I sat in front of the TV tonight watching the repatriation ceremony at Canadian Forces Base Trenton (just a mere 5 minute drive from my house) and even though I'd seen similar scenes before I was moved by what I saw.
Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, of Edmonton and Cpl. Jason Warren, 29, of Montreal died last Saturday when a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle close to their troop carrier near the coalition base in Kandahar. Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier were among the officials attending the ceremony.
I am a proud Canadian; and as with all previous ceremonies to mark the return of our fallen Canadian soldiers from Afghanistan; I felt the need to pay my respects in at least some small way. I didn't know these men but I felt the need to be a part of the moment.
As the ceremony wasn't open to the public to attend, it was pointless to drive down to the base. I could have parked outside and watched from across the road, but there really wasn't a need for me to do this thanks to the coverage provided by the media. After the ceremony ended on TV, I did go outside and at the top of my street I could see the procession of police cars, hearses and limo's pass by as they began their journey to Toronto.
The debate over whether or not these scenes of our fallen heroes returning home should be seen has lasted some time and it appears the government has decided to leave the decision to allow media up to the families of the deceased. That seems more than fair. While I like to grieve with the family I also respect their privacy.
The Americans refuse to show the flag draped caskets arriving home from Iraq or wherever their soldiers have been killed for fear that the images will provide a negative view of the war there. Judging by President Bush's approval rating these days, the American people don't need to see them to know it's not worth the price of life to be there.
I support our Canadian troops in their fight against terrorism and the Taliban and I suppose it's better to fight them there than have them blowing buildings up in Toronto or Montreal or attacking our Canadian military bases. So I guess I do know what they are fighting for and agree with it...but it's still sad knowing that these young men and women have to give their lives to get the job done.
What makes me even more sad is knowing that while they are doing this and there are millions of Canadians supporting them, there are probably just as many Canadians who don't even know they're there or care. It truly amazes me when I try to talk to someone about world affairs such as this and they don't have a clue about anything. Ask them what brand of beer they drank on the weekend or how much they've spent on their toys for the cottage and they can tell you that. It disgusts me to know that they take their freedom for granted and could care less about the sacrifices being made by their fellow citizens on their behalf.
The same can be said of our veterans of past wars and battles. Just think what the world would have been like today if those men and women hadn't paid the ultimate sacrifice. A friend of our family is a veteran of World War 2 and although I'd love to hear the stories he has to tell about the experience, I realize how painful it must be to remember that time and his friends who didn't return home. I hope he knows that I appreciate what they did.
This world has and always will be screwed up. As long as there are terrorists, madmen and tyrants...as long as there is greed, religious differences and fanatics there will never be peace in this world. I just don't understand why the world can't get along. Why is it so hard?
Friday, July 28, 2006
Friday, July 07, 2006
Late Night Radio & TV Stinks
I envy those of you who can jump into bed before 1:00 in the morning and go to sleep. However, you are really missing out on some quality entertainment.
I am not blessed with the ability to put head to pillow that early. Of course my current job has a lot to do with that since I work mostly graveyard shifts and my work day usually starts at 11pm and ends at 7am. Yes, while you're dreaming away the night, I'm at work. Of course that isn't a bad thing since I like being awake at night and enjoy having the afternoon's to do what I like and the evening's as well to golf or whatever.
The only real downside to staying awake all night is the quality of television and radio that is provided. I could listen to the radio but I don't care for a lot of the music that they play on most of the local stations except for one. And the fact that I used to work for one company and they screwed me over has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Even that has certainly lost some of its bitterness. I guess time really does heal all wounds. Of course I'd still like to have a chat with a couple of people.
The one thing I really hate about late night local radio in 2006 (and for the last 8 years or more) is that there are no live announcers on in the evening or overnight on most of them. It's all automated and if you do hear a voice, it was recorded earlier in the day by someone working at one of the other stations in the company. In fact, when I started in radio in 1992, we had five full-time announcers and we were live 24-hours a day. When I was "laid off", the station only had two full-time announcers and was automated between 6pm and 6am weekdays and even more so on weekends. The need to make money means more than providing quality programming. All storms, disasters or urgent events had better happen before 6pm or you won't hear about it until the next morning. You might as well just buy the newspaper.
Television isn't much better when it comes to entertainment. After Letterman, Leno, Conan or Stewart, the pickings become pretty slim if you don't have a bunch of specialty channels. Sure I can always watch CNN, TSN or Sportsnet but you can only watch the highlights so many times. Everything else is reruns of Raymond, Seinfeld, Friends or Drew Carey until 2am.
Now after 2am is when the really good stuff comes on. I just can't watch the "Little Giant" ladder infomercial enough times. If you are dieing to get your hands on a new amazing food processor, miracle oven, zit cream remedy or you just want to become your own boss and a millionaire, you should stay up late.
Of course the real people being catered to late at night are the single, lonely, sexually frustrated men sitting on their couches. And yes, maybe I am one of those guys but it hasn't been confirmed yet. No, nothing beats the sexually suggestive videos of scantily clad women playing by the pool, spreading themselves across rocks or lounging on expensive yachts. Just call the 1-900 number on the screen, empty your bank account and you can talk to some of the sexy women just like the one's on the TV. Call now and talk live with these girls...or some 50-year old mom pretending to be a hot 20-something boy toy.
Someone please tell me, where is this place that 12 women are lying around half-naked on a fur covered bed begging for guys to call because they're lonely and need someone to talk to? Tell me please and I'll take the money I would have wasted on a phone call and use it for gas to drive there and join them on the bed.
I really get a kick out of the girls on the boats. Here they have these women in bikinis on the front of the boat talking on phones that look like they're 20 years old. The phones have cords attached to them and even though I don't own a vessel full of hot babes, I'm pretty sure the phone company won't run a phone line to a boat in the middle of the bay. And maybe I'm just being picky, but could someone please give these girls a dental plan.
So as you can see, the entertainment provided to those of us blessed with a work schedule a little out of the norm or those who just can't sleep at night really leaves a lot to be desired. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a cute redhead in a string bikini that needs me to call her for a good time. Come to daddy.
I am not blessed with the ability to put head to pillow that early. Of course my current job has a lot to do with that since I work mostly graveyard shifts and my work day usually starts at 11pm and ends at 7am. Yes, while you're dreaming away the night, I'm at work. Of course that isn't a bad thing since I like being awake at night and enjoy having the afternoon's to do what I like and the evening's as well to golf or whatever.
The only real downside to staying awake all night is the quality of television and radio that is provided. I could listen to the radio but I don't care for a lot of the music that they play on most of the local stations except for one. And the fact that I used to work for one company and they screwed me over has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Even that has certainly lost some of its bitterness. I guess time really does heal all wounds. Of course I'd still like to have a chat with a couple of people.
The one thing I really hate about late night local radio in 2006 (and for the last 8 years or more) is that there are no live announcers on in the evening or overnight on most of them. It's all automated and if you do hear a voice, it was recorded earlier in the day by someone working at one of the other stations in the company. In fact, when I started in radio in 1992, we had five full-time announcers and we were live 24-hours a day. When I was "laid off", the station only had two full-time announcers and was automated between 6pm and 6am weekdays and even more so on weekends. The need to make money means more than providing quality programming. All storms, disasters or urgent events had better happen before 6pm or you won't hear about it until the next morning. You might as well just buy the newspaper.
Television isn't much better when it comes to entertainment. After Letterman, Leno, Conan or Stewart, the pickings become pretty slim if you don't have a bunch of specialty channels. Sure I can always watch CNN, TSN or Sportsnet but you can only watch the highlights so many times. Everything else is reruns of Raymond, Seinfeld, Friends or Drew Carey until 2am.
Now after 2am is when the really good stuff comes on. I just can't watch the "Little Giant" ladder infomercial enough times. If you are dieing to get your hands on a new amazing food processor, miracle oven, zit cream remedy or you just want to become your own boss and a millionaire, you should stay up late.
Of course the real people being catered to late at night are the single, lonely, sexually frustrated men sitting on their couches. And yes, maybe I am one of those guys but it hasn't been confirmed yet. No, nothing beats the sexually suggestive videos of scantily clad women playing by the pool, spreading themselves across rocks or lounging on expensive yachts. Just call the 1-900 number on the screen, empty your bank account and you can talk to some of the sexy women just like the one's on the TV. Call now and talk live with these girls...or some 50-year old mom pretending to be a hot 20-something boy toy.
Someone please tell me, where is this place that 12 women are lying around half-naked on a fur covered bed begging for guys to call because they're lonely and need someone to talk to? Tell me please and I'll take the money I would have wasted on a phone call and use it for gas to drive there and join them on the bed.
I really get a kick out of the girls on the boats. Here they have these women in bikinis on the front of the boat talking on phones that look like they're 20 years old. The phones have cords attached to them and even though I don't own a vessel full of hot babes, I'm pretty sure the phone company won't run a phone line to a boat in the middle of the bay. And maybe I'm just being picky, but could someone please give these girls a dental plan.
So as you can see, the entertainment provided to those of us blessed with a work schedule a little out of the norm or those who just can't sleep at night really leaves a lot to be desired. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a cute redhead in a string bikini that needs me to call her for a good time. Come to daddy.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Curse You Fast Food!
For Superman it's Kryptonite...for Valentino it was the ladies and although I do enjoy the fairer sex, my one true weakness is Fast Food.
As my finely sculpted body shows, fast food doesn't like me. I've always been a big guy. Even as a child I carried extra weight just in case I needed some spare body warmth, but since I graduated college I've really packed on the tonnage. I have more chins than a Chinese phone book and my love handles have taken on a life of their own.
So who or what is to blame for this? Sure I could do the right thing and look in the mirror and blame the person starring back at me but that's not the easy cop-out. I could blame my parents who always told me I had to eat all the food on my plate before I could go outside and play. No, it's much easier to just blame the evildoers of the fast food industry.
In high school I was a big guy but I was still in pretty decent shape and able to play football, rugby and baseball. Even in college and a few year's after I had added more weight, but not to the point that I couldn't track down a fly ball or run the bases. However it was during those college years that my love affair for quick and greasy fattening food took hold.
It all started to go really bad with my first real job at McDonald's. Yes, that's right, I worked at Mickey D's and it wasn't as awful as you might think. The girls I worked with were all cute and the steady pay was a nice perk as well. The trouble was I started out working full-time midnights on the grill. I was always busy as I worked at the restaurant on the Highway but one of the incentives to get people to work that shift was "free food" for the employees. It was the only shift where this happened and of course that was music to my ears...or mouth as the case was.
I'd found myself inventing menu items. Instead of the usual Big Mac's or Quarter Pounders, I was the first one to actually make double or triple Mac's (before they actually made it a menu item). How about the ever popular Quarter Pounder with Chicken and extra mayo? And of course my super size fries were always full. It wasn't long before my belly started to change to a "super size".
So that's where my love affair for fast food began. It was just a natural progression to move on to eating Whopper's at Burger King, Double Classic's with cheese at Wendy's and Double Cheeseburgers at Harvey's. If it was quick, dripping with grease and came with a toy, I was eating it. It was also common to see me inhaling a large bag of potato chips at night and drinking one Coke or Pepsi after another.
Now 17 years later I've moved from being a big guy to super sized guy who is nowhere near as active as I used to be. The aches and pains have begun as well. I still get some exercise rolling out of bed and going to the bathroom. Actually, I love playing golf and I try to walk the course as much as possible but some days the nagging ankle pains from my football and rugby injuries flare up and grabbing a power cart just seems too inviting.
I have certainly cut back on my intake of fast food and snacks today and I feel a little better but some days I just can't resist the temptation. Ask any overweight person and they'll tell you they'd like nothing more than to be thin, healthy and attractive...you know...one of the beautiful people; but it's easier said than done. Not a night goes by when I'm laying in bed thinking, "tomorrow's the day I get serious about losing weight." Yet, tomorrow comes and goes and the willpower just isn't there.
I've come to the conclusion that surgery is the only way I'll ever be thin and I just can't afford that, so I try to be as happy as possible with who I am and who I've become and I'm cool with that for now. I've never had my cholesterol checked but I can imagine my doctor would faint at the sight of the results. Oddly enough I went to the doctor recently and my blood pressure was just fine. I check my blood sugar from time to time and so far so good but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I'm diagnosed with diabetes. It runs in the family and is likely to happen.
I'm trying to cut back on my fast food intake and I try to make smarter menu choices and I'm happy about that. I used to eat out every day and now I might eat out once or twice a week. It's not perfect but it's a step in the right direction. Now I just need to haul my ass off the couch and get more active. I think I'll go for a walk right now...right after I go to Taco Bell.
As my finely sculpted body shows, fast food doesn't like me. I've always been a big guy. Even as a child I carried extra weight just in case I needed some spare body warmth, but since I graduated college I've really packed on the tonnage. I have more chins than a Chinese phone book and my love handles have taken on a life of their own.
So who or what is to blame for this? Sure I could do the right thing and look in the mirror and blame the person starring back at me but that's not the easy cop-out. I could blame my parents who always told me I had to eat all the food on my plate before I could go outside and play. No, it's much easier to just blame the evildoers of the fast food industry.
In high school I was a big guy but I was still in pretty decent shape and able to play football, rugby and baseball. Even in college and a few year's after I had added more weight, but not to the point that I couldn't track down a fly ball or run the bases. However it was during those college years that my love affair for quick and greasy fattening food took hold.
It all started to go really bad with my first real job at McDonald's. Yes, that's right, I worked at Mickey D's and it wasn't as awful as you might think. The girls I worked with were all cute and the steady pay was a nice perk as well. The trouble was I started out working full-time midnights on the grill. I was always busy as I worked at the restaurant on the Highway but one of the incentives to get people to work that shift was "free food" for the employees. It was the only shift where this happened and of course that was music to my ears...or mouth as the case was.
I'd found myself inventing menu items. Instead of the usual Big Mac's or Quarter Pounders, I was the first one to actually make double or triple Mac's (before they actually made it a menu item). How about the ever popular Quarter Pounder with Chicken and extra mayo? And of course my super size fries were always full. It wasn't long before my belly started to change to a "super size".
So that's where my love affair for fast food began. It was just a natural progression to move on to eating Whopper's at Burger King, Double Classic's with cheese at Wendy's and Double Cheeseburgers at Harvey's. If it was quick, dripping with grease and came with a toy, I was eating it. It was also common to see me inhaling a large bag of potato chips at night and drinking one Coke or Pepsi after another.
Now 17 years later I've moved from being a big guy to super sized guy who is nowhere near as active as I used to be. The aches and pains have begun as well. I still get some exercise rolling out of bed and going to the bathroom. Actually, I love playing golf and I try to walk the course as much as possible but some days the nagging ankle pains from my football and rugby injuries flare up and grabbing a power cart just seems too inviting.
I have certainly cut back on my intake of fast food and snacks today and I feel a little better but some days I just can't resist the temptation. Ask any overweight person and they'll tell you they'd like nothing more than to be thin, healthy and attractive...you know...one of the beautiful people; but it's easier said than done. Not a night goes by when I'm laying in bed thinking, "tomorrow's the day I get serious about losing weight." Yet, tomorrow comes and goes and the willpower just isn't there.
I've come to the conclusion that surgery is the only way I'll ever be thin and I just can't afford that, so I try to be as happy as possible with who I am and who I've become and I'm cool with that for now. I've never had my cholesterol checked but I can imagine my doctor would faint at the sight of the results. Oddly enough I went to the doctor recently and my blood pressure was just fine. I check my blood sugar from time to time and so far so good but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I'm diagnosed with diabetes. It runs in the family and is likely to happen.
I'm trying to cut back on my fast food intake and I try to make smarter menu choices and I'm happy about that. I used to eat out every day and now I might eat out once or twice a week. It's not perfect but it's a step in the right direction. Now I just need to haul my ass off the couch and get more active. I think I'll go for a walk right now...right after I go to Taco Bell.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Sleep Clinic Nightmare
I'm sure those of you who have first hand knowledge of the experiences you go through during your first visit to a Sleep Clinic will be able to relate to the hellish night I went through less than 24 hours ago.
After consulting with my doctor a little while back, he decided that some of the symptoms I was describing could be related to Sleep Apnea. For those of you who don't know what this is, sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes your breathing to stop repeatedly while you sleep. And as I'm sure you can understand...to stop breathing is a bad thing.
So I was given an appointment to go spend the night at the clinic and have my sleep patterns monitored. It sounded simple enough to me. I'll just show up and go to bed and wait to hear my results.
Of course it just isn't that simple. I showed up at 8:15pm and was met by a lovely nurse and one of the two other patients for the evening. Lets call him Andre. He was French and is in the Canadian Armed Forces...go figure. His accent was thick but with a little effort he could be understood. The conversation was pleasant but I quickly realized this wasn't going to be a simple night of bed rest.
As I filled out a group of forms with a seemingly endless amount of questions, I watched as Nurse Gail (I think that was her name) prepared Andre for his nocturnal slumber. She was measuring his head and drawing red marks on his scalp in different places and then began attaching sensors galore. I don't know how many there were but I'd guess there were at least four on the head, one on each cheek and two on the chin. There was also a sensor attached to the neck and three on each leg and two belts were wrapped around his Chest and Stomach. Just to add to this madness, two more were attached to the back shoulder blades and then one inserted into each nostril.
I watched this and realized I'm next. How the hell was I supposed to sleep with all of this crap and their wires glued to me? Nurse Gail went through the same process with me and then placed the box containing the other end of all of the sensors around my neck so I could walk to my assigned room. Once in bed, nurse Gail hooked me up to the machines in the room at the top of my bed. There was also a camera at the end of the bed so I could be monitored from another room. I knew I had to behave myself now.
Nurse Gail then left the room and spoke to me through an intercom and had me do several things to test the connections. I was doing ankle flexes to eye movements and coughing. The best one was when she had me try to move my stomach like a belly dancer. Pardon my grammar but I ain't no belly dancer. I must have done alright as I was given the green light to sleep.
By this time it's about 10:30pm and as I'm used to staying awake late, I wasn't even close to being tired. I was allowed to read for a short period of time but by the time 11:30 rolled around it was lights out.
Now the fun begins. With no clock in the room I had no sense of time. I laid there for what seemed like hours before I finally nodded off but it was only for a brief time. I was forced to sleep on my back. I never sleep on my back. I sleep on my stomach so that just added to the torture. I could barely move with all of the wires hanging from me. The probes in my nose kept moving around and stabbing me. That was painful and the bed was too damn hard. A few hours in my back was aching. It was one of the longest nights I can remember.
I tried laying on my side but that didn't work well either. Nurse Gail had also attached a monitor to my right index finger to keep an eye on my heart rate so that was yet another obstacle.
I could hear every little sound and of course the harder I tried to talk myself into sleeping, the less chance I had of actually dozing off. Several times I was tempted to just call her on the intercom and say enough was enough but I stuck it out. I did manage to fall asleep a few times through the night but I kept on waking up.
At 5:30am Nurse Gail opened my door and said it's time to get up. She removed all of my sensors and I couldn't have been happier. I asked her if I'd slept and she said I had slept some but didn't say how much. All I know is it was probably the worst sleep I'd ever had. I used the washroom and gathered up my belongings and booked an appointment for a follow up chat with the Doctor. I have no desire to ever do that again.
I made it home and had a shower to remove all of the sticky gel and red markings from my hair. By the time 8:00am rolled around I was finally ready to go to sleep and I wasn't in my own bed very long before I was out like a light.
It was an interesting experience but I've come to the conclusion that if I ever have to do it again, I'd better try to stay up for 24 hours straight prior to going so I can be sure to fall asleep sooner and easier. Going to bed isn't supposed to be a job but after this experience I felt like I'd worked a 12-hour shift.
After consulting with my doctor a little while back, he decided that some of the symptoms I was describing could be related to Sleep Apnea. For those of you who don't know what this is, sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes your breathing to stop repeatedly while you sleep. And as I'm sure you can understand...to stop breathing is a bad thing.
So I was given an appointment to go spend the night at the clinic and have my sleep patterns monitored. It sounded simple enough to me. I'll just show up and go to bed and wait to hear my results.
Of course it just isn't that simple. I showed up at 8:15pm and was met by a lovely nurse and one of the two other patients for the evening. Lets call him Andre. He was French and is in the Canadian Armed Forces...go figure. His accent was thick but with a little effort he could be understood. The conversation was pleasant but I quickly realized this wasn't going to be a simple night of bed rest.
As I filled out a group of forms with a seemingly endless amount of questions, I watched as Nurse Gail (I think that was her name) prepared Andre for his nocturnal slumber. She was measuring his head and drawing red marks on his scalp in different places and then began attaching sensors galore. I don't know how many there were but I'd guess there were at least four on the head, one on each cheek and two on the chin. There was also a sensor attached to the neck and three on each leg and two belts were wrapped around his Chest and Stomach. Just to add to this madness, two more were attached to the back shoulder blades and then one inserted into each nostril.
I watched this and realized I'm next. How the hell was I supposed to sleep with all of this crap and their wires glued to me? Nurse Gail went through the same process with me and then placed the box containing the other end of all of the sensors around my neck so I could walk to my assigned room. Once in bed, nurse Gail hooked me up to the machines in the room at the top of my bed. There was also a camera at the end of the bed so I could be monitored from another room. I knew I had to behave myself now.
Nurse Gail then left the room and spoke to me through an intercom and had me do several things to test the connections. I was doing ankle flexes to eye movements and coughing. The best one was when she had me try to move my stomach like a belly dancer. Pardon my grammar but I ain't no belly dancer. I must have done alright as I was given the green light to sleep.
By this time it's about 10:30pm and as I'm used to staying awake late, I wasn't even close to being tired. I was allowed to read for a short period of time but by the time 11:30 rolled around it was lights out.
Now the fun begins. With no clock in the room I had no sense of time. I laid there for what seemed like hours before I finally nodded off but it was only for a brief time. I was forced to sleep on my back. I never sleep on my back. I sleep on my stomach so that just added to the torture. I could barely move with all of the wires hanging from me. The probes in my nose kept moving around and stabbing me. That was painful and the bed was too damn hard. A few hours in my back was aching. It was one of the longest nights I can remember.
I tried laying on my side but that didn't work well either. Nurse Gail had also attached a monitor to my right index finger to keep an eye on my heart rate so that was yet another obstacle.
I could hear every little sound and of course the harder I tried to talk myself into sleeping, the less chance I had of actually dozing off. Several times I was tempted to just call her on the intercom and say enough was enough but I stuck it out. I did manage to fall asleep a few times through the night but I kept on waking up.
At 5:30am Nurse Gail opened my door and said it's time to get up. She removed all of my sensors and I couldn't have been happier. I asked her if I'd slept and she said I had slept some but didn't say how much. All I know is it was probably the worst sleep I'd ever had. I used the washroom and gathered up my belongings and booked an appointment for a follow up chat with the Doctor. I have no desire to ever do that again.
I made it home and had a shower to remove all of the sticky gel and red markings from my hair. By the time 8:00am rolled around I was finally ready to go to sleep and I wasn't in my own bed very long before I was out like a light.
It was an interesting experience but I've come to the conclusion that if I ever have to do it again, I'd better try to stay up for 24 hours straight prior to going so I can be sure to fall asleep sooner and easier. Going to bed isn't supposed to be a job but after this experience I felt like I'd worked a 12-hour shift.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
My Visit To The Hospital
How do you ruin an evening out with friends? How about chest pains and a trip to the hospital in the back of an ambulance.
Having never had a heart attack before I didn't know what to think when I was at the local arena last Thursday night with friends watching some other friends playing girls ball hockey when all of a sudden the most terrifying feeling I've ever had hit me.
Without going into all of the details, the pain in my chest was bad enough that I asked my buddy Dave Maybee to get help and my other friend Dan Jess grabbed his cell phone and called 911.
I managed to make it outside to get some fresh air and sat down on the cold pavement. The first to arrive were two fire trucks and a couple of firefighters I knew who gave me some oxygen. Of course the pain had subsided by this point but I was shaking from either nerves or the cold. Dave grabbed my cell phone and called my parents who were at the Lions Hall for Bingo and told them to meet me at the hospital.
The ambulance arrived and they assessed me and got me into the ambulance. They hooked me up to heart monitors and more I'm sure and asked me all kinds of questions. I'll be damned if I can remember any of them now. The trip to the hospital was swift and when the doors opened, ma and pa were standing there waiting to see me.
One thing I will say...if you have to go to the hospital, in an ambulance is the only way to go. There was no sitting in the waiting room with the masses for 5 hours hoping they'd call your name next. Instead I was ushered into the ER through a private entrance and right into the awaiting bed.
The nurses removed most of the sticky connections on my body provided by the ambulance and then attached their own hair ripping connectors and hooked me up to plenty of things that go "beep". The blood pressure cup was wrapped around my arm, copious amounts of blood was removed from my left arm and then I was left alone for 20 minutes until the doctor showed up.
The Doc was a nice enough guy and he asked me the same questions I'd already been asked several times. The tests all came back negative for a heart attack which was comforting news but the pain did come back a few more times and to this day (even as I'm typing this) I'm still getting some discomfort. The chest x-rays also came back negative except to say that I do have a heart.
After about 2 hours I was released and hitched a ride home with mom and dad.
So what is wrong with me? What caused and continues to cause the problem? It could acid reflux or some kind of spasm but I'm no doctor. I have to go to my family doctor to see if we can figure it out. I only wish I could take an ambulance to my doctor. Maybe I could get in to see him quicker instead of 8 days after this all started.
Having never had a heart attack before I didn't know what to think when I was at the local arena last Thursday night with friends watching some other friends playing girls ball hockey when all of a sudden the most terrifying feeling I've ever had hit me.
Without going into all of the details, the pain in my chest was bad enough that I asked my buddy Dave Maybee to get help and my other friend Dan Jess grabbed his cell phone and called 911.
I managed to make it outside to get some fresh air and sat down on the cold pavement. The first to arrive were two fire trucks and a couple of firefighters I knew who gave me some oxygen. Of course the pain had subsided by this point but I was shaking from either nerves or the cold. Dave grabbed my cell phone and called my parents who were at the Lions Hall for Bingo and told them to meet me at the hospital.
The ambulance arrived and they assessed me and got me into the ambulance. They hooked me up to heart monitors and more I'm sure and asked me all kinds of questions. I'll be damned if I can remember any of them now. The trip to the hospital was swift and when the doors opened, ma and pa were standing there waiting to see me.
One thing I will say...if you have to go to the hospital, in an ambulance is the only way to go. There was no sitting in the waiting room with the masses for 5 hours hoping they'd call your name next. Instead I was ushered into the ER through a private entrance and right into the awaiting bed.
The nurses removed most of the sticky connections on my body provided by the ambulance and then attached their own hair ripping connectors and hooked me up to plenty of things that go "beep". The blood pressure cup was wrapped around my arm, copious amounts of blood was removed from my left arm and then I was left alone for 20 minutes until the doctor showed up.
The Doc was a nice enough guy and he asked me the same questions I'd already been asked several times. The tests all came back negative for a heart attack which was comforting news but the pain did come back a few more times and to this day (even as I'm typing this) I'm still getting some discomfort. The chest x-rays also came back negative except to say that I do have a heart.
After about 2 hours I was released and hitched a ride home with mom and dad.
So what is wrong with me? What caused and continues to cause the problem? It could acid reflux or some kind of spasm but I'm no doctor. I have to go to my family doctor to see if we can figure it out. I only wish I could take an ambulance to my doctor. Maybe I could get in to see him quicker instead of 8 days after this all started.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)