#Congestive Heart Failure

[monkeymeghan]

Sorry I've been MIA. Life has had some pretty good highs and some really horrible lows recently. Christmas was great, but a few days later my mom went back into the hospital. After spending a day in the ER she was transferred back down to Philadelphia. She has a bad exacerbation of her CHF and it's not looking great. It's already gotten to the point where being the primary caregiver for both mom and dad has gotten to be too much, but now there's no way I'd be able to take care of her post-discharge, whenever that may be. Thankfully I have an amazing brother and SIL who are here for me and we are all going to do this together. My SIL drove me and dad down to Philly today to visit with mom. It took about an hour to get there. It was so nice to be able to see mom, not on facetime, but in person, and be able to hold her hand, talk to her, give her a hug and a kiss. But it was so fucking hard to see her like that. I don't know how long she will be in the hospital, but it's going to be a long stay. In the meantime, once the social workers reach out this week, we will all have to work together to figure out what type of facility is best suited for mom's needs, is close to home, and can safely provide all the care she needs. It kills me knowing that mom won't come back home. Just sitting here writing this, sitting in the living room where I usually am watching TV with mom at this hour, being here alone is hard. I'm crying just thinking about it. I hate this. I hate all of this. Coincidentally enough, the weekly email from church last week included a flyer about an anticipatory grief support group that another place nearby will be hosting. I signed up for it, its virtual, for 8 weeks, and starts February 1. I'm glad, because I don't know how to do this. I'm so scared.

[chats-make-me-laugh]

House: What's the good news, what's the bad news? Chase: Congestive heart failure. House: ...is which? Chase: Is good news? House: Why? Chase: I don't know, it just sounded like you.

[lifes-commotion]

Happy heavenly Birthday, Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (27 February 1932 – 23 March 2011)!

[gsuniversityofficial]

What are the stages of congestive heart failure?

Congestive heart failure, also known as cardiac failure, is a serious condition in which the heart fails to pump blood adequately. We are all aware of the basic functioning of the heart which is to pump blood and oxygen to various parts of the body. This functioning may get hampered at times due to certain heart issues. One such heart issue that we are going to discuss is congestive heart failure.

GS Hospital Pilkhuwa, one of the top heart care hospitals in UP, takes the initiative to bring about awareness for a healthy heart. Awareness of heart health is a must to prevent any kind of cardiac issues and maintain healthy heart function. In this context, we shall discuss the causes, symptoms, and stages of congestive cardiac failure and how to prevent it.

Early detection is key to better recovery for heart health. Knowing about the stages of congestive cardiac failure will help restore heart functioning with a strategic plan and medication management. Let's begin with the basics of congestive heart failure.

What is congestive heart failure?

As the name suggests, congestive cardiac failure is a heart condition in which the heart fails to pump sufficient blood and oxygen to other systems of the body. The word “heart failure” can be quite stressful. However, this does not mean that the heart completely fails to perform its functioning of heartbeats.

In congestive cardiac failure, the heart becomes less contractible due to its limitation and ability to fill with blood. This may cause congestion or chest pain due to a lack of oxygen and blood supply. If neglected, it may cause multisystem organ failure.

Causes of congestive heart failure

The causes of congestive heart failure are as follows-

Genetic

Aging

Stress

High blood pressure or cholesterol

Obesity

Coronary artery disease or blockage

Heart valve disorder

Irregular heartbeat

Abuse of drugs or alcohol

History of smoking

Symptoms of congestive heart failure

The symptoms of congestive heart failure are as follows-

Rapid heartbeat

Weight gain

Excessive sweating

Shortness of breath

Swelling of extremities

Fatigue

Nausea

Lightheadedness

Persistent cough

Stages of congestive heart failure

There are 4 different stages of congestive cardiac failure which include the following-

Stage A

Patients with stage A heart failure may have no major dysfunction of pumping activity of the heart such as coronary artery disease, valvular problems, or blockage of the heart. They may have symptoms such as mild shortness of breath, and swelling of extremities. These patients generally have a strong past medical history of diabetes, high blood pressure, or obesity. There are no major structural and functional changes in the heart at this stage. The symptoms can be corrected with lifestyle changes and medications.

Stage B

Patients with stage B congestive heart failure may develop structural heart disease which reduces the overall functioning of the heart usually within less than 6 months. These patients often complain of enlarged left ventricles. They may have symptoms such as shortness of breath, and swelling of extremities. The diagnostic test mainly reveals structural changes with positive stress tests. Healthy lifestyle modifications such as exercising to lose weight may help in improving the functioning of the heart with medications. These patients may have a strong genetic history of heart failure.

Stage C

Patients at this stage will show symptoms of heart failure with underlying structural heart disease. The symptoms mainly occur due to contraction of the left ventricle while pumping blood. The patient may have breathlessness, fatigue, and tiredness with dyspnea on exertion. These patients are under current treatment for heart failure and may show no symptoms while being under the medications. They are given treatment to prevent heart failure exacerbation.

Stage D

Stage D heart failure is considered the last stage of heart failure. In these patients, there will be advanced structural and functional cases causing symptoms to occur at rest as well. The patients under this stage may require advanced treatment such as circulatory support, surgery, or medications as directed by the physician.

The stages and symptoms of heart failure may range from mild to severe. It may worsen over time if not medically managed. Practicing a healthy lifestyle can help in delaying the progression of the heart issue preventing further damage.

Types of heart failure

There are two types of heart failure which include

●     Left-sided heart failure

Left-sided heart failure is considered a common type of heart failure. The left ventricle is an important chamber that allows the pumping of the heart. This allows blood supply to all parts of the body by maintaining adequate blood volume.

In case of systolic heart failure, the left ventricle capacity to contract deteriorates causing pumping failure. This reduces the capacity of blood and oxygen supply to other parts of the body.

On the other hand, in the case of diastolic heart failure, there is stiffening of the left ventricle which causes the inability of the muscle to relax.

The main symptoms of left-sided heart failure are weight gain, shortness of breath at rest as well as exertion, inability to lie flat on bed at night, awakening at night due to shortness of breath, and left-sided chest pain.

●     Right-sided heart failure

Right-sided heart failure is quite less common. This occurs because of the lack of pumping of blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. The backflow of the blood into the blood vessels may cause fluid retention and edema of the lower legs and arms. The main symptoms of right-sided heart failure are breathlessness of exertion, wheezing, lightheadedness, dizziness, coughing, edema of the legs, and difficulty concentrating.

Both forms of heart failure may get progressive with time if left untreated. If you are resonating with any of the above-mentioned signs and symptoms, it is recommended to consult your doctor right away.

Treatment of congestive heart failure

The main standard treatment for congestive cardiac failure is to control signs and symptoms and prevent further damage to the heart. The line of treatment for congestive cardiac failure includes a comprehensive treatment plan with the following-

Medications include vasodilators, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, glycosides, anti-coagulant, beta-blockers, and tranquilizers.

The surgical procedure includes bypass surgery of the blocked artery, biventricular pacing therapy, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, VAD (Ventricular assist devices) therapy, or heart transplant which is the last resort.

Lifestyle modifications include avoiding salt for fluid retention and limiting intake of caffeine for irregular heartbeats or tachycardia.

Tips to follow for congestive heart failure

The best lifestyle changes for congestive heart failure are as follows-

Monitor your heart health

Go for regular check-ups with your doctor

Carry out routine tests like exercise stress tests, ECG, EKG, and heart monitor by your doctor

Destress yourself

Maintain healthy weight

Voice up your concerns with your doctor

Stay positive

Follow a healthy diet plan

Exercise as advised by your doctor

Have a good and sound sleep

Quit smoking and alcohol.

Conclusion

GS Hospital, the best heart care center in Delhi NCR has helped many patients worldwide to recover from congestive cardiac failure. With a professional team of cardiologists, GS Hospital is focused on providing quality care to every patient at their best. Right from diagnosis to the best medication treatment, the hospital aims to provide holistic heart health care to patients to regain their confidence with the best cardiac health. This makes them a top heart care hospital in Ghaziabad to opt for all heart issues.

[dr-george-shapirony]

Flare-Up Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure, also known as heart failure, is a type of heart disease that occurs when the heart doesn’t pump as efficiently as it should. It can be caused by various conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. It’s essential to watch for these changes if you or someone you know has CHF.

-Rise in Weight Gain

If you’re experiencing a sudden weight gain, your body may store more fluid. More fluid in your body can lead to a condition known as congestive heart failure. Even gaining a few pounds can be a sudden sign of you holding more fluid. To prevent this, keep track of your daily weight and regularly monitor your condition. It is best to weigh yourself after going to the bathroom and before eating. 

-Feet Swelling

With congestive heart failure, your legs, feet, or abdomen are swollen; contact the doctor immediately and make them aware of your symptoms.  

-Coughing or Shortness of Breath

The buildup of fluid in your lungs can make breathing hard, which is often caused by coughing or shortness of breath. Some of the common symptoms of this condition include difficulty breathing when doing simple tasks, such as getting dressed or walking from one room to the next. If these symptoms worsen or become severe, contact the doctor right away.

-Fast Heartbeat

If your heart is racing or feels like it’s getting erratic, you may have a flare-up of congestive heart failure. This is a symptom you should contact your doctor for or call 911. 

-Weariness

Although some of the usual signs of congestive heart failure are normal, such as fatigue, you should call the doctor if you suddenly feel tired. Other symptoms include feeling dizzy or when standing up feeling light-headed. People with CHF can wake up in the middle of the night coughing or have shortness of breath. 

If you are aware of having CHF and feel these symptoms with chest pain, dizziness, or trouble breathing, you should call 911. 

[agentnico]

The Whale (2022) Review

So I recently rewatched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. And now that I’ve seen it I can’t unsee it - the mayor in that movie, once he gains all that weight from eating all that junk food that’s falling from the sky, looks exactly like Brendan Fraser in The Whale. I don’t just mean the weight, though that too. I mean, the hairstyle, the eyes and everything. It’s uncanny.

Plot: In a town in Idaho, Charlie, a reclusive and unhealthy English teacher, hides out in his flat and eats his way to death. He is desperate to reconnect with his teenage daughter for a last chance at redemption.

You always get that one movie every year where all the critics are raving about this one great performance from an actor that is a shoehorn in for an Oscars win, and then you yourself go see the film and you realise it’s overrated. The Whale is not that. Brendan Fraser needs that Oscar. Let alone the guy has been crapped on by Hollywood and this is one hell of a comeback, but also his performance in this movie is unlike anything you have seen from him before, nor is it something every actor can pull off. There is so much emotion that Fraser delivers in his expressions and within his eyes, so much so that every time the camera is on him you can tell exactly what he is thinking, you sympathise and feel sorrow for him, and overall he is incredible in this movie. If there is ever a movie to watch just for an actor’s performance, The Whale is that. Also, for those worrying that The Whale will just make you depressed for 2 hours....I mean, yah, that is what it does, however it does it in style! No? Not good enough for ya? Okay, go watch Puss in Boots instead ya losers!! That being said, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a surprisingly awesome animated sequel so if you choose to see that instead I can’t really judge. 

The Whale comes to us from director Darren Aronofsky, and that is both a pro a kind of a detriment to the movie. The positive is that he’s able to get the best performances out of his actors, and he manages to get a few interesting shots whilst only using one location, since the movie plays out more like an on-stage play, with all the events transpiring in Charlie’s flat, or the balcony out the front door. However the downside is that this is typical Aronofsky in that the movie can be very grotesque, so much so that it may overshadow the main message of the movie. From the very first moment when we’re introduced to Fraser’s Charlie, we find him all sweaty whilst masturbating profusely, followed by a heart attack after he climaxes. It’s as if Aronofsky wants you to think how disgusting this guy is. However then Fraser straight away portrays the character with such tenderness and empathy, that it seems like the director and the actor both have different motivations. Aronofsky, evidently is more focused on the journey of transforming an ugly individual into something beautiful at the end, whilst Fraser from the beginning sets out to show that this guy Charlie has something good and earnest in him right away. Personally I prefer Brendan Fraser’s approach, as we don’t need to see Charlie be shown so negatively. The enjoyment comes from seeing him in his happy moments and fix things he might have broken previously, however he’s already at his lowest. We don’t want to see him suffer anymore, we just want to see him actually succeed in something or at the very least find a glimmer of light in the midst of all the darkness. And also all the backstory of Charlie’s actions are discussed amongst the characters’ dialogues, so there’s no reason to make him now physically repulsive too. Especially since the movie’s main intention is to show that overweight people have more to them than just their physical layers. Anyway, my point is that Aronofsky’s fondness for the grotesque sometimes downplayed the film’s overall narrative message. Again though, Fraser manages to make Charlie so damn likeable that no matter how much greasy chicken he stuffs in his mouth, he’s still super adorable.

Besides Brendan the other cast members are all on form here. Hong Chau plays Charlie’s nurse and best friend, and seemingly the only truly honest character who doesn’t have a single bad thought, and she was really good. It was nice seeing someone good in Charlie’s life, who otherwise is only surrounded by constant negativity. Sadie Sink off Stranger Things fame does well in her part as Charlie’s daughter, and again as a child actor shows humongous talent, however he character does come off a bit over the top. She’s the typical moody teen who feels abandoned by her parent, however this character is so unpleasant and Aronofsky goes out of his way to show her as this despicable entity, that it makes it really hard to believe Charlie whenever he showers her with compliments about how brilliant and amazing she is. Samantha Morton also shows up in quick cameo appearance and manages to nearly steal the entire show from everyone. 

Being that this movie is set in only one location, a lot of the emotion comes from the musical score that is used to amplify the more dramatical moments. And the music is fine. Rob Simonsen embraces empathy in his notes well, however I was very much reminded a lot of film composer Johann Johannsson who passed away a few years back, as I feel like he would have really done justice to this movie and would have wrote a musical accompaniment that really stuck out.

The Whale is the type of movie that truly rests on it’s main actor’s shoulders. But my gosh is that central performance so good, and I really hope it brings Brendan Fraser properly back to our screens, as he has now shown that he has grown more and is able to provide such nuanced and heavyweight acting roles. Let the Brenaissance commence! And give that man an Oscar already! 

Overall score: 8/10

[tenth-sentence]

The Bhagwan, who called himself Osho in his later years, died of congestive heart failure at the age of fifty-eight.

"Zealot: A Book About Cults" - Jo Thornely

[yamimichi]

I said Other because I had a heart attack. That was the most painful thing I have ever experienced.

[lifeline-hospital-adoor]

Learn the key signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure. Don’t ignore the warning signals. Consult Lifeline Hospital, the Best Cardiology Hospital in Kerala today.

[hollyida]

Frozen

It’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything here. So much has happened in my life in the past two months–some of it good, much of it horrible. Our family friend, Virginia Cookson–my niece’s best friend for over 25 years–was murdered by her ex-boyfriend at the end of September. I’m not ready to write about what happened, and may never. It has changed all of our lives in ways I’m not sure we…

[medical-blitz]

I wake up 25 years later. After 2009

I get life flighted, on my 55th birthday, and it's time to go.

Call 911, ICU 12 DAYS. then what ? Omg on forced oxygen,IV, immediate blood work. Answering questions while face covered with mask!

I was diagnosed with Thyroid Storm, In Atrial Fibrillation and Fast crashing heart failure , I remember being diagnosed with over active thyroid in 2009 for a job physical, I got what was necessary at that time in 2009 to get the job. Then after I got it. And stopped using meds. I really had no follow up appointment, but too the job was 28/14 meaning, your gone and home those amount of days.

I was never consistent in medicine regiments, I wouldn't even finish 7 to 10 day antibiotics, and end up returning to doctor to get a fresh prescription for antibiotics because I felt better after first couple to few days. And for whatever infection or illness would return or never really been gone, so having said that .

I was uneducated about how serious it was to continue and monitor a thyroid issue.

WELL NEVER DO THAT. The thyroid was detrimental to my future health. As it is for anyone.

As I always,remember to mention my earlier diagnosis to anytime I go ER which was rare. Well in 2014, I had an excellent job, best insurance you could imagine at no cost to me or reproccusions of future liens etc.

I was getting a complete , head to toe toe to head inside and out , physical by my own request.

I was feeling great, had a few concerns.

But asked. By any chance was my thyroid checked? I was QUOTE- UNQUOTE Told " your thyroid is fine"

But throughout years I've had small injuries and chest X+rays have been taken and had to return for retaking

They (medical team) showed concern, and then I was cleared saying looked like nodules on your lungs.

So back to 2014 I was told and after ct mri, upper GI, I Had intertial lung disease, and never were prescribed anything to treat or cure or handle emergency breathing issues.

See earlier than 2009 I was having a hard time breathing, sooo I went to doctor and complained of even climbing a set of stairs , I was only 27 at the time. I was told quit smoking. It's your lungs.

I went through life and reached June 4th 2024 almost died because I bloated so bad struggled (understatement) to breath could reach to even wipe after going bathroom, walk nothing my shoes wouldn't even go on my feet.

Away I went. With the lung disease etched in my earlier diagnosis,and scares with spots on my lungs from times before hand. And let me tell you what a scare. Because it was building up over a couple of weeks before I finally couldn't walk 5 feet and felt like passing out. Sitting or rolling over felt as if I just moved mountains. Away I went.

I however explained the 2014 diagnosed issues. And 2009 when my thyroid was mentioned, well I was living actually with Graves disease, never told.

And hyperthyroidism developed, mind you untreated. They immediately checked my TSH,T3-4 and low and behold.

All my symptoms came to the conclusion of why is was in serious medical crisis.

Do not ignore a thyroid diagnosis, I ruined my health.

I was in complete congestive heart failure,Pre-diabetes,thyroid storm. Which is rare. But fatal. And developed TED, which is hyperthyroid eye disease, I have major effects from this. My heart wasn't underlying, it was caused by my not having had stayed on thyroid treatment , and thyroid care or acknowledgment is detrimental to every organ in your body. My cholesterol levels are through the roof, and now I evolved from pre- to type 2 diabetes,Blindness could very well be in my near future or 3-10 years of life span. And now I have more than 19 symptoms from possible one medication or couple combined within last three months. I was developing them soon after my release from my initial hospital stay.

I have not quit smoking. And THAT BY EVERY MEANS NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, because I may very well be falling back into the danger zone and completely Not having my treatment working correctly, it is a major hold back or set back.

My will power is unbelievably weak, I cherish my life, and it's the hardest to do.

So here's my concerns being set for tomorrow,the next day I'll go the next , um finally made a follow up appointment, finally after four months got the blood work done for digoxin level monitor required action, and oh boy my numbers for more than couple tests needed, I am drowning in high to low all in negative for me.

Procrastinating is not an option, it's a constant struggle as well.

So I'll be at the doctor and find out what exactly is the next step. Besides nicotine, I am slowly but surely in the irreversible side of things if I don't go. I already canceled a week ago.

Results and Further Information will be coming soon. And add some links to further educate how serious it is for untreated Graves disease to hyperthyroidism not being treated.

[rosetyler42]

As a baby (about 6 months old, coincidentally!), I was kept sedated/unconcious for a while due to issues closing my chest up after emergency heart surgery for congestive heart failure. Basically, I had swollen up so much, they couldn't close my chest and had to drain me for a bit. Mom said I looked alot older than I was. I'm not sure how long I was out, but it was long enough I had bedsores I needed to have surgically removed/debreeded, and long enough I had to relearn some milestones afterwards. I also ended up septic and jaundiced due to having my chest open for so long.

And yes, I do have trauma from all this. I have a fear of sedation, I've had sleep anxiety a good chunk of my life, a fear of surgery, and oral and down south aversion. However, as I don't consciously REMEMBER any of it (being a baby at the time) I don't know if I have PTSD OR if I had ICU delirium. I probably have CPTSD if anything since my medical history is pretty long and traumatic and it happened when I was young.

Long-Term Sedation of a Character

Tess on Patreon asked:

Is there a sedative which can be given for an extended period of time with minimal side effects? My MC is kept sedated in a laboratory for around 5 years (though not necessarily sedated the whole time) I was first thinking ketamine, but I saw in your ketamine tag that in long-term use, it can cause bladder and kidney failure, and I would prefer that not to happen. 

Money is no object to the people keeping MC, and they are all (or at least mostly) medically trained. 

 If there isn’t a way to keep him mostly sedated for the majority of the five years, how long/often would you think MC could be sedated realistically?

Hi Tess! Thanks so much for supporting the blog! 

There are a few things to consider when sedating a character over the long term, and I don’t know that “completely unconscious x 5 years” is a reasonable or realistic accomplishment (even intermittently). There are a few reasons why… 

1) Humans get tolerant. 

Long-term sedation with something like benzodiazepines (Valium, Ativan, Versed, etc.) isn’t going to work. Humans become tolerant to meds like that over the longer term, requiring higher and higher doses to achieve the same effect. (I have seen grown men take horse-levels of IV midazolam and still be awake and cogent.) 

This can take weeks to months, and the character would require frequent med changes and escalating doses to maintain the sedation. 

Similarly, the same is true with opiates such as fentanyl (which is a component in many forms of sedation; it’s a pain med with sedative properties). 

2) Livers and kidneys aren’t so tolerant 

You alluded to this when you mentioned ketamine, but the truth is, meds like these have implications over the longer term, and the longer something is given, the more likely it is that something awful will happen to your character’s body because of prolonged use of a particular medication. The bladder and kidney dysfunction with ketamine is just one example; propofol has PRIS (propofol-related infusion syndrome), where the body essentially winds up breaking down muscle (rhabdomyolysis) and, I believe, malignant hyperthermia, where it just… cranks the thermostat. PRIS is often lethal. 

So how long can this long-term sedation be accomplished, and what would be the best strategies for keeping a character under? 

Warning: this answer is a WAGITD (a Wild-Ass Guess in the Dark), but I’ll put it somewhere around the 6-18 month mark. By changing sedatives every few days – especially by changing class of sedatives every few days – they can keep the character’s body from becoming too resistant, and make sure that they can keep the character safe and well. 

Of course, there are going to be effects. Muscle atrophy is a Big Deal™ , plus, brains REALLY don’t like being sedated over the long term. ICU delirium is possible when someone is in the ICU (and is strongly associated with heavy sedation) for a few days, much less a few years. They may be completely out of it and suffer massive PTSD from their experience, not to mention absolutely horrifying. 

[This article has some really crazy experiences talking about ICU delirium and is downright terrifying.] 

I hope this helps! 

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

[disclaimer] 

[drraghu1]

Best Cardiologist for Congestive Heart Failure

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[xtrablak674]

Death Certificates

I have become a reluctant collector of death certificates. I am trying to remember why this was even on my spirit this morning, maybe something that was said on the Ear Hustle podcast. Yes, it was one of the silly questions asked in one of their magazine segments, what kind of pizza would you be? My answer was a simple cheese pizza with a single topping pepperoni, and the reason was this was same order my mom made when she treated me and my siblings to pizza.

When I order pizza as an adult if I am ordering a topping it is usually pepperoni, I am not saying I haven't tried other toppings but my go-to is plain cheese with pepperoni. This then lead me to think I had mis-remembered her date of death because it made for a better story saying she died four days before my eleventh birthday. Something in my head was saying that was just a story and not the actual date of death. I searched my tablet and couldn't find a picture of her death certificate which was odd because my fathers and his mothers were right there.

This lead me to my safe to get out my copy of her death certificate which I scanned and photographed to fix the previous oversight. Her date of death was actually April 4th, 19XX, which is actually a week before my eleventh birthday once again even in my storytelling my bad math was at play. So I wasn't lying, she died right before my birthday. Happy Birthday. #🥳

Since I had her certificate out this was a good time to look at the comparisons between hers, my fathers and my grandmothers. Michael, who I guess was indeed real, is the one who reported our mom's death. It has been forty years since I had seen this "older brother" that I had been to doubt that he existed, but here he was right on this official document, so I guess I did/do have an older brother, how much older isn't clear to me and probably never will be.

My father's certificate was reported by his mother, I guess this was appropriate since his parents after prodding by his aunt were the ones to discover him dead in his Harlem apartment. Now I also had to verify another piece of information about his death, I have always told the story that my parents died at the same age nine years apart. Officially he died a month before his birthday which would indeed make him forty-three years old, the same age his youngest son would follow him in death. But I have a tendency to round up and he would have been forty-four if he had survived another month. I like the repetitive numbers, 84, 44, 40. And my favorite superhero team is the Fantastic Four so all these fours line up with mystic numerology.

Curiously since both of my parents died at forty-four I didn't feel great about getting past that number myself, its and odd feeling to be older than your parents ever were, but I am not the one who should have been worried, my late younger brother who basically smoked himself to-death followed his dad at the exact same age. I think my late brother was born in nineteen eighty, which means he was thirteen when he lost our father. But four when I lost my moms, another four. He died two year after our grandmother, I think our shared last grandparent.

Causes of death were quite different, my moms carcinoma of breast with metastasis, dads undetermined, but the family assumption is something related to his exposure to agent orange during the Vietnam war. Not sure if there is a thing as a good death, but my grandmother's cause is listed as hypertensive cardiovascular disease, probably related to the congestive heart failure she was diagnosed with, but it was old age. I am curious where do they get cause of death from? I don't recall ever using the term "hypertensive cardiovascular disease" as cause of death. I also don't remember giving out doctors information. I guess its all moot now.

Too bad I won't ever know what my death certificate says or who will be my informant. I feel a way having this much hands-on experience with death certificates, with my moms it was about being able to cash in the payable-upon-death bonds she had purchased for me. My father I think it was just information because he had no discernible estate and made no kind of preparations for his progeny, pretty typical to how he lived. My grandmothers was tied to an inheritance, a word frankly I wasn't really involved with until her death. It was curious that during her life she thought someone was studying her wealth, when frankly I know I wasn't, but as I even told her sister regardless of that, I was no fool and I wouldn't leave a penny on the table and I didn't.

I would love to say I am indifferent to death, having had so much during my lifetime. I can say definitively that when my time comes I will be ready to go, no kicking and screaming here. My preference would be to die like my moms or grandmother at home. But we know like in life our preferences aren't usually honored especially in the last preference we will ever have.

[Photo by Brown Estate]

[shawnpgreene]

Life After Open Heart Surgery

How I Survived and Continued to Live After My Heart Attack On July 15, 2023, I called 911 after getting severe chest pains and shortness of breath. I just returned from a road trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I was planning to host my 2023 Great Lakes Christian Film Festival at Grace Christian University. I just unloaded the last item from my vehicle, and immediately I was feeling week and…

[serenity-with-lawna]

This is a snapshot into the video that is coming next week on: www.youtube.com/@SerenitywithLawna-Merry So make sure you subscribe so you can be notified about this video and others. We will be talking about what it's like to live with a chronic progressive illness that is in its end stages, and how ableists perceptions and biases can really hurt the people who are already vulnerable. We will also talk a little bit about how to overcome this so that we can all have the lives we deserve to have while we still have the chance. This is me opening up, being authentic, and trying to disarm ableists one step at a time. I hope you'll come join me in this mission!