theoldprof
Veteran Expediter
This is an email I sent several friends about my exciting spring week in Charleston, SC.
This all started several weeks ago when Katie, our granddaughter from Michigan invited my wife and me to go to Charleston, SC during her college spring break. Sounded good. So far.
Katie and her friend Ryan drove from Michigan to our place in Indiana on Thursday, Feb 26. We got up early on Friday morning, loaded up the car and headed out. Stayed overnight somewhere around Ashville, NC. It was there that I managed to severely cut my hand trying to open a root beer bottle by using the bathroom cabinet as an opener. The bathroom looked like a crime scene with all the bloody towels. A big hefty band-aid fixed it up.
Next morning, onward to Charleytown. Did the Tommy Tourister stuff. All went well until Monday when Suzanne, who recently had a hip replacement noticed her big toe was inflamed. Not wanting infection to go to her nice new shiny hip, we headed off to the hospital ER. The ER doc fixed her up by slicing her cuticle and giving her antibiotics. All is well. More tourist stuff.
As you may know, within the last few months I have had a knee replacement, vomited for almost a month, lost about thirty pounds, had a heart attach, stroke, and then had a kidney removed due to a malignant tumor on the kidney. I have a heart that is pumping about 25% and have congestive heart failure. Other than that, I am in good shape. Wednesday eve I was having trouble breathing. Off to the ER we go. Same ER lady. She asks Suzanne if she was still having problems with her toe. Nope, it’s me with heart problems.
The Charleston hospital is called Roper/St. Somebody. I think it’s a joint venture between a gas stove manufacturer and a church. They have great grub, though. Anyhoo, they got my congestive heart failure under control and while monitoring me they discovered I have another condition that I can’t remember. It’s the same problem Tim Russert the TV guy had. He is no longer with us. Doc said it’s hard to detect unless a patient is being monitored 24/7 as I was.
The cardio doc said I definitely needed an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillater. I could either have it done her or at home. If I had it done at home in Indiana I could possibly check out on the return trip. Chose to have it done in Charleston.
Learned another new word: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist. This guy is also referred to as “The Electrician”. He’s the on who actually installs and programs the de-fib unit.
Surgery went well. Before surgery date we still had two college kids who had to be back home. Two of my daughters put their heads together and devised a logistics plan that would have made General Patton green with envy.
The kids took our car to the Charleston airport and flew back to Indiana. Dawn, my oldest drove from Michigan to Indiana with her husband and daughter. They met the college kids at the Indy airport and brought them to our house. The kids drove back to college in Michigan. Dawn’s husband took her back to the airport and she flew to Charleston airport, picked up our car and came to the hospital.
My youngest drove from her home in Huntington, Indiana to the Indy airport where she left her car. She flew in to Charleston where Dawn picked her up and brought her to the hospital. The next day, Dawn drove our car home to Indiana. In the meantime, Mack, a friend of our grandson who lives close to us needed his car moved to his parents’ home in Michigan. Mack is in the Marines and is deployed for about a year.
Dawn drove his car back to Michigan to be delivered to his parents’ home. The best part is that they loaded up a chair that was in my garage waiting to go to Michigan. The chair got moved to Michigan.
Meanwhile, back in Charleston, I was released from the hospital with instructions to hang around for a day our so to see if anything bad develops. Nothing happened, so Friday the 13th, we flew from Charleston to Indy where Michelle’s car was waiting and she drove us home. Can you follow all of this?
This all started several weeks ago when Katie, our granddaughter from Michigan invited my wife and me to go to Charleston, SC during her college spring break. Sounded good. So far.
Katie and her friend Ryan drove from Michigan to our place in Indiana on Thursday, Feb 26. We got up early on Friday morning, loaded up the car and headed out. Stayed overnight somewhere around Ashville, NC. It was there that I managed to severely cut my hand trying to open a root beer bottle by using the bathroom cabinet as an opener. The bathroom looked like a crime scene with all the bloody towels. A big hefty band-aid fixed it up.
Next morning, onward to Charleytown. Did the Tommy Tourister stuff. All went well until Monday when Suzanne, who recently had a hip replacement noticed her big toe was inflamed. Not wanting infection to go to her nice new shiny hip, we headed off to the hospital ER. The ER doc fixed her up by slicing her cuticle and giving her antibiotics. All is well. More tourist stuff.
As you may know, within the last few months I have had a knee replacement, vomited for almost a month, lost about thirty pounds, had a heart attach, stroke, and then had a kidney removed due to a malignant tumor on the kidney. I have a heart that is pumping about 25% and have congestive heart failure. Other than that, I am in good shape. Wednesday eve I was having trouble breathing. Off to the ER we go. Same ER lady. She asks Suzanne if she was still having problems with her toe. Nope, it’s me with heart problems.
The Charleston hospital is called Roper/St. Somebody. I think it’s a joint venture between a gas stove manufacturer and a church. They have great grub, though. Anyhoo, they got my congestive heart failure under control and while monitoring me they discovered I have another condition that I can’t remember. It’s the same problem Tim Russert the TV guy had. He is no longer with us. Doc said it’s hard to detect unless a patient is being monitored 24/7 as I was.
The cardio doc said I definitely needed an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillater. I could either have it done her or at home. If I had it done at home in Indiana I could possibly check out on the return trip. Chose to have it done in Charleston.
Learned another new word: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist. This guy is also referred to as “The Electrician”. He’s the on who actually installs and programs the de-fib unit.
Surgery went well. Before surgery date we still had two college kids who had to be back home. Two of my daughters put their heads together and devised a logistics plan that would have made General Patton green with envy.
The kids took our car to the Charleston airport and flew back to Indiana. Dawn, my oldest drove from Michigan to Indiana with her husband and daughter. They met the college kids at the Indy airport and brought them to our house. The kids drove back to college in Michigan. Dawn’s husband took her back to the airport and she flew to Charleston airport, picked up our car and came to the hospital.
My youngest drove from her home in Huntington, Indiana to the Indy airport where she left her car. She flew in to Charleston where Dawn picked her up and brought her to the hospital. The next day, Dawn drove our car home to Indiana. In the meantime, Mack, a friend of our grandson who lives close to us needed his car moved to his parents’ home in Michigan. Mack is in the Marines and is deployed for about a year.
Dawn drove his car back to Michigan to be delivered to his parents’ home. The best part is that they loaded up a chair that was in my garage waiting to go to Michigan. The chair got moved to Michigan.
Meanwhile, back in Charleston, I was released from the hospital with instructions to hang around for a day our so to see if anything bad develops. Nothing happened, so Friday the 13th, we flew from Charleston to Indy where Michelle’s car was waiting and she drove us home. Can you follow all of this?
