fnord wrote:

My mother died of a stroke at age 72 caused by plaque in her carotid arteries.  I’m taking 1000mg of slow release niacin twice a day to keep my arteries from becoming clogged.  It’s worked out well; my triglycerides went way down, my total cholesterol went down significantly (it’s now below 200), and my good cholesterol went way up.  Your ex is a bit young to need angioplasty, and the results only last a few years without changes in diet and lifestyle.

don't be so foolish as to argue against genetics...

I understand but as she works at the nations largest organic food store, as you can imagine her lifestyle isn't all that bad.

It was interesting to watch our kids (teen & tween), they were bored and annoyed until she rolled out of the procedure room - at which point it was total breakdown.  Heart-rending, yes - but interesting none-the-less.

It took the visual of their mother in that state to drive the point home.


Nothing like a 5'9", 180lb twelve year old sobbing like the little boy he really is to blow out any plans of going back to work.

Emmeran wrote:

Nothing like a 5'9", 180lb twelve year old sobbing like the little boy he really is to blow out any plans of going back to work.

Indeed. Mine are 16 and 18, and seeing them break down when their grandmother died was heart-rending in a way I had not quite prepared for.

fnord wrote:

I gather this was a rather emotional event for you as well as for the kids.  Proceed with caution if the possibility of reconciliation has raised its head.

Nahh, Melons is pretty firmly entrenched around here now. This is just yet another chapter in a really bad year in my life.

Emmeran wrote:

I understand but as she works at the nations largest organic food store, as you can imagine her lifestyle isn't all that bad.

It was interesting to watch our kids (teen & tween), they were bored and annoyed until she rolled out of the procedure room - at which point it was total breakdown.  Heart-rending, yes - but interesting none-the-less.

It took the visual of their mother in that state to drive the point home.


Nothing like a 5'9", 180lb twelve year old sobbing like the little boy he really is to blow out any plans of going back to work.

I'm so sorry. Good at least she had the procedure done. Extra hugs to your kids tonight.

The open heart bypass was considered a success, so said the surgeon at 8pm.

5 hours later she has crashed and is back in surgery.


I'm starting to get scared.

Emmy, I wish I could say something that would make all this easier. I hope things are working out for you.

Any word? Hope all is well..

icangetyouatoe wrote:

Everyone is going to make fun of me but you and your family are in my prayers-and I'm putting your family on the All Saints Episcopal church prayer list for tommorrow.

xxooToe

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Emmeran, thanks for posting. I'm glad she's stable. And the kids thing-I echo Taint's statements (I think, the last sentence had like five "involved"s in it) -and I think they will let you know, spoken or unspoken, if it's too much for them to handle. They need down time too-that's good they are with their friends. Hopefully you are with the Melons-you need some support too.

xxotoe

hi taint-hugs to you too, buddy, in your toque... toking..

I really hope your ex pulls through this for your kids’ sake.  When you first started this thread, I thought your ex was having a routine scheduled angioplasty to prevent a future heart attack; that you were appalled by the idea that many of us are reaching an age where we find it necessary to undergo such procedures.  Had I known she was having a heart attack, I wouldn’t have mentioned my mother or my anti-plaque medication.

icangetyouatoe wrote:

Hope today is better.

We just came from there, no change.

Still fully sedated, has lung problems and minor secondary infection.

Still on life support.

Emmeran wrote:

fnord wrote:

I really hope your ex pulls through this for your kids’ sake.  When you first started this thread, I thought your ex was having a routine scheduled angioplasty to prevent a future heart attack; that you were appalled by the idea that many of us are reaching an age where we find it necessary to undergo such procedures.  Had I known she was having a heart attack, I wouldn’t have mentioned my mother or my anti-plaque medication.

No need to apologize Fnord, you were completely in line with the topic when if first started - it just went downhill faster than any of use could have imagined.

This is highstreet afterall and everything is fair game; at that point we all thought she would be home today with a new diet, a cocktail of meds and a strict exercise routine.

No, not everything is fair game on High-Street. Although the keepers of the flame are eager to subject many a victum to death of a thousand cuts, real tragedy for a participant is generally handled with supportive response. Not from all, but from enough and unexpected sources that give one a sense of care and belonging. Been there, done that, with what you are going trough. Hopefully you find solice in whomever/whatever you believe in.

Last edited by shagnasty (2008-12-07 16:36:33)

Yuck. I'm so sorry. I want you to know they read, "Emmeran and family" today in the part of the service where they read off a list of people who need some extra attention, cosmically speaking, to all of the Pasadena episcopalians sitting in the pews... I  was relieved I didn't put "Emmeran, Melons, and family" because it would have sounded a little odd.

http://www.allsaints-pas.org/site/PageS … 9b3.app13a

Anyway. You love those kids up extra today.

xxoo toe.

Last edited by icangetyouatoe (2008-12-07 16:57:06)

whosasailorthen wrote:

icangetyouatoe wrote:

Everyone is going to make fun of me but you and your family are in my prayers-and I'm putting your family on the All Saints Episcopal church prayer list for tommorrow.

xxooToe

No.  They won't.

Was in the prayers here, too, at Trinity Episcopal.

I knew I liked you. :)

Christ Taint. You've been through it. I forgot you were my age and have lived through that nightmare. Glad you're here, buddy.

We went through hell when my mother-in-law was hit head-on by an Amish kid on rumspringa going about 100 mph on a county road. We all rushed to the hospital the first night, with the kids, slept on chairs in the lounge, and spent the next day there. I sent my kids home that night with my sister and they came for occasional day visits, but no more overnights. When they came by in the daytime, they spent much of their time in the computer lounge surfing the web, and that was OK by me. I didn't see the need for everyone to hold a tearful vigil outside the ICU doors. After a few days they went back to school and I went back to sleeping at the house.

In the end, when it was clear that she was not ever coming back, one boy went in to see her for the last time while the other opted to remember her as she had been prior to the wreck. And I was OK with that, too. I second Taint: kids are quite clued-in, yet do need breathing room and time to process in their own way. My thoughts go out to all of you tonight.

I'm not religious these days, but I will dig out my rosary tonight. 

RT

The medical imaging companies have a machine called a light speed scanner.  The whole test takes about two minutes.  It gives the doctor a very high res 3-D look at your heart and the surrounding arteries.  They can see and accurately measure the plaque.  They assign you a heart disease risk value from 0 to 800 and beyond.  The lower your score, the better.  At 400 you are at risk.  At 800 you better be on the operating table.  The interesting thing is I scored 17 even though my cholesterol has consistently measured in the mid to high 200's.  The latest theory about why some people with high cholesterol don't get heart disease is because their arteries are in good shape and the plaque doesn't collect in them.  Others with low blood cholesterol levels carry low grade inflammations in their arteries which offer places for the stuff to stack up.

Monday has gratefully brought a new day; the long nights appear to be over and a bright blue sky seems to lie ahead.

The blood circulator is gone and she has been brought back to the surface; the children got to hold her hand today and she responded.  They expect to take her off respirator in the next two to three days.

Our prayer is to have her home by Christmas.

whosasailorthen wrote:

The first prayer is one of thanks. 

Glad to hear it, Em.  Now get some bloody rest... you'll need it to help care for her, so start saving up.

Thankfully this is when her friends and family start coming in; I'll spend the cash to fly the family out and they will help her recover.

My focus is my children, and I will do anything to protect and nurture them.

Act Four: Major Stroke

We get to be one of those families celebrating christmas in the hospital this year.

Emmeran wrote:

We get to be one of those families celebrating christmas in the hospital this year.

Oh Emmeran. This sucks.
xxooxxToe
ps sent you an email via the email system on street,but I have no idea where it went-maybe to your reg email?

Last edited by icangetyouatoe (2008-12-11 11:39:34)