Back From the Cabbage Patch

[Jim Koepke]

Gosh you guys have been busy. I haven't been gone a whole week and it looks like new posts will run to the next page.

Steven mentioned a sore knee in a thread he started. My medical appointment was about something else all together. Our regular doctor recently left this world. Our new doctor was booked up for a while. My wife and I both had issues so we were scheduled to see an overflow doctor. She listened to my questions carefully, listened a bit to my chest and then scheduled me to see some specialists.

Some might know what CABG times 3 means.

For those who do not, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (three of them).

Just got home from that today. I recall being hit by a truck back in 1972 and waking up a few days later not being as painful. In the long run my recovery seems to be going better on this one.

jtk

[Christopher Charles]

Best of luck with your recovery! I'm a two time member of the "zipper club" (open heart) and it wasn't too bad in the end. Hope you find the same. Glad they caught it!

And Good to have you back.

[Stewie Simpson]

All the best with your recovery Jim, and take care.

Stewie;

[Frederick Skelly]

Glad you came through it ok Jim!
Get well soon.
Fred

[James Pallas]

Happy to hear your okay. It always better to have the doctors find your problem before the elephant does. Wishing you a swift recovery.
Jim

[george wilson]

Have a swift recovery. I have had a double bypass. Not sure when,but it was before I was 57. I hope they took your arteries out of your chest,and not from your leg.

[Pat Barry]

I was wondering why we hadn't heard from you for a while. I was picturing you on an exotic vacation somewhere :) Great to hear the operation went well for you. Years ago I went to a hospital for my work and spent a week watching various procedures. I was actually stunned by the number of folks who had to come back for a second bypass procedure. Fortunately, many of them got stents instead of the chest cracking the second time around. A couple year later (12 years ago now) I was in for a blocked artery but was lucky enough to get a stent. Best wishes for you and the other who have gone through this.

[Don Orr]

Glad to hear you did not end up like a cabbage. Best wished for a full recovery.

[Mel Fulks]

"Ya gotta have heart,all ya really need is heart,!"....glad parts are available ! Glad you're back ,time now for rest ,reflection ,and thanks.

[Ray Selinger]

Keep on ticking. Your contributions here are both knowledgeable and modestly expressed, a surprisingly rare combinations. So it's great news you're still kicking.

[steven c newman]

July of 2011, I had a heart attack at work ( A-Fib) and wound up getting a quad bypass. 10 week vacation that I'd rather NOT repeat. Thursday, I see a doctor about these old knees. Left one is acting up badly. Right one feels "neglected"...

Have you gotten out of the Cardio Rehab, yet?

[Dave Anderson NH]

Glad you came out fine Jim. Remember that every day is a good day..... some are just better than others. I've been told that it's best to stay on the green side of the grass.

[Bruce Haugen]

Good luck on your recovery, Jim. I've been down one of those roads, and partway down the other. I, too, got hit by a truck in the summer of '72 (without the benefit of a vehicle to protect me), and I ended up with a bunch of stents a few years back. No chest cracking for me, yet. Be sure to do the rehab religiously.

[Steve Beadle]

I sure hope you heal well and quickly, Jim. Something like that must make you thankful you're still alive and able to enjoy your grandchildren and your woodworking (soon, I hope!). A few years ago I had a "silent" heart attack. Didn't even know I had lost about 35 to 40 percent of my heart capacity (so they told me), but I recovered to low normal after a stent procedure. You take care, Jim, and follow the doctor's orders! I'd very much like to come up to Longview for a visit sometime. I'm not far away, here in Oregon City.

[Jeff Considine]

Zipper club member myself (5x). Glad you're doing well. Only advice I would offer is to take it easy while you're healing up - it took me the better part of a year to get back to my version of normal, but once there, it was fine. I made many changes to diet and lifestyle afterwards.

Glad you're back.

Jeff

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks all for the kind words and well wishes.


Have you gotten out of the Cardio Rehab, yet?

My impression from the doctors is I will be in Cardio Rehab for as long as I still want to live.


You take care, Jim, and follow the doctor's orders! I'd very much like to come up to Longview for a visit sometime. I'm not far away, here in Oregon City.

Steve, maybe in a few weeks when I can actually move around a bit more we can get together. One of my favorite anomalies with Oregon City is the highway signs that read Boring Oregon City.

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jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

Welcome home, Jim.

[Jebediah Eckert]

Speedy recovery Jim!

[Bill McNiel]

Jim,
I, too, was wondering where you were. Sad to find out you weren't on an extended rust hunt but happy the docs got to you in time.

I've had my share of surgeries over the last 5 years and have learned two things;
1) Don't rush your recovery. On one occasion I was scheduled for a 5-7 day hospital stay but checked myself out one day after surgery. This brilliant move delayed my recovery by at least a month and really pissed off my loving wife. Listen to your caregivers, for the most part they know what is best for your recovery.
2) Opioids suck. I have had great success using CBD, a cannabis extract without the high. Works really well for pain control and does not have the ugly opioid side effects or addiction issues.

Best wishes always - Bill

[Mike Henderson]

Sorry to hear about your surgery, Jim. I hope you recover quickly and completely.

Mike

[Stew Denton]

Jim,

Glad to hear you are on the mend! I didn't read the post last night, but did this morning at break time while having a cup of coffee, and said a prayer for you. Happy that you are back, and like the rest hadn't seen you for a while, and was wondering where you were.

God bless,

Stew

[Chris Parks]

I had open chest surgery for a non heart related problem and told one of the doctors that every medical student should experience it but he did not see the humour in that. Shortly afterwards he had to have heart surgery and now appreciates what it involves and can see what I meant.

[Patrick Chase]

I hadn't read this thread up until now... Yikes!

I'm glad to hear that it was caught the way it was, and that you're doing well. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

PS - My father in law had a similar experience at the doctors' office and ended up with a quintuple bypass, which is quite the accomplishment when you consider that there are only 4 coronary arteries (two of them merge into one, and he had blockages on all 3 arms of that "Y joint").

[Jerry Olexa]

Wondered where you were..... You were missed and hope you will have a speedy, full recovery...Your contributions to this forum mean much to many of us..Get well!!!

[paul cottingham]

Well. Glad to hear you are ok, and nice to hear I'm not the only one having seriously surgeries around here. Take care of yourself, Jim and listen to your Docs.

i can second the earlier comments about the effectiveness of CBD and THC oil for pain. Used in low doses and orally, I don't get a noticeable sensation, and the pain relief is very effective. As a recovering alcoholic (and drug user) I don't say this lightly, but it is a very effective (and safe) alternative to drugs. And I hated pot when I was using, so I'm not saying this lightly. Hopefully this doesn't violate some sort of rule.

[Tom Vanzant]

Welcome back Jim. As others have said, listen to your doctors and therapists, and listen to your body. Discomfort is OK, but pain is not, so don't overdo things. Pushing a plane is still a ways off!

[Patrick Chase]

Welcome back Jim. As others have said, listen to your doctors and therapists, and listen to your body. Discomfort is OK, but pain is not, so don't overdo things. Pushing a plane is still a ways off!

This may come across as nitpicky, but: Pain may or may not be OK depends on the context.

If you have classic chronic pain (pain that persists after the trauma has healed), then one of the keys to getting some control over the situation and reclaiming your life is recognizing that the pain is in fact OK. The second-worst thing you can do is to try to avoid all activities that cause pain, as that will turn you into an unemployed shut-in in record time (the worst thing you can do is try to medicate long-term chronic pain away).

Speaking as somebody who got clobbered by a moron in a pickup truck while riding his bike to work a while back...

[paul cottingham]

This may come across as nitpicky, but: Pain may or may not be OK depends on the context.

If you have classic chronic pain (pain that persists after the trauma has healed), then one of the keys to getting some control over the situation and reclaiming your life is recognizing that the pain is in fact OK. The second-worst thing you can do is to try to avoid all activities that cause pain, as that will turn you into an unemployed shut-in in record time (the worst thing you can do is try to medicate long-term chronic pain away).

Speaking as somebody who got clobbered by a moron in a pickup truck while riding his bike to work a while back...

I agree. I live with an absolute buttload of it every day. explains my sunny disposition :-) i was just making a friendly comment about an alternative to pain and narcotics.

[Charles Bjorgen]

Welcome back, Jim. I had my bypass back in February of 2010 and it went very well. I did about six months of cardio rehab and try to continue this work on a stationary bike in my basement. My previous miniature schnauzer died the previous fall and I waited through the medical stuff and finally rewarded myself with a new schnauzer pup about six months after the surgery. That's my son with Willy the day we picked him up at 10 weeks of age.
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The six month wait for the dog was to make certain I would have the energy to handle the responsibilities of a young pup.

[Paul Saffold]

Best wishes, Jim.

[Patrick Chase]

I agree. I live with an absolute buttload of it every day. explains my sunny disposition :-) i was just making a friendly comment about an alternative to pain and narcotics.

Same here. I suspect the tone of my posts correlates pretty well to how my neck is doing.

To be very clear, I was only replying to your comment about the meaning/significance of pain. I completely agree with your other post about non-FDA-approved medications, though so far I haven't gone there myself. Too much history from back in school that I'd rather not relive. I know others who do and for whom it works terrifically.

[paul cottingham]

Same here. I suspect the tone of my posts correlates pretty well to how my neck is doing.

To be very clear, I was only replying to your comment about the meaning/significance of pain. I completely agree with your other post about non-FDA-approved medications, though so far I haven't gone there myself. Too much history from back in school that I'd rather not relive. I know others who do and for whom it works terrifically.

yes, I avoided it for a very long time because of my history. Turns out I suffered needlessly. The stuff I use gives me no buzz (or so little I don't feel it, pretty amazing, considering how long it's been since I've felt a buzz!) at all, and relieves my pain very well. And it's legal in BC with a prescription. Cops in bc apparently don't get too worked up about pot anymore, at any rate.

[Bill McNiel]

yes, I avoided it for a very long time because of my history. Turns out I suffered needlessly. The stuff I use gives me no buzz (or so little I don't feel it, pretty amazing, considering how long it's been since I've felt a buzz!) at all, and relieves my pain very well. And it's legal in BC with a prescription. Cops in bc apparently don't get too worked up about pot anymore, at any rate.

In Washington you don't need a prescription anymore. CBD will not get you high but for a great many people it provides real pain relief. I am a big fan of CBD, especially for post surgery pain mitigation.

[Allan Ferguson]

I think that all has been said.

[Jim Koepke]

Again, thanks to all for your well wishes and prayers.


Speaking as somebody who got clobbered by a moron in a pickup truck while riding his bike to work a while back...

I was hit by a truck, while riding a bicycle, in 1972. Had a bad flip over the handlebars about a year later. Both have left me with chronic pain as have a few other injuries.

Most of the time I just work around it.

jtk

[Thomas L. Miller]

Jim,
Be patient! I had CABG x5 13 years ago. I thought that getting as active as possible as quickly as possible would speed recovery, the old "more is better" philosophy. That's where cardiac rehab made the difference. They deliberately slowed me down. It worked very well. It's really important. Best of luck with the recovery!
Regards,
Tom

[Mike Holbrook]

Interesting comments about pain management, drugs....I sort of came to the realization a while back that public advertising and spin often steer us wrong, in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. I decided I was ultimately responsible for my own health care. We may all stand the best chance of a healthier existence by learning to listen to our own bodies. A better diet and reasonable exercise, geared to each individuals physical needs, are probably still our best alternatives for improved health. So much has changed in the last decades in terms of what medical schools and research suggest. Good vs bad cholesterol, cholesterol may be necessary for brain function, as the brain is largely fat...inflammation as a major contributor to: heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's..high fat low carb, low sugar diets, natural organic substances that may out perform prescription drugs...

It may be hard to sift through the shaft but there is good info. out there. We just have to learn to sift through it for ourselves in relation to our own personal health. Good luck sifting Jim.

[Bill Houghton]

Glad to hear that you went to see the doctor! I hope your recovery will be smooth - be patient and determined at the same time. My experience, direct and indirect (I used to coordinate benefits programs at work, so talked with a lot of folks before and after surgeries), is that it takes about a year to recover from any major surgery. The doc/physical therapist will give you shorter timelines, and you can get to 90% sooner than that, but 100% requires a whole year, maybe even a little longer for REALLY major surgeries.

[paul cottingham]

I was back swimming 3 months after the neck surgery that almost killed me about 5 years ago. I'm really antsy right now, cause I can't swim, and it's driving me crazy.

Its weird, I hate swimming, but I'm good at it, and it keeps me fit. All that swimming (5-7 miles a day) when I was a kid wrecked my neck in three places destroyed one shoulder, and hurt one knee, (and I was a lucky one) but gave me a strong heart and a strong work ethic.