When you're a cool cat with a C-4, there IS no stress!

 

He was talking about the wife, not the cat.

 

:Its raining Cats and Dogs here!

 

Indeed only YOU really care about your health are are responsible for it.

Last year I did 3 rounds on the P90X program and, though I've been away from the routine for ~6mo now, a carry-over benefit is my current very healthy eating habits. I'm eating "better" and spending less at the grocer's, hard to beat that combo.

 

Geez, & I thought I was the only one. Lets see, in the last two years, I`ve had my gall bladder out, my diabetes has gotten a little worse, I have to take digoxin for an irregular heartbeat, & the latest thing was that my prostate decided to get an infection & expand on its own- literaly shutting down the flow of the whiz. Just imagine having to go really bad, but you can`t. Went to the hospital (where they had me sitting around for awhile -still filling up) Then they finaly took me into a room, where they laid out what looked like a 4 foot piece of vinyl tubing, put some lidocain on it, & told me they were going to insert it "you know where"- right up into the bladder. Talk about fun. The relief was immediate & immense. It filled up one of those plastic "ducks" about halfway. I asked them how much the bladder could hold, & they said about double that amount. They also said that I would be in so much pain, that I would probably pass out. The point to all this is, as we get older, things are going to go wrong. Nobody ever laid in a hospital dying from "nothing". Lets just make the best of what the Lord has given us, & enjoy our families, work, home, church, & hobbies. Remember, if you "save" those nice Corvettes (& other brands) as nice lightly used low mileage icons, after they throw the dirt on top of your coffin- the next owner will probably enjoy them a lot more than you did.

 

 

Chest pains are scary, glad you caught it in time, Ron.

 

Take care of that ticker Ron, Its not fun to have a bum one. I just had my second pacemaker put in last week, just have to make the most of what you got

 

Dang - better go easy on those acceleration runs
One of the sections in the info booklet they gave me dealt with intimacy. They said a roll in the hay is equal to climbing up 2 flights of stairs. They suggested the guy can make the event less stressful by sitting in a chair with feet flat on the ground. Wife read that over and said, "Sorry dear, but that ship has sailed!" Guess I'm stuck with the dang cat for awhile!

 

I'm sure most of you know that I am a moderator on the largest medical forum on the Internet and I specialize in heart disease. You were very lucky to get an opportunity for intervention of a 95% blockage, way too many have a fatal heart attack as their first symptom, count your blessing s and good luck!

 

Sweetsie is probably available for conjugal visits.

Heart disease is flat out scary. My mom was always very active.... About 15 years ago, my mom retired. Bad idea.....

She decided to spend her retirement as follows: Eat, sleep, read, repeat. 18 months after her retirement, at the age of 61, she had her first M.I. Yes, her first of three. That was since 1995. Yes, three heart attacks since 1995.

The fact that she is still with us is a testament to the skill of her medical providers, not of her lifestyle improvement. She now has undergone three angioplastys and has three stints. Myself and my siblings have cautioned her, begged her, pleaded with her, reasoned with her.....fill in whatever verbiage you want....to no avail. She's killing herself with her fork and her sedentary lifestyle. She's also developed type II diabetes, and has to inject herself twice a day. It breaks my heart. I know what the future holds for her.

It did, however, serve notice to me. Since then, I dropped 35 lbs and have kept it off for 15 years. I do at least 2 miles three times a week on the treadmill. I have no more than a couple alcoholic drinks a week. And I'm watching my stress levels more carefully and focusing on relaxing activities like spending time with the wife, RVing up in the mountains, motorcycling, gardening....etc. I refuse to follow suit with heart disease and diabetes. No thanks.

Ron....I am eternally grateful you've been given another chance. Make the most of it my friend.....and when things get stressful, drop me or the rest of the crew on here a PM and we'll be your sounding board. You know where to find us. And we can always arrange a very special Cat and Dog episode whenever you need us.

 

I understand what you're saying, bot my parents had quad bypasses in one year when they reached 71 years old. I myself had chest pain at age 47 at went to get checked out. Try going into the ER as an overweight middle aged man and tell them you have chest pains, its straight to the front of the line. I knew nothing about my cholesterol levels, blood sugars or blood pressure. The ER Doc asked if I was stupid and told me he was keeping me overnight to run every test he could think of to prove a point. Well 2 days and about $20K in tests later I got the message. For me, everything turned out good and I too started with some lifestyle changes, changed my diet and started working out 60 minutes per day of vigorous cardio at 85% of my max predicted heart rate. In 5 years I have lost 70 pounds, still could lose some more, but kept it off. I also started learning everything I could about cardiac health, it has been a very interesting journey.............

 

"Every day is a bonus day"!

 

Best of luck to ya..please stay focused on the changes you need to make. Several years before retirement I started to drive my '91 to work also, only about 7 miles one way. But, why not enjoy it everyday, unless raining or snowing of course. You are on the right course! Don't know about that cat though!

Drive and enjoy it!

SAVE THE WAVE

 

 

As the title says; wake up out there and do what you can to be healthier. I was just playing the system and thinking the fish oil capsules and baby aspirin I took everyday would keep me safe.
I am an overeater. I exercised like a good boy for a while then would slack off for a few days which would turn into a few months and finally get back to it. I have learned that I have to make a complete change. Exercise, heart healthy foods. I have gone cold turkey at work with the snacks that the nurses bring in on a daily basis. Someone sends out for pizza at least once a week. I am not doing any of that crap. In fact, one of our registration gals actually brought in salad fixings instead of lasagna last night. Maybe my brush with the grim reaper is helping them too.
Thanks to everyone here for the kind thoughts and wisdom.
The mutt and the pussycat are great therapy for us all!

 

Oh yeah. Forgot the tale of last night's Corvette therapy happening.
The urgent care facility that I work at locks the door at 10 P. We then stay till all the patients are gone and the paperwork and housekeeping tasks are finished.
Last night I happened to get out at about 10:56 P. That put me right at the exact time to encounter the "11:00 Five Hundred" as the factory workers down the street all rush to get on the Interstate.
I pulled up to a red light and did not really pay attention to the car that pulled up next to me. When the light changed I accelerated briskly only to hear his Asian import buzz the engine to the max and do his best attempt at a Don Garlit's launch. What a freakin joke! I was at maybe 2/3 throttle and he had the Accord/Mitsubishi/Toyota (what ever it was) maxed out! He barely got ahead of me in the next 200'. His fart can was howling as he hit what looked to be about 70 mph (in a 45 zone).
I just maintained the speed limit then as I am not about to play that game. It was too dark to tell what he was actually driving. As his neon license plate frame faded in the distance. I could only think, "What a fool"!
It gave me great pleasure to hold back and make him look like an idiot.
The only thing that would have made it better would have been if a local cop had nailed him but I wasn't that lucky.

 

Hey 4speed! I'm glad to here your results and I know exactly what you're saying. It was in 2006 that I had that feeling that something also wasn't quite usual. Being a non-insulin dependant Type Two diabetic I didn't really give it a second thought because the symptoms are very similar.

When I went to my urologist I made him aware of my family history and he decided two do the biopsy based on the left side of my prostate being a "little rough" upon examination. The biopsy was not the report I wanted to here. I was Stage three prostate cancer.

I had a heart attack in 2005 and since the cancer was already spread outside the prostate he didn't consider surgey as an option for me fearing I might not make it off the table.

I had 47 3-D radiation treatments and so far my numbers are good. So even if you are at a more advanced stage it is not neccesarily a death sentance. Those who wait until the situation has reached Stage 4 find their odds drop dramatically.

My point is don't wait until you display symptoms, you should begin getting prostate exams by or before the age of 50, and if you have a family history maybe 45.

I believe you can survive almost anything if you keep the belief you are going to win. The other thing is you have to be pro-active in your healt care. you know your body and it's condition better than any doctor ever can because YOU LIVE in your body. Don't take it for granted and make you physician be thorough and remind him you ARE the one who has to live with the consequences of any decision they do or do not make. A simple blood test (a PSA) can tell your physician if there is a further need of a more testing or a biopsy to make a supported diagnosis.

 

PM sent

 

Glad to hear you're OK also! The strange thing with me was all three doctors I saw never saw any enlargement or felt anything wrong. The PSA was only elevated by 2 digits. I was going on "gut instincts" something was wrong and I asked the third doctor for a biopsy check. Thank God I did.