Saw my cardiologist today and got news and bad news - and good news

The back story - Last December I had an echo cardiogram which had my doctor send me for a CT scan. They found a thrombus (aka clot) on my aortic valve - which had been replaced via TAVR (TransArterial Valve Replacement) in 2017. So they put me on warfarin to dissolve the clot.

The night of January 5, I couldn't breath when I laid down to go to sleep. My husband headed us towards the hospital but on the way we stopped at the local fire station and they called an ambulance. I passed out before it got there. I woke up in the hospital the next day, intubated and doped up. Spent four days total there.

While there, to cardiothoracic surgeon who oversaw my TAVR stopped by. He told me about 10-15% of TAVR patients get clots. If the clots don't respond to warfarin, they have to do open heart surgery since they can't take the chance of breaking the clot loose which could cause havoc somewhere else in the system. Goody.

Yesterday I got another echo cardiogram. Today was the followup to all of that. The good news is that the clot is gone. The bad news is that the aortic valve is no longer working right and leaking so I am back to where I was before they replaced it.

The other good news is that they can do another TAVR and put in a new aortic valve! But I have to get additional tests before that can happen. So I am not sure when anything is happening.

Who to contact about drug prices

After my stay in the hospital last month, I was prescribed four new (to me) medications, two of which are name brand with no generics.

The hospital had a new pharmacy program where they could give you your prescriptions before you were discharged - I did that and have not received a bill for those medicines. But when I got refills through my regular pharmacy, the two name brand prescriptions were over $500 each!

So I looked and both companies had coupons to get the first 30 days worth for free - one also had discounts for further scripts. Took those into my pharmacy - no go. Since I am on a "federal" plan - Medicare - they could not apply the coupons.

WTF! So old people on Medicare do not have the same rights to get a discount as anyone else?!!!

I'd contact my Congressman or Senator, but I'm in Florida and with DeSantis' gerrymandering, my Democratic Congressman was done out of his district. The last time I contacted the Republican Congressman, he added me to a Republican fund raising list and it took me months to get off of it (got so I was thanking them for reminding me to donate MORE to Democrats).

I know Joe Biden has worked to reduce drug prices so who in his administration can I contact about this?

I'm home from the hospital!

Still have a nasty cough, but my lungs are clear. Immediate future is to build up some endurance so I can walk more - they blame the pneumonia on my inability to walk and distance.

Right now I am on various blood thinners, heart and kidney medications and such. No idea if I will have to take there the rest of my life or just until they get the aortic valve cleared.

I'm sorry I didn't respond to many messages in the other thread. Ti took everything I had to just write the message. Same thing here - I am completely out of energy tonight.

I start home physical therapy tomorrow and a home health carer to make sure I stick with my routine.

Thanks to everyone for your good wishes!

Well, I'm out of ICU but they won't let me go home

OK, mid December I got an echcardiogram that showed clot on the sort valve that was replaced in 2017. Three days later, it was confirmed switch a CT scan

Weny thru the holidays. Visited with most of the family,l good. Monday husband and I were sick. We treated the symptoms and stayed.

Thursday when I laid down on bed I couldn't breathe
, told husband I needed to ho to hospital. stopped at rural firestation on the way. I asked for ambulance-don't remember anything after that.
Work up sometime Ftiday with tube coming out of everywhere. Congestive heart failure and pneumonia

Bottom line is they are pumpimg fluids out of me to help with PNEUMONia and filling with bloodthinners to break up clot. Don't know when I will get out of hospital.

My husband and I decided to live dangerously today

We got vaccinations - the newest Covid, flu, RSV, and pneumonia - two in each arm for each of us. So far, no problems. The Walgreen website said that the CDC claims there are no adverse effects from getting them all at once, so I decided to go for it.

My major reason for getting them all now is that in two weeks I get my first cataract surgery. I wanted to get the vaccinations before then, and there was just not enough time to do it any other way.

I'm just hoping that I can move my arms tomorrow!

Donald in the John With Boxes - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody

I just watched the Netflix documentary on Waco - it brought back bad personal memories

In real life I had missed most of what led up to the burning of the compound. 1993 my oldest sister was dying from brain cancer. April 19, 1993, I was visiting her in the hospital. She was going into surgery the next day for her second brain operation to remove more of the regrown tumor. We all knew this was just buying her time, but we all hoped for the best.

April 19, 1993 she still had limited power of speech. The glioblastoma tumor had grown right next to her speech center. One of the first symptoms was that she was losing words. This was a brilliant woman whose 1987 doctoral thesis ironically was on Computer Tomography of the Brain, comparing classic brain sections to the images provided by the new CT scans so neurologists could diagnose brain problems before the patients died. That is why she got more than one attempt to save her life - neurosurgeons who had studied her thesis (which had been published as a book and widely distributed in certain circles) wanted to use that knowledge to treat her. She got treatments in 1993 that were later used to prolong Ted Kennedy and John McCain's lives.

As we visited her, she noticed on the TV in her room that was on with the sound turned down that there was something momentous happening. The Waco compound was on fire. She brought all our attention to it. Even in her state, she knew this was history.

I've avoided shows about Waco for thirty years since I didn't want the reminder of the last day my sister was really aware. And just now, as I watched the last episode on Netflix, I wish I had continued to avoid it. It brought back that pain.

I still miss you, Edi.

Trump Organization found guilty on all counts of criminal tax fraud

Source: CNN

A Manhattan jury has found two Trump Organization companies guilty on multiple charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records connected to a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities by failing to report and pay taxes on compensation for top executives.

The Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp. were found guilty on all charges they faced.

Donald Trump and his family were not charged in this case, but the former president was mentioned repeatedly during the trial by prosecutors about his connection to the benefits doled out to certain executives, including company-funded apartments, car leases and personal expenses.

The Trump Organization could face a maximum of $1.61 million in fines when sentenced in mid-January. The company is not at risk of being dismantled because there is no mechanism under New York law that would dissolve the company. However, a felony conviction could impact its ability to do business or obtain loans or contracts.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/06/politics/trump-organization-fraud-trial-verdict/index.html

I'm looking forward to President Biden's visit to the storm ravaged areas of Florida

And encourage him to hug Gov. Ron DeSantis.

After all, remember what President Obama's hug did for then Gov. Charlie Crist? (The Hug That Killed My Republican Career) I can only hope that a Biden hug would do the same for DeSantis!

Of course, Biden does not have race going for him as Obama did - but it could still damage DeSantis in the eyes of MAGA Republicans.

I can only hope.

Got home from a trip today. Hurricane Ian may hit us Wednesday.

Right now, according to both the National Weather Service forecast (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/090354.shtml?tswind120#contents) and the spaghetti models on Mike's Weather Page (https://spaghettimodels.com/) St. Marks on the coast will be dead center and Ian will head almost straight north to come across Tallahassee.

I live NE of Tallahassee, much closer to Georgia than to the coast, so usually storms have faded a lot by the time they get to us. But with our canopy roads and overhead lines, usually the power is knocked out for days even with just tropical storms or strong thunderstorms.

Now we have a whole house generator and can set up the generator we bought a few years ago to power the well, so it won't be as bad as in years past. We've had years when the power was out for nearly a week. I'm getting far too old to deal with that, thus the investment in the generator..

No matter where it hits, I hope we are stay safe.