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7515. Ms. No - 9/6/2009 5:35:32 PM Definitely good news!
I try to think about meds like free money. Money doesn't buy happiness but it greatly reduces a lot of stressors and frees up time so you can pursue happiness on your own. If some entity were to blithely drop enough money on me to ease the stress of my life I wouldn't turn it down. I wouldn't feel in the least ashamed that my own labors weren't enough to make me well-off. Why it's harder to accept that my own labors aren't enough to make me feel well all the time, I couldn't say, but I like the analogy and I'm sticking with it!
7516. Dubai Vol - 9/6/2009 9:12:56 PM Thanks, both. I am staying with my uncle, the retired anesthesiologist, but he's not really very good at the touchy-feely stuff. Not for lack of sympathy or caring, just not his thing. He wouldn't notice a manic state if I swung from the chandelier. OTOH he is my oldest friend (I was ring-bearer, at age 7, in his wedding to my aunt) and he has been there for me in tough times before. Having a safe place right now is a huge help. 7517. Dubai Vol - 9/15/2009 3:09:17 AM FOllow-up with the doc today, went very well. The antidepressant he prescribed, we decided I don't need it, which is just as well, as I hadn't started taking it. So I am still just taking lithium, at an increased dose as expected; blood work showed I am not yet in the clinically-accepted therapeutic range yet. I could tell, as I am a bit manic lately, and wouldn't mind a little help keeping a lid on it. 7518. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 12/7/2009 4:26:38 AM 
7519. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 1/21/2010 9:47:37 PM 
7520. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 1/30/2010 12:29:39 AM 7521. anomie - 5/5/2010 2:10:01 AM Howdy Ya'll. I had quintuple bypass surgery in late Feb and I'm doing fine, but that's not the story. I've been vigorously walking around a local park everyday, and have become quite fond of the wildlife and watching their Darwinian struggles. Watch this little duckie do it IT'S way and make it up the stream...
7522. arkymalarky - 5/5/2010 5:05:10 AM Anomie! Great to see you and glad you got through okay! 7523. anomie - 5/5/2010 2:58:41 PM Thanks Arky. I'm better than ever. 7524. alistairConnor - 5/5/2010 8:45:59 PM Hail Anomie with the new and improved plumbing! Quintuple bypass indeed... sounds like a spaghetti junction freeway intersection. 7525. anomie - 5/5/2010 9:29:01 PM Yes AC, I think I got my money's worth. I was in ICU the day they announced Bert Reynolds had the same operation. My docs kept reassuring me that David Letterman and Arnold Schwartzenegger came through it okay. I guess I'm in good company. All in all, I am still amazed at how painless it was and how routine it seemed to everyone. I've had worse experiences at the dentist. 7526. judithathome - 5/12/2010 8:10:51 PM Anomie! I was shocked to read about your medical problems...hope you're doing well now.
Did you have any warning signs? 7527. anomie - 5/14/2010 4:16:58 PM Hi Judith, yes, I'm doing very well thanks. Into my second week of cardio rehab - treadmills, heart rate monitors and all that. They tell me I am very "low risk" at this point. I had high blood pressure and cholesterol for years, which I ignored, but no real symptoms or urgent warning signs. I didn't quite know what was happening and drove myself to the emergency room. It all went very routinely from there. 7528. thoughtful - 5/14/2010 8:12:17 PM Ain't nothin' routine about a quintuple!
So glad you are doing so well after such a frightening health crisis.
However, do NOT drive yourself to the hospital again! We had a fellow at work who did the same thing...that's crazy.
If your heart condition deteriorated while you were behind the wheel you could've killed yourself and/or someone else!
Plus the ambulance guys have oxygen and shock units and such to get you going again should your heart stop.
Wow! 7529. thoughtful - 5/14/2010 8:17:26 PM So as part of my attempt to heal myself after all the stuff that's been going on, I've started running a weekly meditation session at work. Still not well attended, though the folks who do come seem to enjoy it very much. (Not surprising as I work in the heart of corporate america where business types view it as new agey navel contemplation and a waste of time.)
Health benefits of meditation include boosted immune system, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduced IBS, allergies, anxiety disorders, asthma, depression, fatigue, heart disease, pain, sleep problems and substance abuse.
Further there's evidence that meditating increases productivity and creativity.
Whether anyone else shows up or not, I enjoy it.... 7530. anomie - 5/14/2010 10:30:25 PM I'm sure you're right about the driving, Thoughtful. I have been lectured about it several times, and I will know better in the future. But as I said, I didn't know what was happening. I still find it a little puzzling that my incident was classified as a heart attack.
Good luck with the meditation efforts. I could probably use some. 7531. judithathome - 5/16/2010 5:11:50 PM Anomie, the exact same thing happened to my auntie over 20 years ago...and she has survived and thrived a good long time after almost croaking. She said she was surprised to wake up after the surgery and find out what had happened.
She's done well with moderate exercise, watching her diet, and not smoking. AND doing yoga and meditation to relieve stress...when it happened, she was owner/president of a fairly large and extremely successful garement factory in Hawaii...lots of travel and competition in that business. AND stress. She left it all to concentrate on staying well.
And as of last week, she will have buried two husbands since having her surgery. 7532. anomie - 5/17/2010 12:47:45 AM Thanks Judith. That's encouraging, and I wish your aunt continued good living - and maybe even another husband or two.
I quit smoking in 99. I'm sure that made everything easier. I think my biggest problem will be getting used to the meds, but I'm much more compliant about taking them these days. 7533. thoughtful - 5/17/2010 4:27:40 PM In case any one needs it, I found a wonderful forum for people dealing with cancer. It's called cancergrace. It is a nonprofit organization hosted by oncologists from around the country who volunteer their time to educate patients and their families about dealing with cancer. They were most helpful to me as I was coping with my mother's illness, and it's great to be able to get someone else's insight into these tough situations. 7534. wabbit - 5/17/2010 7:48:02 PM t'ful, thank you, that's a great link. I just added it to the link list.
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