Time for Thinking !
As you get older, events that would not have much impact when you are 25 mean a lot more when you are 54. Especially when you are working with a pig valve as part of you heart. SO.. last night was an event.. if you call 14 hours in the emergency room an event.
It all started with a severe upper back pain waking me up at 1:04 pm. That was not too critical but when the pain started to effect my left arm and radiated around to my chest... all the alarms went off and we decided.. hhmmm.. we better go to the emergency room.
They did all the usual tests.. but the professionals could tell within 20 -30 minutes that the pain.. even though severe.. was not heart related. BUT.. I did get a wonderful valium - demerol cocktail. Once the pain was gone, I could sleep.
Now comes the point of this posting.. these medical professionals dont know when to leave well enough alone. They called my cardiologist.. who got up from his warm bed and came into the hospital at 5 am.. and decided to do a TEE (basically a sonogram from within the throat). This led to more drugs.. and when I woke up from that procedure, everyone was gone. Poked me.. prodded me.. shoved electronic equipment down my throat.. and then left me ??? Boy, I could really take this personally. Like waking up the next morning and she is gone.. no note..no no name.. no nothing.
Well.. I am back home albeit a little groggy from all the drugs. And during this wonderful event, I was actually poked four major times, creating four distinct holes in my hands and arms. You would think they could punch ONE hole in my body and use it for all the inputs and outputs...
Life goes one and now my pain measurements have been re-calibrated. I was told that if the pain was really a heart attack, I would be in much worse condition. OH MY GOD !! I aint looking forward to that day. Last night was at least a 10 out of ten.. given my experience with pain. I guess I have a long way to go before I experience REAL pain.
But as someone once said... Pain tells you are alive !!
