5 Year Anniversary

As I sat in a service honoring a very well respected, kind, yet somewhat irreverant man this evening, it dawned on me that today is the 5 year anniversary of my second chance on life.  I wondered....if things would have turned out differently would I have been as well thought of as Phil was?  Did I have the same outlook on life as he did?  He faced two rounds of serious cancer issues with grace and determination, all the while keeping a perspective on life that was unique and hopeful.  My outlook has become somewhat shaded in the last few years.  I've let life jade me a bit.  I've got to decide exactly what I want to do with what time I have left on this earth, and at my age, that is awfully intimidating.

Five years ago, all I was wanting to do was take another breath.  Once they remove you bad heart, your new one either has to work or you'll die...pretty simple as that.  For some reason that I can't fathom, some family suffered the ultimate sacrifice which allowed me to have this second chance.  Am I doing all I can to make that sacrifice worthwhile?

The typical life span of a transplant patient is 15 years.  I am one third of the way through it.  I take @ 40 pills a day to allow me to live.  When I agreed to go on the list, this was the life I agreed to.  Now, I have to decide what I want to do with it.

Survival...at least

I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck.  Usually heart cath's make me sore but after a day or so I'm pretty much back to normal...not this time.  I feel like I've got a deep muscle bruise in my groin...worse than any surgery I've ever had.  However, this is about the 7th heart cath my groin has endured over the years so I guess it is about time for it to be sore!

The good news...all arteries are clear and the heart continues to look good.  Second good news...sugar has been lower but am starting a low dosage time-released med to help control it.  Bad news...the sugar problem itself.  Our family history and the fact that the meds raise it anyway should have been a warning but I'd been doing so well that dealing with it is a bit of a disappointment.  I can change that by watching my diet better and getting out and exercising more than I have been.  That's on me.  I'd gotten to a point where it was "
what the heck, I've been legally dead 3 times so I should be able to do what I want" and that's not where I need to be. 

What I need to do is take more time for me and my health.  I tend to put work ahead of everything and so far, it has been mostly for naught as far as professional progress goes.  The average life span of a transplant patient is 5-10 years, but that is usually because most transplant patients are in their 60's.  I'm hoping I can make it at least 15 more...Lord willing!

I'm fortunate that I have a brother who provides me with the means of enjoying events like concerts and plays that allow me to appreciate life.  I'm fortunate to have both parents who come to help whenever I need a trip to the hospital and been taken care of.  And I'm fortunate to have friends who stop by, call, or text to encourage me when I'm down.  With them, I can survive.

oh boy

The night before the heart cath and for some reason I can't sleep.  Something just seems a little off and I can't quite put my finger on it.  I went to my PCP today and he is prescribing some low dosage of diabetes medication for me to try after the procedure because the dye for the cath throws all the readings off.  I'm taking this God-awful tasting stuff to help the dye get out of my body so it doesn't damage my kidneys.  I don't know...something just seems off tonight.  Guess we'll find out after tomorrow! :)

And so it goes...

Today was my clinic visit before my 5 year anniversary tests, and for the most part, everything was great.  I ran into Chuck, the transplant patient (now 15 years) who called me and came to the hospital when I had the transplant, and had a chance to catch up with him.  I visited with a few other transplant patients who are either struggling or facing serious health issues.  And I got a little surprise of my own...I'm now diabetic.

Nothing really outrageous.  The medications we take can cause us to have cancer and diabetic issues, and it sure doesn't help that my family has strong predispositions to both.  But, I'm not as bad as one of the patients in today who had a reading of 505.

Now, I am not believing that this is totally related to the meds.  My gym has shut down and I have not been working out like I should be.  I've picked up a few pounds.  I've had a few margarita's.  But, I will do as they say (short of giving myself insulin shots) and take my blood sugar and adjust my diet in hopes of being like my grandmother.  It is kind of funny...my father just told me the other day that I reminded him of her and the way she became very regimental in how she took control of her diabetic issues and did exactly what the docs said.

I guess we shall see.

Next week I'll have the annual heart cath to see if things are working properly.