This was a 99% of which I DIDN'T want to be a part

This story started about a year ago, when I started having pains right down my center when I walked from my car to my office.  I mentioned it to my regular doctor and she seemed to think that it was an inflammation of my trachea, and it was only happening during the colder months.

Then it began to happen whenever I walked in and then I started having pains in my underarm.  So, about 3 weeks ago, I went for my diabetes checkup (did well, by the way, an improvement from 6.7 down to 6.4) I saw a different doctor who helps out now at their practice.   I mentioned it to him and he immediately scheduled a stress test for me.

A week later, I went to Methodist University Hospital, got the stress test done, and since they didn't haul me off right then to the Cath lab, I figured I had done well.  Well, a week ago this past Friday, my regular doctor called me to say I had flunked the stress test and that I needed a heart cath to find out what was wrong.

Susan and I met with the cardiologist, Dr. Pranab Das, this past Friday, and they did an EKG, scheduling the cath at Methodist University Hospital for Tuesday.  I have to say, Dr. Das is amazing, calmly explaining everything and making sure you remain as calm as he is.  We were both impressed with him; if you use Methodist for healthcare and you need a cardiologist, this is the guy you need to see.

He explained that the cath would show any problems, and if there were no arteries with blockage of 70% or better, all that would be done would be to give me medicine.  Above that, a stent could be put in or, worst-case scenario, bypass surgery, which would be done then.

We showed up at 11 AM on Tuesday, they got me in to a Same-Day Surgery room, and Susan's Aunt Barbara arrived to sit with Susan during my procedure.  At 2 PM, I went to the Cath room. As Dr. Das had told me, they would use an artery in my wrist and not through the femoral artery in the groin, so I was given Lorezepam as a sedative, which sedated me but did not knock me out.  Yes, I was awake for all of this!

About halfway through, Dr. Das stopped to tell me that my main artery was 99% blocked (he would tell Susan, but not me, that if we hadn't caught this, I would have had a major heart attack within a month).  He would need to put in a stent and I said, "so I'm staying overnight then?" and he confirmed that.  

I have to tell you, it kind of hurt, but it saved my life, and it was the strangest feeling in the world to feel a balloon expanding inside my heart.  He put in the stent, got finished and I went to recovery for three hours, then back to my room where Susan was waiting for me.  I was never so happy to see anyone in my life as I was to see Susan.  I was too dumb to be scared, so she was scared for me, I think.  

She told everyone how it went, and I made a few calls myself.  I am off work until Monday, but I am still going to a wedding Saturday for two friends who are perfect for each other, and I need to see that.

I will get back to writing next week, as I am trying to keep the outrage down.  Besides, every time Mitt opens his mouth, The President goes up 5 more points in the polls.

I am very fortunate to have you as readers and friends, fortunate to have Dr. Das as my cardiologist, and most fortunate to have Susan, without whom I would not have thought to have this checked out. She is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I would not be here without her.

See you in a few days!

219-212

After over a century of trying, the United States House of Representatives moved closer to an American dream: making healthcare a RIGHT, by passing the HealthCare reform bill, 219-212.

Yes, John Tanner and Marion Berry, despite the fact that they are retiring from Congress, threw theire poorer constituents under the bus by voting against this bill.  Lincoln Davis indicated that his contituency was against the bill, so he voted against it.  I am not sure he really believes that.

However, tonight, we crossed the Rubicon; there's no way we will go back now, and only expansions will take place from this point forward.  Like Social Security and medicare before it, this will stand as long as the Republic exists.

Thank you to Steve Cohen, and special thanks to Nancy Pelosi, who will now go down as the greatest Speaker since Sam Rayburn.

And somewhere tonight, Edward Moore Kennedy looks down at us and just smiles broadly.

GoldnI asks the right question:

Where do the gubernatorial candidates stand on Opting Out of the Public Option? Like it or notm, that's now a question that all of them will be asked, and they had better answer it properly.

Note to Democrats: remember, you are in a PRIMARY!

We're Number 37!!!!

Hat tip to Ken Neill and Smart City for this. Just think, if Congress passes a health-care bill without a public option, we might make it all the way up to....33?

GA Hardaway presents a TOWN HALL ON HEALTHCARE REFORM

Thanks to Jim Maynard for the heads up

TOWN HALL ON HEALTHCARE REFORM
Presented by Rep. G.A. Hardaway, Members of the Shelby County Legislative Delegation, Arc of the Mid-South, 100 Black Men of Memphis, Memphis Center for Independent Living, NAMI Memphis, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Tennessee Health Equity Commission, UT Health Science Center

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 Noon

Location: UT Health Science Center
Student Alumni Center, 800 Madison (38103)

What’s in and what’s not in the federal HEALTHCARE REFORM bill?

How will HEALTHCARE REFORM impact TennCare and other state-run health programs?
The MED? Memphis and Shelby County Health Department?

Join us for this discussion with representatives of Federal, State and Local Government and HEALTHCARE professionals on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the auditorium at 800 Madison (parking available on Manassas). THE PUBLIC IS INVITED.

SPEAKERS
· RANDY ALEXANDER, Community Organizer, Memphis Center for Independent Living
· CALVIN ANDERSON, Vice-President, Federal and Community Relations, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee
· JOE ARMSTRONG, State Representative (D-Knoxville); Chairman of House Health and Human Services Committee
· MERI ARMOUR, President and CEO, LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center
· JAY BAILEY, ESQ, Civil Rights Attorney
· TODD BROOKS, M.D., Medical Director, District 92
· JOE BROWN, Member, Memphis City Council
· KAREN CAMPER, State Representative, District 87
· MICHAEL R. CAUDLE, M.D., Vice Chancellor, Health Affairs and Government Relations, UT Health Science Center
· SIDNEY CHISM, Member, Shelby County Commission
· BRAD COBB, Executive Director, NAMI Memphis
· HAROLD COLLINS, Chairman, Memphis City Council
· JAMES COWAN, M.D., Kids Care Medical Center
· LOIS DEBERRY, Speaker Pro Tempore, Tennessee House of Representatives
· LATONYA ELLIS, Director, Tennessee Health Equity Commission
· GEORGE FLINN, M.D., Member, Shelby County Commission
· EMILY FULMER, Lead & West TN Organizer, Tennessee Healthcare Campaign
· TOMEKA HART, Executive Director, Memphis Urban League
· JIM KYLE, State Senator (District 28); Chairman, Shelby County Legislative Delegation
· JOSEPH KYLES, Vice-President, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
· DEIDRE MALONE, Member, Shelby County Commission
· YVONNE OSBORNE, Ph.D., Clinical and Forensic Psychologist
· JEANNE RICHARDSON, State Representative, District 89
· MARY VINES, Chair of Nursing Department, Southwest Tennessee Community College
· RANDY WADE, District Director, Congressman Steve Cohen, Memphis Office
· JEFF WARREN, M.D., Member, Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioners
· A C WHARTON, Mayor, Shelby County Government
· JERI WHEELER, Field Representative, Sen. Bob Corker, Memphis Office
· Memphis and Shelby County Health Department
· Tennessee Department of Health
· Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

MODERATOR: LEON GRAY

Emily Fulmer
West TN Regional Coordinator and Lead Organizer
Tennessee Health Care Campaign
Ph: 901-590-4873
Cell: 901-517-3204
Toll Free: 877-431-7083
E-mail: esnyder@thcc2.org
Web: www.thcc2.org

And everyone thought it was just me

Well, apparently I'm not the only local blogger asking Steve Cohen to take the pledge NOT to vote for a healthcare bill without a public option. Saying you support the public option is nice, but it leaves you wiggle room to vote for something less because the White House is pushing you to do so.

I want NO wiggle room. As I said earlier,

I also understand the term used often by our hero Ted Kennedy, that "the perfect is the enemy of the good". However, in this case, I'd like to turn that spin around and say that, in the instance of the public option, half-assed and inadequate is the enemy of the necessary and the acceptable.

And now, other bloggers are asking him why he's not taking the pledge. Jeff at the Pesky Fly asks, Polar Donkey asks why he doesn't take the same tack as Rep. Anthony Weiner of NY State, and Bob of 55-40, who would rather swallow broken glass than say a good thing about Willie Herenton, suggests that Steve may have to be primaried if he votes for a bill without the public option. UPDATE: No, that's apparently NOT what Bob said, he clarifies here. Cohen HAS to take the pledge.

No, I'm just not ready to go there by any stretch, but I've known him 30 years and consider him my friend. However, there's a hell of a lot of voters in the 9th District who HAVEN'T known him 30 years and may not be so willing to stay with him if he votes for anything less than the public option.

Steve, we know you believe it's the best plan; all we ask is that you stand up and block anything less from coming out of Congress. Your constituents demand it, and the very people you have always stood for in the past are COUNTING on it.

A bill without a public option is no reform at all, and I know you know that. Let's make sure everyone else does, too.

Finally, I steal this comment from Mr. Conspiracy at the Pesky Fly post, because it sums everything up for me:

What makes you think that if they sell out on a public option, they won't sell out on any other real reform? What makes you think that we won't end up with a bill that mandates we all buy private insurance whether we can afford it or not? What makes you think we won't end up with a bill that is nothing more than a huge giveaway to the insurance companies. The stock market certainly sees that possibility.

The public option forces all those other changes to take place. Without the public option, I suspect this will be nothing but a TARP plan for the insurance companies - funneling tax money directly into their pockets without any regulation or oversight.

You can't expect to influence asshole Senate Democrats to sign on as long as they have cover to not vote for the thing. As long as you give total power to Republicans, Blue Dogs and Joe Lieberman to kill any bill they don't like, you have nothing to bargain with. Only with the threat of mutually assured political destruction will we get a bill that actually addresses the problems. If Obama knows that he gets no bill without breaking one of the coalitions, he will bring he guns to bear on the weakest point. Signing the pledge strengthens our position. Not signing - signalling a willingness to compromise - will assure that when the time comes, Obama's big guns will be aimed at us, not the blue dogs, not the Conservative dems in the senate, who are the actual obstructionists and have alreayd shown their complete willingness to let people die for lack of healthcare.

Indeed.

Barney Frank knows how to handle these anti-Obama punks

For those who say I'm not respectful to the opposition, listen to how Barney handles this idiot who has defaced an Obama picture to look like Hitler:

Thanks to ContrAltoDelete and MoveOn

Why are we all fighting so hard for healthcare reform?

GO READ SOUTHERN BEALE. NOW.

Cohen's Town Hall Meeting went well

Randy Wade is to be complimented as well; he arranged for security. There were actually idiots who brought guns (legally, it seems they had carry permits, but why did they feel they needed them?). Yes, you read that right, and Randy made them all check in with the Sheriff's Deputies on hand.

My Congressman allowed any doctor who wished to address the crowd to do so, and a wide range of physicians did so; unfortunately, only one, Dr. Jeff Warren spoke in favor of the public option. Steve, of course, supports the public option and said so. Him, I'm not worried about; it's the Blue Dogs who have sold their souls to healthcare companies (Yeah, I'm talking to you, Mike Ross, as well as Gordon, Tanner, and Cooper. Democrats, you are NOT as far as I'm concerned) who are pushing the White House and the leadership to back down on the public option. Bubba or no Bubba, I may stay away from Jackson Day so that I don't take a swing at one of these SOBs.

For more, my Flickr stream of photos with comments are here, and a great take from Steve Ross is here at Vibinc.

This is what we may be up against at Cohen's town Hall Meeting tomorrow

We NEED you there, however. while the meeting starts at 10 AM, try to get there EARLY, as the birthers have made a habit of showing up early. They are the MINORITY, and we cannot allow them to take the meeting over, like happened here in Tampa, video courtesy of Daily Kos TV:


See also this post from NYCEve at Kos (thanks to Jane Hamsher for the heads up)!

The meeting is at Bridges at 477 North Fifth Street, just off Auction west of Danny Thomas.
If you can be there, PLEASE USE THIS FORM TO LET US KNOW!
PLEASE BE THERE and let's keep the kooks and birthers from disrupting this important event.
UPDATE: Brad makes great points at WTL about how to respond to the protestors, please read it.

KO nails the Blue Dogs who are selling us out.

I do have great insurance, but not everyone works where I do. What you are about to see from Keith Olbermann is why we push ALL of our Democrats to support a public option. Our own congressman has supported the public option, but refuses to take the pledge to NOT vote for a bill without one.

Let me repeat, before you watch Keith, that it is CRITICAL that our Congressman, who is part of the Democratic leadership, go ON RECORD that he shall not vote for a bill without a robust public option. He's not sold out to the Big Healthcare like the Blue Dogs, but if he votes for a bill without a public option, he is just as guilty as they are.

This is why I ask you to go to his Town Hall Meeting this Saturday and ask him to take the pledge, and if he refuses, ask him, nicely, why he won't commit.

Then, ask him why he wants to give Willie Herenton a real campaign issue, something the ex-Mayor does not yet have.

Thanks to CallMeIshmael for bringing the Special Comment to my attention.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Did you know that

It's Cover The Uninsured Week? Thanks to R. Neal at KnoxViews, I do now, and he has an idea or two on what to do about it.

Everything, nothing and something all at once

I am not at all sure how coherent this will be, but here goes.

I have had a Michael Vick/dogfighting post in my head for a few days now, but I just can't put it together right now. Maybe by the weekend, I hope.

Don't faint, but Wendi Thomas has written what may be her best column ever on the subject of healthcare and the myth of merit and the self-made man. Even better, Auto has followed it up with a terrific complementary (and complimentary, too) piece that you should read as well.

I wound up the night at DL, where we were graced by our groovy and sexy dear friends from the Northwest of Tennessee, Newscoma and Squirrel Queen. They need to come back and stay longer, they can't come so close to Central BBQ and NOT go there. (note to Craig, Roger and Steve - where the hell did your website for Central BBQ go???)

Oh, and Liz? Welcome home babe, you were missed.

More later on this non-NBC station!