Thursday, March 13, 2008

A Day of Good Intentions...

After awaking and feeling like the flu bug had run smack dab into me, I lifted my weary head off the sofa around noon to take a shower. I should have done that hours before, as it turned out. It made me feel 100% better. I dressed and decided to go to Cubs Park for a famous Italian Beef sandwich. As I was answering a quick email, my phone rang and it was my son Brad. He asked me what the doctor said about my pacemaker. I told him I never made it to see the doctor, as I got a call to sell my truck and pretty much blew that off. We discussed having lunch and he told me he was headed in my direction and to pick out a restaurant. I suggested Cubs Park, naturally. Brad's been working out at the gym lately and remarked that it wasn't a very healthy choice and then suggested some Bistro in the high rent district of Keirland Commons. The last time I let Brad choose the restaurant, it wound up costing me $75 for lunch and all I had was a sandwich. We agreed to think about it and we'll reconvene at 2:30. No sooner did I hang up with Brad and Donna from the doctor's office called and asked when I was planning on coming in to fulfill my exam request. Hmm... was my answer. She asked if I could come in right now, they were free. I said I would just do that. I'm come right now, even though I was starving. I called Brad and left him a voicemail explaining the situation.

I arrived at the doctor's office and was pleased to see that they took me right away. A woman named Robin was the pacemaker person and she told me to sit down and unbutton my shirt. I was about to tell her to do the same, but better sense told me to wait until I knew her better. It's a good thing I waited because it turned out that Robin had nothing that resembled a sense of humor. She hooked up the usual electrodes and put what looked like the mouth piece of an old time phone over my new pacemaker. With this device she can regulate what my heart does, as well as monitor everything about it.

I learned it was set to keep my heart at a minimum of 60 beats a minute and it's been used 46% of the time in my upper heart and 11% of the time in my lower heart. My battery will last for right at 8 1/2 years at this rate. A new operative was activated with this newer model that I have, it's a 2006 with low miles. It will sense when I'm walking and adjust my heart accordingly and it will even sense exercise and adjust for that too, as if that's EVER gonna happen. I asked if I will ever be able to operate the power windows in my car with it, after training. No reaction! My best one was when I asked her if the lump on my chest would ever grow a nipple. I don't think Robin understood me :( She said to come back in a few months and either see her or Dan, her supervisor. I'm going with Dan!

I realized I was only a few miles from the Knocked Kneed Lobster and deep fried cod sounded great. I headed over there and gorged myself in dead fish. I left there about 3:45 and hit traffic gridlock, but kind of enjoyed it, having a full stomach and no rush to be anywhere. I came home, fed the Dynamic Duo and settled onto the sofa for an after lunch nap. This nap keyed the Lovely Jules to phone me and awaken me, to my delight :(

Julie was in a good mood today. She took most of the day off and shopped and bought the things she'd been talking about for a few days, mostly a barbecue grill that burns real charcoal instead of gas and she replaced the lights that she keeps running over in her front yard. We chatted to quite some time, her mentioning often that some lucky neighbor was grilling pork with a dirty grill. She can smell the pork and the dirty grill. After about 45 minutes of light conversation, suddenly I heard a scream! Julie yelled and I could tell she was running at the same time. I yelled what's wrong? Julie yelled back into the phone that "I'm the neighbor that's cooking"!!! St. Jules, not the the most coherent cook of all times, was cooking up some ground pork for her dog and forgot about it.. We laughed for about 10 more minutes over her "Lucy Move"... Paws ate it all anyway!

Brad finally called me back and he went to Cubs Park and ate Chicago Vienna Hot Dogs. They're not very healthy, but once he heard me mention them, he couldn't get them out of his mind....

Mel
3/13/08

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