Home Forums Discussions General Discussion There are definitely better ways to get a vacation

Early last summer I had some odd chest pain. I dutifully went and had a nuclear stress test which was entirely normal. In August I herniated a lumbar disc, so I was pretty much "locked down" without exercise for several months. I should mention that I have a nice set of cardiac risk factors, perhaps the most significant of which is a strong family history. My father, grandfather, and probably great-grandfather all died of coronary artery disease in their late 50?s (I am 56). When started having exertional pain a few weeks ago, I decided to go for a cath. The cath was last Tuesday, with a plan to be back at work Wednesday. The result did not fit with my plan. I had a 90+% LAD lesion that was not amenable to stenting, and they didn't want to let me go home. Surgery was Wednesday and went fairly smoothly. I came home Sunday, and I am progressing pretty well. The overall lack of energy and debility is surprising to me. Not much pain at this point, just no energy. Starting to walk around more, and as you see, I am beginning to get back to the computer.

Meanwhile, my 92 year old mother-in-law wanted to get in on the action. Saturday morning she called my wife to report that she had been up all night with chest pain but ?didn't want to bother any one?. So by Saturday night, we were both in the hospital, her with a stent and me with a bypass. She has recuperated pretty well, too. Thank God for my wife and kids.

I wasn?t sure whether to share this or not, but decided to go ahead. I doubt I have been missed here much; after all, I have been only been gone for about a week. Many don?t even read here that often, let alone post. On the other hand for the hard core group of ACBA (that would be ?AC Board Addicts?; you know who you are) a week is a long time to be away. I also hesitated to post because I don?t have any unique insights; I assure you, if they hit me, I will share them. I can tell you that I do feel very lucky to have had superior medical care and a family to push me to obtain it (and enable me to recuperate from it). When I think about how close I came to a very different outcome, I am reminded that I have so much to be grateful for. As one friend put it, ?truly, with your genetics you cheated death?. I suspect that I have survived the lesion that killed three generations of ancestors before me. That is very humbling, and these are the reasons why I decided to describe my situation.

The jury is still out on how this will impact my future personal behavior. Of course my plan is to eat better and exercise more. Hopefully I will learn to appreciate life a bit more, too. I have had the pleasure of spending some fun times and enjoying meals with some of you. There has even been some discussion of shared ?challenges? (some of us should expand our physical activity beyond bending an elbow, and some need to pursue other means of achieving our ideal body weight beyond becoming 6? taller). When we get together in the future, don?t hide from me; I promise I will not barrage you with the need to change your life style. I do reserve the right to good naturedly mention it now and then; and hope that you will do the same for me during my inevitable slides backward.

It is good to be here.

Good to be hearing from you Jon!

While you were having your hospital/coronary adventure, I was traveling back East with family to attend my Father's burial. From a personal perspective, it seemed too soon; it was a poignant reminder that none of us completely control our comings and goings.

That said, at the [relatively] young age of 51, Lori and I are going to be making some changes as well. One of those is to be passionate about the things that give us joy.

Our little meetup in Tahoe was one of the best times we have had in years, and so we will be doing another later this year in Tahoe, or some other mountain-y resort area the [ACBA?] brain-trust settles on. If for no other reason than it was so enjoyable [and educational].

Two things that we have been asked about is doing a seminar for new/potential users, and having a roving meetup in a airport hub town, so we are looking at doing something of that sort in San Diego for the folks who want airport and sand. Might even throw in sailing lessons and sand volleyball [ala the Topgun scene].

Hope to see you and Bev at one or both of those Jon, and we can raise a glass to our good fortune at being alive!

Jon,

Welcome home after your "holiday." Glad you're doing well. Nothing like a CABG to shake things up a bit and put life and all its issues into perspective.

You're welcome to needle us about our lifestyles--we all need it, especially those of us who spend too much time pounding the keyboard. I am in that club. :-)

John

Jon,
Though we have never met personally, I always appreciate your insights on this board, and this one is no exception. A stark reminder of our fragility. We should all count our blessings. Thanks for sharing. I think I'll eat my apple now.

Bill

Jon,

Family will screw you worse than anything else. All the butter and lobster and couch tatering and beer in the world could not do to you what your ancestors did. Glad you are back.

Jon, welcome back big-time. That was definitely and ordeal.

Jon,

I am catching the ACBA bug and have found this forum to be very therapeutic reading all the great threads. Good luck to you in your recovery!!! jimmie

Welcome back! I'm glad everything went well for you. It is good motivation for us all. I need to get out of the office, work out, and start taking care of the doctor's health!

Glad to hear you are doing well. Now the real pain begins -- every patient will have a story or word of advice.

Jon,

I?ll keep this brief, I promise.

Thanks for sharing such sensitive information regarding your health. It is very humbling and bold. Thank the Lord (I don?t know where you stand Faith wise?) you are still here, and with the help of good healthcare. You are instrumental with your insights, and one of the top figures on this board. I am grateful for all your provided insights. I will keep your recovery in prayer, if you don?t mind? I?m happy to see you back. Continue to be blessed and a blessing.

I pray that you have a speedy recovery and hope you get your mojo back soon. Having had pneumonia in 2010 and appendicitis in 2011, each took 4-6 weeks for my energy to return to normal, I really can't imagine the sternotomy and how you must be feeling. But I hope that things go smoothly for you and there are no post-op complications. Best of wishes!

Let me add my wishes for a speedy recovery. Makes the MU hassles seem pretty trivial, doesn't it?

Get well soon. This is a wake up call for me. I have a similar family history of diabetes and should probably control my diet as well. Best Wishes. (We've been pushing UpDox a lot while you were gone )

An older and more experienced colleague and I were having dinner a few nights ago, and he enlightened me on how he balances his life. Basically, he explained that since starting practice thirty years ago, he has been enjoying his "retirement" early by taking 6-8 weeks of vacation each year. We both are general internists in office based primary care. It is a philosophy worth embracing.

Indy,

So sorry to hear about your father. It is never easy losing a loved one.

Hey Jon,

Hope you heal quickly and are back to normal ASAP. I have a similar family history and have been trying to take better care of myself. Glad the procedure went smooth and you are back on the boards.

Jon,
At 67 I have now outlived my father by 12 years. Aspirin, Lipitor, and Lisinopril are my best friends.

Thanks to everyone for all of your support and good wishes.
Today, at my post-surgical follow-up visit, I got clearance to start driving. I am on my way back....

I knew you would recover quickly! Keep up the great work.

And, he did a great job leading our local group meeting last night!
He is recovering amazingly well.

A lot of credit goes to his wonderful wife, Beverly. We are all joining forces to police his diet!!!

There seems to be a bit of a conspiracy afoot, and I am not sure I am entirely comfortable with it.
Yesterday I made my first post-op trip back to the cafe around the corner. I was not even planning on ordering "the usual" when the guy behind the counter said, "no more bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches for you". I gave him a quizzical look and he said my daughter had been in the day before to give them instructions.

Jon,

Maybe your daughter has a secure portal thru UPDOX, so with one click all your old haunts are notified with strict instructions from the surgeon, and soon you will be hearing from the "spa" with all kinds of great specials such as -while riding the stationary bike you can have your pedicure/manicure performed, or you can have the wonderful baked tofu sprinkled with sprouts around the other corner at the "organic bistro"--
I can send you some rather lean emu from one of the Montana emu ranches if interested just let me know. jimmie

Jon,

Addendum--you would have to cycle rather slowly if you opted for the pedicure. jimmie

Jimmie, I always suspected that Updox had a dark side.

Wow somehow I missed this entire thread until now, amazing what will happen when you are out of internet range for a few days.

Jon, I am glad to see you are on the upswing and thing are moving forward in a positive way. I agree that the board can be somewhat addicting at times, but there is so much positive energy.

Indy, I am sorry to hear about your father. I hope his passing was peaceful and that you return to a state of good mental health after such a blow.

We spend so much time taking care of others, we forget about ourselves sometimes.

Jon,

HAHAHA!!!! As I said, family will screw you quicker than anything!