He's doing well ...I just got off the phone with him ...He called me from the hospital,He ll be out saturday,Had a heart attack but Hes still here Thank god......
Wow, glad to hear that you will be having grease under your fingernails again soon. remember - one day at a time.
Thanks John, my old friend. And good old Hitchhiker. And Ben, Matt, TB, JJ, HR and FB. Boy...that hurt like a MF...and scared me pretty good too. Awoke Wednesday morning with big chest/back pains. I had been pushing myself pretty hard the last few days, yankin' motors, rear axles, and other junk around. I thought it might be muscle spasms in my back. But this seemed more serious. My sweet wife, Sandy, rushed me to the hospital. "Oh Jesus, oh God" all the way there. Pulled up to the emergency entrance, and zippity do da day...I was in the OR with a dozen masked people milling around me, and a high-tech camera over me, slowly moving back and forth. At one point, I heard somebody say, "It's completely blocked". Oh fuck. I think I most dreaded the idea of them having to get out the big toolbox, and openening me up. Then I heard the doctor say, "Reechad, we ah goink to perform angioplasty." Yes! I was familiar with angiplasty...entering the artery in the groin to gain access to the artery at the heart, and opening up the blockage with a special balloon-type apparatus, and then placing a "stent" (a titanium tube) in there to hold the artery open. Small incision...minimally invasive...as minimally invasive as this stuff can get, anyway. They gave me a local anesthetic, and I was awake through the whole procedure. Sometimes they can't break through the blockage, and I was a little worried about that too. Thankfully, they had no problem with mine. Within a very few minutes, they were done, and 99% of the pain was gone. They immediately alllowed me to view the image on the screen...a before shot, showing the blocked, collapsed artery, and an after shot, showing the same artery, now nice and fat and flowing with oxygen-carrying blood. Two days at the hospital, and home Friday evening. Slept most of Saturday. Taking it real easy today, but actually feeling pretty damn good for a guy that just had a frickin heart-attack. Beautiful day today. Went outside and just enjoyed being alive. Walked out to the shop, sat in the Hudson, and made engine sounds. I was extremely lucky. Could've been much much worse. And we all know it, but it can't be said enough... Cigarettes are POISON. Bless Ya'll. - Rick
Glad everything is ok with you! Heart related stuff can be scary. I'm only 30 and have heart issues and it ain't no fun.
Glad everything is ok....have not talked with ya lately and man how fast does time go by.......God Bless and take it a lil more easy.
I'll bet you REALLY start feeling good soon. That stuff comes on slowly over time and you dont realize why you are so tired and out of gas. You kind of get used to it. Now that they got you fixed up your gonna wonder where all this new found energy came from. Listen to wifey for a while too.
Scary shit!! I'm 67 and have never smoked or drank and I failed a stress test before getting my knees replaced a couple of years ago. Now I'm sporting 3 stents (back to back) in the main artery coming out of my heart to get the flow up to normal. I'm having another heart catherization this week to see if everything is still AOK as I've been experiencing strange sensations in my chest. Getting old sucks but I guess it beats the alternative. Frank
Thanks Greg. Thanks Matt. MM, heart problems, but you're so young. And Frank with heart problems but never smoked or drank...boy oh boy. I've been quite healthy through the years. Very lucky. But I've smoked way too much. Stupid, I am. Well, maybe that's a little harsh...let's say addicted. Makes me feel stupid though, that some of you have problems that are no fault of your own, and here I am, feeding my perfectly healthy body with poison. Gonna have to beat this. I'm pretty sure I can. Tommy, that's exactly what I was told. Now that I have better blood-flow, I'm gonna have more and more energy as the days go by. Cool, 'cause I've been feeling pretty old the last couple of years. I thought it was just old age creeping up on me. Jeez, I'm only 55.
--Thanks guys. I've always had a great appreciation for life, love, beauty. But I can't deny that this little experience has increased that appreciation. --Yeah, baby!...lol. Thanks Pete.
The Jalopy Journal
