It is official I can't hang with my 66 year old father in law!!

I went to visit my father in law...usually we go to one of the clubs he owns and spend about an hour...not this time we were at 4 clubs and spent 6 hours out...that means I got home at 3 AM Sunday Morning after I had been up since 6 AM Saturday Morning to go and see him!!!!

YesterdaY was a blur...I managed to get 4 hours of sleep then we got up and went to breakfast with Dad and we were on the road home by 11:30 AM. I took a brief nap at the end of the Steeler game and then was in bed with TV off at 10 PM. I slept till 10 Am this morning and then Evan and I cleaned the basement and ran some errands...we went to Super Panda for lunch as we could not get near Chick-a-filet!!!!

Got home at around 3 and took nap till 5:30 and then got up and got on the Wii fit which showed my Wii age as ..........60....well at least I can now set some goals of trying to get my Wii age to 45 by my Birthday!!!

Have a good day!!

I still hate rehab!!

I have completed three sessions of rehab and I just have to say I hate it!!!! I have no strength in my upper body and my legs and knees are horrible..so it is not fun I usually get short of breath but on a scale of 0-10 I usually am around 3-4. I still have 17 sessions to go....but if I don't start feeling better doing it I may have to ask the Doctors if they feel it is worth continuing at this point since we felt that I should at least try it...Three sessions is not long and I have 3 more before the trip to Disney...Needless to say I will evaluate all of this at the end of January!!!


Inhale-exhale...repeat!!

Random Thoughts of the last week from 12/15-12/23

I started the week off by attending the funeral of my aunt and I attended a funeral on Saturday for a18 month old little girl. I don't like funerals all that much...I go and pay my respects but I feel like they are a waste of money...they really are not for the dead but for the living. I have said for many years even before all this talk of a heart transplant came to the front burner that I had certain things that I wanted to have done after I die(but to quote Monty Python's Spamalot song...I'm not dead yet, no I am not dead yet) I know having a wife and son who are Jewish cause a lot of questions as to what will happen when I die(but again I am not dead yet, no I'm not dead yet)

Let me state for the record, I am Catholic, I still when I get the chance go to church!! However since getting sick the last 6 months or so I had to make some choices...you see for the longest time I would attend services with my wife and son one day and then go to mass another day. When I started getting tired I prayed to see what I should do..And I felt in my heart(soul not he 3 chamber thing I am living with) that I would like to go to services. I am not turning my back on my faith but I feel that I would like to spend time with my family. When my son decided(and he decided on his own to be Jewish) I felt it was my duty as his father to assure that he became as grounded in his faith as I am in mine.

Ok I am rambling off topic a bit...back to the discussion at hand. I wanted to donate my body to science and then have a big party as a memorial...I wanted people to eat and drink...I have a lot of friends who are not Catholic or Jewish.....The fact is I have friends of many faiths. Again I think funerals are way to expensive and I would prefer that the little insurance money that I do have would go to Sharon and Evan to help them.

My mother stated that she wanted me to have a mass of Christian Burial....I did not think about it that much because I am donating my body and there will be no body to bury....thus the memorial service/party would be a great idea.

My mother mentioned that I should write down what I want so everyone know....this was never a thought or concern for me...why you ask Because Sharon and I will have been together for 26 years come this Feb. We will be married for 23 years in June...she is my best friend and she has a great stake in my health.....she understood from the time she met me that our time together could be long or short.....she understands what I have dealt with as far as my heart goes...No she was not there for the first 2 surgeries when I was 10 months old and 14 years old.....but she has been by my side since my last one at age 20 in 1984. I trust her to make the decisions that I have made regarding my care and my final wishes!!! I do not mean by saying this that I am putting my family off to the side...in fact I am thinking of every one's feelings when I am gone(but I'm not dead yet, no I'm not dead yet) If you think about it Sharon and I have been together over half of my life. We have stood arm in arm against many of odds....just a few that happened when we were first dating....the death of her mother...which anyone who has ever lost a parent at a young age knows is very hard to overcome...we also had my last major heart surgery...again a tough place to be for the person having the surgery..let alone for a couple of teenager's at the beginning of their relationship.....we over came that hurt and anxiety we felt when we were told that we could not have children after many years of trying....we hugged each other tight the day that Evan was born...we stood beside each other as we took Evan back and forth to various therapies when he was younger...we struggled together as to whether or not to ever have Evan tested to find out what his issue and diagnosis really was.....we did not want the schools or anyone to put limits on him and tell him that he could not do things.....we cried the day we found out that he had Autism.....we stood strong beside each other as we fought weekly with the school to make sure that his educational needs got met. You see we are a team of 2 we are each others strongest supporters and cheer leaders.....Sharon always ask me my opinion or what I think before she does anything including her decision to become Jewish...Just like she supported me and helped me when I went to Grad school....Some people asked me why I would let her do something like that to our family......Well my answer is simple.....I have no right to tell her what to do let alone what to believe...I felt that she was searching and her journey took her to different place then being Catholic....but it is not like I could just cast her aside(a wife is like and old pair of shoes...the stiff and hard when new but become very comfortable as you wear them) She did not say to me "I am Jewish and I love you less" No She said she loved me more because I understood what made her happy and that it was filling a void in her life....You see being married and together for so long makes one in tune with those things...she has never forced me to go to services or to convert...( she may joke about it) but since we have been together for so long and we are a team she knows that my faith is my faith...and that I do not love her or Evan less because of their faith!!! In plain words and I will capitalize them as if to shout so everyone understands:


WE TOOK VOWS...FOR BETTER OR WORSE...FOR RICHER OR POOER...IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH AND GIVING OURSELVES TO EACH OTHER UNTIL DEATH DO US PART!!!

So after all that my wife know what I want:

A mass of Christian burial if that is possible since my body is being donated...If not a memorial mass.....My body will be returned to her at a later date...it is cremated by the lab...she will have control over my ashes.....and when she dies I will be buried with her!!!

I thank God everyday for sending her into my life.....we have stood together in many of trying times and we have survived.....this trip we are currently on will be no different we will survive.


Also, today is the day I lost my second best friend...Dad I miss you and really wish you were here...but I know that you are watching over all of us!!!!

A sad Saturday!!!

Last Wed. at work I heard the news that an 18 month old of one of our students who graduated in June died.....We were all sad as all kind of rumors have been flying about the cause of death....however if what people were saying was true it did not make the papers or news, this leads me to believe that the rumors are false. So Saturday morning I met one of my co-workers and we went off to the funeral home to pay respects and to attend the service...However after seeing the little girl in the coffin and her mother standing there for twenty minutes holding her litle hand it was more then I could take and I knew that my co-worker was uneasy as well...Why..she has a 3 month old at home.....so we hugged the mom and we left...as soon as we got to the car she turned on her cell phone and a picture of her daughter came up.( I refer to myself as her grandpa Anthony as I am 20 years older then her mom) we both paused for a minute and when I got out of the car I told her to give my granddaughter a big hug for me.

I think the hardest thing that I parent should ever have to go through is to bury their child or grandchild!!!


Hug your babies and grandbabies tonight!!

TB or NO TB that is the question!!

You would think that with all the chest x-rays that I have had taken in the last 6 months that the last thing I need would be to have a skin test for TB...However it is part of the test that the transplant team needs for me to complete to help with their evaluation to see if I would make a good canidate.....Like ok. So on Friday I got the shot...of course with the blood thinners it turned black and blue it was still that way on Monday morning when it got it read but the skin was not raised....so that means I have no TB!!!!!

To pee or not to pee that is the question!!

Today has been wonderful since 6:30 am this morning when I began collecting my pee for the next 24 hours for test!!! Yep I drove around all day with the jug from the lab in my car...it was doubled bagged and then put in a tote bag so that I could carry it in to places to how do I dare say this......empy the big old bladder!!!!....

The good news is it is 9 pm and I only have to keep this up for 9.5 hours...then drop Evan at school.....run said pee to the lab and get some bloodwork done....then to doctor to get dates of immunizations that transplant team wants....then to rehab (BOY WHAT FUN) then to visit some students so I can be done working at noon on friday.

I will pick Evan up from school and we will go shopping for mommy!!!

HI HO HI HO It"s Off to Rehab I GO!!!

Today was the first day of Rehab....Did I like it.....Not....am I Sore and tired...You betcha....Will I go back....Do I have a choice....


8 minutes warm up
8 minutes on a arm leg amchine
8 minutes on a arm machine
8 minutes on a reclining bike

3 minute cool down


What a day!!!

After I went to the lab to get the container will I will make a deposit of YELLOW GOLD for a 24 hour period!!!


20 days and counting till the next round of testing!!

You all have a good day!!

We have some dates!!!

I called the transplant coordinator today it has been three weeks since we met with the adult cardiologist....she was suprised that I did not get my package yet as my appointments are the 5 and 6 of Jan. I don't know what is going to happen butit looks like some testing and then sit and talk as the appointment for Tuesday is almost 8 hours long......

So know the count down is on!!!!!

Hopefully everything will be done before we leave for Disney!!!!


And PS we finally told Evan I was going!!!

Rehab here I come!!!

I met with the folks at pulmonary rehab today.....the girl remembered me as I attempted rehab 9 years ago...she wanted to know why I quit......that would be because I got ill at a session and then spent over a week in the hospital....we got the orders from the doc not to let my heart rate get above 100....nice it is around 60-70 at rest so it won't be to hard to get it upto 100.


I start Tuesday for 20 sessions......we will see how it goes

No Santa for me!!

The girls at work took pity on me as I was having back spasms on Tuesday so they found someone to play santa.....which means I got to sit with several of my students and their families and talk...however I won't be that lucky next week!!!!

Dr. A

Met with Dr A on frida...feels fall may have been drop in bp...tick or a trip....things are going well with the way things are going so we did not make any adjustments to medications...Wants me to let him know if I have any changes ASAP.....told him I would but felt things would be ok.... We will meet after I meet with the surgeons.....



Also today I called to check out pulmonary rehab....director is to call me tomorrow....until then breath in...breath out.

and a belly that shook like a bowl full of jelly>>>>

Yes it is that time of year for our annual christmas party for the families we work with so once again I will be playing the jolly old elf......

The only paart I hate is when the pictures bite me on the a$$ during the senior dinner...because no matter how hard we try I just don't make a good santa......plus this year santa has a sore knee....should be loads of fun!!!!


So have a HO HO HO DAY!!

Can you feel the pain today!!

Quick hello and wanted to let you all know that I am a little stiff and sore from the fall yesterday. I have been taking pain relief meds every four hours which helps with some of the pain and stiffness.

Tonight we are going to go see the play Frost/Nixon....nothing like 3 hours in a tiny seat at the theater to make you feel like a new man.

Tomorrow I see Dr. A and will mention the fall to him!!!


Have a good day.

BTW.......I would love to read comments if you have any or questions!!!

Ashes, ashes I fell down!!!!

Ok so I am walking into one of the schools to see students that I see usually on Tuesday and Fridays when I am just doing fine and go to step up onto the sidewalk and land flat on my left side.....banged up the side of my left hand, left knee and fell hard on my side.....to make this even more annoying....you guessed it I could not get up!!!! My right side is week and I could not get up....had to shimmy(that's a sight when you weigh over 200 lbs.) of the side walk so I could use the edge of it as leverage to pull myself up...went and saw the nurse who cleaned the wounds with soap and water and then bandages........Evan and Marie at sharon's office say I should start walking with a cane....JUST CALL ME HOUSE!!!!