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dbjc364's March 2011 Entries

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Mar 14, 2011 | 3:45 AM PST
Tag: another hospital round...
Well,it was quiet for a few days anyways. By saturday,after I got up from a nap, Jim mentioned he thought he had a temperature. All week, I had noticed he was wearing his sweatshirt and kept saying he was chilly.I felt him, and yup he did. I just figured all week it was his circulation trying to adjust after the heart attack.I didn't mess around,and insisted we go up to the hospital.They hooked him up & were running tests making sure his ticker was ok.After the x-rays and CT Scan, then they decided to do a flu test, and sure enough he had the flu.The doc figures he caught it in the hospital when he had the heart attack.Tylenol brought the fever down, and bed rest-which he was already doing, and lots of fluids.He's pretty much back to his heart attack normal now, and going back to work this week, but I only want him to do half days this week, as he feels quite tired in the afternoons still.I told him it was probaly going to take a few weeks or more to feel normal again.He doesnt have to go back right off,as he has 12 years worth of sick days built up, but of course there are pressing tasks that must be done that can't be done by the co-workers,so he feels he must.He also knows he must take care of himself,so he'll only do what he can accomplish in the morning.I found the stove we wanted very much on Craigs List,but had to wait to get over this crisis before I could travel to go get it. A friend went with me to do the heavy lifting as the small stove weighed about 230 lbs.We're very happy to get it-more like estatic,and look forward to hooking it up for the next winter season.It will do twice what the pellet stove will do,so there will be no feeling chilly at any time of the day or night in the main rooms at all,regardless of windy or cold temps.The cellar stove handles about 75-80% of our heat needs.The pellet stove only gives us blower heat,verses the stove in the cellar giving both blower and radiant heat.This being a coal stove will also give the warm steady radiant heat.We won't have to be concerned about storing the coal as we do the pellets,or carrying them over season to season,as nothing bothers the coal.Unlike the pellets no moisture can get into them or it would ruin the stove.The pellet stove will go north with us this year,in case we need some heat while trying to fix up that house a bit.The weather turned a bit warmer-this week, reaching into the 40* mark,the snow is melting very fast, and we now have quite a bit of grass showing,with no snow at all on the driveway side of the house.We also have a very muddy driveway,with boards down to walk on.This is probaly the worst year we've had for mud.In the morning, when the driveway is firmer,is when I take out the trash and compost,and walk around to see of any flooding.Haven't heard any robins yet, just one bird that I've never heard before,but couldnt see it.I look forward to seeing some grass out back near the gardens,and being able to get into the potting shed...

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Mar 6, 2011 | 5:51 AM PST
Tag: EKG-stents
for a vacation. All joking aside, its been a whirlwind of the last few days. We got another good storm,had most of it cleaned up,and my Jim wasn't feeling well on Friday.He seldom gets sick,I think he's had the 24 hr. flu once in the last 10 years.I should have known better, he was saving it all up for the big one.This past week,we finally filled out paperwork to the VA,to get his chlosteral checked and a general check-up.He went the weekend not feeling well,so come Monday I was calling to make an appt for me, when I decided to slide him into my appt instead.She could see him on Wed.,and it was a good doc visit.Since his Dad passed away at an early age of 46-heart problems,the doc ordered an EKG for the next day-thursday.Well,the doc didnt think he had caught my flu from the previous week,but wanted him to stay home from work,just rest till he had the tests,take some Tagment for the indigestion-heartburn he was having.We went home,had a nice lunch of homemade soup and a short nap.Well,the whole week everytime he went to do something he'd be ok for a few minutes,then had to stop cause he just didnt feel good-and everything he ate gave him indigestion,thats why we thought it was the flu.He got up from the nap, and I told him I would go to the store for him,but he sat in the chair,having another episode attack real bad this time,and something made me stop and watch him before I took off.I was standing at the counter near the phone,asking him to describe to me what everything felt like,I walked over and felt his forehead -which he was in a cold sweat at that point,so I walked back to the counter,thinking I should take him back down to the doc,which is on Main Street.He was flexing his fist open & closed many times,rubbing his arm,by this time my hand is on the phone,and I asked him if his arm was in pain.He said not pain,but different.I said what do u want to do? and he said I don't know,,so I hit 911 just in case.I think both of us were thinking it couldnt be a heart attack,cause it wasnt totally acting like a heart attack from what we knew of them.Well, let me tell you it wasnt anything like how they portray them in the movies.The ambulance was on its way,she stayed on the phone with me to keep me calm,instructed me to make him chew an aspirin,which he did gladly.I think they were there within 6 minutes but of course it seemed like an eternity.Our hospital is right up the street-maybe 1 & 1/2 miles.They stabilzed him for a few hours-yup he had a heart attack.Couldnt get him into Bangor,as they were full,so he went to Lewiston,which has the best heart unit & docs.Doped up and made comfortable-got the high blood pressure down,he was in surgery by noon on Thursday-got 2 stents, and back home by late friday afternoon.Prior to this he never ever had high blood pressure which we always kept a check on since his Dad had had problems.Wow, he stayed in the new Heart Wing, had the best room on the floor- they called the Presidential Suite,so I was able to stay there with him.All the heart rooms were big but this one I swear was 1/2 the size of my living room, and my living room is big.Well,now he's on vacation for a week with pay,some restrictions of course.Whew-wow,it was not his time to go yet,but man that was a bit scary,and he'd tell u that.Of course, the last question the doc said to him before we left was "do u smoke?" J said yes,doc said "you dont anymore when u walk out of here".And he hasn't.He got on the patch,I havent quit-but have made some changes already,and its probaly going to take me longer,but its on the horizon.He has some rehab to go to for awhile,and his heart doc has a partner here in town,so he'll go to him and we wont have to travel.He has a good boss, and can do some office work from here.The son-in-law will help me go get some coal and pellets and put it in the bin for me,and we had just run out of kindling,but my brother is going to cut up 2 big bags for us to get us thru the rest of the season.If we get another snowstorm the son-in-law will also plow it for Jim.So I'm driving Miss Daisy this week,and hopefully he wont drive me crazy too bad...lol.

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