[MichaelW]

Looks like you are going to have to put up with me a little longer. :thefinger:

I got out of the hospital yesterday after having a stint installed in my heart. I had a heart attack in 2001 died 3 times and they gave me some magic drug that kept me alive until surgery. At that time I had an angiogram back then follow by an angioplasty, balloon only. In 2003 I had another angiogram. Over the last 6 weeks I have had some pretty severe chest pains but I really don't like doctors or hospitals so I didn't do anything about it. Besides I had some wheeling trips to do. :devil:

After making an appointment with a cardiologist he set me up with the next mornings first AM appointment with the Cath Lab. I got to the hospital at 6am and by 8am on Thursday, I was starting to get a good buzz. :grinpimp: They performed the angiogram and discovered the site where my last two blockages of 70 and 90 percent were, was now blocked by a much larger blockage off 100% (completely blocked) on the major artery supplying the lower half of my heart. All my little supplemental arteries were carrying the complete load.
Thank God for some built in redundancy. :innocent:

Oh well I'm at home now and ready to go wheeling again. My groin area is really colorful with a fist sized bruise and the collagen plug they installed to stop the bleeding is quite the bump.

On the good side since they didn't know which way they were going I got shaved on both sides and now am sporting a nice landing pad. I think the reason most of the nurses came but to lift my sheet had less to do with the blood and bruising artwork than the view. :devil:

:beer:

Oh and genetics really sucks!:bawling:

 

[MJS_Jeep_888]

It's good to HEAR (yes, I'm happy NOT to see!) that you're able to keep a good sense of humor about all of this. Take it easy and heal up good! :beer:

 

[gcg]

I'm really glad to hear that you are doing well and on the mend! Medical technology is pretty amazing these days.

Rest up and get better before you try any strenuous wheeling - first things first.

 

[Denis]

Great to hear you're doing well. Get better and let's do some wheeling. :bounce:

 

[a plumber]

hang in there, we need you around here!

 

[MichaelW]

Hey thanks everyone!

Hell yeah lets go do some wheeling!

 

[venom]

Good to hear you're doin ok!
Just took my dad in for a heart cath last week.
Stick around and stay healthy! :mr-t:

 

[Gib]

I demand you get well. The JK community is still in need of your services. After you have proved that you are no longer usefull we can discuss this further. :thefinger:

 

[paragon]

Damn. Bunch of sick folk around here.:grinpimp:

 

[MichaelW]

Damn. Bunch of sick folk around here.:grinpimp:

With some it's just physical. :devil:

Thanks everyone! I'll try to maintain my usefulness.

 

[paragon]

With some it's just physical. :devil:

Thanks everyone! I'll try to maintain my usefulness.

With me, I guess it's both.

I've spent so much money on my healthcare in the last 5 years that I could likely pay for a Jeep Hurricane instead of a Jeep Wrangler JK.

 

[MichaelW]

With me, I guess it's both.

:laughing: Me too. :thefinger:

I am still paying on my 2001 hospitalization and the one shot that cost me 5 grand. I figure at the rate I'm paying them back they will need to keep me alive for the next 375 years so I can pay it off.:grinpimp::shaking:

Health care really sucks and those of us that pay for their health care pay through the nose because we don't have a giant bank of lawyers in the form of insurance company to have all the costs reduced to what they should be. And I'm a citizen of the US so I don't get free health care. So I get to pay for those with insurance and for those without.

And don't get me started on the quality of care.

This is a really sad, sad situation. It's so pathetic that it is something to laugh at because it is so bad.

 

[MossMan]

I am still paying on my 2001 hospitalization and the one shot that cost me 5 grand. I figure at the rate I'm paying them back they will need to keep me alive for the next 375 years so I can pay it off.:grinpimp::shaking:

You'll be in for all kinds of experimental stuff. :laughing: Keep that ticker going.

 

[paragon]

:laughing: Me too. :thefinger:

I am still paying on my 2001 hospitalization and the one shot that cost me 5 grand. I figure at the rate I'm paying them back they will need to keep me alive for the next 375 years so I can pay it off.:grinpimp::shaking:

Health care really sucks and those of us that pay for their health care pay through the nose because we don't have a giant bank of lawyers in the form of insurance company to have all the costs reduced to what they should be. And I'm a citizen of the US so I don't get free health care. So I get to pay for those with insurance and for those without.

And don't get me started on the quality of care.

This is a really sad, sad situation. It's so pathetic that it is something to laugh at because it is so bad.

I can get going. Matter of fact I plan on writing a letter to the editor of the local paper due to the state of our local medical community. Which is supposed to be pretty decent considering it's Jackson, MS. But seeing as how I've visited nearly every specialist this town has to offer, not to mention have had stays in every local hospital, visits to Mayo and other out of state clinics I can give a very accurate view of how there is a breakdown in the communication among healthcare providers.

I nearly blew up last week because the specialist I was seeing hadn't even looked at the mounds of medical records that I personally keep and had left with his office the previous week. His basic premise was to discount any prior information or detail and only concentrate on current x-ray and blood tests performed by his office.

I have an extremely complex problem and there is no central physician that can get a handle on it and all of the specialist are grab-assing with trying to apply normal everyday routine patches to something that is obviously out of the ordinary.

I have been diagnosed with at least 3 different Pseudo-diseases. Meaning I have all of the symptoms without the actual disease. Yet, new specialist do not look at past blood test and try to determine patterns or the central factors.

ooops.... I think you might have triggered a rant.... and I even held back a whole bunch....

I don't like to talk about myself much.

 

[nam6869usmc]

Michael, good to hear your doing much better, now, how can I tell you to take it easy when you'll be out busting those trails up & having a blast. My wife had a Stint put in her aorta a while back, when she couldn't walk from one end of the house to the other that was it(90% blocked)> she can walk great now. Genetics are a mother,,,,,

 

[Rupedog]

Michael, good to hear your doing much better, now, how can I tell you to take it easy when you'll be out busting those trails up & having a blast. My wife had a Stint put in her aorta a while back, when she couldn't walk from one end of the house to the other that was it(90% blocked)> she can walk great now. Genetics are a mother,,,,,

Glad everything is going good. Hope you continue healing and stay that way. God Bless,:innocent: (looks like he has several times already)

 

[gcg]

I can get going. Matter of fact I plan on writing a letter to the editor of the local paper due to the state of our local medical community. Which is supposed to be pretty decent considering it's Jackson, MS. But seeing as how I've visited nearly every specialist this town has to offer, not to mention have had stays in every local hospital, visits to Mayo and other out of state clinics I can give a very accurate view of how there is a breakdown in the communication among healthcare providers.

I nearly blew up last week because the specialist I was seeing hadn't even looked at the mounds of medical records that I personally keep and had left with his office the previous week. His basic premise was to discount any prior information or detail and only concentrate on current x-ray and blood tests performed by his office.

I have an extremely complex problem and there is no central physician that can get a handle on it and all of the specialist are grab-assing with trying to apply normal everyday routine patches to something that is obviously out of the ordinary.

I have been diagnosed with at least 3 different Pseudo-diseases. Meaning I have all of the symptoms without the actual disease. Yet, new specialist do not look at past blood test and try to determine patterns or the central factors.

ooops.... I think you might have triggered a rant.... and I even held back a whole bunch....

I don't like to talk about myself much.

Yup! Those that like to lecture about all the horrible things associated with "socialized medicine" and all the benefits of private health care apparently have never actually priced private health care.

When we retired, we had to take out our own health care policies. We were both about 55 at the time and in good health. Some companies simply wouldn't issue a policy, period. Others said they'd issue a policy but, because I took an over the counter antacid, they'd have to write a waiver on any sort of gastro-intestinal disease (in other words, they're perfectly willing to take my money to insure against anything I don't have but most certainly won't cover me for anything I might get even though that's precisely why I'm giving them my money. These things are supposed to work both ways, you know.).

Luckily, we were able to get policies through HIPAA. That was pretty good coverage but it cost us roughly $25K a year (combined) for $1500 deductible policies. We felt lucky to get it. So, all those that rant against Medicare should make sure that they have the $500K set aside to pay for (just) their private health care plans for their 20 years of retirement.

Or, maybe they can actually price health care rather than just squawk the ideological mantra because they don't want to pay taxes. It might seem like a much better deal to them if they gather a few facts first.

OK, now it's my turn to step down off the soap box. Oh yeah, vote democratic!