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Great suggestions, all, though sometimes, getting back into the swing of things is also powerful medicine. For example, 16 DAYS after my Triple Bypass Open Heart Surgery, I participated in an USBA sanctioned boomerang tournament, and took ninth place! That was good for the soul!
At this point in time, the only plans I have are in getting to my VA scheduled doctor's appointments. Everything else is a day at a time though I do plan to have a few turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches. The big, expected meal? Well, that will be OK, but I've missed the sandwiches too long.
And, I'll drive some of the cats and dogs wild with Roomerangs.
While I've not commented much about new booms and boom throwers, I really am pleased to see the new ideas, designs, and the increased interest in the sport. Keep up the good work!
Rsty
On 11/17/08, CHRIS KALFA <chriskalfa@...> wrote:
Subject: [Boomerang_Talk] My Health problems
To: "boomerang_talk" <boomerang_talk@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Monday, November 17, 2008, 4:27 PMOK, Guys,
First, thank all of you for your prayers, your well wishes, and your concerns. All were much appreciated. You can never know just how much the friendship and camaraderie of being just one member of the ever growing boomerang community means to me. Thank you all!
Most of the rest of this post is about me and my medical problems with little reference to boomerangs so unless you really want to know about my physical problems, you may want to opt out here. If you are interested, the following will, in detail, give you a better idea of what happened to me and what is being done about my problems.
Here's the straight scoop about me and my hospital stay, but I do need to give you a little background first.
I left home on October 16th and drove to West Virginia to be a guest of a dear friend who, for over a year, had begun, single-handedly, to put together a family gathering and genealogy record of the descendents of Peter Burr, the only brother of Aaron Burr, Sr., who was the first president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and father of Aaron Burr, Jr., U.S. Senator and 3rd Vice President of the United States (1801-1805).
This gathering was to be held at the Peter Burr House, the oldest standing wood frame structure in the state of West Virginia. You can read more (if interested) about this house and some of the associated history, at:
http://www.preserve history.org/ pburr_history. html
16 year old George Washington was the Surveyor of the property on which this house was built. While I won't go into it further, there is a tremendous amount of American History surrounding this house, its owners, and friends of the owners that I am interested in, and so, felt honored to be invited. On Sunday, October 19th, I left there to visit Gary, only some 250 miles away.
Most of you know of that visit, and if you've ever been to Gary's house, you know too of the fun and learning to be had there. Yes, we did make boomerangs, take trips, etc., and all had a great time.
I have been on a Furosemide (water pill) regimen for many years to control water retention in the body. In my case, it seems to collect most in my lungs and legs, resulting in breathing problems and severe leg swelling. Since I also have Asthma and Emphysema, lung water retention worsens the situation quickly, breathing-wise and leg water retention can and did cause leg ulcers, red shiny skin, and localized elevated temperature of the skin, along with severe leg swelling.
Furosemide makes you have to urinate, often and urgently, especially at the dosages prescribed by my doctors. It also causes drowsiness and dizziness, bad while driving or while in areas where bathrooms are not readily (read that as quickly and urgently) available. So, in a nutshell, I did not take that medication as often as I should have been doing so. The result, coupled with cold, high winds and difficulty breathing, caught up with me during a 2:00 AM necessary rest room stop in a rest area, and again around noon the next day. By the time I got home about 4:00 PM that afternoon, I was totally exhausted, went straight to bed and slept for 5 hours. I awoke, coughing and choking, and had difficulty breathing, at which point, my wife took me straight to the VA Emergency room. That was the night of November 9th/10th.
They kept me there until Friday afternoon, November 14th in order to get the water out of my lungs and legs, and to treat the ulcers that developed on both legs a few inches above the ankles.
I did NOT have a heart attack! However, sometime within the 4 months prior to September 10th, I DID go back from normal heart rhythm into Atrial Fibrillation. (for information about what this is and how it might affect me, see:)
http://www.a- fib.com/Overview .htm
After my triple bypass heart operation in 1995, I did go into a-fib (Atrial Fibrillation) three times. Each time, they stopped my heart (clinically dead) and restarted it with paddles, each time required a bit more power (the last time, they used the maximum power they were allowed to use, it left me burned on my chest) and finally decided to give me an experimental drug Amiodarone, to keep my heart rhythm normal. That worked for over 8 years before they discontinued it about 6 months ago. The VA lost a lawsuit about a patient losing eyesight in both eyes, because of this drug. It was discontinued for me when they discovered that my right eye has begun to have some "tunnel vision", the field of view has closed a little, prompting this decision. This drug stays in the system a long time, but its effectiveness has now gone. It was the one thing that kept me in normal heart rhythm.
So, while people with a-fib can still live, there is a reduction in the quality of life for a-fib patients, and, I'm sure, was a contributing factor in what happened to me. A-fib DOES increase the odds of having a stroke, too, so I will be slowing down, even more.
Well, there you have it, that's what has happened to me.
Now, let's get back to boomerangs.
Rusty
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