Graduation day draws nigh
 

After my quintuple bypass I got enlisted to 24 sessions of "cardiac
rehab", paid for by medicare I guess. Thanks to y'all contributors.

I've showed up for most of the sessions. The pitchfork in me arse
from me lovin' mate may have helped. That'd be a five-tine fork.
Potato digger. Her favorite. I'll do all 24 before I'm done.

I've made some friends there, albeit temp, shallow and short-term.
Fellow travelers so to speak. Joe "graduated" today. We've been
kidding and goading each other from about the git-go when we were both
creepers and pillow-huggers. Folks who have had their sternum sawn
apart and spread wide do tend to be pillow huggers for a while. I
learned today that issues with my shoulders (mid deltoids) are common
when they tear ya up like that. Oh well!

Being a vet, I don't take anything seriously so I try to use humor and
perspective to help guys like Joe deal with stress. Joe is a vet too
but his experience was a bit different than mine. Stress can be bad
cardiac juju but it can also be good if managed. Ah mean, rehab is
reintroduction to stress, right? They use machines to get us to
achieve and sustain an elevated but safe heartrate. That's physical
and it's important, but relevant stress ain't all physical. Sometimes
it isn't even primarily physical. It is, however, very individual.
Condx that would create nearly intolerable stress to one individual
may be a yawn for another. The trick is to learn when to yawn.

The perspective that I try to bring to the party is that nobody ever
got a bodybag by missing someone else's expectation of schedule or
whatever.

I shook hands with Joe and bade him good luck today. We skipped the
hugs, this not being California or anything. We've kidded each other
along thru rehab. He seemed to appreciate it. We've talked about
stress, I hope I gave him some perspective. He seems like one hell of
a decent guy. Mar thinks so too. Mar's eclectic sense of character
has been infallible so far but it's only been 25 years...

Evil Mark (staffer) keeps raising the bar for me with sadistic glee.
Today he set the bar at 3.2 mph on the treadmill, 2% grade, 20
minutes. That must sound like feathers to y'all young chargers, but
it ain't bad for the likes of me and we. Then the hard part: the
freakin' Airdyne. God how I hate that SOB but I'm gaining on it. The
first 19 mintues (of 20 ) are always the hardest.

I think it's best to have as much fun as possible before ya die, and
then to die as quickly and neatly as possible. Take as many dragons
as possible with if there be deserving dragons at a propitious time.

Graduation day draws nigh
 

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...

After my quintuple bypass I got enlisted to 24 sessions of "cardiac
rehab", paid for by medicare I guess. Thanks to y'all contributors.

Been there and done that in 1999. Triple, with heart damage. Now heart
has gone into a-fib. treating that now with drugs and later will try to
shock back to normal rhythm. All the stuff you said is true. Hope you
made out better, as in no heart damage. Retired since 2000 and am only
57.

Metal working keeps me going. Like making small parts for the hot rod
guys and an interest in live steam.

B

Graduation day draws nigh
 

Great post, Don. Verbose, witty, and factual information for all. Best wishes for a continued
"rehab".

Bob Swinney
"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...

After my quintuple bypass I got enlisted to 24 sessions of "cardiac
rehab", paid for by medicare I guess. Thanks to y'all contributors.

I've showed up for most of the sessions. The pitchfork in me arse
from me lovin' mate may have helped. That'd be a five-tine fork.
Potato digger. Her favorite. I'll do all 24 before I'm done.

I've made some friends there, albeit temp, shallow and short-term.
Fellow travelers so to speak. Joe "graduated" today. We've been
kidding and goading each other from about the git-go when we were both
creepers and pillow-huggers. Folks who have had their sternum sawn
apart and spread wide do tend to be pillow huggers for a while. I
learned today that issues with my shoulders (mid deltoids) are common
when they tear ya up like that. Oh well!

Being a vet, I don't take anything seriously so I try to use humor and
perspective to help guys like Joe deal with stress. Joe is a vet too
but his experience was a bit different than mine. Stress can be bad
cardiac juju but it can also be good if managed. Ah mean, rehab is
reintroduction to stress, right? They use machines to get us to
achieve and sustain an elevated but safe heartrate. That's physical
and it's important, but relevant stress ain't all physical. Sometimes
it isn't even primarily physical. It is, however, very individual.
Condx that would create nearly intolerable stress to one individual
may be a yawn for another. The trick is to learn when to yawn.

The perspective that I try to bring to the party is that nobody ever
got a bodybag by missing someone else's expectation of schedule or
whatever.

I shook hands with Joe and bade him good luck today. We skipped the
hugs, this not being California or anything. We've kidded each other
along thru rehab. He seemed to appreciate it. We've talked about
stress, I hope I gave him some perspective. He seems like one hell of
a decent guy. Mar thinks so too. Mar's eclectic sense of character
has been infallible so far but it's only been 25 years...

Evil Mark (staffer) keeps raising the bar for me with sadistic glee.
Today he set the bar at 3.2 mph on the treadmill, 2% grade, 20
minutes. That must sound like feathers to y'all young chargers, but
it ain't bad for the likes of me and we. Then the hard part: the
freakin' Airdyne. God how I hate that SOB but I'm gaining on it. The
first 19 mintues (of 20 ) are always the hardest.

I think it's best to have as much fun as possible before ya die, and
then to die as quickly and neatly as possible. Take as many dragons
as possible with if there be deserving dragons at a propitious time.








** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Graduation day draws nigh
 

On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:07:16 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, Don
Foreman quickly quoth:


After my quintuple bypass I got enlisted to 24 sessions of "cardiac
rehab", paid for by medicare I guess. Thanks to y'all contributors.

Got my address for reparations? Good!

[snippage]

achieve and sustain an elevated but safe heartrate. That's physical
and it's important, but relevant stress ain't all physical. Sometimes
it isn't even primarily physical. It is, however, very individual.
Condx that would create nearly intolerable stress to one individual
may be a yawn for another. The trick is to learn when to yawn.

Excellent point.


The perspective that I try to bring to the party is that nobody ever
got a bodybag by missing someone else's expectation of schedule or
whatever.

The 4-letter definition of that is "lazy", Don. Just so you know. ;)


I shook hands with Joe and bade him good luck today. We skipped the
hugs, this not being California or anything. We've kidded each other
along thru rehab. He seemed to appreciate it. We've talked about
stress, I hope I gave him some perspective. He seems like one hell of
a decent guy. Mar thinks so too. Mar's eclectic sense of character
has been infallible so far but it's only been 25 years...

Man, you must be an older fart than I thought.


Evil Mark (staffer) keeps raising the bar for me with sadistic glee.
Today he set the bar at 3.2 mph on the treadmill, 2% grade, 20
minutes. That must sound like feathers to y'all young chargers, but
it ain't bad for the likes of me and we. Then the hard part: the
freakin' Airdyne. God how I hate that SOB but I'm gaining on it. The
first 19 mintues (of 20 ) are always the hardest.

Ugh! That really sounds fun. [not] My physical therapist (24 years
ago) was also named Mark. I think it was short for "Marquis de Sade",
don't you? And I constantly reminded him of it.


I think it's best to have as much fun as possible before ya die, and
then to die as quickly and neatly as possible. Take as many dragons
as possible with if there be deserving dragons at a propitious time.

A M E N to that, Don. Welcome back to the world of the living. Now
get your ass back on that Airdyne and go graduate, wot?
Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized
anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.
-- Eleanor Roosevelt

Graduation day draws nigh
 

Don Foreman wrote:

After my quintuple bypass I got enlisted to 24 sessions of "cardiac
rehab", paid for by medicare I guess. Thanks to y'all contributors.

I've showed up for most of the sessions. The pitchfork in me arse
from me lovin' mate may have helped. That'd be a five-tine fork.
Potato digger. Her favorite. I'll do all 24 before I'm done.


Hang in there and do what they tell you. Your mate will be much happier and we will have
you with us on RCM a lot longer.

Don't worry about the medicare thing. You likely paid in to the system a heck of alot.

Wes

Graduation day draws nigh
 

On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:14:54 -0400, Wes wrote:

Don Foreman wrote:

After my quintuple bypass I got enlisted to 24 sessions of "cardiac
rehab", paid for by medicare I guess. Thanks to y'all contributors.

I've showed up for most of the sessions. The pitchfork in me arse
from me lovin' mate may have helped. That'd be a five-tine fork.
Potato digger. Her favorite. I'll do all 24 before I'm done.


Hang in there and do what they tell you. Your mate will be much happier and we will have
you with us on RCM a lot longer.

I'll probably sign up for the "phase III" follow-on. I pay for that,
but it's very reasonable. They still use the wireless EKG monitors, so
I can keep pushing my envelope. They can tell me when to back off
when I'm hitting or exceeding target rate.

Don't worry about the medicare thing. You likely paid in to the system a heck of alot.

Oh yeah -- but like the money I paid into S.S., those moneys are all
long-gone. Ever wonder how much of that actually goes to folks over
65? Have a look at your local social security office some time. At
mine I see FAR more black hair than gray or white. It's disgraceful.

I actually saw a sign, in three languages, directed toward illegal
aliens who were there to claim/collect benefits. WHAT?????

Graduation day draws nigh
 

Oh yeah -- but like the money I paid into S.S., those moneys are all
long-gone. Ever wonder how much of that actually goes to folks over
65? Have a look at your local social security office some time. At
mine I see FAR more black hair than gray or white. It's disgraceful.

I actually saw a sign, in three languages, directed toward illegal
aliens who were there to claim/collect benefits. WHAT?????

AND, that's not the half of it. Our govmint spends more than a dollar in
administration expense for every dollar they give out.

I get to pay SS twice, the advantage of being self employed. I'm glad to see
at least a tiny fraction going to you, Don.

Karl

Graduation day draws nigh
 

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:

Ugh! That really sounds fun. [not] My physical therapist (24 years
ago) was also named Mark. I think it was short for "Marquis de Sade",
don't you? And I constantly reminded him of it.

Break "Therapist" down into the two words that are combined to make it.
:)

Graduation day draws nigh
 

On Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:06:29 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, John
Husvar quickly quoth:

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:

Ugh! That really sounds fun. [not] My physical therapist (24 years
ago) was also named Mark. I think it was short for "Marquis de Sade",
don't you? And I constantly reminded him of it.

Break "Therapist" down into the two words that are combined to make it.
:)

Well, Marquis didn't try that one on me. He just tried to separate my
head from my neck or fold my head flat onto my chest several times.
Are you a masochist? Do you REALLY like pain? Go see Mark.

--
Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized
anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.
-- Eleanor Roosevelt