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James Hamilton, M. D.

Frank,

Here is my take on what you have going on with your heart based on what you have mentioned:

That left branch block you mentioned is probably a Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB) - see that green electrical system of the heart picture I posted in Post # 6743. This as an electrical conduction blockage/delay as the signal passes through that left bundle branch. It is possible that your heart attack (Myocardial Infarction, MI) caused damage to that tissue. The stents you had placed are designed to restore good blood flow to the muscle and other tissues of the heart that were at risk of being damaged in the future and help prevent another heart attack. In an MI some of the muscle fibers of the heart are permanently damaged and heal with a form of scar tissue. Your Left Bundle may have had a similar injury.

When you were in the hospital and given anesthesia, then they said "clear", that was most likely a cardioversion (again, refer to Post #6743) to convert your A-fib back to a normal sinus heart rhythm (NSR). Whenever we cardiovert or defibrillate a patient, the person operating the paddles will say "CLEAR" so that no one else is touching the patient and could get shocked inadvertently.

Your Apple 5 device that monitors your heart apparently indicates that your heart occasionally goes into paroxysms of A-fib (PAF) which then spontaneously revert back to NSR. You did not mention any meds you may be on but I would guess you are on something to attempt to keep you from going into A-fib too often and perhaps a blood thinner or something in addition to help prevent blood clots. It sounds like you are getting good care from a cardiologist.

As to the seriousness of your condition, only your doctors can evaluate that. I will say that the treatments you have mentioned sound very appropriate to me and are giving your heart excellent care. There is an old saying that "Minor surgery is that which is performed on others; anything performed on you is major." That can apply to medical procedures as well as surgical ones. Thirty years ago the conditions you have would have been more serious than they are today because the treatments were not as good. So, follow what your doctors advise and I suspect you will do very well.

Jim

Michael McLeod

It's been said before, Jim, but once again won't hurt: you are aces for taking the time to talk people through these difficult issues.

Still shaking my head over how your karma was foreshadowed 60 years ago or so when the teacher chose you to walk home a groggy classmate who'd slipped on the ice and cracked his head on the frozen IC playground blacktop during recess one wintry day.

I'm just surprised you didn't diagnose my concussion-contusion along the way.

David Mitchell

Mike,

Have you paid him yet?

David Mitchell

OMG!   It took me a few mintes - but it just now dawned on me. 

That's it! You fell and hit your head.

So that explains why you lost your bearings in life and became...wait for it,

an English Major!

John Maxwell

Michael McLeod

Not sure how old the phrase "never speak ill of the dead" is.

But you can rest assured it ain't going out of style.

There is, indeed, a possibility that my head injury had a long term effect on my behavior.

I'd love to think so, because then I could use it as an excuse for all the dumb ass things I have done since then.

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike,

Your TBI so many decades ago would have been treated totally different today. You would have been banned from having to do homework for about six weeks, among other things, to rest your injured brain. That would have probably put you back a year and therefore, not been a member of our BWHS Class of '66. That means we would have been deprived of all these posts you have placed on this Forum! It would have also most likely changed your direction in life and you may have gone into a research scientific field instead of English and writing. You might have discovered a cure for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. That would put some doctors out of business.

Wow, we all should be happy that no help was available for that brain of yours back in our grade school years!

Jim

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

Sorry to interrupt with what may be a silly laywoman's question, Jim but in Mike's case would a lobotomy have been an option back then?

James Hamilton, M. D.

Donna, 

Absolutely! 🤗

Michael McLeod

Hey, better late than never.

Sterilize a cleaver, Jim, and I'll be right over.

A little off the top, trim up the sides. Take out enough brain matter and next thing you know I'll be voting Republican.

Joseph D. McCarthy

A short break before the next lobotomy lesson starts.  Does anyone remember when our currency looked like this?

Frank Ganley

Jack, i hope it didn't sound as i was speaking ill of the man. We've come to bury kobe not to praise him. The media attention etc that it's getting is a bit much. Let his family and friend grieve in peace and without ask of the to do associated with him. My other point of this is why doesn't express the same horror for all i has named! Jim you are the Man! 

David Mitchell

Joseph D. (or, just Joe),

That bill looks just a wee bit before our time. Can't wait for your historical explanation. 

Waiting with bated breath.

---------

Jack,

the real tragedy is that you can't go back afterwards and fix poor judgement. I'm still scratching my head at the pilot's decison.  

Mary Ann Nolan (Thomas)

To my 1966 high school colleagues and friends. I am sad to inform you that Barb Boggs Schlaff's husband has passed away.
Below is the obituary sent to me by Barb and David's daughter sent me.

Beloved husband of Barbara for 50 years.  Loving father of Kimberly Harris (Craig).  Dearest grandfather of Hailey, Alexa and Olivia.  Dear brother of Cindy Smith, John Schlaff, and Nancy Schlaff.  David was retired from J.P. Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley. He had the opportunity to golf at over 1561 different golf courses around the world! He was also a lifetime member of the Dearborn Country Club and TPC.  Funeral mass will be Monday, February 3rd, 11:00 a.m. at St. Kateri Catholic Church, 16101 Rotunda Drive Dearborn MI., 48120. Gathering Monday from 10:00 a.m. at church.  Visitation Sunday 1-8 p.m. at the Dearborn Chapel of the Howe-Peterson Funeral Home.  Rosary Sunday 5:00 p.m.  Entombment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan. Memorial contributions may be made to Folds of Honor Foundation,
De‌partment 1‌3, Tu‌lsa, O‌K 74‌182 or Midnight Golf Program-Detroit, 30100 Telegraph Rd #404, Bingham Farms, MI 48025.

I spoke at length to Barb and Kimberly last night and as you can imagine they are devastated.

Mary Ann Nolan (Thomas)

Barbara Boggs

8 Prestwick Ct.
Dearborn MI. 48120

Michael McLeod

Will do. Thanks for posting this.

David Mitchell

On a more upbeat note:

I just had a fun visit yersterday with itinerant traveler David Barbour. We had a brief snack and a drink at a local watering hole as he stopped by on his way back from Florida to Ohio.

 We talked about all of you behind your backs - what fun!

p.s. Why anyone would leave Florida and go back to Ohio this time of year is a good question. But then, I live in the great "in-between" so I could care less about Florida or Ohio.

Michael McLeod

The expression is, "I couldn't care less."

Think about it.

If you COULD care less, that implies that you care - you have a quantity of caring from which to subtract. 

I think people get this wrong because caring is ephemeral - it's not a material thing, not easily measurable or conceptualized. You never hear anybody say: "Honey, right now you score a 1.5 on a scale of ten in terms of how much I care about you not having enough cream in you coffee this morning." 

So it's a pretty common error to say "I could care less."

I usually let it go by.

But am I going to pass up a chance to aggravate Dave?

I don't think so.

And how much do I care if it pisses him off?

I think we all know what my response to that question would be.

David Mitchell

My Dear English Major Friend, (and spiritual advisor, political consultant, and all around hero)

Right now you are about an 8.5 on a scale of 10 on my ephemeral scale. So let this transcript state clearly that I never asked for "quid pro quo".  

Nothing!    I want nothing! 

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

This just in...............

I know you will all share in my shock and astonishment to learn that newlyweds, Pamela Anderson and her husband of 12 days, Jon Peters, have announced that they are putting their marriage "on hold".

This news catches me completely of guard. I am simply beyond words.

(except to ask,,,, do any of you happen to have her number?)  

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

Jack (and Mike),

Thanks for being so observant about my spelling. I knew that, but I was really just trying to save ink. 

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Great story about the Super Bowl Champion's place kicker:

https://aleteia.org/2020/02/01/confession-brought-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-back-to-the-catholic-church/

David Mitchell

I know this is kind of a longshot here;  a plea for help!  (seriously)

I have been pre-ocupied for the past week over a matter of great stress.

* If anybody has any political of law enforcement connections in or near northeast Texas - in the area of Paris, Texarkana, Bonham, or more specifically, the town of Clarksville in Red River County - please give me a shout. 

I have a young friend who was arrested there last week on a charge I believe to be completely set up by a corrupt Sheriffs department. 

He's a young guy who I've known for years from our men's group at my church - a basketball group in which I was the old man in the group for 6 years. I helped him get through medical school back in his home town of Targu Murjes, Romania. Then helped him get to Germany where he and his cute M.D. wife (same "Medical College of Targu Murjes") make a lot more money. He is the straightest, most honest, and innocent, but hairbrained guy I have ever known. He just seems ot be a magnet for problems and hard luck.

He visits every year for a week to renew his "green card". He drove over to Texas to visit an old childhood friend from Romania. She and her live-in boyfriend gave him cash to take home to her impoverished parents. A lot of cash - Yes, he was stupid to take it. Cops pulled him over and found Meth in his Sam's Club orange juice bottle. He never saw them do the test. Sheriff won't allow his attorney to test the bottle. Attorney claims the test kits give false positives sometimes. 

Mind you - this guy is a clean living Neurologist from a hosptial in West Germany. He might do one beer once a week. He's actually a bit of a health nut and so anti-medication that it gets old as he "lectures" me about my diet. Doing Meth? I would stake my life against it!

Imagine a young single guy, with a foreign accent, driving an out-of-state rental car on what I have since learned is a "drug curier's corridor" (Hwy 82). And they find a lot of cash in the car.

When you google up "Red River County corruption" you get about 4 or 5 articles on various legal shenannigans in the history of this county - including an 8 year old article titled  "Red River Justice" in the Texas Observer. Pretty bad story about how they went after a lawyer who was trying to expose the corruption. One article is about a dishonest judge in a different county, but the title is, get this -  "Is There a more Corrupt County Than Red River". Another is titled "If You Want to Get Away With Murder, Do It In Red River County".   I am sort of panic stricken that my young friend is toast. 

If anybody has any possilbe connection, please let me know.