rich-c: hi rich Dr.D.: Hello Richard. Dr.D.: I got your jokes part 2. rich-c: glad to see you made it online for the day Dr.D.: I'm here for a little bit, then some errands to run. rich-c: you have a gif on teh way, you're going to enjoy it Dr.D.: At least I am at home today. Dr.D.: I will go check my mail... rich-c: yes, so often you are on from teh lab Dr.D.: I'll be there most of tomorrow, another experiment. rich-c: oh, give it a few minutes to get there, I just sent it fractions of a second ago, so to speak Dr.D.: Lab seminar to give on Friday, so I need some more data to talk about. rich-c: ah yes, always need fresh material Dr.D.: GIF is there, now to get it to this machine so I can look at it. rich-c: (Frances just interrupted to call my attention to the raccoon on the chimney next door) rich-c: he's sitting on teh chimney pot scratching her right ear Dr.D.: Coon on the chimney, that is fun. rich-c: coon in the chimney, no fun at all rich-c: don't know why they didn't cap the chimney when they put in electric heat years ago Dr.D.: Ha, that GIF is funny...I think Joan will smack me if she sees it, though. rich-c: print it out and post it - anonymously, of course - in the lab, of course ;-) Dr.D.: The engineer women in the lab will agree with it. rich-c: Frances found it on teh hip joint forum Dr.D.: It's the non-engineer women who will be offended. rich-c: yes, somehow that figures - the engineering mind is special Dr.D.: It looks like someone actually built the thing with real blinkenlights. rich-c: and btw I plan to send out the engineer jokes 6 thru 10 likely Monday Dr.D.: A nice set of knobs from Radio Shack, plus LEDs. rich-c: yes, very neat for a little joke rich-c: meanwhile, I've joined Bob in the rat poison brigade Dr.D.: You have rats at home? rich-c: no, I'm eating it myself Dr.D.: ?!?!?!? Dr.D.: Coumadin? rich-c: warfarin - a.k.a. coumadin in polite society Dr.D.: I presume this is because you've had some heart trouble recently? rich-c: yes, or at least so teh doctors insist rich-c: as you know, certain forms of heart trouble are hard to diagnose as teh first symptom is sudden death Dr.D.: Wow, that is out of the blue...or is it, have you had dyspnaea or other symptoms? rich-c: anyway, suddenly on Feb. 1st my pulse rate went into double figures - and staed there Dr.D.: You mean over 100 beats/minute? rich-c: after ten days or so I got unhappy about it and asked teh doctor to take a look rich-c: he looked, said keep checking and get back to him Dr.D.: Okay... rich-c: I got back to him but it took over a week till he had an appointment open rich-c: anyway I went by teh see him Thursday Dr.D.: Cardiologists have long lead times. rich-c: oh, this is my family doctor, just hit a busy time and I wasn't pushing, being asymptomatic Dr.D.: I see. rich-c: anyway he ran an ECG and found atrial fibrillation, so told me to go let the emergency ward take a look at it Dr.D.: Did you get Pam to take you? rich-c: so I did and they confirmed it, so they gave me an intravenous dilam??? to slow things down rich-c: heavens no, just drove over myself Dr.D.: Hmmm...you could've been looking down at us from the heavens now, for doing that... rich-c: anyway they did the blood work, all distressingly normal, gave me more dilam??? for luck, and sprang me Dr.D.: ...though I suppose if you were totally at-risk they would have called an ambulance or something. rich-c: sent me home with a prescription for coumadin and dilam?? and order for some lab work Dr.D.: How long were you in the ER? Dr.D.: Was Frances able to get there? rich-c: yes, my doctor said I was definitely low-risk rich-c: I was there about three hours; phoned Frances and told her not to come - or rather left a message as she was out for a walk rich-c: not that she paid any attention; she had phoned Pam and was all ready to come over when I phoned to say I was on the way home rich-c: anyway, the hospital are having a cardiology labset an appointment for me in the next few days Dr.D.: I did a quick Google for your "Dilam???", didn't find anything...but I suspect you got Dilantin, which is an anti-arrhythmia drug. rich-c: I'm sure it's a relative of that but it isn't dilantin - hold a minute rich-c: try diltiazem hcl rich-c: FWIW that could be the generic name for dilantin - don't know Dr.D.: Got diltiazem...okay, it's action is to dilate blood vessels. Dr.D.: its, rather. rich-c: anyway this coming week I'll be having two INR adjustments to get the coumadin blood level right Dr.D.: Coumadin will reduce clotting efficiency. Dr.D.: Your blood pressure was normal? rich-c: yes, they used it for a while when I had the hip done - till I was sprung from rehab, in fact rich-c: yes, it had been high but I'm on hydrochlorothiazide for that - this orning I was 121/69 with a 98 pulse and there's some white coat effect in that Dr.D.: It will probably lower your blood pressure. Dr.D.: Your BP is good, pulse still high. Dr.D.: They should do a chest X-ray to look for enlargement... rich-c: had a day last week when my BP was 97/58 or something, but the pulse was racing (111 or so) rich-c: yes, they did that while I was in hospital, brought in the portable x-ray machine Dr.D.: Low BP plus high heart rate is not good, it means the heart is just "fluttering", not making effective contractions. rich-c: I'm sure teh cardiology lab will do a very thorough workup next week Dr.D.: I would suspect atrial fibrillation...the EKG workup will tell. Dr.D.: I am 20 years away from med school, so all disclaimers apply. rich-c: yes, that squares with an A-fib diagnosis Dr.D.: If drugs don't calm it down...you are probably looking at a pacemaker, my friend. rich-c: yes, it showed on my ECG, that's why my doctor sent me to emergency Dr.D.: I can imagine that Frances and Pam were fit to be tied when you got home... rich-c: actually they have a new procedure in Toronto, involves cutting one of the nerves signalling the heart rich-c: Frances ran into a woman who'd just had it, at her doctor's office last week rich-c: oh yes, I had a very unhappy wife and daughter on my hands rich-c: part of the problem was that when I first phoned to tell her, she was online and I couldn't get through Dr.D.: (That was why we finally went to DSL here, too many missed phone calls) rich-c: then when I did get through she was out for a walk so I could only leave a message rich-c: DSL has been ordered, will have it before midnight next Thursday Dr.D.: :-) rich-c: I will go up to Tamco to pick up the NIC card and modem Tuesday afternoon Dr.D.: You will notice a great improvement in your network speed... rich-c: don't have a network, but the internet speed will be nice Dr.D.: Any chat lags will be due to Dale, not you :-) Dr.D.: Network = connection to network rich-c: well, I think that's pretty much the case now, in fact rich-c: just teasing, Rich, I know the internet is a network to which I connect, too Dr.D.: If you can get a little switch to put between your DSL router and you, then you and Frances can both be on at the same time. Dr.D.: There are network interfaces for Amigas, yes? rich-c: anyway I gather that Bob S. is going through this same drill, isn't he? Dr.D.: With DSL? Yes, I think so. Dr.D.: I'll have had it here for 2 years come May. rich-c: they exist but they are common as hen's teeth and priced accordingly' Dr.D.: It's worked out quite well. Dr.D.: Well, I just thought I'd raise the possibility. rich-c: no, I mean with heart problems - he also as fibrillation, but not sure if it's A-fib or V-fib Dr.D.: Ah yes. Dr.D.: I remember Judy talking about it. Dr.D.: I don't remember the details...mostly I remember her ragging on him about his weight. rich-c: yes, I can imagine what the chatter will be like next Wednesday when I let on what's up here Dr.D.: Well Richard...much as I would like another excuse to come to Toronto to visit...seeing you in hospital is not what I had in mind... rich-c: what is really a problem is my total lack of symptoms (other than the stuff the machines show) rich-c: I may know rationally I am in trouble, but my gut is harder to convince Dr.D.: You are a pretty invincible guy, you have a strong track record :-) Dr.D.: Disbelief is kinda natural. rich-c: the word I'm inclined to use is lucky.... so far..... rich-c: and face it, for my birth cohort, the average age now is dead Dr.D.: If you were 95, I would agree...you aren't, so I don't :-) rich-c: I suspect the gropup only crossed the 50% threshhold relatively a few months ago rich-c: and it may be I've been seeing American figures - Canadians live longer Dr.D.: Mortality is there for all of us...chronological age is not the only risk factor...we can just go about our business and do the best we can, and the hand on the shoulder will come when it comes. rich-c: exactly - there's no sense in dodging plain truths, but no need to worry oneself to death over them either Dr.D.: Well said! rich-c: well hey, almost half of us geezers my age are still living, and going strong Dr.D.: You're in the right half, and I think you'll stay there for quite some time yet. rich-c: there have been a lot of genes good for longevity in my family - seem to be a durable bunch Dr.D.: Hit or miss in mine...Drushels have been long-lived, but there have been some exceptions close to me in the family tree. Dr.D.: My Grampa D. died at 66, though his Dad was 92, his brother 88. Dr.D.: His sisters are 101 and 99. rich-c: yes; my father died at 47 from a cerebral haemorrage; I've lost a first cousin that way too though she was quite old Dr.D.: Christina interviewed 101 around Thanksgiving for an oral history project. rich-c: but it took me an awful long time to run out of uncles and aunts and many cousins are still chugging on Dr.D.: My Mom's family is the very sickly one...early cardiac deaths, many cancers (esp. breast cancer in women), connective tissue diseases, 3 females and one male with MS... rich-c: heavens - 101 and still has, if not all her marbles, enough to cope? Dr.D.: My Great Aunt Osie is as sharp as a razor and spryer than you or Frances :-) Dr.D.: Great Aunt Pearl (the 99) is not in such good health now. rich-c: some do hit it lucky like that - and aren't they grat? Dr.D.: Longevity with health is one thing, longevity with the last 20 years in misery due to illness is not something I want... Dr.D.: My Mom died at 46 due to atrial fibrillation, aggravated by hyperthyroidism. rich-c: yes, I think that is what all of us dread the most - of course, we have had some close examples of that Dr.D.: Also aggravated by the fact that one of her brothers had died of a heart attack 3 days before, and she'd just gotten back from the funeral with my Grampa Varns... rich-c: I see what you mean by a sickly family - that's seriously scary, Rich Dr.D.: Yes...lost one sister to MS at age 36, the other one has ankylosing spondylitis, 2 cousins do, too... Dr.D.: All on Mom's side...much of it in the womenfolk...so I am hoping that it can skip all of my girls. rich-c: I can see whre you must find it terrifying - and rightly so Dr.D.: Nothing I can do about it now, just have to see what turns up (or doesn't turn up). rich-c: at least they only get half their genes from you - let's hope they got certain critical ones from Joan Dr.D.: Yes...but the X they all got from me is one of my Mom's. rich-c: some days it doesn't pay to know too much biology :-( Dr.D.: Haha, in another couple generations, I am sure that they will be able to screen for all of this stuff. Dr.D.: Not that they will be able to cure any of it if you have it, or will get it, but they'll be able to tell you that you *will* get it. Dr.D.: And then watch what happens to insurance...it will become impossible. rich-c: the way they're pushing along these days, nearer any day now (yes, I realize there's still a LOT of work) rich-c: some of teh stuff leaking out of our research labs suggests otherwise - find the gene, it lets you find the cure (not infallably) Dr.D.: Depends on what the gene does... Dr.D.: And realize that a clincal "disease" can have many many underlying genetic causes, even if all the patients present in the same way. rich-c: yes - forget what it was, but some locals last week found a gene on a "junk" sequence of DNA that cods for a disease Dr.D.: "junk" DNA just means we don't know yet what it does :-) rich-c: they were saying that now they know "who" it is and how it works, they can start devising a means to change it Dr.D.: I wish them luck. rich-c: I guess this particular one was very specific in its effect and mechanism Dr.D.: I am sure that there are some defects that can be addressed in a straightforward way. rich-c: judging by what's leaking into the local papers, there's some pretty intriguing stuff going on in the labs right now Dr.D.: Give it time, they will figure things out. rich-c: remember also that Toronto has a long head start in the immunological approach to disease Dr.D.: Yes. Dr.D.: 4 PM, I should go do my errands before supper. rich-c: even when I was at the Banting Institute in 1962/3 they wre swinging over to emphasize all aspects of immunology rich-c: yes, getting on there, Rich Dr.D.: Glad to hear you're okay after your ER trip. rich-c: see you then on Wednesday night? Dr.D.: Yes, Wednesday night...I hope to be better rested this time. Dr.D.: I felt like a zombie last Wednesday.\ rich-c: look for more engineer jokes, likely Monday Dr.D.: Will do...say hi to Frances, Pam, Erin, whoever... rich-c: and don't be shy about sharing them around the lab Dr.D.: I won't :-) Dr.D.: Nor that GIF. rich-c: OK, Pam and Erin will be here Tuesday, will pass the word on Dr.D.: Talk to you Wednesday! rich-c: see you then - bye now Dr.D.: <poof>
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