The Zipper Club: Greetings to Fellow Members

Abstract

As regained consciousness after triple bypass surgery, imagined myself to be within a large metal cylinder, laboriously inching up one of its nearly smooth walls. Other people were there, but they were unaware of me. had to make my way alone. At first thought, Maybe this is what it's like to awaken from very heavy anesthesia. Afterward, it seemed to my wife and myself that what was doing was fighting for life. Each of us had some such experience. What does it mean? Where are we now? Last year, my son turned 50. During that same year, he had two hip replacements and a hernia operation. His comment was, I guess the warranty has expired. You and are now at a point in life well beyond the expiration of an imaginary warranty. Our question is whether we can keep the old jalopy on the road for several more years, for another several hundred miles. We are only too aware that no trade-in is available. Not long ago, the pills took were vitamins. Now the area next to the bathroom sink resembles a small pharmacy. There is Avodart to control PSA. Next to it is rat poison: since have atrial fibrillation, that is, very rapid and irregular heartbeat, Warfarin keeps my blood thin so as to forestall blood clots, and have blood drawn once a month to make sure that it is working. Another pill controls bad cholesterol. As someone who used to pig out on blue cheese dressing and butter, am happy to report that my bad cholesterol is now 60. In summary, you and each now have an MME: a medically monitored existence. There is a fantasy, perhaps especially among males, that the doctor can give us a pill that will make everything the way it used to be. have had to recognize that will never again be a shortstop on the high school baseball team, making one accurate throw after another to the first baseman, that am not again going to backpack in the Colorado Rockies with my son. Another fantasy is that after one more surgery, one more visit to the doctor, one more pill, our medical conditions will be stabilized and we will never again confront health emergencies. Alas, not true. Three days ago woke up with blurred vision. The possibilities are some kind of obstruction in the brain, apparently ruled out by a brain scan this morning; a disease cheerfully named giant cell arteritis, or a ministroke. believe we are at a stage of life where this kind of unsettling event must be expected. …