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It was a bit of a shock to hear that he's had to go into hospital. Thankfully it looks like he's aware enough of warning signs to be able to get help quickly, and the doctors are up to speed on his situation.
Anyway - all fingers are crossed, and I'm hoping for a speedy recovery.
BoringPostcards: I sent an email to her pointing to the twitter message. I'm not going to use my admin powers for evil and unblock her email address, but if anyone wants me to forward an email. send it to me, and I'll forward it on.
Ardiril, I don't know you very well but you strike me as a fighter and one heck of a guy. So fight, baby, tooth and claw, and know that you got a hella lot of friends here. (The teeny rah-rah sound is me, coming at ya from the bum of the world!)
I think TPS mefimailed Melismata not long after the Ardiril's tweet, too.
So relieved to read the latest tweet, thanks chrismear! Get better Ardiril, you're in our thoughts.
Whew... well, he sounds completely wrung out, but is back at home. Yay!
He said he was having a persistent chest pain that would not stop, and in the past that's been his sign of a heart attack about to happen. He said the hospital treated him with nitro spray and something else (I forget what) and eventually felt that they'd gotten him out of the woods. He's had no sleep since Saturday night, so he sounds really worn out, but seems to be handling the situation with his usual mix of resolve and humor. :)
Once he calls and cancels the rehab session he was supposed to have today, he's going to crash in bed and try to get over this, so he said to tell everybody here and on Twitter "Thanks" for the well-wishes.
Oh dear; rest up well, Ardiril. You'll be close to my thoughts here all week. Please continue to get better, and let us know how you're feeling if you can. Big hugs for you and yours.
Sorry, but whoever had 4/20/09 in the Ardiril Death Watch Pool?! YOU LOST!!!
I don't know what happened. I have all my usual chest pains cataloged and have a fair idea what activities spur them. Last night, though, I had two new ones and my battery of home treatments -- a cycling through nitro, aspirin, deep breathing, etc. every 5 to 10 minutes -- did nothing. At that point, the only option left is making that dreaded call for an ambulance. I managed to pack all my meds, a book to read and some trail mix (hospital food is the yuck) before making The Trip. The oxygen and IV blood thinners reversed the course. The only thing left is picking up a prescription (potassium was critically low from the new diuretic and probably the harbinger to last night's episode) and calling my cardiologist for a follow-up.
I slept all day but still feel pretty drained, more from the lack of sleep than the events themselves.
Thanks for the kind words and tweets.
Q: Why did the cardiac patient not cross the road?
A: It was too early to get to the other side. ;-P
Well into the 20th century, the only treatment for a heart attack was bedrest, Roosevelt in Colorado for example. Even the MONA protocol (morphine, oxygen, nitro, aspirin) seems to be relatively recent, although all four have been long available. I survive these cardiac blasts because my bloodstream is permanently awash with various medications, and I'm lucky as hell.
Don't be misled though. Too many people my age, 50, and younger will die too soon because they ignored their symptoms for far too long and lack the training to recognize the onset of a severe episode and survive until the ambulance arrives. These things are sneaky bastards too, cuz a person can sleep right through the entire episode and die without ever waking.
That probably scares me more than anything; when I go, I want to be awake. You just don't get to rewind this moment of your life if it catches you napping.
Ardiril, your resilience and humor in the face of crisis is impressive. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts, and looking forward to more news of your healing. Take care!