HOW I FOUND OUT I'M DYING


July 11 I walked outside to pick up the paper when a terrible pain made me wretch with pain. After stumbling around a few minutes I called my doctor who ordered a CAT scan which reminds me of a person who took her dog to the Vet who said there is nothing wrong with your dog. She insisted on a second opinion. He brought in a cat who smelled the animal, next he brought in a Black Lab who smelled around on the dog. The vet insisted nothing was wrong and presented a bill for $100. The customer insisted this was way out of line at which the vet informed her that he was only going to charge $10 but since she insisted on a Cat scan and a Lab report, his price increased.) Please laugh 'cause I need it.
Anyway, after putting iodine into my veins and putting me through a CAT SCANNER it was determined I had an abdominal aorta aneurysm just below where the blood plumbing hooks onto the main plumbing from the heart and goes down the right leg. If I bleed out death can occur very quickly. My first reaction was, "I'm 75 going on 76 so "whatever is to be will be", but the physician who will do the surgery gave me 99 to 1 chance of making it. So here goes.
Lets see, the surgeon gave me about three months to live without the operation. (Oh, by the way, I haven't had syphilis but I did smoke behind the barn (my friend burned down a thousand bales of his dad's hay, but I wasn't with him), in the last year of college (since I was studying for the Baptist ministry, I had to sneak and try to hide the odor), in the Navy, and I didn't quit until the 70's when I spent a week in Scout Camp with my son. I didn't take pipe tobacco so I smoked cedar bark which cured me of even having the desire. So all in all it has been a good thirty years or more. (Perhaps I can sue Old Gold, Lucky Strike, Kools and a few others plus the Red Cross for furnishing me smokes in the Navy.)Some new facts on who gets aneurysms. Seems people who have had polio are prone to artery blow outs more than others. Doctors don't know if the polio virus causes it or if the inability to move around causes the problem. The disease hit me in 1954 while the Navy was trying to make a sailor out of me. Seems like no matter how much proof is that there is another cause for an illness, smoking always gets the blame anymore.
So what can I do with them big bucks? A dying rich man carried a suitcase filled with gold to Heaven where Peter wasn't going to let him in with it until after he looked inside, he said, "Oh, you brought some street paving so go on in."
Pardon the jokes, but I won't have surgery until next week at least so I'm trying to work off some anxiety.
Today, August 8th, I had some more blood work done which an ex-Army medic drew a pint or more. He might be selling it on the Black Market or something, but at least I won't mess up so much if I bleed out before surgery.Think of the mess if I was having sex and had a blow out. (fat chance, take it as you want.) Anyway I had a chest X-ray and an EKG and now I'm waiting for Friday to have a chemical heart stress test. Stay tuned for more of this exciting Blog.
Sir, this is a letter I sent to the Superintend of Methodist work in this area. Ignore my concern if you care, but remember, if you live in Stephenville you might be faced with this slaughterhouse having to work on you. If you can think of anyway to help rectify this situation, please do so. There are other people in our town who have been maimed at our local hospital. Contact me, and I can give you a list. Luther Butler 254 968 3282