Last summer, my wife and I had planned to take a trip back to New England, to check in with friends and family.
Well, obviously that did not happen, as COVID-19 had everything shut down.
Then, after having a Christmas trip, then a school vacation trip cancelled, we set our sights on a trip this summer.
MorningBecause of costs, we decided to drive back. It wasn’t so much the flight cost, but the rental car cost, that drove that decision. Yet due to a unexpected repair job needed while we were in Maine, we still ended up in a rental for a couple of days.
It was an interesting trip. A couple of things we thought we’d do along the way, didn’t happen. But our primary objective, friends and family, was met.
Most important was catching up with our grandchildren. Since our move to Michigan, we’ve had one more added to the family (Isn’t She Lovely) and so this trip was our first time to be able to meet her. Meanwhile, another granddaughter will be starting Kindergarten this fall, while our eldest granddaughter will be entering eighth grade this fall.
Where does the time go?
Speaking of, after way too many months (16!) of holding down the radio fort all by myself, I finally have just been able to cut my workload at work in half. This means I’ll be able to carve out time (finally) to get back to some sort of a regular blogging schedule.
As promised, here is the continuation from my last blog post.
Immediately after my morning air-shift last Thursday, I took myself in to see a doctor. I was tired, I hurt, and I was miserable. I was putting on weight at an absolutely scary pace. My body was telling me, loudly, that something was wrong, and I had finally heard it and was listening.
I went to the walk-in clinic, but I was not there very long.
I was quickly sent over to the hospital, because while no could be sure, I had enough symptoms to trigger a COVID-19 response.
Shortly after I arrived at the Emergency Room (taken through a separate entrance and into a protected room where I only saw people who needed to take a test or get some information from me before disappearing as quick as possible … and I had absolutely no problem with their precautions), they made me take a COVID-19 test. About 20 minutes later, they needed a faster test done, because things were starting to point in a completely different direction.
Now, if you have had a COVID-19 test with the nose swabs stuck in you nose, you already know what I went through. The first test the swab was stuffed in an inch or two into my sinuses.
The second one, however, used a much longer swab. Which was stuffed all the way into the back of my sinus cavity.
Again, they needed an almost immediate “Yes or No” about whether I had the Coronavirus or not.
heart modelBoth tests came back negative.
They were also starting other tests to try and confirm what they were suspecting was the real issue I was having.
That initial diagnosis was scary. High Blood Pressure and Heart Failure.
Combined, I was literally filling up with water, which was why I couldn’t breathe lying down.
They kept me overnight at the hospital, and then started some more testing Friday morning. After some consulting, it was determined that I needed to be transferred to UP Health System – Marquette, which (as I know now) has one of the best cardiac cath lab labs in the nation.
After being transferred Friday afternoon, I was in surgery Saturday afternoon to look at my arteries. Nothing was plugged up, which was good.
They then started looked at my heart. It wasn’t working as it should.
Why will be determined at a later date. A plan to get me heading in the right direction with my health is the first step.
I was going to get a second chance.
A chance to continue doing what I truly love, spending time on the radio, having fun with listeners and all the folks I get to meet and interview on-air.
A chance to make a difference.
And a chance to spend more time with friends and family.
Which means, as soon as travel restrictions get lifted, my wife and I will be making a trip to New England.
To visit with my sister, and my brother, who has been on the front lines in the COVID-19 fight.
To check on my Father-in-law, and my Aunt, both of whom have had some medical issues of their own.
Friends and Family, for me, has always has been, and always will be, very important to me. Even if, in the past, I may not have been all that good about letting them know.
But, first things first. I have someone I need to call.
