I JUST CAN'T WIN

Prayers for you Mark just don't seem enough. Next step is lighting a candle. Have to be at the church in the AM for the Festival they have every year. I will light one for you then. Good Luck my friend.

"Bill"
 
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A little update. When you have an aortic aneurysm such as I have, high blood pressure is a bad thing because it puts stress on the aneurysm. Too much pressure could contribute to it bursting causing almost instant death. I take blood pressure medication to keep the pressure on the low side of normal, around 110/65. Well ....... my medicine stopped working for some reason. It has no effect on my blood pressure any more. My pressure is 164/98 :eek 2:. This is not good. I do not know what is going to happen or what they will do about it yet.
 
Try to use your own brain to slow down the build up of pressure. Just totally relax and kind of concentrate but at nothing . You can control your heart rate it's a muscle in your body . If you feel tense just make yourself relax slow your breathing and just be still . It takes time but you can do it. It's a meditation method. I use to love to make my heart rate change when they would listen drs I mean. I would bet the vitamins and antibiotics plus being sick has changed your body now they have to figure what will work for you all over . I'm still praying in fact I've been up all night lots of things on my plate I can't do now that need fixing. Have just found out there's cats livin in a shed outback need to chase them and block them out. Deck on the house needs new boards and rebuild one . The washer stopped working needs a cycling motor or valve. But here I lay on my big fat bum waiting watching another year of my life go to the crapper.
 
The last year has been a bad year and I am about ready to just give up.
It started with the surgery to install a spinal cord stimulator. A month later, I get a staff infection on my spine at the site of the incision. This created another surgery to remove the device and clean out the infection. This then lays me up for two months with a PIC line and antibiotics by IV twice a day and a nurse coming daily to pack the open incision until it closes. Meanwhile I'm not aloud to do anything. This took three months of my life I can't get back. Then two months later, I get violently sick and spend a whole month in bed until they finally figured out I had contracted C-diff infection, most likely from the massive doses of Vancomycin to kill the staff infection weakening my ability to fight it.. So I have to take another antibiotic to kill that infection. Next for two months I am too exhausted to function. They attribute this to the C-DIFF infection and I am given large doses of vitamins by injection every day for two weeks to counteract the exhaustion.
After this I am finally feeling half decent and can get back to living and trying to get into my shop.
Then my favorite dog dies from congestive heart failure about a week ago.
Well ...... the doctor called today. They do a yearly CT scan to check my ascending aortic aneurysm which they did last Friday. It seems my aneurysm has grown. It was stable for the last 9 years but is now getting worse. I have to go talk to the vascular surgeon about options and when and if intervention is required. The surgery to replace the aortic arch that comes from the heart is risky and dangerous at best. The mortality rate is poor.

Seems I can't catch a break this year. The only thing that keeps me going is, I can look around and there is always someone worse off than me. I will keep plugging away and hope to beat this too. God's will will be done either way.
Keep your chin up Mark, we're all pulling for you.

Bruce
 
Today my doctor said the vascular surgeon wants to refer me to a thoracic surgeon 100 miles away in Pittsburgh. I hope they get it set up soon as I am worried. They couldn't or wouldn't explain if I need intervention on this or if it can wait longer. I do know they won't do anything until it is absolutely necessary. So for now I wait.
 
Thoughts and prayers are with you Mark. Went thru a really rough patch like yours in 2013. Try to keep a positive attitude - it helps immensely. Have you looked into the Cleveland Clinic? Some of the best doctors in the country. Try to find a surgeon that does a lot of the same procedures you need - experienced Dr's make a lot of difference.
 
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