Archive for September, 2010

A New Lease on Life

Sep 26, 2010 life

It all started Tuesday,  September 21, 2010.

That was the day that we (my roommate & I) had set up the big move with the U-Haul truck. The first truck I picked up had mechanical issues. I didn’t even make it to the stoplight before the “check engine” light came on.  Then the whole truck started shaking. We took the truck back and exchanged it for a different one. It was difficult for me to get into this truck because there were no handles. I had to pull up over my head by grabbing the steering wheel. It was a bit painful, but I didn’t think much about it. We got most of the stuff moved and called it a night.

Wednesday, I woke up not feeling very well. I felt woozy and nauseous. I ended up throwing up seven times. Then the pain started. The right side of my chest (front and back) felt like I had pulled something. Then the pain started spreading. My neck and right arm stiffened up and it occurred to me that it might be something worse than just pulled muscles.

By noon, the pain was so bad that I had Rhonda take me to the emergency room at Dr. Phillips hospital. They admitted me and gave me a nitro patch.  By 4pm, I was in a room. My blood pressure had skyrocketed and throughout the night, my heart enzymes showed I had actually had a minor heart attack.

I saw a cardiologist,  who recommended I have a procedure called a heart catheter. Basically they would insert a tiny scope up through an incision in my right groin.  They would then guide it up my femoral artery to my heart. If there were any blockages, they could then do an angioplasty to open up the blocked coronary artery.

I was scared but I agreed to do it. So on Thursday afternoon (my 43rd birthday)  I was wheeled into surgery.

I was lying on the table when I heard a whirring noise.  “What’s that sound?” I inquired. “Oh, I have to shave you for the surgery,” says the nurse. “Shave me?” I thought as I felt the electric razor touch my pelvis. Yup, I got shaved all right. Then they rubbed the area with alcohol to disinfect – to say that it stung was an understatement!

The doctor then injected me with a local anesthetic to numb the area and I was given something in my IV to make me sleepy. I fell asleep a little bit after hearing the doctor mention he had made the first incision.

I woke up 4 hours later in a different hospital room. I wasn’t allowed to move for 3 more hours, so I didn’t bleed out of the femoral artery. They kept me in one more night, but late Friday, they let me go home. Well, me and my bag of prescriptions.

Yesterday I pretty much just napped on the couch. Brighthouse came by and hooked up everything so I just let my body decide when to sleep. Today, I feel better. I’ve been up for a few hours and so far, so good.  Later, after Rhon gets home, I’m going to take my first shower since the whole thing started. This is when I get to first remove my surgery bandages, so just in case anything goes wrong, I’d rather have someone else in the apt.

I’d have to say this was probably one of the scariest weeks of my life. Being faced with your mortality isn’t an easy thing to deal with. I had been making small changes in my diet and lifestyle, but I guess I’m going to have to get a little more hard core.  But I have faith in myself that I can do this.

I meant to photo-document the whole experience, but I was so out of it. Plus, my cell battery died. =(

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mmm…fried cheese inside cheese

Sep 6, 2010 food and drink

I received an email from Denny’s today about some of the new items they’re adding to their promotional “$2-$4-$6-$8″ value menu and one item really caught my eye.

Now, being from Wisconsin, I love cheese. Seriously love cheese. But even this makes me take a step back from the menu.

The Fried Cheese Melt.

It’s basically breaded & fried mozzarella cheese sticks inside of a grilled cheese sandwich. And it’s served with fries and marinara sauce for dipping.

I suppose it’s no different than ordering an appetizer of mozzarella sticks and then eating a grilled cheese sandwich. But who was the person that went, “hmmm….what if we eat them together?”

I can feel my arteries hardening just looking at it.

Of course in the interest of journalism (and the fact that I really love cheese) I probably will give this one a try.

Just don’t tell my doctor.

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forest people who dance in tight clothes

Sep 3, 2010 music, online humor

I don’t really have any other way to describe this video. It’s so awesomely bizarre I had to share it with you. In fact, I’d rank it right up there with Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” as far as musical anthems go. Enjoy!

Leslie Hall rocks!

[Found via Miss Britt via Knotty Yarn]

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My Articles/Posts for August 2010

Sep 1, 2010 travel, writing

I don’t just write here. I also contribute articles and posts elsewhere on the web. So in case you’ve missed any of them, I compile a monthly listing of all of the links. Here are my August 2010 contributions to the travel web universe:

Uptake.com:

Suite101.com:

CitySurfing Orlando:

The last site is one that I’ve been working on for the past month. It officially debuts next week, but there are articles that are live to read. I welcome your feedback on it, as well as any of my other articles. Thanks for reading!

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