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  • Am going to have to limit my participation on Surly, as it appears the macular degeneration is advancing to a level where I find it very difficult to read anything even with my 3x readers and a magnif

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  • Graduated to octogenarian status today, so we went out for dinner. Never thought I’d get this far. 

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I spent half the day on Sunday working on kids' cars, changing out wheel bearing and lower control arm, and im still sore AF today.

My bones just aren't as soft as they used to be. Not long ago, I could lay out on a driveway and work, and it did not bother me.

Damn this summer chest cold.  When I speak I sound like Barry White, which my wife likes, so there's at least that, but damn I hate how my chest hurts when I cough.

Damn this summer chest cold.  When I speak I sound like Barry White, which my wife likes, so there's at least that, but damn I hate how my chest hurts when I cough.

I had that same thing. Dr called it Covid.
28 minutes ago, tbone_ said:


I had that same thing. Dr called it Covid.

Test said negative and it's already easing up, so hopefully it isn't Covid.  But I'll stay paranoid, just in case.

Get over yours quickly!

Edited by Scheiss Meister

  • Popular Post
On 1/11/2024 at 1:10 PM, mchookem said:

i don't visit this thread because DAMMIT I'M NOT OLD and also i doubt any of y'all are discussing perimenopausal symptoms lol... but thought it might be a good place to ask...

anybody have experience with cardiac ablation for afib? 

in 2020 i started having intermittent bouts of afib that correlated with instances of high alcohol usage (i.e. parties and such) around my menstrual cycle. very likely hormone related (thus the perimenopause mention). it was inconsistent and i saw my pcp in Austin multiple times over about two years, with ekg, echo, etc...he could never detect it during those times. 

then we moved to Denver and the altitude and continuing hormonal changes seems to have made it 'persistent'...i was hiking at about 9k last summer and suddenly realized i felt like i was literally gonna pass out. it was pretty scary...got a pcp here soon after and boom - persistent afib. no other health issues, just my heart freaking out.

i barely drink anymore, and i'm still not fully menopausal (fuck this fucking bullshit, fuck! lol). 

anyways...i had the cardioversion (hard 'reboot') back in November...lasted about three weeks, which is not actually abnormal. so now we're discussing ablasion.

i'm feeling reluctant bc the thought of, like, burning shit and creating scar tissue on purpose inside my heart is kinda just freaking me out 😳 but i'm still pretty young...had a long meeting with cardiac specialist this week and went thru all the options... there are medications but there's longterm drawbacks there as well. and i just really don't want to be on any permanent meds at this point if i can help it...my mom had to carry around an index card front/back with all her meds so she could just remember them, and you can't convince me the toxic damage from some of that shit didn't contribute heavily to her demise.

i dunno...my dad also has afib for like 10 years now and is basically just of 'live with it' mindset...but he's 76, not 53. 

so that's more words than i intended, but basically i guess i'm asking if anybody has had their heart cauterized and how was it? 🤔😐

so based on doctor consultation, a second opinion, and in no small part the feedback here...had cardiac ablation about two months ago, about a week after returning from a month in Europe. let's just say...gotdamn i wish i had done the ablation before that trip!

the difference has been incredible. my best comparison...we went to RMNP three times last summer, and in general i had to walk at a snail's pace every time we stopped, could barely breath, frequently felt like i was going to pass out, stayed in the car much of the time. we went about three weeks ago for the first time this year...and i felt great! 😮 jumping out at every stop, walking to the extended lookout points, moving so much faster...really an incredible difference! up to Golden Gate Canyon SP as well (which is where i had my first 'oh shit i think my heart is going to explode!' moment last summer that prompted the eventual diagnosis) and it was a breeze. headed to Red Rocks for a concert this week, will be interesting to compare that experience with GCJr show back in May as well 🤔

as far as i know (via FitBit and Kardia app) i haven't had a single episode since the procedure. i have my follow-up next week so we'll see for sure, hoping to get off the blood thinner 🤞

anyways... just here to say thank you for the feedback and you all were right and i'm so glad i changed my mind! 😊

 

So, yeah.  This is fun.

I finally made a doctor appt for something that's been bothering me for almost a year.  That is constant, low-level nausea and inability to eat a meal most of the time.  Been like this for a year, haven't really lost any weight and it hasn't gotten any worse, so whatevs.  Four days before my appt, and I get sick.  Ended up being a sinus infection and bronchitis.  Point of the post is that I made a dr appt for one thing, but ended up switching it up the day of because of something else.  In my younger years, I think I might have gone to the doctor once every 5 years for an actual illness (sports injuries aside).

Got fitted for a heart monitor last Friday that I have to wear next 30 days, and I’m sure most here are shocked to learn I actually have a heart.  Doc didn’t like my ekg on recent visit so monitor was ordered after also having an ultrasound done the day before. 

5 hours ago, mchookem said:

so based on doctor consultation, a second opinion, and in no small part the feedback here...had cardiac ablation about two months ago, about a week after returning from a month in Europe. let's just say...gotdamn i wish i had done the ablation before that trip!

the difference has been incredible. my best comparison...we went to RMNP three times last summer, and in general i had to walk at a snail's pace every time we stopped, could barely breath, frequently felt like i was going to pass out, stayed in the car much of the time. we went about three weeks ago for the first time this year...and i felt great! 😮 jumping out at every stop, walking to the extended lookout points, moving so much faster...really an incredible difference! up to Golden Gate Canyon SP as well (which is where i had my first 'oh shit i think my heart is going to explode!' moment last summer that prompted the eventual diagnosis) and it was a breeze. headed to Red Rocks for a concert this week, will be interesting to compare that experience with GCJr show back in May as well 🤔

as far as i know (via FitBit and Kardia app) i haven't had a single episode since the procedure. i have my follow-up next week so we'll see for sure, hoping to get off the blood thinner 🤞

anyways... just here to say thank you for the feedback and you all were right and i'm so glad i changed my mind! 😊

 

Glad to hear it. It was the only thing that helped my mother. The attempts to control it with medication were horrible. The medication turned her into a Jack Nicholson in Cuckoo character. We kids were against it because it is an invasive procedure, but she insisted and we were so grateful. The first one lasted about 10 years, the second for another 2-3 until she didn’t need her heart anymore. 

My mother went for an ablation a few years ago and they missed and basically stabbed a hole in her heart muscle. Whoops. They fixed it but then couldn’t do the ablation.

Not good.

On 9/1/2023 at 6:57 PM, tbone_ said:

Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good.

 

pussy tastes good too 

On 8/28/2024 at 7:26 PM, Scheiss Meister said:

Test said negative and it's already easing up, so hopefully it isn't Covid.  But I'll stay paranoid, just in case.

Get over yours quickly!

Prednisone is a helluva drug (if you need it). Don’t fuck around with a true chest “cold” … 

6 hours ago, troph said:

Prednisone is a helluva drug (if you need it). Don’t fuck around with a true chest “cold” … 

Sage advice.  I'm now at the sniffles and scratchy throat "when is this shit going to finally let go?" stage.  Almost, but not quite, finished.

9 hours ago, tbone_ said:

My mother went for an ablation a few years ago and they missed and basically stabbed a hole in her heart muscle. Whoops. They fixed it but then couldn’t do the ablation.

Not good.

Complications happen, even with the most basic of procedures.  Just like any other medical procedure, do some homework and find a physician who is really good at it and has done it a lot (assuming we aren't talking some breakthrough new procedure).  For something like A-Fib, there are alternatives, but you may or may not feel like shit with those alternatives.  If you do, look into ablation.  Just go to someone that has done 3-4 per week for years, not someone that has done 3 or 4.

3 hours ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Sage advice.  I'm now at the sniffles and scratchy throat "when is this shit going to finally let go?" stage.  Almost, but not quite, finished.

That’s good. Honestly sounds like it was Covid. A fucking wicked virus. 

I had three doctor's visits last week.

One was a follow-up visit with an ENT as I recently had a tube put into my left ear to relieve pressure when I fly.  The ear has intermittently given me problems regulating the pressure through the years.  While there they performed a hearing test.  I had some hearing loss that is attributed to "age".

A second visit was to a dermatologist.  I recently had a spot show up on my forearm.  The said that it was benign and that it was an "age" spot.

On a positive note I had my annual physical.  I found out by the physical exam and survey that I have the health of someone two years younger than my actual age.  

 Chest CT scan (post Covid check up) came back holy shit they look at everything - heart, lungs, soft tissues, areas around the lungs and heart, coronaries, major arteries and vessels. All clear all good. Still waiting for post Covid asthma to clear up - slowly but surely it seems. Two minor things no follow up required. “Mild” plaque build up in the coronaries. Did some googles, totally normal, but very clear my mortality is peaking at me around the corner. 

once upon a time in my 30s the distant future was my 50s and for most of us we assumed our 50s would be healthy if not “old” now our future is our 70s and there’s nothing guaranteed about that. Sobering.

I guess I’ll keep up the exercise and good eating. I’ll never look at a slice of pepperoni pizza as a friend again.  

Edited by troph

2 hours ago, troph said:

“Mild” plaque build up in the coronaries

Statins are your friend.

1 hour ago, RPM said:

Statins are your friend.

I'd prefer to handle it with diet and exercise. and I think that's historical from my 20s and 30s. my blood work has come back really clean the couple of years (and I just had it drawn again this morning).

Edited by troph

it's not the pizza so much as it's your genes, followed by alcohol.

Public service announcement for any guy nearing ~55 or older. Roughly half of men get enlarged prostates. For a significant portion of those, it can interfere with your urinary flow. Pay attention to that. If it seems like you aren’t peeing right go see a urologist. Do not wait. If you treat early it’s not that difficult. If you wait, you could wake up one night and find yourself in the emergency room and months of hell. I got treated early and fast, but have seen scores of stories of dudes with a miserable several months trying to address the issue, with some bigger damage. Not something to eff around with. Seriously. 

1 minute ago, Dbeasy said:

Public service announcement for any guy nearing ~55 or older. Roughly half of men get enlarged prostates. For a significant portion of those, it can interfere with your urinary flow. Pay attention to that. If it seems like you aren’t peeing right go see a urologist. Do not wait. If you treat early it’s not that difficult. If you wait, you could wake up one night and find yourself in the emergency room and months of hell. I got treated early and fast, but have seen scores of stories of dudes with a miserable several months trying to address the issue, with some bigger damage. Not something to eff around with. Seriously. 

Upthread is my horrific experience with a prostate infection, including the nurse jamming a catheter through the prostate that was so infected it had cut off the urinary tract. It was like a red-hot piece of barbed wire pushed through my pee hole. I was already on morphine and I screamed like a little girl. 
 

Agreed, don’t mess around. 

31 minutes ago, nnm said:

Upthread is my horrific experience with a prostate infection, including the nurse jamming a catheter through the prostate that was so infected it had cut off the urinary tract. It was like a red-hot piece of barbed wire pushed through my pee hole. I was already on morphine and I screamed like a little girl. 
 

Agreed, don’t mess around. 

But, I mean, you make it sound so FUN.

1 hour ago, wd40 said:

it's not the pizza so much as it's your genes, followed by alcohol.

genes are proving to be ok (neither dad nor mom have had a heart attack and are 81/76). Dad did have some work done a few years back. I continue to reduce my alcohol consumption so that's good. After that it really is diet and exercise. well and quit chain smoking. but I use essential oils to mask the smell of cigarrettes and the oils are absorbed and are essential so I'm all good.

genes are proving to be ok (neither dad nor mom have had a heart attack and are 81/76). Dad did have some work done a few years back. I continue to reduce my alcohol consumption so that's good. After that it really is diet and exercise. well and quit chain smoking. but I use essential oils to mask the smell of cigarrettes and the oils are absorbed and are essential so I'm all good.

Fuck yeah?
29 minutes ago, tigol said:


Fuck yeah?

just a dig at my mom. I was driving to the airport to pick up my honey last night and had to call my best friend to just RANT about my mom and her supplements and essential oils so I wouldn't inundate my wife the second she got in the car. So my mom had just sent me some shit about whatever the heck supplement I had to take. mind you she also came over the other day to watch the CSU game and had swam in "peace and calming" essential oil. She was like pig pen from the Peanuts but instead of a filth cloud it was an essential oils cloud. I'm still pretty fragile from covid (grrrr) but I'm good unless I trip over a trigger (weather, stress, food, alcohol, fragrance, etc.) and sure as shit, her essential oils stench triggered me. Had to take 50 mg of antihistamines to block it, took the entire first half to reverse the allergic reaction and I was ok. When she asked if she was the trigger, I simply said, "yeah, your essential oil fragrance is too much" and she replied, "but it's peace and calming". I'm like I know you think that is the key to peace in gaza, everyone use your essential oils and it will all be okay but yeah, they aren't the answer to everything mom. That was just the thought in my head.

so no I don't smoke and no I don't use essential oils. I fucking hate them, even if they do have some incremental benefit.

don't get me started on her 5G blocking necklace which is why she can switch from Spectrum cable to AT&T wifi streaming.

I'll on statins once diet and exercise stops working, for now everything seems to be fine even without peace and calming and what I have built up is from a life time ago. go figure.

ugh (getting old (watching your folks get even older) sucks).

 

@RPM I've met my deductible this year, so I may go ahead and get a cardiac consult (I see statins can be prescribed now as preventative even with low cholesterol) and possibly a stress test but I want to emphasis I'm almost 50 and google says everyone has some plaque. there was no guidance to follow up or even to monitor it. just that it's mild which is to say not none. I'm not surprised.

Edited by troph

7 hours ago, troph said:

I’ll never look at a slice of pepperoni pizza as a friend again.  


 

 

10 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

NOT FUCKING SAFE FOR WORK

 

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Who among us has never heard her (whoever she is) scream "FUCK ME! FUCK ME LIKE AN ANIMAL!" or the like?

Secondarily, perhaps a more specific substitute for "an animal", such as [REDACTED].

  • Popular Post

I don't know if this would make a good different thread, or if the discussion will be short enough to kinda get everyone's input. I was thinking about James Earl Jones, tonight, dying at age 93. To me, the guy not only had a full life, but even more.

I've always kinda viewed death in several categories, by age:

0-30 - Absolutely tragic. The more tragic the earlier it happened.

40-55 - Horrible. Possibly left young children. Not there for college expenses.

56-65 - You got jobbed. Paid in all those years, and SS doesn't even give your spouse $250.

65-78 - You can complain to management about your genetics, but that's about it. You were either low mileage, and garage kept, or a 35k a mile/year commuter that hit the salvage yard in an eighth of the time. 

78-86 - You made it. Relish every day.

86-99 - Do you need more relish?

100-100+ - What did you do to have been cursed enough to have to walk this Earth so long. 

CHIEF

If I had known I'd live this long, the 70's and 80's would have been MUCH different.

If I had known I'd live this long, the 70's and 80's would have been MUCH different.

I’m truly surprised I’m still alive when I think back on certain aspects and events of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
1 hour ago, RPM said:

If I had known I'd live this long, the 70's and 80's would have been MUCH different.

Doing things different in the 70s and 80s may not have yielded living this long.

18 hours ago, CHIEF said:

I don't know if this would make a good different thread, or if the discussion will be short enough to kinda get everyone's input. I was thinking about James Earl Jones, tonight, dying at age 93. To me, the guy not only had a full life, but even more.

I've always kinda viewed death in several categories, by age:

0-30 - Absolutely tragic. The more tragic the earlier it happened.

40-55 - Horrible. Possibly left young children. Not there for college expenses.

56-65 - You got jobbed. Paid in all those years, and SS doesn't even give your spouse $250.

65-78 - You can complain to management about your genetics, but that's about it. You were either low mileage, and garage kept, or a 35k a mile/year commuter that hit the salvage yard in an eighth of the time. 

78-86 - You made it. Relish every day.

86-99 - Do you need more relish?

100-100+ - What did you do to have been cursed enough to have to walk this Earth so long. 

CHIEF

Made it.

 

Fractured my wrist this morning playing goalie in a pickup soccer game blocking a point blank shot from a 20 year old. Wife is not happy lol. More chores for her.

11 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

Wife is not happy lol. More chores for her.


Well, it’s not going to stroke itself. 

Dog woke me up to pee 3:00 Friday night. Missed first step going out of rv. Trip to Huntsville Memorial hospital 50 years after motorcycle accident stay of 26 days.IMG_20240916_061251.thumb.jpg.29acde3cf0c1634a41df0b808d56a003.jpg

That sounds more like Getting Clumsy Sucks.  Is the old connection just that your trips to the ER are not for as cool a reason as back in the day?

3 hours ago, CycleTex87 said:

Spoiler that crap.

Yep, did not need to see that.

image.jpeg.7b993eddf69d6df775fe761bed55b219.jpeg

I’m 45.5yo.  Do I really need a camera up my butt, or is this just an ass/cash grab?

I’m 45.5yo.  Do I really need a camera up my butt,


Yes.
3 hours ago, Elvis said:

I’m 45.5yo.  Do I really need a camera up my butt, or is this just an ass/cash grab?

Like you haven’t had other things up your butt… we’ve seen your thread. 

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