The Next Chapter: Living With Heart Failure

Right off the bat, for those who don’t know, I came home from the hospital on Sunday after 12 long days away from my family. A large percentage of my time away was waiting. Waiting for medication to kick in, waiting for procedures to happen and waiting for those magic words, you are getting discharged.

I am surprised I did not swim in my own puddles of joy. Inside me somewhere is a huge release of tears that I have no control over.

Hopefully it does not release on the TTC but that’s what the Dufferin bus will do to a person on a good day. I will never judge those people on Survivor again who lose it when they see their family after a few weeks. It was a mental game for sure. To avoid ever doing that again, I have a few new “musts” to follow in order to make life last as long as possible.

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The Last Month has been a Real Test of the Heart

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Hello everyone. Coming to you live from Toronto General Hospital, where the trays come in hot and the cutlery comes in cold. Why am I at the hospital you may ask? No I am not visiting anyone, I am a patient and have been here since July 4th. Yes, Happy July Fourth to me. MAGA and all that shit.

Before I go into why I am here let me lead with, as best I can say, I am fine. I feel fine, I am not sick, I feel like I am stuck in bed and have the world waiting on me and while nice, it’s like there are others who need it, not me.

I am here because in the last month it has been discovered I have both a heart arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation (AFIB).

Basically I have a runaway heart rate and one of the lower ventricles is much weaker than it should be. The heart is all out of whack.

How did this happen? They don’t exactly know yet. Right now they are focused on a long-term fix. I have a whole bucket of pills I am taking to slow down my heart to normal and then they can go about resetting the electrical function. Trust me it’s a lot to digest. I have had 5 days to get it down.

My Son Actually Picked The Biggest Upset in NCAA Basketball History

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The following story is as true as it is hard to believe.

It’s always easy to look back once history has been made and say, I called that, but sometimes, it’s just how it goes. As we head to the 2018 Final Four in San Antonio, something I thought would never be mentioned again, came up today while I walked the kids to school.

The something that came up? Well it’s a tale that Harry may hold over me for the history of time. He made a choice and then changed it thanks to something I said.

  • A true, Dad, I can’t believe you stopped me from predicting history.
  • Dad, remember the time I made that pick and it came true and you used your bias to sway me?
  • Dad you owe me money.

What the hell am I talking about? Well as they say on the National, first a little back story.

Getting Nutritional Advice From A Dietitian is Easier Than You Think

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Have you ever wanted to book an appointment with a registered dietitian and figured it would be too costly? Well what would you say if I told you there is a place that offers the service where you already go for your groceries? Yes, it’s true.

The dietitian program I am speaking of is offered at many of the Loblaws stores across Canada. In fact, the Loblaws we shop at weekly has the service and I had no idea it existed or that many of the services were free to the public until recently. Now that it has been pointed out, it’s like, I see that sign all the time.

I was given the opportunity to have a consultation with an in-store dietitian at Loblaws and I wanted to share my experience with you. I did learn a few things I was not expecting.

As a bonus, I also got some great tips on how to make Thanksgiving leftovers a little healthier. Don’t worry, I know Thanksgiving for us Canadians is long gone, but I will include some easy ways to take some classic comfort food dishes and make them healthier.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Now On DVD and Hero Edition Blu-Ray

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Our boys love screens. Our boys love superheroes. Our boys love silly. So, with that said, the movie Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie checks all the boxes in our house. Have you seen it? For those who missed it in theatres, it is now out on DVD and Blu-Ray as well as digitally on itunes.

For a classic family film, this one is great to sit and watch with the kids. It has laughs and a few catch phrases that will stick for a while.
For those not familiar with Underpants, it is based on the bestselling book series by Dav Pilkey. The outrageous comedy tells the story of two overly imaginative best friends. Yes, now you can see why our boys are fans. They are like the two main characters, just brothers.

For Our Family Netflix is 100% Turn The Brain Off Time

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For those who follow the blog each month, you know I post something related to Netflix and kids. Each month the team at Netflix shares a theme that we write about and try to tie it to our family and viewing experiences.

This month, I have to admit, the theme just doesn’t stick for my situation.

For your March post, share which female Netflix characters your kids connect with and how they have made a positive impact.

Now, the obvious is, I don’t have girls and my boys will make a face if I ask who their fave female characters are.

Secondly, when our sons watch Netflix, I am not in the mindset to really focus on what my kids are taking away from it. Yes, call me a bad parent, but it’s the truth.  I am probably dozing with my eyes open.

They, like me, watch Netflix to turn the brain off and just enjoy 22 minutes of entertainment. Whether it’s Saturday morning or a quick cartoon before bed, it’s a time to just relax.