The title of this blog is the question my friend Wilene asked after I posted some information about my Cardiac Heart Scan….
Yes, I am better than I was three years ago.
Honestly, I feel better than I have been most of my ‘adult’ life.
I no longer avoid, mowing the yard, running 13 or more miles in one morning, I am not afraid of a STRESS TEST, in fact I may see about scheduling one and check THOSE NUMBERS.
Yesterday in heavy traffic, during heavy rain in the early ‘rush hour’ in the Express Lanes of Hwy 121, I never felt the heaviness and pain in my heart like I did prior to my By Pass in 2015. In those days, stressful traffic would cause chest pains and difficult breathing as the Heart Disease progressed.
I am not afraid to ‘do’ anything now. I may try to ‘do’ what ever with a bit of wisdom and judicious care, but I would jump out of a airplane with a parachute and I might even try a bungee jump… or for sure ride a big scary Roller Coaster.
The only thing prohibiting a lot of things these days is finances.
You see, 3 years ago before the Heart Attack and Surgery, just THINKING about those things would cause a pain, heaviness, and uncomfortable presence in my body…. and my mind.
But the more I do since the Surgery, the MORE I realize HOW MUCH BETTER I AM, than before Surgery and LIFESTYLE Change (Whole Food Plant Based No Oil).
I could go on about how much better I am and on several subjects, but Betty has suggested some things are just not proper subject material for Gentlemen and Ladies so I leave that where it is and move on….
Just a few days ago my Annual Blood Test came back wonderful, even on the results of B-12, Calcium Levels, Vitamin D, and the other indicators that people ‘like me’ should(?) be suffering with….
My Cholesterol was improved 31 points over last years results.
My Doctor said he wasn’t even sure the use of Statin Drugs could get those results, or would be of any benefit to me, and could possible cause ME more harm than be of use… and that if I wanted to continue my current Nutritional/Exercise Endeavors, he gives his ‘blessings’ and can’t wait to see me NEXT YEAR.
So I go yesterday get a Cardiac Calcium CT Scan Score Exam. I paid out of pocket $49 through a Groupon offer.
Oh I had to drive 98 miles one way to get it done, but i am glad I did. I plan to have another one in a year. Even with out a Groupon deal. ( Currently, the test can cost between $100- $250)
But the numbers startled me ! It showed a level of Calcium blocking the arteries around my Heart at a level GREATER than 98% the average person in my ‘group’ (age and gender).
Like the Doctor told me when I was handed the test results, “… what did you expect? You already KNEW you had Heart Disease!”
So, nothing new.
It was shocking though to see the amount of blockage.
I am pretty sure these are the arteries that came on the Heart, and this level of blockage is not an indication of the condition of the 3 by passes grafted onto the clogged arteries during the surgery.
I need to know more.
One result for certain, I have a ‘new’ perspective on life since yesterday.
My limited time on this earth has been brought back before my eyes for sure.
Crap y’all, that is some MAJOR BLOCKAGE around that Heart! How close did I come to just dropping dead when ‘ the attack’ began October 1, 2015?
Wow!
I assure you, dear reader, that I feel like Superman since the Surgery. I enjoy eating the Whole Food Plant Based NO OIL Delights I have been eating since coming home from the hospital. It is a pleasure to average 20-25 miles a week running in the beauty of a morning. (Something I HAVE NEVER DONE till my 63rd year of life).
It is a joy to mow the yard (almost a 2 mile walk when completed pushing a NON SELF PROPELLED MOWER ) and never having to stop because of chest pains and shortness of breath.
It is a joy to take the deepest breath, hold it, and slowly release it and never go into spasms of coughing like I did when I was a DUMBASS SMOKER of almost two packs a day, taking away 7 minutes of my life with each Cancer Stick I smoked.
What a fool I was.
Your a FOOL, if you are doing it now…. but, you already know that don’t you?
I now know, that NOTHING FEELS AS GOOD, as HEALTHY FEELS.
Damn Y’all …. this scan shows a massive amount of damage and injury I did to my self for 60 years.
This Scan has performed it’s intended purpose. I have concrete evidence to use from here out, to compare a baseline to future “… progression or REGRESSION of disease, and effectiveness of treatment administered “.
Sure, I had hoped the results would have shown no damage, but it is what it is.
I intend to learn everything I can about all this, and share it with anyone who cares to follow this journey in my life.
I hope someone will be encouraged to stop injuring their self, and chose to follow a wiser lifestyle.
Every bite you take will give health to your body, or it will cause injury. There is just no in between.
Am I ‘in trouble’ because of what I see in this report?
Well, YEAH!
But, no more than I have been for these days since the Surgery.
I am more acutely aware of that danger than I was though.
Here is the ‘PLAN’ ….
Live life, like I was dying. But hey, we all are dying, right? Live in the moment.
Take responsibility for my Health. I do not need to delegate that to a pill or anyone else.
Learn more about my situation/condition, and the realistic expectations of all involving the By Pass, and possibilities of life after this Surgery. Then redefine possibilities.
Be grateful.
Tame my impulse to ‘react’ to the situations I encounter everyday, and instead, respond with consideration of the facts at hand.
I could go on… …
One of the most profitable events in my life is a relationship I have had about 21 years with Betty.
She is totally opposite from me in many areas. It is a miracle we have not killed each other these last 21 years.
A couple of weeks ago she said something to me that has changed me and my way of dealing with things in life ….. like a awful calcium deposit scan report.
After I had been reacting to a situation I didn’t ‘like’ … ranting, raging, pontificating … she waited for a break in the DRAMA I was performing …. and said…..
” Ray, we are doing the best we can. At this time, that is all we can do, and we can be happy with that…”.
Later that morning while on a run, I considered what she had said, and the validity of what she said finally hit me like a brick.
These last three years since my Surgery, I have been doing the best I can, and can be happy with that.
When ‘the facts’ change, and I ‘hear’ them, then I will do different.
After reading the report from start to finish, and hearing from someone who stated there is the possibility these numbers are the current status of the arteries that were BY PASSED, then don’t get all crazy with the awful numbers.
Yea, I still need to talk to a trained professional to explain what this report means to me.
But as much as I am dying today, I have so much more ability to enjoy life than I have ever had before.
I plan to do just that!
I am not going to change the crazy idea of hosting The 110 and Beyond Marathon 2065 for my 110th Birthday Celebration.
Don’t just DO something ‘impossible’ y’all, redefine impossible.
(more later)
oldmanskinandbones.com
[ this blog is going to be published now, and I am not sending it to my Proofer , www.TheCraftyProofer Consider using her services if you need a work ‘proofed’. She does great work, and can save you from appearing as a abuser of the English language.]