Oops, Fill In Info on the Ominous Hint Yesterday.

Well Suzanne asked, by email, and I realize, for anyone actually following this blog, that I shouldn't drop hints like that, about the heart health, without filling in. I guess it is just getting to be old news for me, and I'm fatigued about "spreadin' the news."

But in a mega-walnut shell, I had another episode a few days after they let me out of the hospital proper (after the shoulder surgery). I hadn't been sleeping well at all, and on the fourth night, at 2 or 3 AM I decided to take one of the pink versions of Xanax that the doctors here had given me in case I needed them to sleep. Anyway, I was only familiar with the white dose and the blue dose, so I ended up taking more than twice what I usually need to take.

I woke up during the early morning hours with the A-Fib, and instead of just resting till it was better, I kept an appointment at 9:30. My A-Fib triggers seem to be exactly the same as my brother Jerry's: get shocked or disturbed out of sleep (not enough sleep) and poof, there it is. So I went to the heart doctor next that morning, to say, "see, here it is again!" He decided that I have should have a change of meds (an additional one) after all. He told me to take two and go to bed (seriously), I fell deeply asleep for a couple of hours and I woke up feeling rested, no A-fib.

Then the next day, I got to reading the side effects, online. Scared the crap out of me really, "this stuff can kill you." So I've negotiated with the doctor now to only take the additional medicine as a rescue measure. Otherwise, I was supposed to take a $150 a month medicine every day for the rest of my life (or until I got a pacemaker). You know, the docs just do what they have to do (in good conscience, or whatever), but they don't make any allowance for well, "maybe this thing too, shall have its day, and pass." They can't, because they don't always, and sometimes can't follow people who decide not to take their prescribed meds for whatever reason.

All I need to do, in my opinion, is to get myself into a productive and happy (healthy) life, and all will be fairly well, again.

More pix tomorrow. I am planning to go over to Wat Po for a visit and to buy some junk to bring home (honestly). I wish I had more pictures of people to show, but of course, you can't go around just taking pictures of people. In this situation it makes me look like I think I'm at a zoo, or something. One picture or two I would really like to get is of all the nuns around here. Honestly, when they walk past you in your peripheral vision, they are nothing so much as like the nuns who taught me in elementary school. Not all of the black veils (if black) are plain, though. Some are studded in various way, or bordered with really sparkling rhinestones. And there is one country where they wear the most exquisite colorful scarves (very expensive looking), and so elegantly (think of Benazhir Bhutto), except Pakistan's not the country in question. It is amazing how all the ladies from the same country are able to style their head scarf in exactly the same way. It seems like 10 or 15% of the visiting patients here are from Islamic countries, especially Oman and the UAE.

Bye for now,

John

It doesn't feel all that great to be here just now.

I haven't slept for a couple of nights in a row, and am really tired of the whole hospital scene. The story's a little complicated, but it involves yet another couple of visits to the heart doc, and a couple of more EKG's, and a new medication to try, finally.

I can't wait to be on a plane home. Actually, I hate the thought of it (being on a plane for 15 or 20 hours) but I have to do it in order to get home. That will be Wednesday. (or possibly Thursday if I decide to miss my original very early morning flight). So just 4 or 5 more nights here.

Some photos from around the neighborhood of the hospital.

This building is smack-dab out the back window of my hospital-residence room, 12th floor. This is a wider shot, but very early this morning with that full moon of the long night, almost set. This photo doesn't do the moon justice, but I tried various ways to capture it, short of the tripod (at 5 something AM)

This guy, just outside the elevator bays, didn't always salute, thank gawd.

This orchid was just sort of growing on a tree by yet-another-bank-building.

This is the front of said bank building. It has an awsome topical landcape. I liked the group of blue pots with the gray granite and glass.

This lotus painting is in one of the waiting areas, this one is a lot nicer than it looks in my photo. For one thing, it opens onto a huge atrium.

This is the back of the main building of the hospital, taken from the 12th floor (through the glass) of the Hospital-Residence building.

Out of the hospital, phew!

I doubt whether anyone is checking in with this blog, because I've sent out a whole lotta email instead, lately. But anyway, as fun as a blog could be for those who have time enough for 2 people, I'm just reporting that I've been out several days, and me and my shoulder are doing about as well as expected. I'm going to try to do at least a couple of more interesting things in Bangkok before I return home in just about a week. I'll put some pix up in a day or two. Meanwhile, just one that one of the blue water lily. The botanical name is Nelumbo, if I recall correctly. Love the name, love the flowers. The leaves look great with frogs sitting on them. (That would be some future blog, from Bali.) Also, I can't remember whether I've ever seen them in blue before.

No picture today. Politcal unrest is over.

They did get rid of the old Prime Minister. They do this here every once in a while. It all happened just in time for the King's birthday. How convenient, and actually, how obliging for someone side to "give." Who knows who was right?

The story here yesterday was that they wouldn't be able to reopen the airport(s) until the 15 of Dec. That might affect me still because my flight is on the 17th, early. They're having to make sure the airport is safe by international standards.

Today, the doctor told me he was going to postpone my surgery till 4:00 PM., tomorrow, Friday. I was pretty happy about that. But then he called my hotel in the afternoon and changed it back again. So I have to wake up at 4:30 tomorrow AM. Hope I can sleep, otherwise, it won't take much anaesthetic to put me out. That idea kinds scares me. But I hear that statistically, surgeons and their assistants do quite a lot better in the morning when they are presumably fresh.

I met another American guy here in his office this morning. This guy was young and strong, but he had the same procedure 2 weeks ago from the same doc. He said it's all gone very well. He'd had the same procedure on his other shoulder some years back, at home in the U.S. and said it wasn't as good as this one (so far). What's up, why should he have blown two shoulders at the tender age of 35ish? I think he may have been a soldier, or otherwise shoots a rifle a lot.

OK, signing off.

I call this "hearts and flowers."

These orchids were incredible, just 2 days before I snapped this photo. Sorry folks. You should've seen them, the ad campaign/brand "Thai Orchid" uses this variety, I think.

I've enjoyed sharing with you.

oops, I moved the camera, but this is somhow appropo. The arrangement was very moving!

These were some stray photos from 10 days ago.

The story of the apple-seller. I wanted his photo so I bought some apples. He was selling out front of a Mr. Donuts shop. (thnk healthy alternative!) I made it a point to go to "Mis Do", as I used to love their coffee in Tokyo, the only real American style coffee (think weak) available anywhere outside of the homeland. Anyway, Thais are having none of that! The coffee was strong, but just fine.

A pile of apples cost me 3 dollars. Then just down the street, I saw a slightly smaller pile for half that price. Typical shopping karma! This is a back lane at Wat Pho (think huge reclining Buddha image). These are rooms where monks live. More senior ones, I assumed.