Best friend is going in for a Double Bypass at the age of 40 (1 Viewer)

[Ministry of Pain]

In 2007 when I moved back to Florida from Cali during the Great Recession, this guy was the first person to welcome me when I landed back in South Florida and we hit it off immediately
Several years ago he moved to North Carolina, Raleigh-Durham area. I am going to travel up to be with him for a week or two and help him rehab, his wife is going to take care of him immediately after surgery tomorrow but I am going up to help take care of him. His wife can only take so much time off work and when I volunteered they were quick to take me up on it

I'm not too worried about how to care for him, getting him up and walking, he's 40 not 70 so I think his recovery time with modern medicine is going to be a lot faster than some might think
But they have 3 dogs that need a lot of attention and care, and I've never owned a dog and have never cared to. I'm more of a cat person and I don't always have one of those either.
2 Chihuahuas and one of them is a female that's quite bossy. I understand these dogs are tiny and non threatening but I'm sure they can be high maintenance
The 3rd is a 50 lb mutt with about 35% pit bull, apparently he gets bossed around by the Chihuahuas.

I'm pretty stunned that he's 10 years younger and going in for a double bypass. His surgeon has nothing to pinpoint the cause of any of this and she told him just bad luck.
It was going to just be a bypass then they decided to do a double so he doesn't have to come back.
If he were 70 like everyone else he witnesses walking in and out of the Dr's office, they just put a stint in

He lost his father to a motorcycle accident about 18 months ago down here in South Florida, we both wish he were here right now
This guy gets along with everyone, I don't know anyone that doesn't like him. Wish I were more like him sometimes
My favorite thing he does is we can be together and even in my normal voice he'll say "You don't have to shout" he gets me every time with this one

Anyone got any suggestions for activities? Walking seems pretty straight forward
One of his favorite things to do is play me heads up Texas Hold'em
I want to try and get him out of the house as much as possible so he can get back to his routines and work. I think he's taking 6-8 weeks off.
Is beginner's tennis too much you think? I have a baskets of tennis balls, I can literally just stand next to him and drop the ball so he can learn to hit. He wouldn't really have to run a lot.

He has surgery tomorrow and will be in the hospital thru Sun/Mon, if he can get out of there quicker I'm sure he prefers being at home
I would venture to guess that some of you have had this procedure done at one time or know someone who has had it.

Dog Lover's...Help!

 

[culdeus]

If this is a planned double it should be minimally invasive. There should be PT as part of this. The people I know that did a double didn't take nearly 8 weeks to get back and were 55+.

At first even standing for long periods isn't super easy, but it gets better/easier super fast. Of course if overweight and etc. that changes things.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

40? Good Lord. Wishing the guy well.

 

[Scoresman]

Hoping it all goes well for your friend.

That is young. I wonder if he has the same thing I do. Hereditary condition where a protein in the liver (LPa) is super elevated and causes cholesterol issues. If I hadn't randomly went to a cardiologist back in the 90s, I never would have known about it. Been on a statin pretty much since. Has he had family with similar issues?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

If this is a planned double it should be minimally invasive. There should be PT as part of this. The people I know that did a double didn't take nearly 8 weeks to get back and were 55+.

At first even standing for long periods isn't super easy, but it gets better/easier super fast. Of course if overweight and etc. that changes things.

Not that overweight really.
He works standing up and he's an avid walker/camper, lives in NC and has a lot of trails.
I was waiting for him to tell me the doctor pinpointed a cause but we don't have a lot of answers

He is a Dept Mgr at Whole Foods - Meat department, he's been a butcher most of his life, started off at Publix when he was 16
He doesn't eat that much read meat from what I gather

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Hoping it all goes well for your friend.

That is young. I wonder if he has the same thing I do. Hereditary condition where a protein in the liver (LPa) is super elevated and causes cholesterol issues. If I hadn't randomly went to a cardiologist back in the 90s, I never would have known about it. Been on a statin pretty much since. Has he had family with similar issues?

Appreciate the information, I'll ask him.
I don't know his father to have a bad heart, I used to see him a lot and never heard a word about anything like that

 

[Pip's Invitation]

This sucks. I hope he'll be OK.

Putting on my cardiology journalist hat:

It's extremely rare that people have totally clogged arteries by age 40, and that to fix it they need bypass surgery instead of angioplasty/stenting. Especially if they don't have risk factors like being overweight or eating a poor diet. So I agree with Scoresman, there is probably some sort of genetic condition at play here. It could be high Lp(a) like Scoresman has. It could be familial hypercholesterolemia, in which your LDL (bad cholesterol) is at abnormally high levels (well over 200 mg/dL) from a young age and doesn't go down even with good diet and exercise. It could be something else. But based on what you said, it's probably not a result of bad lifestyle, and even if it were, bad lifestyle without high genetic risk usually doesn't result in major heart surgery in your 40s or younger.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Can you hire a dog walker to help out? That should reduce everyone's stress.

It's pretty hot out, so I have no idea how much he can do outdoors. Maybe there's indoor putt putt golf. That might be fun. Bowling?

Good luck. It's kind of you to do this.

 

[Terminalxylem]

This sucks. I hope he'll be OK.

Putting on my cardiology journalist hat:

It's extremely rare that people have totally clogged arteries by age 40, and that to fix it they need bypass surgery instead of angioplasty/stenting. Especially if they don't have risk factors like being overweight or eating a poor diet. So I agree with Scoresman, there is probably some sort of genetic condition at play here. It could be high Lp(a) like Scoresman has. It could be familial hypercholesterolemia, in which your LDL (bad cholesterol) is at abnormally high levels (well over 200 mg/dL) from a young age and doesn't go down even with good diet and exercise. It could be something else. But based on what you said, it's probably not a result of bad lifestyle, and even if it were, bad lifestyle without high genetic risk usually doesn't result in major heart surgery in your 40s or younger.

Agree that bypass is unusual at that age, but they say up to 10% of heart attacks occur in males under 45. And yeah, he almost certainly has genetic risk factors, with high Lp a being a possible culprit. But in contrast to European preventative health guidelines, routinely checking it isn’t recommended by US professional societies. That said, his early CAD should certainly warrant additional testing.

While statins will favorably impact overall lipid profile, they actually raise Lp a slightly. But a newer, injectable class of meds called PCSK9 inhibitors can lower Lp a, plus there are other drugs in development which look promising.

Even though behavioral modification doesn’t really move the Lp a needle, if I were him, I’d do everything in my power to minimize risk of subsequent CAD:

1. No tobacco use, or nicotine replacement
2. Switch to a plant-based diet, and eliminate all red meat consumption
3. No ultraprocessed foods, or sugar sweetened beverages
4. Enroll in cardiac rehab program to determine appropriate exercise post-procedure, with a goal of 300-600 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week (brisk walking is great here)
5. Attain a healthy weight, using BMI < 25 as a starting point
6. No more than 2 alcoholic drinks/day
7. Limit salt to 1.5 g/day

He’ll also get put on a couple medications to thin his blood, and a statin, at the minimum, assuming he doesn’t have high blood pressure or diabetes.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Can you hire a dog walker to help out? That should reduce everyone's stress.

It's pretty hot out, so I have no idea how much he can do outdoors. Maybe there's indoor putt putt golf. That might be fun. Bowling?

Good luck. It's kind of you to do this.

I'm definitely bringing a pair of earplugs, that bossy chihuahua is likely to have quite a yelp
My guess is the 50 lb mutt is gonna be my new best friend for a few days whether I like it or not
I'm sure we'll have a lot in common
Can you give a dog a beer?

Mrs R, I appreciate your post, I apologize for my role yesterday in our exchanges
Thank You

 

[Ministry of Pain]

This sucks. I hope he'll be OK.

Putting on my cardiology journalist hat:

It's extremely rare that people have totally clogged arteries by age 40, and that to fix it they need bypass surgery instead of angioplasty/stenting. Especially if they don't have risk factors like being overweight or eating a poor diet. So I agree with Scoresman, there is probably some sort of genetic condition at play here. It could be high Lp(a) like Scoresman has. It could be familial hypercholesterolemia, in which your LDL (bad cholesterol) is at abnormally high levels (well over 200 mg/dL) from a young age and doesn't go down even with good diet and exercise. It could be something else. But based on what you said, it's probably not a result of bad lifestyle, and even if it were, bad lifestyle without high genetic risk usually doesn't result in major heart surgery in your 40s or younger.

Agree that bypass is unusual at that age, but they say up to 10% of heart attacks occur in males under 45. And yeah, he almost certainly has genetic risk factors, with high Lp a being a possible culprit. But in contrast to European preventative health guidelines, routinely checking it isn’t recommended by US professional societies. That said, his early CAD should certainly warrant additional testing.

While statins will favorably impact overall lipid profile, they actually raise Lp a slightly. But a newer, injectable class of meds called PCSK9 inhibitors can lower Lp a, plus there are other drugs in development which look promising.

Even though behavioral modification doesn’t really move the Lp a needle, if I were him, I’d do everything in my power to minimize risk of subsequent CAD:

1. No tobacco use, or nicotine replacement
2. Switch to a plant-based diet, and eliminate all red meat consumption
3. No ultraprocessed foods, or sugar sweetened beverages
4. Enroll in cardiac rehab program to determine appropriate exercise post-procedure, with a goal of 300-600 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week (brisk walking is great here)
5. Attain a healthy weight, using BMI < 25 as a starting point
6. No more than 2 alcoholic drinks/day
7. Limit salt to 1.5 g/day

He’ll also get put on a couple medications to thin his blood, and a statin, at the minimum, assuming he doesn’t have high blood pressure or diabetes.

1. No tobacco use, or nicotine replacement
2. Switch to a plant-based diet, and eliminate all red meat consumption
3. No ultraprocessed foods, or sugar sweetened beverages
4. Enroll in cardiac rehab program to determine appropriate exercise post-procedure, with a goal of 300-600 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week (brisk walking is great here)
5. Attain a healthy weight, using BMI < 25 as a starting point
6. No more than 2 alcoholic drinks/day
7. Limit salt to 1.5 g/day

-Mrs R is right, wrong guy for the job here, there's no way he is gonna do all that but I love the list.
Plant-based diet? He's a BUTCHER!

-I asked about rehab, he said it was never offered to him

No tobacco...I assume we're not throwing weed into all of this because we plan on rolling Js the entire time I'm there. I'm bringing full mason jars with me.
I'll be lucky to get him off processed food, I do firmly believe the elimination of sugar in most folks diets clears up 90% of the problems

 

[nightmare]

Can you hire a dog walker to help out? That should reduce everyone's stress.

It's pretty hot out, so I have no idea how much he can do outdoors. Maybe there's indoor putt putt golf. That might be fun. Bowling?

Good luck. It's kind of you to do this.

I'm definitely bringing a pair of earplugs, that bossy chihuahua is likely to have quite a yelp
My guess is the 50 lb mutt is gonna be my new best friend for a few days whether I like it or not
I'm sure we'll have a lot in common
Can you give a dog a beer?

Mrs R, I appreciate your post, I apologize for my role yesterday in our exchanges
Thank You

The first time you feed the dogs they will be your new bestest friends.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

This sucks. I hope he'll be OK.

Putting on my cardiology journalist hat:

It's extremely rare that people have totally clogged arteries by age 40, and that to fix it they need bypass surgery instead of angioplasty/stenting. Especially if they don't have risk factors like being overweight or eating a poor diet. So I agree with Scoresman, there is probably some sort of genetic condition at play here. It could be high Lp(a) like Scoresman has. It could be familial hypercholesterolemia, in which your LDL (bad cholesterol) is at abnormally high levels (well over 200 mg/dL) from a young age and doesn't go down even with good diet and exercise. It could be something else. But based on what you said, it's probably not a result of bad lifestyle, and even if it were, bad lifestyle without high genetic risk usually doesn't result in major heart surgery in your 40s or younger.

And yeah, he almost certainly has genetic risk factors, with high Lp a being a possible culprit. But in contrast to European preventative health guidelines, routinely checking it isn’t recommended by US professional societies.

The National Lipid Association scientific statement on Lp(a) released this year recommends that everyone have their Lp(a) measured at least once. As of now, that's all they feel that is needed because there aren't any treatments for lowering Lp(a) specifically, but we'll see what happens when those hit the market.

The AHA and ACC haven't updated their cholesterol guidelines since 2018. That's gotta be coming soon (I would guess this year or next) and I would bet there will be something about Lp(a) testing in there. If not then, whenever the new primary prevention guidelines come out (which haven't been updated since 2019). By this point, all of the major names in preventive cardiology are for measuring Lp(a) at least once.

 

[Terminalxylem]

This sucks. I hope he'll be OK.

Putting on my cardiology journalist hat:

It's extremely rare that people have totally clogged arteries by age 40, and that to fix it they need bypass surgery instead of angioplasty/stenting. Especially if they don't have risk factors like being overweight or eating a poor diet. So I agree with Scoresman, there is probably some sort of genetic condition at play here. It could be high Lp(a) like Scoresman has. It could be familial hypercholesterolemia, in which your LDL (bad cholesterol) is at abnormally high levels (well over 200 mg/dL) from a young age and doesn't go down even with good diet and exercise. It could be something else. But based on what you said, it's probably not a result of bad lifestyle, and even if it were, bad lifestyle without high genetic risk usually doesn't result in major heart surgery in your 40s or younger.

Agree that bypass is unusual at that age, but they say up to 10% of heart attacks occur in males under 45. And yeah, he almost certainly has genetic risk factors, with high Lp a being a possible culprit. But in contrast to European preventative health guidelines, routinely checking it isn’t recommended by US professional societies. That said, his early CAD should certainly warrant additional testing.

While statins will favorably impact overall lipid profile, they actually raise Lp a slightly. But a newer, injectable class of meds called PCSK9 inhibitors can lower Lp a, plus there are other drugs in development which look promising.

Even though behavioral modification doesn’t really move the Lp a needle, if I were him, I’d do everything in my power to minimize risk of subsequent CAD:

1. No tobacco use, or nicotine replacement
2. Switch to a plant-based diet, and eliminate all red meat consumption
3. No ultraprocessed foods, or sugar sweetened beverages
4. Enroll in cardiac rehab program to determine appropriate exercise post-procedure, with a goal of 300-600 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week (brisk walking is great here)
5. Attain a healthy weight, using BMI < 25 as a starting point
6. No more than 2 alcoholic drinks/day
7. Limit salt to 1.5 g/day

He’ll also get put on a couple medications to thin his blood, and a statin, at the minimum, assuming he doesn’t have high blood pressure or diabetes.

1. No tobacco use, or nicotine replacement
2. Switch to a plant-based diet, and eliminate all red meat consumption
3. No ultraprocessed foods, or sugar sweetened beverages
4. Enroll in cardiac rehab program to determine appropriate exercise post-procedure, with a goal of 300-600 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week (brisk walking is great here)
5. Attain a healthy weight, using BMI < 25 as a starting point
6. No more than 2 alcoholic drinks/day
7. Limit salt to 1.5 g/day

-Mrs R is right, wrong guy for the job here, there's no way he is gonna do all that but I love the list.
Plant-based diet? He's a BUTCHER!

-I asked about rehab, he said it was never offered to him

No tobacco...I assume we're not throwing weed into all of this because we plan on rolling Js the entire time I'm there. I'm bringing full mason jars with me.
I'll be lucky to get him off processed food, I do firmly believe the elimination of sugar in most folks diets clears up 90% of the problems

Smoking (using?) pot increases cardiovascular risk.
Summary here and Here

And regardless of his career choice, life-threatening illness tends to be a pretty big motivator for change.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Just wanna say best wishes to your friend with the surgery and you with the all the pets!

 

[Psychopav]

-I asked about rehab, he said it was never offered to him

Went through a quadruple bypass a few years ago, at the age of 48.

Rehab is pretty important. They probably haven't brought it up yet because first he needs to get through the procedure. He or his wife should make sure that the follow-up appointment/plans for rehab are set up before he leaves the hospital. He should be on his feet by the end of Day 1, and walking down the hall and back before he is discharged. As Culdy mentioned above the improvement is pretty noticeable day by day, which for me made it easier to keep going. But rehab really is key.

To give you an idea, I was doing 40 minutes 5 days a week within a couple weeks (maybe three - I can't recall?). It starts off slow but again the improvement is quite noticeable.

I also had a friend come help in the first few weeks. It was incredibly helpful. Good on you for going to help out, I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Yeah, the data are pretty clear that people who undergo cardiac rehab do much better in the short term and in the long term than people who do not. Unfortunately a lot of institutions don't prioritize it, and it may take some legwork to determine/get the proper insurance coverage.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Yeah, the data are pretty clear that people who undergo cardiac rehab do much better in the short term and in the long term than people who do not. Unfortunately a lot of institutions don't prioritize it, and it may take some legwork to determine/get the proper insurance coverage.

Correct, and many programs aren’t adequately staffed, such that there are waitlists to enroll. But if his friend is insistent on finding a program in his area, his cardiologist/CT surgeon/Hospitalist should be able to make it happen.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

No tobacco...I assume we're not throwing weed into all of this because we plan on rolling Js the entire time I'm there.

Please don't do this. THC can interact with many meds, and is already known to interact with blood thinners. This is the basic stuff here, but there is much more if you look. You wold be playing darts with his health.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

No tobacco...I assume we're not throwing weed into all of this because we plan on rolling Js the entire time I'm there.

Please don't do this. THC can interact with many meds, and is already known to interact with blood thinners. This is the basic stuff here, but there is much more if you look. You wold be playing darts with his health.

You do understand though that...(with head down) OK Mrs R, you're right
But I'm still taking my personal stash. I won't survive without it

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

No tobacco...I assume we're not throwing weed into all of this because we plan on rolling Js the entire time I'm there.

Please don't do this. THC can interact with many meds, and is already known to interact with blood thinners. This is the basic stuff here, but there is much more if you look. You wold be playing darts with his health.

You do understand though that...(with head down) OK Mrs R, you're right
But I'm still taking my personal stash. I won't survive without it

You might want to try edibles so he doesn't smell the temptation.

Post surgical depression is also a thing. I'm pretty sure the doctor doesn't want him having a whole lot of liquor, either. It does suck the big one. My dad lost some of his sense of taste for a bit. Ugh.

Bring a bunch of comedies- just not the stoner ones. Try the dumbest movie ever- Spaced Invaders. Very quotable.

 

[rockaction]

MoP,

Best of luck to you and your friend. I saw this and hold it goes well. I hope you have successes beyond belief.

But I hope you will not be rolling joints at all. There can’t even be edibles. That’s nuts. He needs potential rehab rather than encouragement. I’m worried for him if his aftercare is so sparse. They should be looking over him.

Please look out for him. He might withdraw and somebody needs to know that. I’m not tsk tsking—I used to withdraw terribly from alcohol cessation and opiates can do the same thing. I am not positive about weed, but I wouldn’t doubt modern strains. Look into it. Keep your friend in mind and keep the beer and pot away.

Peace bro,

ra

 

[rockaction]

And best of luck and God be with you, MoP.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I am taking to heart many of these posts.
Very grateful for the candid responses

 

[Ministry of Pain]

-I asked about rehab, he said it was never offered to him

Went through a quadruple bypass a few years ago, at the age of 48.

Rehab is pretty important. They probably haven't brought it up yet because first he needs to get through the procedure. He or his wife should make sure that the follow-up appointment/plans for rehab are set up before he leaves the hospital. He should be on his feet by the end of Day 1, and walking down the hall and back before he is discharged. As Culdy mentioned above the improvement is pretty noticeable day by day, which for me made it easier to keep going. But rehab really is key.

To give you an idea, I was doing 40 minutes 5 days a week within a couple weeks (maybe three - I can't recall?). It starts off slow but again the improvement is quite noticeable.

I also had a friend come help in the first few weeks. It was incredibly helpful. Good on you for going to help out, I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

Thank you for posting and sharing this

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Update, @Ministry of Pain ?

 

[Zow]

40? Good Lord. Wishing the guy well.

Yeah, that's still young... right? Right???

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Update, @Ministry of Pain ?

I push off for NC this coming weekend, he's about ready to get a lot more active (I hope)
I also put my foot down on him smoking or drinking while I am visiting.
I'm excited to go see him and help in any way I can.
Looking forward to my new best friend, the 2 yr old 50 lb mutt that is about 35% pit bull but she looks sweet in the pics and likes to play fetch.

Just want to be there and be in the moment
Will be up there for at least a week and then maybe do some traveling on the way back
Thank you for asking about this, I'll update when I return if not maybe a mid week update while I'm up there.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Let's start with the fact I left about Noon today and was out running the outer bands of Debbie for quite a while
Made it from Jupiter, FL to I think I'm n some place called Apex, NC in about 10 hours and the 3 dogs are definitely the biggest hurdle so far
The one named Harley, the 40% pit bull, she didn't want me coming up the steps I can tell you that...hoping things will smooth out over the next couple days but it gets better.
My friend's mom lives in South Florida where I just came from and she was scheduled to fly out today and that was canceled, the flight tomorrow got canceled,
We don't know when she is leaving...and he and his wife are kinda sick of her after more than a week, she was going to pass the baton to me
Now his mother and I get along pretty darn well but I understand how they must feel right now

-I wasn't going to come until tomorrow after my friend's wife was off to work and we were going to have the day to catch up with each other but the storm pushed me to drive up today and get out in front of it because tomorrow is going to be a disaster in the GA, SC, East NC areas because it appears Debby the storm is going that way, and it might stall which isn't good.

-Back to my friend, he wanted to unbutton his shirt for me, I said hit me!
I almost passed out when I saw the scar, it's been a couple weeks but those wounds still look fresh and it's really long, his chest hurts and his ribs at times. I understand why
He looked like he was in pain when he was sitting on the couch for a while. That made me sad
I'm sleeping on a twin bed because his mother of course is still here.

Side note: Why do pet owners keep dogs alive that are suffering? The 13 yr old Chihuahua has a heart issue and in general just looks terrible and scared, why let it keep suffering? Apparently he now has trouble holding his urine we'll say, just wants to pee everywhere, I moved everything into my little bedroom, including my new soft side cooler "Ice Mule" that ICON suggested in the cooler thread, lovely item to add to your collection, I used it extensively on that long drive today, still at least 4-5 cold ones in there, they'll stay cold thru tomorrow and if I can't fall asleep I might have to pop another one of them here in a bit.

-I know why I'm here and I knew what I signed up for, I would not have fully understood if I didn't see him face to face, it's too easy to hide behind the cell phone 800 miles away.

-One last thing...Friend's wife is about 15-20 years older than he is, tattooed arms and legs top to bottom and probably places I can't imagine, she's from England and I met her once at my 45th BDay and she came across slightly bossy and I didn't think too much about it but...she is in charge of this place. She has dinner figured every night this week so I thought I could impress her by cooking while she's working all day but apparently that won't be happening...I'm just gonna go with the flow but by gawd if she says the sky is yellow than the sky is gonna be yellow this week.

Example: I went to get my laptop out of the car because when i was carrying in my luggage I just couldn't grab it, as I close the door I hear my friend defending me to his wife saying "He just didn't want to leave it in the car overnight or maybe he wanted to watch youtube for a while if he can't fall asleep" WOW!

-It's gonna be a long week

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I have no idea what to say to that. If you survive, you should get an award. Also, treat yourself to something really nice.

Hurricane Debby didn't exactly help, did it? (Also, I don't want to get hit by a storm named "Debby". It's so undignified.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Just wondering if you have power. (A hurricane went over my house, remember?)

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Just wondering if you have power. (A hurricane went over my house, remember?)

I'm near Raleigh Durham area, so far no rain really, frustrating that Raleigh airport was closed down when thee really wasn't bad weather here...the mom is 63 and she's helpless
Can't rent a car and drive back, can't put her on a train and she just has little comments about everything and you want her tell her sometimes to **** the bleep up...

-I went to the store yesterday, he took me to Aldi's, I was not impressed and it was first time in one of these...I'm not sure I'll be running back. This one in particular looked lifeless inside
Despite my buddy and his wife owning a 2,300 sq ft townhome that has doubled in the last 3-4+ years, there seems to be some $$$ problems in this house, both work management roles at Whole Foods but every time I want to try and make something happen, money seems to come up so I've had to basically say, let me worry about that while I'm here

-I made lunch for him and his mom(Friend's wife is working during the say) and then cleaned the entire kitchen. Took all 3 dogs for walks, Harley the half pit bull is a royal PIA...she barks and never stops and just barks some more, 2 yrs old and completely untrained...OK she'll sit for a treat but that's about it. She loves to play ball but your arms tire after a while. A fence is being built today, that might be a game changer, that dog needs a lot of exercise.

-The oldest dog is a 15 yr old little Chihuahua named Lola and she quickly came to my aid vs Harley the pit bull, she came right to me when she was barking and stood by me entering the house and I could see she was telling the other 2 dogs to give me a chance, she really hasn't left my side and she finally yesterday when Harley was barking for umpteen times in a row she snapped and barked at her, Harley piped down. Lola likes to come right over when I am on the couch and lay right by my lap, and the 13 yr old black Chuhuahua named Zeus that is dying slowly, he came up by the back of my neck and I used him like a pillow, he likes warmth but doesn't like to be pet or touched really, enjoys laying across the back of my neck, I didn't have the heart to move much once those two settle in next to me.

-I got the riot act laid into me for walking the Chihuahuas thru the neighborhood holding a beer at about 11am yesterday...I had brought a personal stash of them. Not worth discussing in detail but it happened, cannot wait for his mother to leave and she's stuck here until further notice. I was told I'm not here for a vacation...I did not need to be told that or anything this woman seemed to mutter under her breath that you can still hear clearly

I'm just sharing a few things but there was all kinds of bizarre little events throughout the day yesterday
My friend cannot smoke, his chest is still being held together with string...but Daggumit if he didn't have Jameson yesterday when his buddy dropped by with a cold 6-pack and sat on his couch for 2 hours watching the Olympics after he got off work...I begged him to wait until after we saw the doctor later today but he just could not control himself yesterday

-One other weird exchange happened over pizza...I don't do any of the major chains, sorry I'm a pizza snob. "We are not drinking Merlot!" - Sideways reference
His buddy suggests a real mom n pop place and my friend says they charge a lot of money for pizza but I told him I'm buying so don't worry about it.
Still was a nightmare trying to get adults to pick pizza toppings and no matter how hard they tried to throw curveballs like Hawaiin, Supreme, just onions, they were not going to derail my Large thinly sliced sausage pie...I had to go over the rules..."STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT I'M GONNA EAT, YOU DO YOU!" this was directed at the mom
2 large pizzas, $45, not a slice left in either box after 4 people ate last night...needless to say it was pretty good
And I got to pick up another 12 of Naragansett while I was out, some grocery store named Harry **** or something like that

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Ugh. That would give me nightmares. It still might.

Not to be negative or anything, but if your friend can't follow the post-op instructions, he may be in real trouble.