ask them to slow down a bit sometimes. Sometimes when I'm out walking, it seems like everything just shuts down and I have to stop. It isn't that I don't know where I am, it's just everything is just blank and I'm looking around without really thinking. It's weird. Only lasts a few seconds, though.

Everyone tells me they can't notice any changes. Except they say I'm nicer. So maybe it knocked the meanness out of me.

What happened to all your chickens? (aren't you the guy that had a ton of them?) Weren't you also doing some hydroponics?

Sold all the chickens and the farm and moved back to one of our houses in town. With my health situation at the time, I just didn't want to deal with it. I'll probably get a few cluckers after I retire. And garden. And then hydroponics, maybe. I'm much better now, so we'll see.

[CathyA]

Funny, Storyteller.......I have those kinds of brain moments all the time, that you have! And I've never had a bleed.... Were the bleeds from the trauma in the accident?
Having worked in smaller hospitals and larger ones, I have to say if you need medical treatment again, try to get to the larger one.
Sorry about your chickens and other things you seemed to be really into. But life happens........and at least you're still here and can still enjoy other things. It's hard to give up previous dreams, but it happens and we just have to make new ones with our present reality. Taking care of animals is a lot of work! After the last of my chickens died, I didn't get anymore. It was just too much work to continue with my bad knees. But I sure loved having them.
May I ask how old you are? Did your parents have cardiac problems? I'm really glad to see you back!

[JaneV2.0]

Seems like often in our lives, all the bad stuff happens together like that. Hopefully, you have endured enough and can rest easy now.

I've noticed that among my friends and family.

Retirement will likely help you heal further. Your brain will continue to heal long after doctors' predictions say it will. i'm happy you survived!