Showing posts with label Hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hospital. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

The MAR 2024 Full Moon and A Health Update

 The First Full Moon Over Okinawa This Year


Well, let's just call it the first one visible to us down here.




Two nights in a row, I climbed the stairs of my house and took photos of the moon.

This one shows what the moon looked like at 100%.

It was only 99.3% full the night before.


So, what's the Health Thing All About?



From March 2d until March 13th I was a resident of Nakagami Hospital.

Somehow a pneumonia virus sneaked into my body and made breathing difficult.

They had me hooked to an oxygen machine and heart monitor.

Drugs, I don't even know the names of were pumped into my veins.

Cute nurses that looked boinkable watched over me.

The doctors and medical professionals all took good care of me.

They say it's best to take it easy for a while so, that's what we've been doing.

Getting lots of rest and climbing the stairs a few times a month, to see if the moon appears!

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Photo Worth More Than 1,000 Words

breathing tube, ICU, hospital,Okinawa

Why Things Have Been Quiet Around Here



Not really sure, who snapped the smartphone photo of the wife and me, there I was.

More than likely this blog post will come in way under 1000 words. I'm saving energy.

My hospital visit began sometime after the Super Moon December 2017.

Three nights in a row I had been out shooting photos in the cold rain.

The evening of December 5th my breathing stopped working properly. I went home early.

The wife was asked, to call an ambulance and, it arrived within minutes.

Into the back, I climbed, laid down and an oxygen mask was placed on me.

Next thing I know it was tomorrow and I was in Nakagami Hospital.



Pneumonia




One of the things, contributing to my breathing problems, was pneumonia.

Heck. I've had that stuff before. It isn't that difficult to cure.

 Every time they let me out of ICU (off the breathing machine) things went haywire.

Congestive heart failure was going on, right inside of me.

That Breathing Tube hooked to me is fairly uncomfortable. Waterboarding would be more fun.

Folks complain about waterboarding and call it torture. Hah!

Try spending a few weeks with one of those pipes, shoved down your throat.



Aortic Valve Replacement




The doctors determined my aortic valve needed to be replaced and got me a new one.

December 29th they cracked my chest open and, did the valve job.

Christmas, New Years and my birthday, all happened while I was hospitalized.

I had been begging the doctors, to get that pipe out of my throat.

It wouldn't be removed until I could eat and breath on my own, they told me.

Within two weeks of the surgery, I was up and around, walking all over the hospital.

The plan was to give me a month to recover before, letting me go home.

I made sure, day and night, nurses and doctors, witnessed me going floor to floor.

Recovery time got cut in half and, I was released two weeks early.




Recovering Nicely



This blog can wait for me to feel up to snuff before, it becomes a daily event again.

Thanking all the family, friends, doctors and nurses, has become a priority.

Whoever was operating the ambulance that night deserves my highest praise.

A little bit at a time I'm regaining my strength, walking and exercising.

Folks from around the globe have been asking, "Where have you been?"

Now, they know. If 1,000 words are required.... Go Read the Links!

 




Friday, October 13, 2017

Shadanhojinhokubuchiku - Yow !

Hospital in Nago, Okinawa

Prettiest Doctor on Planet Earth



Scared to visit doctors, from previous experiences, I only use them when I have to.

The past few months, I hadn't been feeling well but, try to hide it.

Finally, I got half scared to death and decided, it would be a good time to turn myself-in.

Almost three years ago, I had been in this hospital for surgery. It's up in Nago, Okinawa.

They cut me open and installed some mesh, to patch a blowout in my belly.

It was fun, joking with the nurses and sneaking off the fourth floor, to get outside.

No smoking rules, forced me to ground level, past the mortuary, to get outside and smoke.

The doctor let me cut my visit a few days short because, I recovered so quickly.

Shadanhojinhokubuchiku is the hospital, I was in and decided to go back there.



Attorneys Love Things Like This



Those mesh patches, feel sorta funny, when installed in your pelvis.

After awhile, you get used to it and, life goes on, as usual. It beats being dead, I think.

Some gal back in the USA, won 57 million dollars because of a mesh lawsuit.

It seems Johnson & Johnson, got caught selling defective patches and has to pay, now.

The woman, had all sorts of problems, with the mesh and, felt like she was on fire.

Back around June, of this year, my mesh started burning, down there in my lower tummy.

Not really interested in becoming a millionaire, I decided to get a checkup.

What if, they quit selling that mesh in the USA and, sent some to Japan ?




Surgery, Orthopaedics, sign, hospital, Nago, Okinawa


Hospital Visit



Certain, I was about to be admitted, I traveled light. Just carried a few extra smokes.

All appointments, for the next few weeks, were put on hold.

Keys, a few hundred dollars, cameras and, other junk I usually carry, were left at home.

Just the wife and a daughter, drove me to the hospital. The dog I said, "Later Stinky."


When you check-in at the front desk, they decide, where to send you next.

This, I'll call station #4.  There must have been 35 people, who arrived before me.

Orthopaedics, I had to google. I figured, it had something to do with bones.

An hour wait at the front desk and, another hour stuck here. Groan.

Blood pressure, heartbeat and a few other things, eventually got checked.

Poor little nurse, couldn't reach high enough to measure my height so, I did it myself.

Once, they decide, which doctor you need, you get to wait another hour.

Soon, I started telling the wife and daughter, "It's a miracle. I'm cured. Let's go home."



Beautiful Woman Doctor



A gorgeous, late twenties, almond-eyed, long-haired, gal in a blue uniform, greeted us.

The wife comes along, to help with the hearing and translation.

She gets informed about my last visit and, pulls up all my records on the computer.

Meanwhile, I do stuff like, look at her fingers and, see there are no rings.

She has me, get up on a table for examination and, I had to pull my shorts down, a little ways.

She started poking around, looking for the scar, from my last surgery.

Sort of a gorilla, it took her awhile to find the spot. Then, she pokes around there.

"Does this hurt?" she asks.  "Yeah. That's why I came here. It  burns, like fire." I told her.

She wanted my pants down lower and had me raise my fanny up a bit.

Then, she pulled everything down to my knees and had me spread my legs.

Holy crap. The gal started, sticking her hands all over my crotch, probing and squeezing !

"Does it hurt here? How about, when I do this? Pain here?" 

"No, sweetie. You're making everything feel fine. It doesn't hurt down there." I told her.



Off to the Echo Chamber




The doctor determined, some sort of internal images, should be taken and, away we went.

"That gal's too young to be a doctor. She's cute. Did you see what she did to me?" I asked the wife.

"Why didn't you punch her in the face?" I said, while we walked to the next station.

The wife said, "She's a doctor, doing her job. Maybe, she's an intern. That's why she's young."

Well, I sort of enjoyed it but if, I saw some young guy, do that to you, I'd knock them out."

At the EKKO Station, the missus, waited outside and, I went in with a 3/4 good-looking gal.

She slapped some grease on me and, watched a TV screen, while rubbing a machine around.

Both sides of my pelvis got viewed but, she kept away from the Tinker Toys. Yeah !

Another hour or, two and, we got to see my favorite doctor, again.

The doctor, after looking at the pictures, said everything looks normal. I could go home.

Duh. My belly's on fire. That's not normal, to me !



Let's Try a CT Scan



That's one, I have never experienced and told the doctor. MRI, I've done some.

She said it was similar to an MRI, just a different machine.

They gave me some sort of transfusion machine, hooked-up and taped to my arm.

Took some blood and, pumped juice in me and, I'd have to wait an hour.

No eating lunch. Dammit, it was going on two o'clock and, I was hungry.

"No smoking," a gal told us. But, the wife whispered, "She said, one was OK."





Radiology, Japanese, hospital, sign


The wife, couldn't stay there in the room. "No problem," I told her.

In case, they spoke Japanese only, I could understand, "Hold still and, hold your breath."

The machine, was similar to an MRI, just smaller. It wasn't like going into a coffin.

The gadget, on my arm, got colored juice, pumped into an artery.

The machine buzzed and, I spent about half an hour on the table, moving in and out.

When done, they unhooked me and, when I stood up, felt like a drunk.

That's something I've become accustomed to so, it was easy navigating through the hospital.

The results of the CT were delivered back to the nurses at my doctor's station.

Knowing it may take another hour, I had the wife and daughter waiting and, got more smokes.

The lady doctor, finally had us brought in but, didn't feel me, this time.

After looking at all the evidence and, consulting with the big doctors, she knew.

The burning sensation is caused by some nodules. I can get pain killers.

Nope. I don't want some drugs, to numb my brain so, I won't feel the burning.

We settled on some medicine, that's like Vitamin B 12. I got a month's supply.

And, I have another appointment, with the lady doctor in two weeks, for a checkup.

When she asks how I feel, I'll say, "I don't know. You tell me."




Total Damages



The wife knows, I like to clown around and, is happy to have me home.

She told the daughter about my thrilling experience with the young lady doctor.

They both had a good laugh and, we went out to dinner, while in the big city.

With my Japanese health insurance, it cost about 150 bucks, for everything, yesterday.

It would have totaled over $17,000 if, I had no health insurance. Probably more, in the USA.

When I go back, I'll ask the doctor, "Could you add a little Viagra, to that medicine?"

Then, start dancing around the room singing, "I'm the Hoochie Coochie Man."



Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Recovering from Surgery and Back on the Road

Thanks to Many Great Friends

 

 

Well wishes and prayers from around the globe were a contributing factor.

Anybody, who really knows me, can testify. I'm scared to death of hospitals.


This thing called a hernia, popped inside me back in early October.

And, I figured if, I ignored it long enough, it would go away.

The family knows, I ain't going to a hospital until I'm ready to croak.

When that happened, I figured, it was time to go.


sketch, grandma and grandpa

The wife, a daughter and granddaughter had me admitted.

Marin, one of my sweetheart granddaughters, made this sketch and handed it to me.

She is one heck of an artist. Made me and granny look 20 years younger !

The card says, "Grandpa, hurry home and good luck."

To her, I am a tough guy. So, I didn't let her see the tears in my eyes.




Fantastic Doctors and Nurses

 

 

It wasn't exactly like a five star hotel visit.

But, I would recommend this hospital, to any of my friends visiting Okinawa.

The name of the place is Nago Ishikai Byoin.

They have all the latest technology and, treated me like royalty.

Except maybe, for the part where they knocked me out, cut me open and patched me up.

They did a great job and, after four days, turned me loose.





Island Hopping Great Therapy

 

 

Bullfight cutout, girl

On the causeway leading to Henza Island, I took this photo.

Somehow, along the way to find historic trees, I got sidetracked.

The girl volunteered to have her photo taken. Don't ask why, it just happened.


RyukyuMike,bullfight,cutout

Just to show what a good sport I am, I posed for the girls hanging around.

My good buddy, Doc, operated the camera.


Gal,RyukyuMike,cutout,Eisa

Next thing ya know, another gal, posed along with me.

Not sure if, they preferred the beard tucked in or, hanging out, I asked them.

There was a unanimous decision. Let it all hang out.

Just the beard, I mean.

Before ya know it, the gals wanted to take pictures, posing with us in the street.

One or two snaps and, we had to get out of there to go find sacred trees....

.....before, I busted a gut !

Now, I think it's time to get on home, have a beer and get some rest.






Sunday, January 6, 2013

Sunday Silly Sign for January 6, 2013 (Photo)


A whole year was spent chasing down silly signs for a Sunday post.

Thinking there weren't any more left, to take photos of, I figured, we gotterdun.

This one was sent to me by an alert reader, here in Okinawa, Japan.
  

This Sign Requires Some Translation

 

First, I have to give you some background.  My friend was in a Japanese Hospital.

Like any normal guy, he was looking for something to read, while the lady was with the doctor.

There isn't really much, in the English language to read around there.

So, I guess he got bored and started looking at the trash cans.

This sign was on top of the trashcan for burnable (もえるゴミ) material.

COMBUSTIBLOES !!!

He immediately took a shot of it with his cell-phone and emailed it to me.

When I asked what they had on the trashcan for non-burnables, he said he saw.....

NON-COMBUSTIBLOES !

But, I think he was laughing so hard, he couldn't hold the cell-phone camera still.

This was in a hospital.  The doctor speaks English.

Now, I'm sorta worried about my friend and his missus because of this silly sign.

Maybe, the doctor fell asleep during spelling class when he was a little kid.

Do you suppose they let a guy like that deliver babies ?


More Silly Signs in The Doozies


Today's Feature Photo