Even though I was unfairly booted from all Meta products I was using (FB, Insta, and Threads), I’ve managed to create another persona and have re-connected with many of the people I was “friends” with previously. As a result, I received a lot of birthday wishes this past Wednesday (06/04). I did my best to individually recognize everyone who sent me a greeting (and yes, I’m aware that FB makes it exceedingly easy to do so, but it doesn’t force one to do it). I also wanted to post a general “thank you” and felt the need to explain why this birthday had so much meaning for me.

A bit less than two and a half years ago, I started having trouble walking from my bedroom to the kitchen. I was serially exhausted and couldn’t figure out what was happening. My doctor had me fitted with a Holter Monitor, which records your heart rate 24/7 for seven days.

The results were sobering. On one night my heart rate fell to 26 BPM; distressingly slow. I was referred to a cardiologist and, after some consultation and discussion about the alternatives, I decided to undergo pacemaker implant surgery. That was two years ago last March 8 (but who’s counting?).

Six months before that I was working in a warehouse, driving a forklift, lifting lots and lots of fairly heavy boxes, and climbing both ladders and storage racks (when I was in a hurry and only needed one box). While working there, I was playing twilight golf with a bunch of former colleagues from Rocketdyne. One of the guys I played with was a Manager of Manufacturing Engineering and he suggested I apply for a position, which I did.

I had an interview and was offered a position. Unfortunately, although I had passed the drug test five previous times, I had always been smoking and had only been using edibles for a while. I didn’t realize the cannabis from them stayed in your system longer than smoking does. I failed and the job was rescinded. I was heartbroken and humiliated. My younger daughter berated me mercilessly and I felt shame; not because I was using Cannabis, but because I wasn’t careful enough to pass the test.

I can’t say for sure that my bradycardia was caused by the weight of that loss (I would have been paid a lot of money for my efforts) and the humiliation I felt over having to tell the guys who I was going to be working with that I wouldn’t be there because I failed a drug test. Regardless, although the implant surgery was a success and I had more energy than I’d had for a while, over the next two years my health deteriorated to the point I honestly didn’t think I had much longer to live.

I was experiencing horrible, arthritic-like pain in nearly every joint in my body. I underwent a battery of tests for a couple of months. Eventually, my doctors (there were several by now) all suggested that the root cause of all this was the Hepatitis C virus I had been carrying asymptomatically for close to forty years. I was first offered treatment in early 2017, when I had just had to leave a two-year stint at Aerojet Rocketdyne. The co-pay was $30,000 and, since I was experiencing no symptoms, I didn’t bother.

This year I decided to take the 12-week regimen of Epclusa, and the co-pay was only $2,000. Still not cheap, but I was really suffering. There were times when I had to shuffle along rather than walk. I had fallen a couple of times and the joint pain was frequently excruciating.

I finished the regimen a couple of months ago. If I test negative for the virus six months after completion, I will be considered cured. I am, however, gaining strength, recovering my balance, and feeling much better. So much so that I’ve begun working for a lawyer and am seeking a few more clients. Turns out my law degree, knowledge of AI, and my KM experience are a unique combination, and I am presenting myself to attorneys as one who can help them keep track of their knowledge, use AI to enhance their practice, and help as a legal assistant when necessary.

I welcome the challenge and am excited for what the future holds, despite my many chronic conditions and fairly advanced age. Keeping busy doing things I love and am good at should keep me going for at least a few more years. Who knows? Maybe a decade. My pacemaker’s battery still has about twelve years of life remaining … and it can be replaced.

Back to my 78th birthday. I’m truly feeling energized by the recovery I’ve made and the road I’ve put myself on. Although it was a bit devastating to lose my Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts at the beginning of the year (according to Meta, it was because I broke the rules on an Instagram account that wasn’t me and trying to straighten it out was both impossible and infuriating) I’m thankful for those friends I’ve managed to re-connect with, as well as the new friends I’ve made recently. I’m thankful for all of them. Life would be less sweet without their presence.