I haven't posted much lately about my health problems, but today for the first time since January 9, the doctor had GOOD NEWS. Apparently everything is now healing as it is supposed to do. He said I could do anything I feel like doing!
After sitting around for over two months, it will take a while to get back to normal activity. I just wanted to thank all those who supported me with good wishes and prayers during this ordeal and let you know of this great news. Still a lot of rehab to do, but we seem to be on the right track! Special thanks to my special angel, my wife Susan!

Great News Don! I bet you're elated, as with the rest of us

Don take is slow day by day..... Great news buddy!

You're too old to be in a hurry - that's for young people who need instant gratification. Take your time, eat well and get as much exercise as you think you can handle on a daily basis.

All the best,

Gary (The old codger!)

Only the good die young, that's why we were never worried about you and Gary . Seriously though, that really IS good news; just don't go out and celebrate with a big Cajun meal . Diet, diet, remember.

chas

Great news, indeed, Don:

I hope you will heed Gary's advice. Old Codgers are more experienced than most of us... and that usually equates to wisdom. Now, if only he can follow some of his own advice and get back to doing all those things we take for granted each day.

Not taking either of you off my list to discuss to the Great Keyboardist in the Penthouse each evening. Easy does it!

----Dave Rice

Very happy for you, Susan, and the family, Don ... Still in our prayers ...
God Bless

Way to go, Big Guy!

This is really good news to read now when take the 'morning coffee / surf the web hour' while I'm trying to wake up after the night's sleep.
All the best wishes!

Really happy for you Don, way to go !!!
All the best,

regards,
John

I haven't said much up to this point, but I was worried I would lose one of mentors. I am very happy for the news,

Don I knew you would be coming through Susan wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is so much more ahead for you; do a good job on the rehab.

Good health and wisdom my friend, John C,

Don,

Great news and I'm happy to hear this! Stay well!

Good news Don.
Back to work !!!

Ray

Wow, that is brilliant news Don.

Great news Don keep it up. Cal

Fantastic! It must've seemed like a long time coming. Hope you get to celebrate!

Great news. Now is senior triathalon training in your plans?

Wow, thanks everyone! I won't answer individually but please know I'm very grateful for all the nice comments.
My wife doesn't want me to die because I outlived most of my life insurance! It was 30 year term. We don't think about such a scenario when we are very young. There is still enough in place to stick me in the ground somewhere with a little left for a party.
I will start cardiac rehab next week.
I will share one other thing:
When you get a Pacemaker/Defib implant, they give you a unit that sets by your bed and automatically transmits data at 3:00 a.m. every morning via internet. The report is supposed to show if any incidents have occurred, if the unit needed to do anything, etc.
When I went to the doctor yesterday, I asked to see the reports. Guess what, they couldn't find any. They brought in a tech to read the device right then and it was transmitting just fine and everything looked great.
However, today I raised holy hell with the company, the cardiologist and anyone else within earshot. The home unit was not even working. It had been in place for more than two months and nobody noticed! There was supposed to be a USB stick in it to transmit and it wasn't even in there. Trust me, I did get their attention. I told them I could have been dead and they wouldn't have known until I started stinking!
Everybody has called me nearly all the way to Donald Trump today, assuring me that everything is now all right!
Ya gotta watch these doctors once they have collected the insurance money.

Great news Don ... so pleased to hear you are on the mend ...
a true gentleman.
Best wishes ... John.

Good job Don! Keep up the healing and get those 970 guitars wailin’.

jingleman

Been in session three days. GREAT NEWS!

R.

Don, way back in the early 1970s, I helped set up the cardiac rehab program at the John's Hopkins Hospital and also the Pulmonary Rehab program. Both are pretty much the same, usually 12 to 16 weeks, two to three days a week, depending on your insurance company. Medicare will cover part of it, but not all.

The programs are all pretty similar, treadmill, exercycle, light weight lifting, arm cycling machine, and you will be on a cardiac monitor every minute of the hour you are exercising. Essentially, the program doesn't make your heart any stronger - that's not remotely possible. What it does is make you stronger, gives you more stamina, so when you do have to stress your mind and body, your heart doesn't have to work as hard to compensate for the increased metabolic demand. It is very, very effective for about 75 percent of those that go through the program. The other 25 percent usually go back to lazing around and doing nothing but eating fattening foods and getting no exercise whatsoever.

I have a lot of exercise equipment here at home, but not I'm too busted up to use the treadmill and I'm only good for about 10 minutes on the exercycle stationary bicycle. I still do the light weights, just 5 pounds, though, about 100 curling reps with each arm. My arms look great, but the rest of me looks like $hit! Hopefully, when the boat goes back in the water, the constant exercise from sailing will improve some of the other body parts, though some will likely never function like they did in the past.

Good luck, old friend,

Gary

This is my 3rd time through rehab, so I'm familiar with it. I also have exercise gear at home, but haven't been using it. Thanks!

Don, great to hear you're recovering quick. Praise our Almighty Father!

Don, without a doubt that is terrible work on the part of the medical staff ... So glad nothing went wrong while that unit wasn't working ...
A friend of mine who got a pacemaker a few months ago had quite the opposite situation ... he was given a monitor that he is supposed to activate on a certain date six months after the procedure and place it near his heart. The device will then send data to his cardiologist for them to review. One day he decided to make sure the unit worked and he turned it on ... in about a minute and a half he got a call from the doctor's office asking what was going on ... he told them he just wanted to test the unit, and they 'politely' asked him to stop messing with it and just follow directions ...

Don you are being challenger big time and you are wining. There are many who do not make it because of medical errors or their poor spirit. I still have no doubt that you will come through all this stuff; there are better days are coming for you my friend.

A thought: We all look at the physical part of suffering and healing; I am going to be very interested knowing what your challenges have taught you – What will Mr. Don’s new outlook on life be. What will you embrace and what will you throw out?

Fantastic health Don, John C.

My thoughts are a bit off kilter when it comes to medicine. I spent 15 years of my younger life working in medicine and I can assure you that 90 percent, if not higher, of the the physicians are inept at best. One of the reasons I am still alive is because of my medical background. I checked myself out of the hospital on three occasions over the past decade, which probably saved my life.

Don, spend more time fishing, playing golf - you will probably live a lot longer.

All the best,

Gary