Warning Labels
American liquor manufacturers have accepted the FDA’s suggestion that the following warning labels be placed immediately on all varieties of alcohol containers:
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your bra and panties.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them at four in the morning.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher,smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.
WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may be a major factor in getting your ass kicked.
WARNING:
the crumsumpten of alcohol may Mack you tink you kan tpye reel gode
May 16, 2004
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Back to the Hospital
After a 10 min. trip back to the hospital I was in the out patient check in which took about 10 mins to complete the paper work.
Now I was off to the Cardiolgy department and a battery of tests were forth coming. After meeting with one of the nurses and re telling what I told the er doctor and my personal dr, I was told to have a seat and they would get with me in a few minutes.
I could look down the hall and see a man on a treadmill, taking a “Stress Test” , which was the first test I would have to take. I watched him and studied his technique on the treadmill, as I wanted to not fall on my face and make a complete fool of my self.
Reason of the Stress Test: The heart may be stressed by having a patient exercise on a treadmill or a stationary bicycle. If the patient is unable to exercise secondary to physical limitations such as severe arthritis, artificial limbs, generalized weakness, paralysis, unsteady gait, etc., the physician may choose a pharmacological or chemical form of test. In the latter case, a medication is given intravenously to perform a nearly comparable degree of cardiac stress. If possible, some form of pharmacological stress testing may be combined with a brief period of treadmill exercise.
Stress testing, particularly those employing exercise, help reveal the following:
1.The length of exercise demonstrates physical tolerance and conditioning.
2. Extreme and inappropriate shortness of breath, chest discomfort, dizziness and unexpected weakness may suggest underlying heart disease.
3. The blood pressure is recorded at intervals during stress (in the beginning and usually at three minute intervals, if stable). It may be checked more frequently if the patient’s blood pressure response to exercise is abnormal.
4. High blood pressure during exercise may provide an early clue or indication about this problem. Normally, the systolic (upper reading) blood pressure may rise up to 200 during extreme or peak exercise, while the diastolic (lower reading) remains below 90. Patients with inadequately controlled high blood pressure usually display high diastolic readings during exercise.
5. A drop in blood pressure during exercise may indicate heart disease.
6. Exercise may provoke arrhythmias (pronounced a-rhyth-me-yaz) or irregular heart rhythm which may not be seen at rest and may or may not point to heart disease.
7. The EKG is constantly monitored during exercise and recorded on paper at intervals (usually every minute) and compared to the EKG obtained at rest. Changes in the ST segment and T waves may indicate heart disease.
I knew I was going to not get my heart rate up to the level that the doctor would want, as I have not been doing any exercising for the last 7 years since I retired. Needless to say after the got me hooked up to the EKG and the cuff to monitor my BP , off I went on my walk to no where, which seem to last forever as the longer I paced the heavier my legs got but I was not wheezing at this time. I could feel my pulse in the BP cuff and new it was increasing as it should. I continued until I started to feel like I was not getting any air into my lungs, and told the doctor that I could not continue who replied “Give me 10 more seconds” to which I replied, 10,9,8,7, etc.
Yes I had failed to get my pulse rate up to 140 which was my target, but I must say that the doctor and nurse were understanding but not sympathetic.
I was told to sit down until the next test which was going to be a “Echocardiogram“.
October 15, 2003
Posted in: Medical
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Visiting my primary Doctor
Oct 15th 2003 10:00 am
My appointment was for 10:am, and after completing new patient paper work I met my new Doctor. I informed him of why I was there and we had a long discussion about my past medical history and what occurred on monday at the emergency room.
Dr Smith was easy to talk to and when he explained various medical terms he did so in a manner that I could understand. He excused himself and went to call the hospital to see if there was a cardiologist that could see me, when he returned I was told to go back to the hospital and see the cardiologist, who was expecting me.
So I went by and showed my medical id card , and paid my 20% which was $25.00 and left for the hospital.
October 15, 2003
Posted in: Medical
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Going to the Emergency Room
Oct 14th 2003:
Being the kinda person who hates to mess with a weekend, I decided that I would make the trip to the hospital on monday. I am living in a small town (12,000+/-) that has a decent hospital, most of the doctors visit the hospital from out of town.
Remembering that my Mother always told me to wear clean under wear, so on monday I showered and shaved so that I would look and smell good if I had to strip my clothes off for any exams or tests. I found a parking space close to the emergency entrance and then went to check in, this proved quite painless as I was the only person at the desk at 10 am.
The clerk was very nice and asked me what I needed and gave me a form to fill out with personal info. While I was explaining my symptoms and answering all the questions on the check in form, a nurse came and told me to wait till later to finish the paper work. I went to an examination room where the nurse took my vitals and asked if I was in any pain, which I replied “no , not now’, so back I went to finish the paper work.
About 3 minutes after I was done another nurse called me back into the exam room where she proceeded to re-take my vitals and also asking the same questions as the 1st nurse. Now enter the er doctor who chatted with me for a few minutes then told me they wanted to have some x-rays taken so off I went in a wheel chair to get my x-rays done, this took about 10 minutes. Now I was wheeled back to the exam room where there was another nurse who hooked me up for a ekg , while another proceeded to take 4 vials of blood. Now I laid on the exam table, waiting for the results of all the test to be available for the doctor to review, for about 30 mins when the er doctor came in and told me that there was nothing that showed up that was critical and we discussed about my general health. He recommended that I see a cardiologist to determine just what was wrong with me.
Now came a problem, the dr asked me who my primary doctor was and I said I had none here in town, so he said I would have to have a local dr to refer me to a cardiologist and gave me a list of local drs to make an appointment with to get a referral. I went home and selected a name and called and was lucky to get in the next day tues the 15th.
October 14, 2003
Posted in: Medical
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Ooooooh…..
Oct 10th 2003:
Coming face to face with life, when you least expect to do so.
This is a chronicle of the first major medical voyage in my life. I have never been “sick” with any illness other than the occasional colds, flu and other aggravating ones.
Only 1 time have I ever been in a hospital, in the 60′s for an appendectomy, and 3 times to the emergency room for minor reasons, of which one was a broken ankle.
This all started around the 8th of Oct. when I started feeling some lite pressure in my chest along with a small amount of tingling or numbness in my fingers and toes, which lasted for around 10 to 15 mins. I started thinking that I just might be having a heart attack, but the symptoms went away and I felt ok.
These postings will cover the tests and procedures I went thru to determine what my problem was.
October 10, 2003
Posted in: Medical
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