Modern medical miracles

Things have taken a turn for the better with the old girl. The angioplasty (stent #5 added to the previous four, from 2010) seems to have been a pretty good success. For the most part, I've gotten relief from 80-90 % of the disturbing, heart-related symptoms that had plagued me for at least a couple of months. It took almost a week for a noticeable improvement to kick in, but I've had several really good days since about Monday of this week -- a week after the surgery.
And it really is quite a blessing that in the space of one generation, our lives can be extended and improved thanks to the incredible advances in treating diseases of the heart that the medical profession has achieved.
I'm grateful for that........and sad that it happened too late for my dad.
It did help my mom, though -- she had very seriously clogged arteries and triple bypass surgery at 87. She lived almost four more years, and died of something else (high blood pressure that led to a stroke). Those were bonus years, and such a gift.

Woe is me -- ?

I'm trying not to be just a complaint. A good day is any day that you're alive, and I am alive today.
But I have a bad heart; just had another stent put in this week, which makes five of them.
On top of that, the procedure doesn't seem to have fixed the symptoms that made me go through the ordeal of this invasive procedure.
So I'll have to see other types of doctors to find out why I have chest tightness and other weird, creepy symptoms.
One thing though: I'm truly grateful for the miracles of contemporary medicine that makes it possible to repair my heart. My father died at 58 from heart disease, back in 1977, and didn't have access to a fraction of the medical help that I (and my brother) are blessed to receive.
So.......I guess it's a good day.

Bad hearts, all.......

Here's the thing.......

It starts to dawn on me that my life is near the end. Oh, I might have 20 more years, even.....but the end is in sight and could be a lot sooner than that.
All the things that matter to me now -- all the little and big things, from which shoes to wear to how/whether to patch up a broken relationship, will mean nothing.
It's a terribly hard thing to get your head around. Daunting. Depressing. And of course, reorders your priorities. Does it really matter the slightest bit, for instance, whether I eat one cookie or two?
Beneath and behind all this, I miss my mother so much and also can't get my head around the idea that she is gone from me and from this world forever.
To end on a less sad note though, CARPE DIEM, my friends (if any are reading). Seize the day, and make the most of all our time here. To quote a song I used to like: "A good day is any day that you're alive." Amen.

This is pathetic

So far this blog is going nowhere. That's OK because nobody is reading it anyway.
At some point perhaps I will take it up for real.....

Because it really IS a drag getting old.

Xanax not so good, says the cardiologist

He discouraged me -- strongly -- from staying on Xanax. Darn. Says it's OK for a week or so but long term it's a bad idea. Also he's making me do a stress test, the kind with the radiation scan afterward. I hate that. Oh how crappy old age is!

The miracle cure: most prescribed drug in the US

The ER visit a couple of weeks ago - and the resultant 18 hours in the depressing hospital environment -- seemed like a heart issue. And that gets your attention & my husband's, too. But more and more, I'm convinced it was an acute anxiety attack. Some doctors call it panic attacks, which strikes me as a misnomer. Well anyhow, I had another episode a couple of nights ago & decided to start taking Xanax day and night during the stressful period I'm in (at least).
Turns out it has been a godsend.
And although I already knew that Xanax (and its generic clone) is the most-prescribed drug in America. Now I can see why. It's only been two days of my full-time regimen, and I hear from a very good friend that she did this for TEN YEARS, and looks back on it as a pleasant time of her life. (She went off about 4 years ago to take a lesser anti-anxiety drug that supposedly is less "addictive.")
Hmmm....
Seeing my cardiologist in a couple of days, will run this by him. But I might also take it up with my long term primary care doc, a woman with whom I have a good rapport.

More to come........

R & R

We just spent two sweet days in a cabin in the woods, at Murphin Ridge Inn (75 miles east of our home in the city of Cincinnati). My husband and I both felt our anxiety and stress disappear. The place has miles of hiking trails, and at times you can get away from any human sounds at all. While I do love my fellow people, we live where traffic and ambulance noises are almost ceaseless, so this peace and quiet is a soul-strengthening relief.
Ah but back in the thick of things now -- I have about 135 students in four classes (I'm a professor at the University of Cincinnati), for whom I have to come up with final grades between now and December 15th or so.
Better get to it...........

Sunrise amid Amish farmland