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| Roasting marshmallows w/grandkids |
I mentioned in passing earlier in the blog that he had some medical issues while travelling home from visiting family for the holidays. They drove straight to the emergency room when they got back to Sarasota. Not good. He's a brittle diabetic and had once had a run in with pancreatitis, so we thought that's what it was going to be. But it turned out to be...well, they weren't sure so sent him home to rest and come in for various tests over the next few weeks.
Then he had to go back into the hospital the other day for the final big one, they were going to do that thing where they put dye in his arteries to make sure everything is flowing well.
It wasn't. He had an 80% blockage in one artery which they immediately cleaned out.
Let me just take a moment here to mention how awe-inspiring this was for all of us. Just 15-20 years ago that would have meant cracking his chest for heart surgery. Now it means using the little camera do-hickey they're poking around in there with to actually just go ahead and give him a tune up! He sat there watching the whole thing on the screen. Just amazing.
But they did have to go in through the femoral and there are stitches and blood thinners and he is supposed to be on STRICT BEDREST. Now we interpret that as strict Dad's Chair Rest, which is fine.
What is NOT FINE is what he decided on his first full day home. See, the problem is, now that he's had a tune up he feels great! The blood is pumping, he's getting more oxygen, he's happy. But he is still recovering and needs to stay sitting on his big A. But no, he decided to follow Mom to the store. "Oh, I was just going to take it easy, not pick up anything and take small steps," he says in his pathetic defense.
Gee, I wonder what happened? Yup, just what you would imagine. After cleaning up the blood that his femoral artery decided to unleash, he now gets it and is staying on strict Dad's Chair Rest. Like he was supposed to in the beginning. Sheesh!
Oh, but let me just take another moment to gush about modern technology. This isn't as awe-inspiring as todays medical amazement, but you may recall I mentioned he got himself a new Kindle tablet and boy, oh, boy is he happy now. The backlighting and the adjustable fonts and such make him able to enjoy reading again! He says the doctors gave him his energy back and the tablet gave him his eyes back. So that'll make his chair-bound imprisonment a bit more fun, I hope.
Ok, off to watch some inauguration stuff on the TV. Have a good day, everyone.
