Rich Z (WebSlave)

Talked with a cardiologist nurse today, and she said that easier bruising like I am experiencing is perfectly normal. Normal, maybe, but I sure don't like it.

I feel like I need to wrap rubber baby buggy bumpers all over me. I really, REALLY don't like feeling fragile. And, of course, that just makes Connie all the more worried about me.

Speaking of which, I had to walk down the road today to talk to the road grader, as apparently someone came down the road with a backhoe and widened our road in one spot. Anyway, I was talking with the guy for quite a while, and I see Connie coming out of the driveway to make sure I hadn't had another heart attack and passed out in the middle of the road. So she got worried because I was gone from sight for so long. But anyway, I had a nice long walk up and down our road for some exercise. Only had one yellow fly land on me, and she acted like she didn't know what to do while sitting on my arm. But I killed her anyway. No plans on making a pet out of a yellow fly.

Had to get up early this morning to take Connie to the oncologist office. Between that and the long walk, yeah, this feeble, fragile old man needed that nap.....

You've been through a lot, so please cut yourself some slack! You are going to be tired, and have low energy for awhile.

Regarding the bruising, it's common with anticoagulants, unfortunately. You don't want blood platelets clumping together, forming clots. Just be careful when working with tools, knives, or anything else that could cut you. The anti-clotting effects are good for your heart, but not good for helping wounds heal.

Poor Connie; another thing to worry about, but it's so good that you have each other. I couldn't imagine being ill, and by myself.

Originally Posted by Insomniac101

I couldn't imagine being ill, and by myself.

Honestly, that is the terrible black void I find myself staring into every day when I am alone with my thoughts. Even if I didn't have this heart issue, it would be not even the slightest less painful.

Did some yard work yesterday, using the hedge trimmer on an extended pole to cut some weeks and grass in the front yard.

Then today, I was feeling bad watching a bunch of little pumelo plants Connie had planted from seed that were dying on me. I have been trying to take care of them, but they are in small containers with just peat moss, and they tend to be either too dry or too wet, with no inbetween. Connie planted about 50 of them, and I have lost at least a dozen of them. So I broke out the hedge trimmer thing and clear an area around Connie's pineapple plants and put most of them in the ground there. We had gotten rain earlier, so the ground was moist, and then after I planted them, we got another good soaking rain.

I also planted a few of them in the small plots I had been using with my abortive attempts to grow watermelon. I have a tough time giving up, so every now and again I will plant some seeds, being every hopeful I will get some watermelons out of them. So I am done with that. With those little pumelo trees now in those spots, I won't be tempted to give the watermelons another try.

So I have been giving myself a bit of a workout the last couple of days. But I have to be honest, I do have the heebie-jeebies wondering how I will feel the following morning.

Wow, life has been throwing a lot at you lately. I hope things get better for you guys, Rich.

Originally Posted by WebSlave

I have a tough time giving up.......With those little pumelo trees now in those spots, I won't be tempted to give the watermelons another try....

That's absolutely genius! I'm gonna borrow that strategy.

Originally Posted by WebSlave

So I have been giving myself a bit of a workout the last couple of days. But I have to be honest, I do have the heebie-jeebies wondering how I will feel the following morning.

That's the trick after a major health crisis or procedure, isn't it? Finding that very fine line between pushing yourself to improve, knowing you'll be tired in the immediate aftermath but stronger as a result of your efforts and pushing yourself too far, and finding that you've caused yourself harm, triggering slower healing or even a setback. It's a very difficult line to find. It's an even harder line to walk.

But it sounds like you are doing just that so far. I'm sure that your love for Connie is helping you do it. You're paying more attention to your own health so that you can be there for her, be there with her. That's good for both of you.

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Originally Posted by WebSlave

Talked with a cardiologist nurse today, and she said that easier bruising like I am experiencing is perfectly normal. Normal, maybe, but I sure don't like it.

Since I've been on heart meds one bump can make it look like I went 12 rounds with a 20 year old Mike Tyson. Skin very thin also. My arm is bandaged right now from bumping into a corner. Ripped skin back off my forearm pretty good. Oh and I bleed pretty darn good too.

Had an appointment with the cardiologist/surgeon who put the stent in my right coronary artery back on Memorial Day. Guy is easy to talk to and the conversation turned to my particular type of heart attack. He said that 50 percent of the people die in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Then some don't survive the 48 hours after the surgery. He didn't give any percentages. And then after that some do not survive the following 30 day period. I think the cardiologist I talked to while in the ICU was pulling her punches when I asked her how close to the edge I had gotten. I was still in that 48 hour window then, and I guess she didn't want to alarm me. Thinking back, she did hesitate a bit before answering me.

I asked God to allow me to take care of Connie for the rest of her life, so I guess he heard me. He did tell me to trust him. I am thinking that I wasn't hallucinating when I heard him say that to me. I never had that sort of experience before, but I can't think of a time that I needed it more.

I hope and pray that you both have many years ahead to take care of each other and enjoy life.

Thank you.

I guess we will see what happens. I am going to have that second stent put in sometime next week. I asked the surgeon and he said that between every 800 and 1,000 procedures, there might be one (1) "complication" arise. I forgot to ask him how many procedures he has done since the last "complication".

But I guess these odds are better than going through another heart attack. Those odds don't seem so good. The doc said I should consider myself as a "HEART ATTACK SURVIVOR". Not everyone who has one can get to wear that T-shirt.