Connie - Page 2

85vette · 07-12-2022, 06:56 PM

That's great news! Prayers for a full and fast recovery! And you! Take care of yourself!

**Rich Z** · 07-16-2022, 11:11 AM

I'll be going in next week to have that other stent put into my left coronary artery. When we went to see my cardiologist this past week, he did everything but yell out to me that it really needs to be done SOON.

85vette · 07-17-2022, 08:13 PM

Do it!

**Rich Z** · 07-17-2022, 11:12 PM

Something else the cardiologist/surgeon told me.

Only 50 percent of the patients with the type of heart attack I had survive the ambulance trip to the hospital. Then of those that get to the cath lab and have the stent put in, some don't make it within the next 48 hours. Of those that survive that, some don't survive the next 30 days.

He said I should consider myself as a "Heart Attack Survivor". Not everyone gets to wear that T-shirt, apparently.

Connie wants me to get that other stent put in REAL SOON, because she is afraid that although she is feeling relatively OK now, she might not feel that way with the cumulative side effects from the chemo treatments over the next couple of months. So right now she can take care of ME when I get out of the hospital. If I were to have another heart attack sometime over the next couple of months (which the cardiologist said was certainly a possibility), things could turn out quite differently.

So yeah, everyone seems to think getting that stent put in this week is a good idea.. Me? Heck, I can think of a LOT of things I would rather do than having someone poking around in my heart.

85vette · 07-18-2022, 07:44 AM

Hey, it’s a lot better than option number two! Prayers sent for you both.

**Rich Z** · 07-23-2022, 12:52 PM

Well, had a stent put into my left coronary artery this past Tuesday. Surgeon said it was 70% blocked before he put in the stent. So I guess my left and right coronary arteries are now at 100%. But for now, I have to take it easy for a while, I suppose. But I can't let up taking care of Connie.

She has been feeling pretty well lately, but is due for the next chemo treatment this upcoming week. But she certainly isn't running on all cylinders. She got word that the "tumor markers" they monitor in her blood rests have dropped from 578 on 06-29 to 333 this past week, so that is definitely moving in the right direction. Sure would like to see that number reach zero as soon as possible.

85vette · 07-24-2022, 10:41 PM

That’s pretty darned good news for both of you in my opinion!

navy2kcoupe · 07-25-2022, 08:17 PM

Rich, just logged on for the first time in quite awhile and saw this. Major League kick in the sack for you! I'm hoping that the outcome for both of you is as positive as it gets. I've had 2 stents.....1 in 2013 for an 85% blockage, and one in 2020 that they found while doing a stress echo. I had no idea that anything was wrong on the second one. Dotty and I will be saying a few prayers for the 2 of you. Keep us updated.
Andy Anderson

**Rich Z** · 07-25-2022, 10:32 PM

Thanks Andy.

Had another kick to the balls today. Our submersible water pump died. I did all the diagnostics to rule out everything else, but no go for an easy fix. Bad pump by ruling out everything else. The tank and the well casing going into the ground is quite distant from the house, because it was pre-existing when we bought the property. Which was 30 some years ago. So now it is pretty much in the woods. Fortunately I did clear some brush away from some areas close by, but still a lot to go when I got a round tuit. Got a guy coming out tomorrow to replace the pump, but he says he needs to be able to get his crane with 5 to 8 ft. of the well. That is going to be a big problem with how it is right now, unless his crane is on a tank.

I asked a friend to bring a tractor over tomorrow early AM, to cut a path from our driveway back to the pump. I also have to be manning the pole saw because a lot of yaupon sapplings along with grape vines are overhanging the pump and there is no way the guy would be able to get to the pipe to pull out that pump straight up. So I have to be manning the pole saw and the chainsaw to cut all that away. Not sure what my cardiologist would say about me doing this sort of activity less than a week from the surgery, but I really don't have any choice. Hopefully I won't end up in the ER tomorrow with another heart incident. Connie sure as hell can't be doing it, so I'm the guy holding the short straw.

Weather forecast is saying rain after 2pm, so hopefully they aren't wrong and I wind up doing that work in the rain too. They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I am flipping a coin on this one. Could be it will be both if I die and am pretty strong smelling because I didn't get that shower I was planning on tonight. Probably not the optimum thing to be doing for my recovery period. People tell me I need to relax, but how can I when stuff like this pops up?

Now really sure what I did to piss off Murphy and his Gawd awful laws.

**Rich Z** · 07-28-2022, 10:15 PM

My friend, Rickey, did most of the work with his tractor, but I was still out there with the extended hedge trimmer cutting grape vines over my head and topping off some tall saplings that were overhanging the well. I didn't want Rickey to get a grape vine wrapped around the well tank and pull it over accidentally. Not sure my cardiologist would have approved of my holding that thing up over my head for extended periods, but I had to do what I had to do. Ricky was pushing over and uprooting small trees and brush, and had a really good path going to the well. I got pretty winded here and there and had to take several breaks to sit down for a spell. Glad Connie wasn't down there watching or she would have had her own heart attack watching me working.

Oh, it turned out that the pump itself wasn't bad. One of the wires going to it had broken. The well guys said it was because the piping was PVC instead of steel, and the flexing from the torque of the pump motor caused the wires to stretch because of the "give" of the PVC. So they just put in the steel piping, rewired the motor, and called it a day. They checked the windings on the pump and they looked right on the money, so they didn't feel replacing the pump motor was needed. They said the pump is an excellent brand and they see them lasting 20 years or so. It's been 10 to 12 on this one. Way things are going, I'm not expecting to have to worry about this problem 10 years from now.

But it was nice of that company (Lightning Quick Well Repair) to not try to take advantage of me and sell me a new (and expensive) submersible pump. Refreshing to run into an ethical company now and again.

So that was a pretty stressful day. And to top it off, they JUST got done wiring the pump and control box before it started to rain. I had to help Rickey guide his trailer with the tractor on it out of the driveway, and it was raining cats and dogs then. So I got soaked to the bone. Had to strip off all my wet clothes on the porch as I couldn't walk into the house with water just running off of me. So like I said, pretty darn stressful day. I guess this could be considered as a heart test after my surgeries.

But at least I haven't had another heart attack afterwards (yet), so hopefully no damage done. I sure hope I don't have to do something like that anytime soon, as I would like think I am recovering from all this without doing something that will cause long term damage. As it is, I think my earlier heart attack might have caused some damage to my heart, but my cardiologist has been noncommittal when I asked him about it. I have another appointment with him in a couple of weeks, so I am going to press him about it. I'm a big boy now, so just level with me. I tend to work hard doing yard work and I really need to know if I am skating on real thin ice now.

Connie had another chemo treatment yesterday and we had to run back to the oncology facility this afternoon so she can get a shot that is supposed to help raise her white blood cell count after the chemo treatment. So she is going to be taking it easy for a few days as the side effects knock her down a bit. Luckily she isn't having severe effects, but it is enough for her to just not feel all that spiffy. So I try to encourage her to take it easy and sleep as much as she can to pass the time that way till things subside.

Can't wait to see what else Murphy has waiting for us....