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Monday, February 9. 2009
Have Heart, Will Travel
In about six hours I will have the opportunity to see just how spiritually fit I am; see how my daily reprieve is holding up. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”, is the quote from John Lennon. I’m just guessing he heard or read it from someone else but I’m not gonna take the time to look it up.Nearly 13 years ago, March 16, 1996, I had a pretty severe Myocardial Infarction — a heart attack. Other than to save my life and do an angiogram, no other procedures were performed. The cardiologist, whose name I can’t recall, told me that eventually, within ten years (from that day) I would be in for a heart procedure, be it angioplasty or bypass. Well, I’ve gone 13 years so I must have done something right.
In 2007 I had to give up my pickup truck for financial reasons, forcing me to rely on my Trusty Trek and public transit. What a blessing that turned out to be, in more ways than one. Besides the obvious daily exercise, I learned the rigors, challenges and fun of riding the buses — and especially the trolleys — around town. And of course I wasn’t paying $4.00 a gallon for gas.
In the summer of last year I lived close to San Diego State University (so much eye candy!) and I took the #15 bus downtown to catch the #20 bus to work. Well, during Comic-con, I shared the #15 with people going to the convention, most of whom were dressed up in Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and other fantasy clothing. For an entire week.
Some of the men, with the physique of a bartlett pear, were dressed in those skin tight costumes, definitely a crime of fashion. Some women, Star Wars fans of the most creative kind, were dressed in the Princess Leia slave costume from the second star wars film, when she was the prisoner of Jaba the Hut. Some fit the costume okay, others ... err ... not ...But the best was the morning when Star Trek fans, one set dressed in the Next Generation outfits and the others dressed in the original costumes, had an argument — loud and heated — about which era of Star Trek was more realistic. I actually turned off my iPod to listen, their yelling was disturbing my Frank Zappa anyway. Which era of Star Trek was more realistic? Do people really have serious debates on that premise? You gotta be shittin’ me!
There was one truly unpleasant experience while waiting for a trolley, but now, after a little distance in time, it’s a mostly inconsequential matter.
Becoming a daily user of the Trusty Trek did much to improve my health, but now, 18 months later, after feeling my stamina steadily diminish over the past three months, I knew it was time. On December 31 of last year I saw my health care provider and she scheduled a stress test. Did that about 10 days ago. A week ago that cardiologist called and told me to come in today for a procedure. They don’t know which one, so they’ll do an angiogram to decide.
I’ve had a week to stew about it now, obsess about all the possibilities — filling my head and heart with fear — but what it comes down to is this: it is now out of my hands. All I can do is be positive and remember all the people I know who have gone through this — and worse — and survived. With today’s technology, that is the most likely outcome. Truly.
And, I’ve decided, I want to continue riding my Trusty Trek and most definitely, when Comic-con rolls through town again this summer, I wanna go and take it all in! That was fun! Not to mention, I gotta know: which era of Star Trek is more realistic?
So, I just got off the phone with the cardiology department and, they’re sorry if they gave me the wrong impression, but I’m not having the procedure today, just a consultation.
DAMMIT!
C’est la vie! So I get a few more days (at least) to obsess about it, this time, with more technical information! In my previous column I wrote that with gossip there’s usually a kernel of truth, extremely embellished and exaggerated with equal parts of grandeur and paranoia.
The same principle applies when speculating about medical procedures. My only fear at the moment: When I actually go in for the procedure no one will have any sympathy for me. How’s that for a blatant appeal to your emotions!
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