CONTEMPLATING MY PHYSICAL HEALTH.

CONTEMPLATING MY PHYSICAL HEALTH.

You know, for most of life, up into my 60's I enjoyed pretty good health. Early on I had trouble with Kidney Stones, but with some diet changes, I finally stopped producing the damn things. The pain killers, such as hydrocodone, and similar ones did not get rid of the pain of passing the stones, but dulled the pain enough for me to continue working. Problem was, that when I was in pain I wasn't very good company, not at all.

Any way as I continued to age, I started having problems with shortness of breath, and lack of energy and in 1992 I went into the hospital for a heart cathoritization, and by the time they had finished doing the heart cath, they were talking over my head about moving me from the Clayton County Hospital to St. Joseph's Hospital for immediate bypasses. I had to remind the Doctor's that I was right there and I was awake and that I had some say in this. So the Doctor explained to me that I had 2 arteries 100% blocked, 3 arteries, 98% blocked, and one artery 95% blocked, and even tho my own body had grown bypasses, it was only a matter of time before I would have a massive coronery. So the Doctor insisted that I needed 6 bypasses, which required open heard surgery and they weren't equipped to do it, but at the time Johns Hopkins had one of the top rated open heart surgery hospitals in the country.

So I agreed to the operation and change of venue. I was then rushed to John's Hopkins where they had the operating room waiting for me, along with the team of Doctor's and Nurses's who would be doing the work. The operation was successful, and I was out for physical therapy for 6 weeks. I will say I felt much better and stronger afterwards. I returned to work at the end of the Physical Therapy. I was working for NEC Technologies at the time, and their Medical Benefits Covered virtually all of the expenses. For which I was extremely grateful.

Time went by and the year 2000 rolled by. I was now seeing a cardiologist at Piedmont Heart Specialists who kept monitoring me and my heart condition. Well in 2000 I collapsed at work and was carried out on a stretcher to the hospital. When all was said and done, I had a massive heart attack with a 40% loss of function. When I was finally stabilized and feeling better, I said it was time to back to work, and that is when the Doctor said, when you go back to work, the next time you are carried out on the stretcher you will be dead.

I said what are my options, and he said, "You need to retire on 100% disability" beginning immediately. So I did return to work, walked into HR with the letter from the Doctor stating that I was to retire on 100% disability.

I won't bore you with the following 2 years of disability benefits, etc. but by the end of that time I was accepted by Social Security for 100% disability and received full benefits, as if I had retired at age 65(My normal retirement age) As it is, I was 62 when my benefits began.

I have remained a patient of the Piedmont Cardiac Care Group, who have kept me alive through 2 pacemakers, and 24 stents.

In addition, (as any of you know, that have been reading my blog) I also have an artificial knee, artificial hip, and artificial plastic corrective lens permantly implanted in my iris'.

So I guess you can call me the Bionic man.

I am now 80 years old, and actually feel pretty damn good. I still have quite a bit of physical strength and enjoy my many friends, relatives, and having God in my life.

God bless us all from the gahillbilly. Amen.

By Victor Winebrenner. 8/12/2016



"(C) Copyright by Victor Winebrenner"