BILL's MEDICAL NEWS

[Bill]

At about 10:00 AM on Father's Day, I managed to have a myocardial infarction -- i.e., heart attack:eek: Sure don't want to do that again. After a ride with the paramedics to Kaiser Walnut Creek Hospital and four hours in emergency, they transferred me (code 3) to Summit Hospital in Oakland for clot removal and a stent placement. I was sent home Wed morning.

Feeling pretty good, but I'm restricted on activities for awhile. Oh yes, and now I have a whole list of medications to take, whereas before there was only just one :(

[frank durant]

That will surely not be a fathers day you are soon to forget. Glad you are 'out'...Any warning sign of it coming?? This is a topic I'm sure many of us here are interested in as we become 'older' sailors.Keep us posted on your progress and lessons learned. Take care Bill

[Rico]

:eek: Sorry to hear that Bill - but I'm glad you are better...

I hope you get much better quickly. I'm looking forward to meeting you in the bay one of these fine days!

[mbd]

Best wishes and a speedy recovery Bill! Sounds like you need to just relax and bark orders at Capt. Ebb when you're out racing... ;)

[joe]

You know Bill, you're not supposed to have those things, they're positively awfull. Plus they just wear you out:)

[c_amos]

Bill,

I am glad to hear you are recovering well. I believe that medical problems are sometimes related to a sailing deficentcy, take it easy, get better, and add an additional perscription to your list... to take more time to enjoy yourself on the boat. :D

[Lucky Dawg]

Adding another get well wish here. Get better Bill, you're an integral part of the team here!

[Hull376]

Bill, hope you're feeling better. You bring highly valued sanity to this site! The message boards would surely look like WaterWorld (remember that awful Costner movie?) without your constant attention and oversight.

[ebb]

So watch it OK?
Your family out here NEEDS you and WANTS you!

Clear out the PLAQUE. Change your frikking diet accordingly!!!
No animal products of any kind. No baloney.
No tap water, no diet drinks, no wheat flour.
Get a juicer, think organic, take your vitamins, exercise.

Co Q 10, Vit E, Vit D, Omega 3

Dr Andrew Weil is a good guy to start with.

Good luck on yer new project.:D

[MRH]

Bill -

I'd like to add my best wishes for a speedy recovery, and thanks for the work you do as moderator of this special community.

Though I'm enjoying my Nonsuch 26, my heart will always be with my Commander, the old Francine.

[commanderpete]

See what happens when you guys don't use the "search" button?

Seriously Bill, you're on the mend now. Life is good. Stick around.

Ebb's celery and carrot juice is not so bad, with a dash of rum

[Bill]

Ebb's celery and carrot juice is not so bad, with a dash of rum

Now there's a thought . . .;)

[Tony G]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Bill.

An old friend once told me that Dr.s are like vampires. Once you let them in you can't get rid of them... Let's hope she's wrong and not just crazy.

[ebb]

Bill, I know you are recovering.
It's like you are swimming along in the crystal sunlit waters
and suddenly there's a shadow and these hooks appear out of the sky
and grab you around your body, and squeeze your breath away.

I guess the message is that you should remember to look up more often.
This ole boy has a natural aversion to the symptom relief type medicine Western doctors practice. My markers are up there with yours and Peter's. And recently my AMA clinic doc actually prescribed vits for me to take. There was a look of exasperation on his face.
And I break out in a sweat of fear every now and again.

There's no cure for aging, tho I'm always looking. All the time I've been in this body, it has always wanted to heal itself. Done a pretty good job, without my thinking about it. But the list of complaints is growing and I'm having trouble these days remembering to look UP.

Best metaphore of change to date is that a new Whole Foods opened up here in Sonoma.
When you get to the Pearly Gates and turn left as you enter, this is what you will find. A sensual technicolored full-belly celebration that in a world of stavation and disaster could be condemned - but it is a direct 180 degree contrast to Safeway (Food and Drug). There is literally NO COMPARISON. This is a market that invites and celebrates your health (and your wallet!) Tho there are many, even better opportunities in a Whole Foods, to screw that up too if you wish. The point being: there's no whitecoats and stethoscopes in this crowd.

I see no difference between Safeway warehouse style marketing and, say, PepBoys auto stores. The produce sections are on different planets If you get an opportunity to visit a new Whole Foods, you won't believe what you see. Honestly, this market will blow you away. Pure genius marketing. And you'll never open a diet soda again. In Sonoma, the local market and the local Safeway now both look old and tired and pastyfaced.

Anyway, all the buying clubs and little alternative food stores I got old with over the years ALL dreamed of becoming a Whole Foods. There is NO frikkin pharmacy in these stores. But every supplement under the sun. Many supplements, vitamins/minerals you are supposed to be taking are here at better than online prices. Physician, heal thyself. Literally.:p

[ebb]

Carl might say:
"Tragen vinner!"

[ebb]

'The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.' Isak Dinesen

[Bill]

This group is always demanding photographs, so here we go. A before and after shot of the artery on the right side of my heart. I also have movies, but I can’t figure out how to upload them to the board to include the required viewer :confused:

[Bill]

As for my recovery, it is going very well. The cardiologist says I can return to sky diving in about three months :) : Meanwhile, I’m enrolled in something called HealthFit where they suggest lifestyle changes to help prevent a recurrence of the “event.” Not too bad, but I do need to give up Costco hot dogs )<: The nurse will keep calling for six months to nag about things and try to keep me on track. I think she already notified the local Costco .:)

My cholesterol numbers are very good compared to earlier. I’m now on a low dose of a statin drug (Zocor?), but it appears that diet change was already working and the numbers were coming down before the event. In case you wanted to know (BTW - the total number now gets ignored):

DATE Total TRI HDL LDL
12/6/06 176 269 29 93
5/25/07 194 332 33 95
6/27/07 108 134 27 54

As for how long I’ll be on medications, it looks like aspirin (low dose) is for life. Plavix for one year – this is an “anti-platelet” drug to keep the blood cells from clotting or collecting on the stent. The Beta Blocker and the statin have not been given a time line, but my guess is that the statin drug may be around for awhile.

I go for a stress EKG next week and an echocardiogram the following week. The echocardiogram will let us know the extent of any damage to the heart muscle. Considering my seeming rapid recovery, I’m hoping it’s good news. Maybe sky diving in two months . . . I’ll see if I can get a copy of the echocardiogram to post at my next update :D

Oh yes, a note on cost. Summit, the coronary hospital, sent a informational bill. The three days, angioplasty and a stent totaled out at over $76,000. The ambulance was “only” $3,360 for the 16 mile ride between hospitals! Yikes! It’s no wonder those who loose their insurance can end up destitute. And these costs don’t even include my provider’s costs for the ER. That four hours has to be another bunch of dollars.

One other note. The ambulance company sent a second bill to Kaiser for services on June 18, the day AFTER I was transported. I called Kaiser to complain (even though I’m not liable for the bill) and they contacted the ambulance company. The company said it must have been another Kaiser patient as they could not document the service. That second bill was for another $1600. I’ve heard that ambulance companies can sometimes be a bit less than upstanding. Guess that comes from bidding too low to get the contract and then needing to find more revenue to survive.
(Oh yes, and don’t wear your watch or jewelry when riding in one. Those things tend to disappear.)

[frank durant]

Glad to hear you are recovering fast....not sure about the skydiving tho??? The tone of your post is 'chipper'. GREAT. Best of luck with cutting down on the meds. Take care Bill

[bill@ariel231]

Bill

Sounds like you are in good hands, and well on your way to skydiving again. when will the Doc's let you go sailing???

bill@ariel231

[ebb]

Really THANKS for the CSIPs.
It's amazing what a little epoxy and fabric will do.

If I didn't know any better those photos could be paintings by Turner of Big Ben in London fog.

It's a little like bringing your Ariel into the yard, bringing yourself into the OR for major repair. You have to trust the PROS. At least in the yard they don't wear white coats and call theirselfs DR. But you still are contributing to their life stye and their kids college funds. Wonder if the ambulance company is not Family?

My Provider is Medicare. Which worked for my little sew the face back on cosmetic repair. My employer picked up the hospital tab and I got a dozen bills in the mail from all the players. I'm going to stop eating bacon which I do every Sunday, when I make faces at Reality and celebrate Diversity.

Real question:
How did you bring your TRIGLYCERIDE level down so quickly and dramatically!!!! AND your LDL. Medication?

[Bill]

Real question:
How did you bring your TRIGLYCERIDE level down so quickly and dramatically!!!! AND your LDL. Medication?

Yes, it was the medication. As my history shows, oatmeal at breakfast and diet changes did help (total Cholesterol was 222 a couple of years ago). But for me, it took the statin meds to do the job. My primary care physician was hoping we could get there without the meds. Maybe if I'd stopped eating those Costco hotdogs . . . :rolleyes:

[French]

WoW! It has been awhile since I've been here, I just drop by for a quick post.
Bill, I'm very happy you are recovering! As Ebb says, WATCH that diet!!

[epiphany]

Bill - Glad to see that this is all turning out well, and that you will be hale and healthy in no time. :) Ready for some skydiving. :D

So - are you going to sue Costco? ;) lol j/k

Stay healthy, and keep the good attitude that you obviously have (good job!). I'll keep you in my thoughts. :)

[Bill]

Last week was a treadmill ("stress") EKG. Wednesday this week was an echocardiogram of the heart (similar to ultrasound viewing). The results from the stress EKG were "normal," which I guess means OK. But more important, my cardiologist phoned on Thursday to tell me that the echocardiogram showed no injury to the heart muscle from the "event." That is really good news! Of course, there's still all those prescription drugs to take . . . :(

[Note: I was not serious about the earlier sky diving mention :o ]

[frank durant]

Sounds like all is as well as can be.Keep 'behaving' ;) take care Bill