1.08.2012

It's a Ticker Thang


I luv this heart cloud!




Li'l bit tense 'round heah --on Friday Uncle had hisself a spell--uh-huh...I think we shoulda called 911, but the ornery ole coot woan have that, so he called the cardiologist folks who said, "Come right over."

We did.

They took Uncle off to do the usual thang fer a fella wif' A-fib, but it seems that warn't the issue--thar's a new issue an' the doc were clear: "I'll see you at the hospital Wednesday to put in this ticker tickler, and, absolutely do not drive in the meanwhile, or anything else strenuous or requiring full faculties."

Barely out the door Uncle avowed, "I ain't no invalid, I feel fine and I'se going to the huntin' camp--you can drive me."

When pigs fly through a snow storm in the Sahara.

So he called up a friend who picked him up an' off the ole fool went.

He's home now--sick as a dawg wif' a bad cold (serves him right!) but, it may mean they put off the Wednesday procedure. (The doc woulda done it FRIDAY 'cept Uncle takes a med that he has to be off fer a few days a'fore they unzip ya' anywhere.)

I am madder than a wet hen, as ya' can well tell. The man is the stubbornest creature on this planet . How did I hitch mahself to this 'un?

Here's an older Uncle post--a placeholder til' further notice--I will try to git around to peek at yore blogs. Hold the fort!

21 comments:

darkfoam said...

I'm really sorry to read this, Belle! I know Wednesday can't come soon enough for you. It is hard to admit that the body is declining when the mind is still so willing. But heart issues are not something to be taken lightly. If I could give you a shoulder rub to help relieve some of the stress, I would.

Karl said...

Evening Aunty Belle,

Do me a favor. Tell uncle I said denial is no way of dealing with heart issues. There are more folks I've known, than I care to think about in boxes now, because of that attitude. And know quite a few, my FIL particularly who have benefited greatly from heart procedures. The man has worn out two bypass surgeries and long outlived any projection for his survival. Get the condition taking care of properly and you can spend a helluva lot more days at the hunting camp than if you don't.

Jenny said...

oh Aunty!!! not good. Why do men seem to think they are somehow NOT human? Pffft. I hope you read Karl's comment to Uncle and I hope Uncle realizes he's human and that's ok. Keeping you both in my prayers and take good care of YOU right now, too.

xoxoxoxo

Debora said...

This is no way to start the New Year! I'm sure once he has the procedure things'll calm down. It's just gettin' there that's the issue! I'll say a prayer...

chickory said...

uncle! an ornery ol coot? no way. SOrry to hear about the ticker...and hate that he has a cold on top of it all. grrrrrr. Sounds like Karl has already said what needs to be said so I will ditto that. sending big love.

Aunty Belle said...

Foamy!

Thanky Sugar--I doan mean to make this sounds worse that t'is. I expect Uncle will be fit as a fiddle an' feelin' like leaping tall buildings after he gits is hardware. But I did laugh--it's the very idea of a "body is declining" that sets this man off like a rocket.

He has the mistaken idea that iffin' ya look like the rugged Marlboro Man sort, thas' somehow synonymous wif' perfect health. But the logic is hilarious. As if a charles atlas couldn't need glasses? or get Alzheimer's or have a wee electrical problem in the heart?

Men are illogical.
I'll take the shoulder rub happily.


Karl!

I will-- Sir Karl said it, an' that settles it. I have an older lady friend whose husband was an amateur tennis champ--he dropped on the tennis court wif' a massive heart attack at 41. He survived, is now on his third defibrillator at 70 somethin'--he has recently been rafting in the grand canyon, snowshoeing in Washington State...plays 9 holes of golf every day (but no more tennis).

So--youse right Karl, act like a man--quit deniying it, git the procedure an' live on.

Boxer!!

Eggsactly--it's ok to be human fer Pete's sake. See comment to Foamy--
on the illogical ideas men can git about theyselves--
We are very thankful fer yore prayers!!

Debora!

Howdy. Yes, thas' it--jes' getting thar' He should feel much better after the procedure--much better. Really appreciate the prayers.

ALL,
sorry to vent --but thanky fer letting me steam up yore screen some.

Aunty Belle said...

Chick9!

Yeeeees he is ornery. Imagine it--oh, like a caged leopard. Lemme tell ya' when he got home today, thinkin' to find a sympathetic nurse, he git hisself an earful. (but Tebow won in overtime so he's moderately satisfied at the moment)

I doan mean to make it an alarm--it's serious but not critical (yet). we jes' gotta git this tended to soon as we can.

R.Powers said...

Aunty,
Sorry to hear of Uncles ticker issue. I know he is in good hands. I hope Wednesday goes smoothly and that all is well soon.

Sharon Rudd said...

Doggone it, sorry to hear 'bout Uncle.

My best friend Cindie knows how bad I am about going to the doctor. I am supporting her while she deals with her husband's ongoing demise on oxygen 24/7 and dialysis 3-4 times a week.

Thinking of you, Aunty, and hoping you can whip Uncle into shape for whatever lies ahead. Sometimes dealing with a person who perceives himself to be a patient or non-patient tries a spouse/care-giver's patience.

I'm sure you know this, although I don't. Who is the patron saint of men who refuse to go to the doctor?

Doom said...

Meh. Belle, relax. My heart is in the final stage of failure and I am doing fine. It's probably been that bad, going by the effects that match it, for five years and declined in the last 20-25 years, slowly, before they finally caught it.

The doctors will scare you to death before the ticker will quit. Good to get it taken care of, and take the medicine, mostly, what he can of it anyway. But don't fret so much. They have been telling me, some of them yelling at me, that I am going to die for the last 12 years. I think I'm going to outlive THEM! Pull a George Burns out of my... hat. Hope Uncle does the same. Bah! Just relax.

'Sides, a visit to the hunting lodge sounds worthy of the risk of a cold, especially if it delays doctors... playing surgeon! :p

Anonymous said...

I offer a prayer for Uncle's health and Aunty's patience.

moi said...

Thinking of you both, Aunty. I hope it's nothing serious and that Uncle is up and about and annoying you to no end soon.

BTW, this sounds similar to what happened with my step dad. He's much older than Uncle, but four summers ago, it was A-Fib, which they got under control with an operation and coumadin. Summer after that, after a few days of feelign "off," he ended up in the hospital with another ticker problem that required a pacemaker. He's 83 and now hops around like a man 20 years younger. One of the good things about western medicine is that it excels at fixing the heart. Keep us informed . . .

BlazngScarlet said...

I'm keeping you & Uncle in my thoughts Aunty.
If he already has A-fib, then he needs to get it taken care of.
Oh, and it doesn't make him an invalid .... just human!

fishy said...

Wow Aunty,
this seems to be the week for stubborn men! I will certainly add my prayers to the others for you and Uncle to have a stellar outcome on Wednesday. If it is of any comfort to you at all .... a pacemaker is THE CURE for irritability. The difference in Blowfish was amazing.

Anonymous said...

Best to you both Aunty.

Serendipity

czar said...

Everyone's said it all, and I have nothing to add. My thoughts are with both of you.

Pam said...

Aunty, am saying a prayer for Uncle right now. Tell him that the voice of God is speaking to him and since he isn't listening, is speaking through YOU. What happened to the tennis player happened to my brother with not such a good result. Some things you don't skimp on. Heart things being #1 on the list. Keep us posted when you can. (((HUGS)))

Aunty Belle said...

Thanky ever'body!! Yore thoughts an' prayers mean much to me.

We's been moved to Thursday mornin', now.

I will post when I can.

Y'all 's the best!

grins said...

I never had a pacemaker, but I know plenty of people that have, and they almost never die because of their hearts.

The thing is, you can have a stroke without it. That's why they told him not to drive. I have lost about fifty percent of my math skills. I never wrote a thing before my stroke except office memos. My personality changed. Half my mustache has turned white and I have to die it. They tell me that my stroke had nothing to do with with the mustache, but I don't believe it. My wife thinks I'm ugly without my stash and my beard. I wouldn't share this normally. I'd just like to see a fellow hunter bag something next year. P.S.I think your shrieking Is awesome and the one to beat.

Anonymous said...

Evening Aunty,

Hope Uncle is doing OK, and that you are holding out.

It occurs to me that as an obligate hunter myself, I might weigh in on Uncle's side for a moment to explain something. For some of us, hunting/hunting camp are essential parts of who we are. (Best explained, we didn't choose to be a hunter, we were compelled by an inner something to be a hunter.) The idea of NOT going, especially with the implication we can't or shouldn't because we are no longer capable is horrifying. Scarier than the thought we might die out there doing something we really love and that we all live for. If Uncle is that kind of hunter, and I suspect he is, it may not just be stubborn cussedness. (Lord knows a lot of us look like we are just stubborn cusses when someone suggests we should sit this one out.)

Anyway, when we get to a certain age we start thinking that any old year might be the last opportunity we have, so we don't want to miss a single trip. What may make sense to someone else, we just can't hear.

I don't know if that made any sense to you, but I think that might be where Uncle is at.

Serendipity

Jenny said...

how are things, Aunty? xoxo