Quit Living in order to stay alive?

[pwd72s]

During a follow up after a visit to the e room with broken ribs, my P.A. listened to my heart, ordered an EKG. Diagnosis Afib. More tests will happen in a week. Was sent home with a print out. No booze, check. Quit that anyway. No coffee, no tobacco, probably will be told to go on rat poison, restricted diet, frequent blood tests meaning hurry up and wait, etc.

So, limited choices. Do I want to stop living in order to stay alive? Hmmmm.

Well, I figure 73 years has been a pretty good run...more years than 30% or so of my high school class.

I'll see what happens after other tests are made, but at this point I'm leaning towards telling them to take their advice and shove it.

[bivenator]

Sorry about your afib diagnosis. Varying degrees of afib, it is possible that yours will be well controlled with medication. Worst case scenario is an ablation being done or maybe a pacemaker. It is disheartening but not reason to throw the towel in. Hang in there and best of luck.

[stomachmonkey]

If I make it to 73 I'm gonna say **** it and take up smoking again, drink like a fish, eat bacon slathered in butter for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and desert, try hard as hell to contract multiple STD's and maybe even take up heroin.

After all, we are all born terminal.

[Alfasrule]

It's not how long you live, it's all about enjoying living your life and the time God gave us, not religious.
I'm 56 and I wouldn't feel bad at all if I died yesterday!
I LIVED my life!! It's a great time!

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

If I make it to 73 I'm gonna say **** it and take up smoking again, drink like a fish, eat bacon slathered in butter for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and desert, try hard as hell to contract multiple STD's and maybe even take up heroin.

After all, we are all born terminal.

F'n A.

I get a kick out of my in-laws eating chicken, salads, etc both over age 80.

I'm with you. Start smoking again, drinking (more) and whatever suits me.

[scottmandue]

Just turned 60 and gave up smoking decades ago... on a low carb, gluten feed, dairy free diet (trying to reverse type 2 diabetes).

Getting off the alcohol is turning out to be more difficult than expected, I have a frustrating job and even more frustrating commute (20 miles X 45 minutes twice a day) and as a friend of mine said "sometimes you just need something to take the edge off the day."

[varmint]

Offhand, there's more to life than whiskey and cigars. Go skydiving. Freak your doctor out.

[p911dad]

Before you throw it in, I hope you see a good cardiologist and get his opinion and diagnosis. At one point I was where you are at. My cardiologist and his practice got me a cardioversion to reset the rhythm, put me on amiodarone (needs monitoring to be safe) to steady the rhythm and keep it regular (maybe no rat poison if you are not in afib). He may have two or three other meds to complete the regimen. I had to lose a little weight and no alcohol, but I still drink regular coffee and all that, and no afib. You have a lot of living yet at your age.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by bivenator

It is disheartening

lol.

I was also diagnosed with afib a few months ago.

Like said above, the first step is to try to get it back to normal rhythm with medication.

That didn't work for me.

The next step is the cardiovert procedure, where they try to shock your heart back into rhythm. I'm hoping to get that done soon.

If that doesn't work, they can try an ablation, where they go in and burn out the nerves on the heart that are causing the problem.

At your age, they may or may not do that, or even the cardiovert, depending on your condition, if you have having problems, etc.

Anyways, the best thing is to find the best Drs in your area with the most amount of experience with afib and the various treatment options.

[McLovin]

But the good thing is I don't think any of the treatments (or non-treatments) really require you to "quit living."

[jwasbury]

If you WANT to go, that's your business.

My grandmother passed less than 2 weeks short of 106 years old a few months ago. When asked the secret of her longevity (which happened often), she would often talk of a positive attitude. When she was in her 70's, she could wear my sorry ass out (I was a little kid then).

[island911]

PWD, you can't check-out yet. There has to be an upcoming Gruppe event that needs a Mustang parked in a back lot somewhere.

Originally Posted by McLovin

lol.

I was also diagnosed with afib a few months ago.

Like said above, the first step is to try to get it back to normal rhythm with medication.

That didn't work for me....

the curse of being a white guy?

[vash]

no coffee and no smoking?

piece of cake..i wouldnt qualify either as the reason i'm on this green earth.

[Tobra]

A-fib can be no big deal. I don't smoke, could easily give up coffee, and I am more of a pie guy than a cake guy anyway.

Just like in Shawshank Redemption, get busy livin' or get busy dyin'



I go with the former if it is me

[speeder]

We're all going to be dead really soon anyways, why powershift it and destroy the synchros?

The problem w the whole living unhealthy thing is that it can lead to a really painful, slow death. I watched my dad die a little at a time for 10+ years due to lifestyle choices he made long ago, it was brutal. He was so tough, (genetically speaking), that it took two different types of cancer plus a chronic MeRSa infection 12 years to kill him. Chalk that up to modern medicine and great insurance as well but still, not the way you want to exit.

I hope you find a tolerable treatment or lifestyle adjustment plan, PWD. Life is short enough already.

[kach22i]

From what I've seen, the +100 crowd enjoys in moderation: tobacco, booze and bacon.

You have to have something to look foreward to, it seems to keep them alive.

[LakeCleElum]

Within the past week, I had a well known heart doctor tell me: Afib won't kill you.

We were discussing on whether to order an autospy for a 54 year old (ahem) client.

[DanielDudley]

Trade in that Mustang for a well set up 944, and I'm pretty sure that afib will go away.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

If I make it to 73 I'm gonna say **** it and take up smoking again, drink like a fish, eat bacon slathered in butter for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and desert, try hard as hell to contract multiple STD's and maybe even take up heroin.

After all, we are all born terminal.

bacon slathered in butter for breakfast is probably more healthy than any other garbage processed breakfast meal that 99% of the obese masses eat. Go for it today.

[wdfifteen]

Your survival instinct will kick in. You'll learn how to do what you have to do, and you'll go on with life. Your limitations don't seem so onerous.