Closer To My Heart

It has officially been one week since I returned home from a 6 day, 5 night stay in Parkview Regional Med Center for a deadly high blood pressure. A combo of ignorance on my part and a healthy dose of work-related stress brought me to a staggeringly 220/180 BP. That’s stroke alley right there, and yet somehow my ridiculous body somehow adjusted to those high numbers and just kept me under the impression that what I was feeling was stress-related symptoms. Of course I did the “Dr. Google” thing and chose to accept every other option except for the scariest one, that my heart was failing.

Now when you hear a doctor tell you that you are in heart failure, that’s a frightening moment. I was thinking I was in there for a thyroid condition, not that my heart was getting ready to check out. How could that be? That doesn’t make sense. Well, when you don’t regularly check your BP, or go get yearly check-ups you’re pretty much just playing Russian Roulette with your health. I know many of you get that. I get that now.

After a week of different meds and lots and lots of Lasix I walked out of the hospital on my own with no breathing problems and a whole new lease on life. They pared down the meds to around 6 or so, and when I met with the cardiologist on Tuesday morning he cut one of the dosages in half for one, and doubled the dosage for another, and today I started a new one that is supposed to be great for cardiovascular health. Might even help me shave a few more pounds off. I’ve evened out at 208 lbs, which I haven’t been that weight since high school. And when you think that two weeks ago tomorrow I weighed in at the ER at 272 lbs, well I was literally drowning.

As far as I know I won’t be returning to work till a week from next Tuesday, the 28th. Next week I’ve got a blood draw, as well as video appt with the psychologist I met with a couple weeks ago. Probably to go over how the Prozac is doing. I’ll have quite a bit to report.

We are also seeing Wilco perform in Fort Wayne at the Clyde Theater. First time they’ve performed in the Fort, so my wife and I are very excited for that show. And then Friday and Saturday my wife and I are staying at the Oakwood Resort in Syracuse for my wife’s birthday. Her 52nd. Our daughter works there and was able to get us a really nice suite at a great price. We’re very much looking forward to that, and I suppose we’ll have a lot more to celebrate on this birthday.

Guys, I’m just glad to be here. I’m glad I went in when I did(but wish I’d gone a bit sooner) as I don’t think the old ticker had a whole lot more of time before it’d had enough. The meds are doing their job, as my BP has been excellent pretty much since I got home. The cardiologist was pleased with the numbers and feels my heart could make a full recovery. I’ve got a road ahead of me, but I think I’ve got everything I need to travel it. I’m excited again about exercise, hiking, our vacation in the Upper Peninsula at the beginning of August, and despite how I lost it I’m ecstatic about being down below 210 lbs. An opportunity I won’t waste.

Saturday is RSD 2026. Are you going, or have you given up on it? I’m going to go just because I want to support my local shop, but I don’t think it has quite the spirit behind it that it did 10 years ago. Still, there’s jazz records I’m interested in and I’ll always support indie record shops. My oldest is going as well. They’ll be hitting Luna Music in Indy around noon, right when the live music and the hot dog cart arrives. Vinyl, live music, and hot dogs. What else could you ask for?

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I’m grateful to still be here, and with a new lease on life. I’m listening to my heart, both literally and figuratively. It’s my lifeline, and the pump in my chest that keeps me moving, living, breathing, and excited for what’s up ahead. I took that muscle for granted for a very long time, but not anymore. Going to stay close to my heart from here on out. We’re a team, my heart and I. We have so much more to accomplish together.