I'm committed to this. Don't try to talk me out of it. In a week, I've arranged to be killed.

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Relax. Only for a little while.
.
.
.
Some of you know that I've been having some pretty serious heart issues... the
most recent and troubling of which is aortic stenosis -- a major constriction
of one of my aortic heart valves. My blood flow is down (and the oxygen that
comes with it), so I get REALLY short-of-breath quickly. The pressure inside
my heart is way over what it should be compared to right outside it.
.
Anyways, next Monday I have an aortic valve replacement scheduled (the
mechanical kind, not the pig kind... or I would have SO much bacon humor
available to me). They have to stop my heart momentarily (the "killing" part)
and put me on a heart/lung machine so they can work on the heart.
.
2-3 days in a Cardiac ICU ward and then up to a week in a regular ward while
recuperating. It's the only part I'm not looking forward to -- this surgery is an
old-fashioned crack-the-whole-chest-open procedure and it's "rumored" to be
fairly uncomfortable for a while after. Then somewhere around a month or so
of home recuperation.
.
The GOOD news is that I've arranged with my surgeon to get some Demerol
post-surgically instead of morphine (m-m-m-m-m-m, Dem-m-m-m-m-merol).
.
So, starting next Monday. I'll be offline without access for about a week or so.
.
.
I'll miss it (and you).
.
.
So... gather ye the rosebuds of my silence while ye may.
,
.
They assure me that this should work wonders and that I can expect a WHOLE
bunch more energy and vitality than I've been experiencing lately.
.
.
You've been forewarned.
.
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.
.
I'm looking forward to this.
.
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.
Om mani padme tagteam bedbaths hummmmmm. Om mani padme tagteam bedbaths hummmmm.
.
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.
I'm listed in the Cardiac Registry at Saks, Nieman-Marcus, and WalMart.
.
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I've already picked out my new heart from the catalog -- the "Lub-a-Dub Steampunk"
model.
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In fact, I finally started listing that I was allergic to morphine because it made me itch so much. I had surgery on my foot two years ago and when the nerve block they had put on my foot started to run out (I was never put under) they gave me demerol through the IV. 10 seconds later I offered to let them cut on the other foot if they wanted to.
Good luck, MFM. I realize your surgery is much more serious than a foot.

Demerol works a lot better than morphine, IMO


:hug:

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:hug:
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well. Good luck aqnd Godspeed!

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.
My doctor and one of my nurses who gives me regular tests have both
assured me that my energy levels will raise dramatically (they've
really consistently been at a FRUSTRATING low tide for a while now)...
but that little voice inside me (OK, ONE of those little voices
inside me) keeps saying, "That's just their JOB to get you to think
positively."
.
Anecdotal testimony from you (and a few others) is much more convincing.
.
.
.

and here's to a speedy recovery! :hi:

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WAIT!!! WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH MY DEMEROL?!?!? COME BACK!!! SHANE?!?!?
COME BACK, SHANE!!! I LOVE YOU SHANE!!!!!!
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:hi:
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:P

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EXCELLENT. I hope nothing makes me laugh this hard when my ribs are knitting back together.
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ha-ow-ha-ow-ha-ow-ha-ow-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW-HA-OW!!!!
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owwie-owwie-owwie:rofl:owwie-owwie-owwie
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Thanks.
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http://www.near-death.com :D

Good luck!

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.
.
...for about two weeks, but was struggling to make it ONE MORE DAY because
I had a doctor's follow-up appointment scheduled for the next day.
.
I just couldn't make that last day, so I went to the ER. They checked my
vitals quickly (fortunately, the waiting room was empty) and put me RIGHT
into an exam room and the doctor came in within a coupla minutes.
.
We had spoken for no more than a minute or two when everything started
fading. HARD and FAST. Somehow, I realized that I was dying (and I was...
and did). The doctor had the most calming, reassuring eyes and voice and
the last thing I saw consciously were those eyes... and the last thing I
HEARD while fading was his voice saying, "We know what's happening. We
have you. We will not let you go." Calm. Confident. Kind.
.
I didn't go to the light. The light went AWAY from me... in the rectangular
shape of that exam room.
.
I had always been curious as to just how I would react if I should ever
KNOW that I was going to die at the moment it occurred. I worried greatly...
GREATLY... that I would go all hypocrite and start apologizing to Jesus
and claim that I didn't mean it and I was sorry for being agnostic, if
not atheist. I would have been so ashamed if that had happened.
.
I'm VERY happy to say that it didn't. My overwhelming and repetitive
thought was, "It's OK... ... ... ... it's OK."
.
I've had a wonderful life and, though I'm not eager or anxious to die...
it would be... obviously... OK.
.
.
.
So, while I had fretted that I would prove that "no atheists in foxholes"
crap... it didn't happen.
.
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.
And I didn't channel Jesus when I died.
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I'm pretty sure, with the "it's OK" mantra, that I was channeling Kurt Vonnegut.
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(I've never read any of his stuff; just not that interested) I always suspect, around here anyway, that you're channeling Rodney Dangerfield ;)

Your description of how everything receded is another view sometimes experienced in out of body experiences. So, you never know...

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He wrote MANY one-, two- and three-word repetitive mantra-type sentences. Which I love.
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"And so it goes." is probably my favorite. He was an atheist, and I've always believed that was his "Amen".
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And while I've never done any Dangerfield-shtick... I did sing The Beatles' "Her Majesty" for one of the
surgical teams right before they put me under for one of my procedures.
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.

Couldn't do Demerol, so I got them laughing as I counted down, watching that green stuff flow down the IV until it knocked me out.

They weren't used to having such an alert and cheerful patient.

It was funny until I woke up in recovery puking. Don't do that, MFM!

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.
After my motorcycle accident, I had four pins in my leg. Removal was
a same-day-in same-day-out surgical procedure. They knocked me out
for it. My procedure was late in the day, so I was the last patient in
the unit. It looked like the entire staff was hanging out at the foot of
my bed, waiting for me to leave so THEY could go home.
.
When I woke up, the anesthesia made me sick (it was a very transitory
thing, so I felt good again almost immediately). I was still really high
and feeling good from the anesthesia, etc. -- and I heard one of the
nurses say, "I don't believe I've EVER seen anyone throw up and SMILE
at the same time."
.
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:rofl: ... ... :puke: :rofl:
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Hang in there, sweetie!

You know I'm sending my very best vibes...

And I um...just LOVE your new heart!

Well, maybe not!

Take care, be well, and we'll be here when you rise from the dead!

:hug:

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.
.
Thank you very much!!! Your vibes are very important to me -- you are one
of the strongest, kindest presences/spirits on DU.
.
As far as my heart, the ACTUAL valve will not be transplanted from a pig,
but an artificial metal-on-metal valve... so, when it functions, it will actually
make a very low, ALMOST inaudible click-click-click noise.
.
I asked the nurse who does my regular tests about this (they're INR tests
for my blood thinner and a LOT of her patients have had this procedure).
.
It was ironic that I was asking her because she's pretty attractive to me
in all sorts of ways -- and I was actually wondering whether my new valve
would give me away when I sat down next to her.
.
(click-click... ... click-click... ... click-click... ... CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK)
.
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.
I laughed as I asked her, "Will I have any secrets left?" -- but it was a
serious question.
.
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.
(I sit down next to her.)
.
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK (think of MiddleFingerMomGrandMom)
.
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK (think of baseball statistics)
.
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK (think of that cooler full of icy Gatorade dumped on you at the victory)
.
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK (think of Pickles Bush)
.
(crickets)
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.
(nothin' but crickets)
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It's OK... ... ... it's OK.
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And "when you rise from the dead"!!!
.
I like it... and didn't think of that for the OTHER end of my story.
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MiddleFingerMom a.k.a. MiddleFingerLazarus.
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I like it!
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:hug:
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good luck to you. I hope all goes well with the surgery. Will be thinking of you and praying for you.

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So I have all the confidence in the world in their abilities and the care they provide.
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Just as important, maybe more so, than the surgeon. Glad it is such a good hospital.

cannot wait for your dreamstate tales!

Seriously though, good luck to you. You've got my positive vibes.

(P.S. Stay away from the light.)

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"We have the technology. We can fix him. We have the drugs. We can get him REALLY fucked up."
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:woohoo:
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Thanks MC. All vibes are more than welcome.
.
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But... didn't we learn at the END of that movie to go TOWARD the light?
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Or is that remembering... ... ... thingie... of mine on the fritz again?
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and hurry back to us . I will miss your sense of humor

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I've finally had morphine several times recently post-surgically and stuff.
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Meh.
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.
Just meh. A disappointing meh.
.
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.
I had a horrendous motorcycle accident 30 years ago where I was fortunate enough
to just come out of it with a broken leg (though it took 10 days in the hospital, two
months or so out-of-work, and SEVEN months in a cast and on crutches to get
healed up). My left hip took the worst of the ground impact and swelled up so that
my hip measurement may have been 50% more than normal. If I touched this, or
just rolled over so the SLIGHTEST pressure was on it, I literally SCREAMED.
.
They gave me shots of Demerol. Wonderful wonderful wunnerfulwunnerful Demerol.
.
BEAUTIFUL cloud-floating marshmallow-enveloped never-have-given-, don't-, and
never-WILL-give-a-fuck-again Demerol. I coulda hip-checked TWO brawny, angry,
toothless hockey thugs into the boards simultaneously. DOUBLE-tapped 'em. And
then TAUNTED them to come get some more.
.
Demerol was my friend. My only friend, the end.
.
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.
The only sour note? I was in Pennsylvania and MiddleFingerMomMom was out here
in Arizona at the time. She called me every evening to see how I was doing and
feeling. About the seventh day, the phone rang and, when I answered, she said,
"Hi, MFM! This is MiddleFingerMomMom."
.
And I asked, "MiddleFingerMomMom who?" ... ... ... ... And I MEANT it.
.
The next day, I asked my doctor to take me off the shots and downgrade me to
the pills.
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I had found out that I couldn't handle being high for more than a week straight.
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Now you know my dirty little secret.
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So when my surgeon told me that my experience with the effectiveness of Demerol
vs morphine is the sort of thing they need to know about to make this as smooth
as possible... I coulda kissed him. And then jumped right up and kissed myself.
.
HIT ME THREE TIMES ABD TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!!!!!
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She's alright. She's alright. She's alright.
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that looks like something that fell out of the truck this morning:rofl:


not sure if I am going to be able to get in to see you this time, but will call and check on you for sure.

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I'm gonna have a "ranch vehicle" for a heart.
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I better carry a set of jumper cables with me WHEREVER I go.
.
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Don't worry about visiting. I've always been uncomfortable visiting
people in the hospital (unless it's a child -- or when I visited
MiddleFingerMomMom... but I could spend a lot of that time reading
to her from her favorite childhood books).
.
I actually feel kinda uncomfortable having visitors for the same reason.
.
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.
There's not a whole lot to talk about.
.
.
.
When visiting, during the awkward silences I'll wish that they had gone
into even MORE time-consuming dead-air sandpaper-on-the-eyeballs
fucking boring detail about what they had for lunch.
.
When visited, I find myself looking for more things I can regale my
visitor with about what I had for lunch or about what I learned about
painful rectal itch from a TV commercial that morning.
.
.
.
Stay AWAY or I SWEAR I'll combine the two and tell you (using the most
grotesque minutiae possible) about the painful rectal itch I had during
lunch that day.
.
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And how it differed from the painful rectal itch during the meal before
THAT one. And the one before THAT one. And the one before THAT one. Etc.
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Oh, GEEZZZZ! I'm assuming severely limited range-of-motion right after
the surgery.
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How am I gonna scratch my ass?!?!?!?
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Maybe you SHOULD come visit me.
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Couldja, huh?
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:rofl::rofl::rofl:
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I'd sit down on your bed, probably on some tubes, but hey, what did you have for lunch and did they really stick something in your (elbow kick) 'you know what?' So what's the deal about this anyway? Too much McDonald's, eh? I told you so. Hey, I brought you some bacon, the fatty one, since you need to recover quickly, and nothing does it like bacon, aye? Have you heard Osama's been killed? Yeah, boom head shot, like in COD. Wanna play it on my iPad? Turn up the volume. My, it's quite hot out there, let me open some windows. All that pollen, it's gonna kill me, sorry about that, but I brought some Kleenex with me, just hold still for a second. No, I did not step on this. Whew, did that come out of you? That's gross! Is that rectal? That's so awkward, if I were you, I'd lock the door and watch commercials. Have you seen this recently? It's great, it has a certain twist ... Hey, what are you doing? That's gross, dude. Your heart is not there, so stop scratching that! Listen, I was just in the neighborhood and thought 'hey, lets check on MFM and see some scars!' So hurry up and get well, the bacon will help.

Oh for whatever sake, I'll call a nurse about the tubes. Don't fret it.

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You made that so visual that I just KNOW I'ma gonna have at least ONE Demerol-fueled
dream about you and that very scenario.
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Wake up SCREAMING!!!!
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Too embarassed/ashamed to tell the nurse about the nightmare.
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Reduced to no other option than asking her to increase my Demerol.
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"Maybe another massage would be therapeutic, Nurse."
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"Oh, yeah."
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"Right there."
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"M-m-m-m-snorfelbrmrflinkenbrsker-m-m-m-m."
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HEY!!!!!!!!
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On second thought... ... ... ... THANK YOU, CMW!!!!!!
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:evilgrin:

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I'm pretty sure my imagination would NOT have prepared me for the horrors that an UNfiltered search might have revealed.
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:rofl:
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Ew.
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May you have all the luck and success in the world with this...and a very nice high for as long as you need it as well.
Prayers, fingers crossed, hugs.
The "heart" is fabulous.

Don't know what I'll do for humor while you're offline though. Maybe cracked.com, that's a good choice.

Get better quickly!!!

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.
.
You could try the DU archives for my previous pictures. When I search for pictures,
I usually refer to it as "mining the Intertubes for material".
.
.
Recently, I remembered that I have an an email archive going back over 4 years and
I've been disseminating pictures to others for much longer than that... so I've been
mining my own archives for material that's never been seen (from me, at least) on DU.
.
.
I ignore a lot of it. Some of it really sucks and some of it is really dated, but there's
enough rich veins of gently pre-owned comedy ore to make it worthwhile.
.
.
I'm only up to about September of 2007.
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:rofl:
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For a speedy recovery.

Just in case your Lub-a-Dub model doesn't work



:hug: Sweetie

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I could sit on that bank and take up fishing again.
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Though I never really fished. I would have a pole and line-and-hook,
but no bait.
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Just so nobody would ask me why I was just lazing about on a riverbank
for hours.
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.
Funny how most folks just can't grasp that you don't NEED a reason for that.
.
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.
:hug:
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.
.

God doesn't count the time spent fishing.

You take care, enjoy the drugs and get back here ASAP. That's an order; we need the snark.

And glad the Demerol works for you and they'll give it to you.

I can't take the stuff, makes me go nuts. Okay, nuttier...

:loveya:

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.
.
Though there are bright spots (The Lounge, for one), I just haven't had
much joie-de-vivre lately -- and that's no way to live.
.
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.
Funny. I don't use too many French terms, but there's two lines that I LOVE.
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.
The first: "How shall I put this... oh, I don't know... how about je ne sais qois?"
.
.
.
And the other: When someone swears and says, "Pardon my French"... i REVEL in saying, "That wasn't French."
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.
.
(ON EDIT)
(my best "Welcome Back. Kotter" Horschack impression)":hi:OOH!:hi: OOH-OOH!!:hi: OOH-OOH-OOH-OOH-OOH!!!!:hi:
.
I finally remembered what my OTHER favorite French expression is.
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.
"PreTENtious? Moi ?!?!?!?!?!?
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.

As a veteran of these particular wars (hubby's been dealing with stents and angioplasty and all that jazz) for the past 12 years I am confident it'll go well and you'll be shocked at how good you feel after. But I'll miss you and your sweet, funny posts and will be thinking of you and sending those vibes that have worked so well for my man for so many years.

Come back soon and better than ever...well, if that's possible.

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Life is still fun and interesting and stuff... but I'm kinda at the point where I just can't imagine feeling GOOD again.
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But I'm still hopeful.
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.

We'll miss your posts around here while you're recovering.

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Whenever I see your username, I think of Superman's arch-rival Mr Mxyzptlk... and it makes me smile.
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.

Will keep you in my thoughts while you're "dead and gone" and back again. :hug:

Be sure to bring back stories of the Other Side! :hi:

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...I'll be able to tell you ALL about my meals and, if I watch enough TV... about painful rectal itch or somethin'.
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:hi:
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My BIL had a triple bypass; after 5 yrs he's still fine. The post-op was a bitch though; besides the pain, he went through some depression.

We will miss you badly...I send links to most of your posts to my son, so he'll miss you too!

loves to you! :hug:


no time to read the entire thread right now, so I'm bookmarking it. Many of us will be facing some heart surgery in the future, so I appreciate your humorous tours of this medical landscape.

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...was the depression surgery- or condition-related, or some specific factor
or simply generalized?
.
I'm hoping to sleep through a great deal of the initial post-op pain.
.
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I'll try to pay SOME attention to what's going on so I can pass along some
of what to expect to you and others.
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:hug:
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is that it was post-op depression. It took some meds and a few months for him to feel "not fragile."

The only way I, personally, can relate is that I had a similar feeling/depression after a life threatening event in my life---not surgery though. I've been through 4 surgeries just fine, one of which was for an aneurysm. Happy to be alive, yet shaken about how dang vulnerable we all are, as if the gravity of the situation suddenly hits ya.

Perhaps it was related to trying to cope with having to be careful during recovery...a wee bit similar to PTSD perhaps.

Hope they give you a pump to administer your own pain juice. :) I always enjoyed that...and the rest. After one surgery when my son was small little tyrant, I wanted to stay in the hospital. ;)

I hope your stay is comfortable and your nurses are kind & gentle. And don't let the gravity get ya down, as if it stands a chance with you! ;)

Bestest to you!

Here's a card for ya:
http://www.someecards.com/usercards/nsviewcard/MjAxMS0xYmNiMzA0ZTFlNjIzZjQ5

:)

Get well ASAP!

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Thanks -- I hope to get well ASAP... maybe even sooner than that.
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.

And here I was, feeling sorry for myself!

Hey, I wish you every single good vibe out there, MFM, and hope that you have the best doc and the best nurses and therapists available. Does your hospital have therapy pets visit the patients? - cause those animals are sooo cool, and really perk up a hospital stay. (Added plus, you don't have to pooper-scoop after them.)

Love the steampunk heart - does it come in pink? I think that color would go well with your new complexion after your new-ish heart starts pumping around the good fresh oxygenated blood that's gonna energize you so much.

You don't sound too worried, that's good. (I'm worried for you, but I'm a mom and it's what we do.) Best wishes, etc etc, and you'll be in my thoughts, you know. :hug:

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...and I'm always blown away by the quality of the care and the competence, commitment and
compassion of ALL the staff.
.
I don't know about therapy pets -- I would assume they do. Thanks for mentioning it -- I'll
ask pro-actively and maybe get a visit.
.
I have a friend with a LOT of hospital patient experience and he gave me three GREAT rules
to live by in a hospital.
.
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#1. Ask for the drugs.
.
#2. Ask for more drugs.
.
#3. What would HE do?
.
.
#1 and #2 are easy... and #3 is EXCELLENT. I have sometimes asked myself that question and
then I've known what to do.
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Worry? I don't need no stinking worry!!!
.
But thanks for that, Mom.
.
:hug:
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.

:)

Heartfelt wishes for a good outcome.
trof

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... but I think this time it's more confidence in my caregivers and a bit of a fatalistic attitude.
.
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And a real desire to get BETTER. I've really been just plodding along with my head down for WAY too long now.
.
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.

for a full and fast recovery!

I am kinda partial to Vicodin after somehow tearing a rib muscle/cartilage a couple weeks ago. I couldn't get off the couch and after 20 hours gave up and called the 9-1-1. They had to give me a shot of morphine just to get me off the couch. Then they gave me an intravenous blast of Dilaudid (w00t!!!)and Valium at the hospital and I was able to walk out to get my Vicodin prescription filled. Spent several days pleasantly zonked while things started to heal up.

.
.
.
I remember having some relatively minor surgery in my groin area as a young man
and the doctor gave me some pretty potent pain pills -- about a week's worth.
.
I told him I felt great and really didn't NEED them (I was kinda a fucking idiot
when I was younger, eh?) He just looked at me and kinda smirked.
.
The next day, when the anesthesia and in-care meds wore off, I needed those pain
pills just to get to the bathroom and back.
.
.
.

I know that is a loaded statement to make to you, but I mean it in a most wholesome way. I'll be thinking of you. Dana ; )

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.
You just caused me to remember something from a long time ago that made me laugh.
.
.
I had a girlfriend with a pre-school boy and once, while she was giving him a bath,
he started "being good to himself".
.
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She told me she was so ashamed the MOMENT after she blurted this out in reflex, but
she told him that "if you don't stop that, you're going to hurt yourself".
.
.
He looked up at her, all wide-eyed innocence and happily told her, "Uh-uh, Mama...
I do it alla time and it doesn't hurt a bit!!!"
.
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:rofl::rofl::rofl:
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I will try to be good to myself and I will try to do that in a most wholesome way
as often as possible... but no promises!!!!
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:evilgrin:
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:blush: I have a son too. Dana ; )

Here's a :hug: to heal quickly.

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:hug:
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They shot me up with demerol when I broke both of my wrists (horseback riding in Telluride; well actually the riding part was OK; it was hitting the ground when the problems began) . I remember (using the term VERY loosely) feeling kind of sick for ten or fifteen minutes, and then, YEAH ! , can I get some more of this? SMOOOOTH sailin' the rest of that evening (or morning or whatever it was).

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I'm certainly hoping for as much smooth sailing as possible.
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BOTH your wrists? How did you... what did you... how could you have...?
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Man, you MUST have had at least one very, very, VERY good friend to help with all that.
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I was younger (in my early 30's) and apparently more attractive to he ladies than this ol' boy that's gonna turn 60 this summer. So I had more than one VERY good friend to help with various things like feeding myself (until I got strong enough to grip food after a couple of weeks) and as far as gripping my...uh....anyway, my very special friends were more than willing to help. Plus my friend John stopped by every couple of days to pull my shirt off and put a new one on me. I did learn to do a few things on my own, from tying my shoes without using my thumbs to contorting my body enough to be able to wipe my butt (too much info? ...Sorry...); none of my friends were THAT close nor did I want them to be. But I went on an utterly unexpected "hot streak" with the ladies (sympathy fucks?) and had at least a couple of the most enjoyable baths I've ever had the pleasure of taking.
Again, I'm wishing you the best on your upcoming surgery and have used my considerable influence within the Arizona medical community to arrange for one of the top men in the field to assist with the procedure. I've provided a short video of some of his work....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=notKtAgfwDA

I hope that was reassuring...

OK, getting serious one more time... For what it's worth , I'll say a prayer for your surgery and recovery to go well and for you to be strong and well soon.

Ron

And if the pills aren't doing it - and I know I am going to catch shit for this - smoking a crushed morphine pill on foil can help...

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I want to MINIMIZE the pain... so I'd be open to any method and/or any orifice
as a delivery method and/or pathway for WHATEVER substance is going to work.
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:grouphug:

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:grouphug:
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you'll be in my thoughts. I for one, will certainly miss your presence around here! Please take care and take your time healing. Sending you lots of hugs and healing vibes!!! :hug:

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All hugs and vibes gratefully accepted.
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I will mis being present here.
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:evilgrin: You'll make it through with flying colors! Stay strong, MFM, I'm pulling for you.:toast:

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I'll wear that "pain in the ass" status as a badge of honor (or maybe a cone-of-shame).
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You are the heart of the Lounge. So get fixed up and get back here. People depend on you. I do.
We will try to carry on without you, but it will be hard.

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I'll be back ASAP. It will be hard to carry on without you all, too.
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Though I know you'll all be with me.
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are the first thing I look for when i log onto the DU.

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In more than a few different ways... you help inspire more of the work that I do than you might imagine.
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I have a similar procedure coming up some time in the future, so will be very interested in your experience. (Really appreciate the insights about Demerol.)

All the best! And Demerol notwithstanding, best wishes for a speedy recovery. :-)

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Different meds work in different ways for different people -- but keep Demerol in mind should
whatever they give you not be working very well.
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I'm sure I'll have plenty to blah-blah-blah about when I come back.
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Good wishes for you. :hi:

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This is a GREAT facility I'm having this done at. I'm sure it will not only go well... but weller, even.
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You have a big heart MFM, I hope the new value is up for the task. Wishing you all the best. :hug:

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...but you and others help remind me that a big heart can be a very good thing.
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You don't want to piss him off when he's gonna have a scalpel in his hand. :)


Best of luck to you Brother, I know you'll come through fine. :pals:

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Thanks, bbm!!!
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Oh yeah, Demerol is GOOOOD stuff. Morphine is good too, but Demerol is better.

I got Demerol once at the ER when i was barfing uncontrollably due to a sinus infection.

I went to the ER with sinus infections/near-terminal lung rot many times for a few years.

Hope ya get well and feel MUCH MUCH better!!

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Demerol is my FRIEND!!!!
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some Demoral. Yummy. We'll miss you while you're gone. Looking forward to a brand new you. Hugs to you.

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I'm looking forward to a brand new me, too.
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But although I'd give you the shirt off my back, the shoes off my feet and my
first-, second-, AND third-born child... you go get your OWN damn Demerol.
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:rofl:
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:hug:
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your children be born naked.
:pals:

We will be thinking of you!! May you have a quick and good recovery to come back.

:hug:

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I'll be thinking of you, too. It's good to see you... as always!!!
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and may you heal up good as new!

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I'll be happy if I heal up good as gently pre-owned.
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My DH has aortic stenosis too, currently considered moderate stage. I suspect he will be where you are in a few years.

Keep us up to date and follow the Dr's orders!

But I'm not the one who's gonna make it.

Good luck, MFM, and get back on your feet soon.

really makes me want to say "told ya so" about finally joining DU

told ya
told ya
told ya

and now I'm trying to think of some way to get you a rental laptop or something...maybe UMC has a public library type service and can get you some kind of access to a computer - ask for it as therapy or something!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_Jackie

Best wishes for a successful operation and speedy recovery.

I thought your new handy-dandy heart valve was going to make you a kissin' cousin of Porky, dammit.








http://www.perpetualkid.com/bacon.aspx

Seriously, I'm glad you're getting fixed up as good as new; just wish it weren't such a serious procedure. I wish we could fast-forward time & that you were already back in great form. Take care & listen to the doctors. :hug:

And we look forward to you resuming your rightful place in Teh Lounge!

:hi:

Bake

...trust me, just don't. Tell him you're sending vibes his way or whatever else you'd like, but...just trust me, OK?

:rofl:

...enough to last you until your return. Let's begin right now, shall we?



:eyes:

Best DU vibes for a quick and healthy recovery. We will miss you so much!

Many :hug: S

Good luck, man, and speedy up and at em! We'll keep your seat warm. :)

That heart looks awesome!

When you are weaned off the ventilator (which you may not even remember, cause you ordinarily have good lungs, right?) You may have a sore throat for a little while, but what you need to do is remember to hold a pillow against your chest and breath nice and deep, e v e n IF i t H u r t s!


Don't hold back on a good cough after one of these deep breaths... do it often, and you'll stay in good shape. They'll probably monitor you and keep a few tubes in places that you shouldn't touch.

You'll be so much better soon.

Hey, can I do this while you're away?
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{{{{{ COUGH }}}}}}

{{{MFM}}}

We Loungers need you.

heal quickly and come back soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSQyW_l8OgE&feature=player_detailpage#t=40s

:hi:

I'm sure everything will be fine.

But just in case, :hi: