Friday, February 12, 2010

Hoping Cliff's ticker continues to do well

I don't think much about Cliff's four-way heart bypass surgery, these days; it will be four years in April since he underwent the procedure.  He works four days a week; he enjoys life.  Except for the trip to the doctor every three months, our lives are just like they were before.  
And then I saw that President Clinton was admitted to a hospital with chest pains and had stents put in the following day.  
I started googling to see just how long it had been since he had his four-way heart bypass, because... should this be happening to him?  Might it happen to Cliff?  
A doctor at Johns Hopkins said, "It's not all that unusual six years out from bypass surgery to require such a procedure."
I was quite happy not thinking about such things.  I quit looking up the survival statistics long ago.  
Thanks a lot, Mr. Clinton.  Now I'm depressed.  
Maybe this will keep us on track with our diet.  
Cliff's younger sister called the other day, concerned by my occasional mention of a "bucket list".
She asked, "Is there something you're not telling me?"    
Yeah, I'm sixty-five years old!  But I thought she knew that.    
There's a feeling we have that there isn't that much time to do things we want to do; especially concerning the Gold Wing, because we both know that if we live for another ten years, we'll probably be giving the motorcycle up.  
And of course, financial considerations will eventually stop a lot of the fun things we do now.  Cliff won't always be able to hold down a job.
So there you have it, Charlene.  That's why we have a bucket list.

10 comments:

  1. Lindie9:37 AM

    I think I had my quad bypass in 02 and I am still doing ok. Strange I can't remember the year! And I only see my doctor every 6 months. Medicine keeps improving and we are a lot luckier than our fathers! :)

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  2. Lindie, the only reason for the every-three-months doctor visit is the Lipitor, which can hurt the liver.

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  3. CityBoy has 2 stents.....he got them when he had a heart attack 8 years ago....eveything is still A OK....
    I need to make a bucket list!!.....first thing would be "buy a snow plow!!"

    Stay safe and warm.....LindaMay

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  4. No need to be depressed...Cliff is just fine today and we don't need to spoil our todays by worrying about tomorrow. Just treasure the todays. I agree about age and finances changing what we're able to do, It was a tough decision for me to retire and hope to live on my social security checks. We'll see...

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  5. No doubt that Cliff leads a better lifestyle than Mr. Hillary. I hear interns are a leading cause of heart attacks.

    Take that ride this summer!

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  6. Anonymous12:19 PM

    ENJOY EACH DAY AND OF COURSE THANK GOD FOR IT AND FOR WHAT WE HAVE.
    THERE MAY BE QUITE A FEW MORE YEARS TO GO. sam

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  7. There is no reason that the bypasses won't continue to work perfectly fine for quite a while as long as high cholesterol is kept under control. You two need to do as much as you can for as long as you can. And do it with gusto!

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  8. Pap's story should encourage you-he had a triple bypass in his 40s and worked like a 20 year old until his late 60s-I mean throwing plywood onto roofs for my husband to screw them in place. He did have a stint in his late 60s-but after that he has done great. Recently he has developed some pain-and as a matter of fact-he had a heart cath yesterday to check and see if there was another blockage-he does have some disease-but the 3 bypasses from over 20 years ago are clear and working. So Cliff may be like Pap instead of like Clinton : )

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  9. I think everyone should have a bucket list. I do and there are still quite a few things on it left to do. You and Cliff seem to be very diligent about your health so you should have many many years left!

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  10. Ah, yes -- the uncertainties that come with growing older. I knew that I wasn't invincible -- but I always believed that Hubby was. Until, of course, he wasn't. What a wake-up call that was. Though we have no "bucket list" we do still have dreams for the future. I fear being left all alone (no family left for either of us, really) and Hubby just doesn't ever want to "give up and give in" to the indighities of growing old (bad knees, high blood pressure, diabetes). And like your husband, I want (and need) to keep working for a while. So we all plod on . . . and keep hoping to feel good and have clear minds. Here's sending healthy vibes to Cliff's ticker. MGW

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