The most boring post – ever.
Mostly, when folks start banging on, and on, and on about ‘their’ medical matters; I switch off after a polite listening period – seriously, it gets tedious. However, I am determined to try and get a message out to my ‘comrades in exile’ as it were.
It is nearly a 12 month now since my adventure with the big zipper. Happily, my medical is restored and life can go back to normal. But I need not have been on an enforced holiday.
“Surgery or a coffin” were the two options my good friend and eminent cardiologist offered. “Christ man” says I – “I’ve hardly had a sick day (out of the ordinary) in my life, no chest pains, nothing; fit as the butchers dog”. Two days before that pronouncement, I’d been humping 3.6 meter long 4x2’s up three stories to a roof on a mates place and then pitched his new roof; weary at the end of an eight hours stint of hard graft, but good to go next day.
Well, it seems that my ‘blockage’ was a potential killer which had very craftily built up over a number of years. The amazing thing (which blew me away) is that the body had built it’s very own by-pass around it, which kept the hydraulics running. Stunning, amazing, awesome, etc. In retrospect, the give away was – wait for it – weight loss. Ayup, since the age of about 21, I have always weighed in at X, which for my height, is spot on. The day of the operation, I was exactly 14 Kilo’s lighter. Why? I asked the guru. It seems your body, when it needs to reduce your weight to balance the ability of your ticker, has no use for ‘fat’. It burns muscle. I know not quite technically nice, but it will suffice for the moment. Took a month of hard work to regain that muscle (and regrow my fur).
The point of this self indulgent post is simplicity itself. Not on my worst enemy would I wish the first few moments of ‘waking’ after the zipper op; it is, truly unpleasant. Had I known 10 years ago, that which I now know, I would have happily spent the brass to have an ‘angiogram. One at 50, another at 55 and the need for surgery, four miserable days in a hospital bed and a six month lay off could have been avoided. Prevention being better etc…
The Avmed system caught it before the grim reaper sprung his carefully baited trap, thank you. But, had I been more health savvy, then there would be little need to trouble anyone. Please, just think about chaps (and chapesses), a stich in time etc…..
It has ended well for me, excellent recovery and medical restored; but, if I had the time again, I’d make bloody certain all was as well as I believed it was.
Avmed have been great, there is one small criticism; no, scratch that, wrong word. I shall re phrase. It would be most helpful to both Avmed and the ‘applicant’ if there was a published checklist of the paper-work required. Along the lines of – you fell off your skateboard and busted your leg: cool; to reinstate your medical CASA requires X, Y and Z. Avmed have protocols to follow, this is understandable. You need to meet those by sourcing the documentation required. Easy as, provided you know what they need; long, slow process if you don’t.
Anyway, all's well that ends well; but seriously, don’t mess about, get the gold star check up – early.
That’s the end of this saga - #1 son has two fresh Ales pulled, one awaiting my attention; best I shut up and sup up.
Cheers.
Mostly, when folks start banging on, and on, and on about ‘their’ medical matters; I switch off after a polite listening period – seriously, it gets tedious. However, I am determined to try and get a message out to my ‘comrades in exile’ as it were.
It is nearly a 12 month now since my adventure with the big zipper. Happily, my medical is restored and life can go back to normal. But I need not have been on an enforced holiday.
“Surgery or a coffin” were the two options my good friend and eminent cardiologist offered. “Christ man” says I – “I’ve hardly had a sick day (out of the ordinary) in my life, no chest pains, nothing; fit as the butchers dog”. Two days before that pronouncement, I’d been humping 3.6 meter long 4x2’s up three stories to a roof on a mates place and then pitched his new roof; weary at the end of an eight hours stint of hard graft, but good to go next day.
Well, it seems that my ‘blockage’ was a potential killer which had very craftily built up over a number of years. The amazing thing (which blew me away) is that the body had built it’s very own by-pass around it, which kept the hydraulics running. Stunning, amazing, awesome, etc. In retrospect, the give away was – wait for it – weight loss. Ayup, since the age of about 21, I have always weighed in at X, which for my height, is spot on. The day of the operation, I was exactly 14 Kilo’s lighter. Why? I asked the guru. It seems your body, when it needs to reduce your weight to balance the ability of your ticker, has no use for ‘fat’. It burns muscle. I know not quite technically nice, but it will suffice for the moment. Took a month of hard work to regain that muscle (and regrow my fur).
The point of this self indulgent post is simplicity itself. Not on my worst enemy would I wish the first few moments of ‘waking’ after the zipper op; it is, truly unpleasant. Had I known 10 years ago, that which I now know, I would have happily spent the brass to have an ‘angiogram. One at 50, another at 55 and the need for surgery, four miserable days in a hospital bed and a six month lay off could have been avoided. Prevention being better etc…
The Avmed system caught it before the grim reaper sprung his carefully baited trap, thank you. But, had I been more health savvy, then there would be little need to trouble anyone. Please, just think about chaps (and chapesses), a stich in time etc…..
It has ended well for me, excellent recovery and medical restored; but, if I had the time again, I’d make bloody certain all was as well as I believed it was.
Avmed have been great, there is one small criticism; no, scratch that, wrong word. I shall re phrase. It would be most helpful to both Avmed and the ‘applicant’ if there was a published checklist of the paper-work required. Along the lines of – you fell off your skateboard and busted your leg: cool; to reinstate your medical CASA requires X, Y and Z. Avmed have protocols to follow, this is understandable. You need to meet those by sourcing the documentation required. Easy as, provided you know what they need; long, slow process if you don’t.
Anyway, all's well that ends well; but seriously, don’t mess about, get the gold star check up – early.
That’s the end of this saga - #1 son has two fresh Ales pulled, one awaiting my attention; best I shut up and sup up.
Cheers.