Bill's Posts

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through our house... The sounds of the season are cheering us, as I navigate the treacherous waters of holiday treats! Candles ablaze (except for the new battery versions that are safer, last longer, and don't emit anything bad as far as I know), a quiet but hearty dinner with neighbors and the happy memories of holidays past that sustain us and give us hope for the year ahead. For me, all I want for Christmas is a year without surgeries, a loss of sixty more pounds (to add to the 80 lost since my AVR) and for my spouse to find a satisfying job that will take full advantage of his many talents and skills! Is that wishing for too much? Probably, but it never hurts to ask! After all, the laparoscopic gallbladder/hernia repair procedure was a piece of cake after the AVR--NOT, and the tech economy is booming even it has yet to "trickle down" to our neck of the woods. But there is a another cloud on the horizon. One set of doctors have told me that the persistent numbness of two fingers in my right hand is probably an "unexpected consequence" of my open heart procedure. The ulnar nerve got impinged to the point of cutting the nerve signals to the muscles of my hand. They say if left unaddressed I will slowly lose muscle function and the hand will contract and be useless. Of course, there is always an operation that MAY fix it in a jiffy. But another anesthetic, a cast or splint, and the challenges all this brings to my limited mobility is more than I want to swallow at the moment. But there are always second opinions, alternative therapies, and ....well, something. Stay tuned for my Spring update! I am lucky. My heart is now tickin' like a fine watch and the energy I am finding with 80 pounds off is awesome. So I'm going to go hang my stocking (support hose, of course) by the chimney with care and look ahead to a great New Year for all of us Zipper Club elves!