First - So truly glad you got checked out, treated, taken good care of. And that you and your Tracy have one another. My husband and I say good things to each other too “you’re not a complete idiot” and “Do I know you? Ranking high after 54 years. You are Kareem were my first subscriptions here I think. There’s a reason for that I suspect. Glad you both are around to drive imbeciles crazy.
A-fib is no joke. Getting old is not for sissy’s someone said and living that truth is a challenge at times.
Be well, thrive if nothing else to annoy people who don’t like you. Be proud some people don’t like you.
Carry on. You are important. To Tracy, to your kids and cats, and to us here.
Hey thanks Margo, I just quoted she of the original "Bette Davis Eyes" without knowing it to someone who looked like a white woman about 30 with a hectic demeanor.
She accosted me unwisely (I was masked up with a winter face mask & wearing a Team USA Olympics /with the Intertwined Rings Hoodie , black cargo pants and "cop shoes," i.e. 5.11 brand zip-up heavy duty boots, which in toto automatically should deter anyone with basic street smarts from the specific ask) asking if I had "any food stamps I could sell her," I said "No, no, no, first of all don't approach ANYONE and ask them to commit a crime, and especially not me, also apply that to not trying to sell weed around here" [This as we both are entering Lunds & Byerly's grocery store - upscale & pricey but there are always bargains} and she, apologizing profusely said she would NEVER be doing that (the dope sales nonsense), I concluded by just noting she should really heed my advice, because it really IS "for your own good" especially these days (meaning people will turn you in by waiting until you're a distance away & phoning it it), and adding "It's just one damn thing after another, right? I understand that, but look out for narcs and "concerned citizens" eager to make a mountain out of a molehill.
It also became the title of an Art Linkletter book: _Old Age Is Not for Sissies._ I never read it, probably because I was in my mid/late 30s when it came out, but I remembered it because my family watched the Art Linkletter Show when I was growing up and I *loved* the "Kids Say the Darndest Things" feature (and almost certainly read at least one of *those* books).
Just wow!So glad that this was discovered today even if by accident.I just entered my 7th decade and know that I have more years behind me than in front of me.Thanks for sharing this and all of your wisdom.Here’s to many more of your wordsmithery!
Lucien, don't worry about it too much. Just take the medications. I've had more or less permanent a-fib for 8 years, and my cardiologist tells me if you're medicated, the mortality rates are the same as for anybody else. The big issue is stroke, which is what the meds prevent. So, be healthy, have a great 2024, and keep on writing these amazing columns!
I’m so glad you saw your doctor on the right day. I have taken care of multiple patients who have had mild to massive strokes as a result of undiagnosed A Fib. Thank you for sharing this and expanding awareness❤️
Heigh-ho, am sitting here right now in A-fib, all full of Elequis and amioradone and other good things to eat, awaiting a cardioversion due on 01/26/24. I'll be sedated and then they'll shock me to get my atria back in rhythm and then they'll wake me up and watch me for a bit and then send me home. Been there before, done that. No big deal. Stay on the damn blood thinner, brother - keeps you from having a stroke, which A-fib often causes. Once your atria are beating in synch like they should, get yourself a cheapo pulse-ox meter - one of those little gizmos the nurse clamps on your fingertip like a spring clothespin. Check yourself from time to time, note your pulse rate when you're nice and relaxed. If some day your pulse rate jumps 'way up and stays up even when you're relaxing - call your cardiologist for an appointment ASAP. A-fib is biting again, and you need help. Good luck to you!
my husband, a jock, in great health, suffered from undiagnosed afib. had a stroke at 82. dont rely solely on doctor's visits to catch afib. get yourself a kardia mobile or similar device and check daily. worth the hundred bucks.
Good reminder. $99.99. I see the TV ads and think it's worth it for sure. Gotta get off my butt reading so many Substacks and take care of that. Walking more would help too.
So thankful that you are ok. I kept looking for you in my email today and kept thinking, “I hope everything is ok with Lucian.” Take care of yourself and Tracy! And the furballs!
Just returned from taking my partner to the ER for the second time this week because of afib. His is permanent. And he’s only 52. Hopefully they can get the chest pain and dizziness and all the other unpleasant symptoms under control. Started eliquis a few days ago... Apparently afib is more common than many of us realize.
I developed a-fig about 10 years ago when I was more-or-less your age. It’s put me in the ER a few times, and it’s been treated successfully, but I now know what brings it on: stress and alcohol. It’s hard to avoid stress some times, but alcohol is another matter. So far I’ve been lucky in that I am very aware when I’m in a-fib. Not everyone is, and it seems you weren’t this morning. One of those finger mounted blood oxygen meters that also graphs your heart rhythms is a quick way to confirm a-fib if you suspect it. I keep one handy, but reducing my alcohol consumption to near zero has helped a lot. My cardiologist, who is exactly my age, says “it won’t kill you, but you could have a stroke”. That definitely got my attention. I’d rather it killed me than leaving me greatly impaired. All the joys of getting older… and older. Glad you’ve got it under control, and that you’re paying attention.
Good! I'm happy you caught it! I had a similar experience recently, I was on the exercise bike on a Sunday afternoon when a cardiologist I had seen recently called, for some reason I got off the bike and answered the phone, normally when that happens I finish the workout and let em leave a voicemail. Anyway he told me he hd just reviewed my stress test from the other day and to go to the ER. God help me I actually thought about finishing my ride but my wife said no way. It ended up n a three day stay and a defibrillator implant. I never felt anything out of the ordinary...anyway what I'm trying to say is make sure you get regular checkups...
It looks like a lot of us are in our 70’s and older 🙏, this getting old really isn’t for sissies. I’ve got a physical scheduled next week and will be sure to bring this up. Getting a stroke would be a nightmare, do you all feel like we are all in this accelerated learning part of our lives, I knew nothing about Afib before I read Lucian’s essay just now, and then you all added pieces of the mosaic to make the picture even clearer. And it’s the same with politics, as it is getting old, I feel like my brain is expanding on so many levels, which I find exciting on those many levels. This community, led by Lucian, like others where we encounter each other on some of the other substacks we subscribe to, is a font of knowledge. Lucian please take care, I like where you lead our conversations, I was looking forward to reading you tonight thinking that you would be talking about radicalization in the military, which I read about in the Atlantic today, a truly worrisome development. Thank you for shining a light in a place I knew nothing about. Stay safe brother 🙏
So glad that you got that condition diagnosed just in time. It's sometimes not easy to accept that one is getting older, but it does happen.
Especially taking care now that many of us are old enough to get COVID or RSV and not know it until it's almost too late.
There's another strain hitting the US right, hospitalizations are up and so are deaths. Everyone get your booster and start masking up again-it's come that time.
First - So truly glad you got checked out, treated, taken good care of. And that you and your Tracy have one another. My husband and I say good things to each other too “you’re not a complete idiot” and “Do I know you? Ranking high after 54 years. You are Kareem were my first subscriptions here I think. There’s a reason for that I suspect. Glad you both are around to drive imbeciles crazy.
A-fib is no joke. Getting old is not for sissy’s someone said and living that truth is a challenge at times.
Be well, thrive if nothing else to annoy people who don’t like you. Be proud some people don’t like you.
Carry on. You are important. To Tracy, to your kids and cats, and to us here.
It was Bette Davis, and she knew whereof she spoke. It really is one damned thing after another.
Hey thanks Margo, I just quoted she of the original "Bette Davis Eyes" without knowing it to someone who looked like a white woman about 30 with a hectic demeanor.
She accosted me unwisely (I was masked up with a winter face mask & wearing a Team USA Olympics /with the Intertwined Rings Hoodie , black cargo pants and "cop shoes," i.e. 5.11 brand zip-up heavy duty boots, which in toto automatically should deter anyone with basic street smarts from the specific ask) asking if I had "any food stamps I could sell her," I said "No, no, no, first of all don't approach ANYONE and ask them to commit a crime, and especially not me, also apply that to not trying to sell weed around here" [This as we both are entering Lunds & Byerly's grocery store - upscale & pricey but there are always bargains} and she, apologizing profusely said she would NEVER be doing that (the dope sales nonsense), I concluded by just noting she should really heed my advice, because it really IS "for your own good" especially these days (meaning people will turn you in by waiting until you're a distance away & phoning it it), and adding "It's just one damn thing after another, right? I understand that, but look out for narcs and "concerned citizens" eager to make a mountain out of a molehill.
That was that.
It also became the title of an Art Linkletter book: _Old Age Is Not for Sissies._ I never read it, probably because I was in my mid/late 30s when it came out, but I remembered it because my family watched the Art Linkletter Show when I was growing up and I *loved* the "Kids Say the Darndest Things" feature (and almost certainly read at least one of *those* books).
Just wow!So glad that this was discovered today even if by accident.I just entered my 7th decade and know that I have more years behind me than in front of me.Thanks for sharing this and all of your wisdom.Here’s to many more of your wordsmithery!
Yes, did see your correction. Ain't going to dissuade me from congratulating you on a long long long life.
It was a fun error. I didn't catch it and got a laugh out of the correction.
Lucien, don't worry about it too much. Just take the medications. I've had more or less permanent a-fib for 8 years, and my cardiologist tells me if you're medicated, the mortality rates are the same as for anybody else. The big issue is stroke, which is what the meds prevent. So, be healthy, have a great 2024, and keep on writing these amazing columns!
Wow you pulled the Golden Ticket literally going into aFib while in your Doctor's office! Glad you're feeling better and doing well!
I’m so glad you saw your doctor on the right day. I have taken care of multiple patients who have had mild to massive strokes as a result of undiagnosed A Fib. Thank you for sharing this and expanding awareness❤️
Heigh-ho, am sitting here right now in A-fib, all full of Elequis and amioradone and other good things to eat, awaiting a cardioversion due on 01/26/24. I'll be sedated and then they'll shock me to get my atria back in rhythm and then they'll wake me up and watch me for a bit and then send me home. Been there before, done that. No big deal. Stay on the damn blood thinner, brother - keeps you from having a stroke, which A-fib often causes. Once your atria are beating in synch like they should, get yourself a cheapo pulse-ox meter - one of those little gizmos the nurse clamps on your fingertip like a spring clothespin. Check yourself from time to time, note your pulse rate when you're nice and relaxed. If some day your pulse rate jumps 'way up and stays up even when you're relaxing - call your cardiologist for an appointment ASAP. A-fib is biting again, and you need help. Good luck to you!
Glad to here that you caught this, Lucian. Be well!
my husband, a jock, in great health, suffered from undiagnosed afib. had a stroke at 82. dont rely solely on doctor's visits to catch afib. get yourself a kardia mobile or similar device and check daily. worth the hundred bucks.
Good reminder. $99.99. I see the TV ads and think it's worth it for sure. Gotta get off my butt reading so many Substacks and take care of that. Walking more would help too.
So thankful that you are ok. I kept looking for you in my email today and kept thinking, “I hope everything is ok with Lucian.” Take care of yourself and Tracy! And the furballs!
Just returned from taking my partner to the ER for the second time this week because of afib. His is permanent. And he’s only 52. Hopefully they can get the chest pain and dizziness and all the other unpleasant symptoms under control. Started eliquis a few days ago... Apparently afib is more common than many of us realize.
I wish you both better days ahead.
My best to you and your partner. May things go well.
"You've got to listen to your heart,
There's nothing else you can do...":
So true!!!
I developed a-fig about 10 years ago when I was more-or-less your age. It’s put me in the ER a few times, and it’s been treated successfully, but I now know what brings it on: stress and alcohol. It’s hard to avoid stress some times, but alcohol is another matter. So far I’ve been lucky in that I am very aware when I’m in a-fib. Not everyone is, and it seems you weren’t this morning. One of those finger mounted blood oxygen meters that also graphs your heart rhythms is a quick way to confirm a-fib if you suspect it. I keep one handy, but reducing my alcohol consumption to near zero has helped a lot. My cardiologist, who is exactly my age, says “it won’t kill you, but you could have a stroke”. That definitely got my attention. I’d rather it killed me than leaving me greatly impaired. All the joys of getting older… and older. Glad you’ve got it under control, and that you’re paying attention.
No heart issues at age 76...12 years sober.
Fabulous news! Bravo to your doctors. It’s good to know that you and Kareem have good heart beats to match you great hearts! ❤️
Right you are!
Good! I'm happy you caught it! I had a similar experience recently, I was on the exercise bike on a Sunday afternoon when a cardiologist I had seen recently called, for some reason I got off the bike and answered the phone, normally when that happens I finish the workout and let em leave a voicemail. Anyway he told me he hd just reviewed my stress test from the other day and to go to the ER. God help me I actually thought about finishing my ride but my wife said no way. It ended up n a three day stay and a defibrillator implant. I never felt anything out of the ordinary...anyway what I'm trying to say is make sure you get regular checkups...
You just never know...
It looks like a lot of us are in our 70’s and older 🙏, this getting old really isn’t for sissies. I’ve got a physical scheduled next week and will be sure to bring this up. Getting a stroke would be a nightmare, do you all feel like we are all in this accelerated learning part of our lives, I knew nothing about Afib before I read Lucian’s essay just now, and then you all added pieces of the mosaic to make the picture even clearer. And it’s the same with politics, as it is getting old, I feel like my brain is expanding on so many levels, which I find exciting on those many levels. This community, led by Lucian, like others where we encounter each other on some of the other substacks we subscribe to, is a font of knowledge. Lucian please take care, I like where you lead our conversations, I was looking forward to reading you tonight thinking that you would be talking about radicalization in the military, which I read about in the Atlantic today, a truly worrisome development. Thank you for shining a light in a place I knew nothing about. Stay safe brother 🙏
So glad that you got that condition diagnosed just in time. It's sometimes not easy to accept that one is getting older, but it does happen.
Especially taking care now that many of us are old enough to get COVID or RSV and not know it until it's almost too late.
There's another strain hitting the US right, hospitalizations are up and so are deaths. Everyone get your booster and start masking up again-it's come that time.