Poked And Photographed Again

Yes, that's another photo of my arm. Narcissistic, isn't it? I took that photo a few days ago while having a CT Scan taken of my chest. It's an annual ritual for me and this photo involves the IV needed for the tracer scan that they pump into my body for the procedure. I think that it's radioactive, but I never fully read the warnings that they make me sign before the appointment. Blissful peace of mind until it kills me, right?

The story related to this procedure is a little whacky. My aorta ruptured near my heart due to the force of impact during the accident. Something in my circulatory system landed in the hole and caused the internal bleeding to minimize. That same "thing" either disolved or moved along when they installed the stent and didn't cause me any further problems. Consequently, the staff at the original cardiologist's office called me "the miracle man". Life's a freak show.

My current cardiologist insists on having my chest scanned every year in order to make certain that the stent which is located within my aorta near the heart has not moved or leaked. If it ever does, I'm guessing that he'll be using the rib spreaders to fix it. This year there was no leak, so I guess that I'll be avoiding that little thrill for another twelve months. He also keeps me on blood pressure medication as insurance against the stent moving due to excessive pressure from the heart. I have good blood pressure, but he doesn't want to take any chances.

I remember asking the original cardiologist if it was OK for me to ride rollercoasters. He said yes, and it turns out that I can do anything that I want. Work, exercise, travel, wrestle a live gorilla, whatever. It's funny to me that the first thing that I thought to ask about involved riding a rollercoaster. Still. it does serve to remind me of how blind we can be concerning the future. Nothing is guaranteed, but this applies to hindrances as well as freedoms. I'm thankful for the fact that things are not nearly as bad as they could have been and I remain free to live my life without any serious limitations. Perhaps I'll try running a marathon...nah.