Aamos, I'm not a regular here, but had to drop by to wish you and DH all the best. It does seem like one of those "miracles" that this event took place in such a supportive venue. SO GLAD it turned out well. Best of luck with the surgery! (Oh yeah, and GO SOX!) Tom

Sayhey, thanks everyone--and I didn't mean to stir up a debate, it's just so frustrating to deal with this when he'd been having regular check-ups, following orders, etc.--he even flosses regularly! FYI: we've gotten an email from the Steamboat folks checking in and following along. They really are special. OK, so surgery started and things are good so far. Post your miles folks, talk amongst yourselves--it so helps to check in here. Your support truly means a lot to me, and I'm looking forward to printing this out and showing it to D when he's back among the conscious. grins, A ps: Carolyn, I'm so happy for you, congrats!

OMG, Aamos, Big hugs and prayers to you and your husband. I will be thinking of you/him all day. I haven't had a chance to read everyone's reply but when I saw 4 pages on the daily already I knew something was going on and had to read your entry.

Speaking as a computer programmer with no knowledge of medicine or statistics, I always look for a family doctor who is slow to order tests and medication. I only want that stuff as a last resort. When I was in the hospital for dizziness, my doctor came by and said that I had a tiny discrepancy in my first stress test but wanted me to do another type to make sure it was nothing. He said that he could discuss it with a cardiologist and there happened to be one available in the hall, but that he would almost certainly recommend a more invasive test. Since medical stuff sends me into panic attacks, I requested he not talk to the other guy. (Kind of stupid of me to more afraid of a medical test than a possible health problem but I have a hope that if the other test really was necessary my doctor would have known that. This incident makes me have second thoughts.)

dg - I wouldn't be surprised if the heart rate reading was accurate. When mine was wrong, it was really wrong - like well into the 200's, and this usually occurred when I was in the car and drove through some unidentified electrical interference. It happened consistently at particular intersections. The only other time it did it was when the battery was going out in the chest monitor. PDR - hope you are feeling better - missed your posts.

Amy, hugs to you and DH. Were you still on the marathon course when he collapsed? How did the race folks get hold of you? I agree with whoever said it must not have been his day to go - so lucky that he was close to help, and not out on a solo run somewhere. I spend virtually all my running time out on solo runs, but when it's my time to go, that sounds like as good a way as any, out running some trail somewhere. Are you still in Ft Collins? I wish I was closer - I'd come sit with you in the waiting room! Liking my new job so far, but not liking the long commute. It was snowing at home when I left for work today...

Because I cannot help myself here are links to two articles written in reasonably plain English on why it is often a bad idea for people without any symptoms of ill health to get tested for more or less random possible diseases. One of the most important things about these articles is that they include citations to the underlying research. The first is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on sreeening for coronary heart disease. Here are the two primary recommendations: 1. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against routine screening with resting electrocardiography (ECG), exercise treadmill test (ETT), or electron-beam computerized tomography (EBCT) scanning for coronary calcium for either the presence of severe coronary artery stenosis (CAS) or the prediction of coronary heart disease (CHD) events in adults at low risk for CHD events. 2. The USPSTF found insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine screening with ECG, ETT, or EBCT scanning for coronary calcium for either the presence of severe CAS or the prediction of CHD events in adults at increased risk for CHD events. The second article is from a web site called Science Based Medicine. This one is on cancer screening and is a two part article. I am not generally endorsing the opinions of this web site as many of the articles come without citations, but this one does. Part I and Part II. Again I do not mean to imply that no one should ever get screened. It is just that seemingly healthy people without elevated risk factors (and alas age can be an elevating factor) should think about the risks that testing can bring about: more tests, unnecessary surgery, etc.

Wow, aamos that's quite a story. I am sure your positive attitude will help him get back on his feet in that 6 week time frame. I'm pulling for you both. Mark