I just got back from UNC hospital. My cardiologist wanted me to start on some new meds and they had to observe me for 3 days to make sure I could tolerate them. I may have slept for 3 hours in those 3 days.
I tried to drive home when they released me last night, at about 11 pm, but didn't get far. It's a 3 hour drive and I was exhausted and unsure of my new meds, so, feeling hallucinatory, I stopped at the first rat trap motel that I could find.
They think I'm going to do OK on this new stuff. I hope so. We'll see. My heart rate has slowed down quite a bit and the tachycardia is less frequent and milder. I just have to watch out for side effects (some serious) and go back up to UNC in 3 or 4 weeks for a check-up.
I had an interesting room mate: a Mr. G. W. He was 89 years old and had been all over the world. He had been in Australia, Burma and had lived in China and India. He flew in the Army air corps in WWII. He was in the O.S.S. and later worked in D.C.
He worked for Newsweek for some time.
He suffered from Dengue fever while in Asia. He used to enjoy a good scotch and smoke Plum cake tobacco in Algerian briar pipes. He has an extensive wine cellar - preferring Riesling. He is a gun collector and a knife maker. His cousin was the president of Duke university for many years. His son is a doctor and his granddaughter writes books.
He said that he had married an angel - his deceased wife, D. He couldn't remember them ever having an argument in the 60 years, 6 months and 6 days of their marriage.
He told a story about going to India. He said that one of the first things he saw was a "box car sized" sign on a hotel that read: "Great place for sexual relations."
He seemed to know doctors , politicians and big businessmen. And he was a heck of a nice guy. A real gentleman
At 89, he lived by himself.
(I kept thinking about my dad, who was born the same year as Mr. W. [1921]. This guy was still around and vibrant, and my dad has been gone for 35 years!)
Even though I was stressed out by my situation, I felt enriched, somehow, just listening to him talk to the nurses.
I hope he does well with the procedure they're performing on him next week.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
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