Short story version for tonight.

• Tuesday afternoon having chest pains.
• Wife takes me to emergency room.
• Blood work. Xray. Questions (dozens).
• Late late admission.
• Late night blood work.
• Early morning blood work.
• IV.
• Stress test – involves imaging w/thalium, treadmill, more imaging.
• Wait. Wait. Wait. (no water, no food) Wait.
• Hours later doctor comes. “the tests are negative” “if it’s not heart problems, what is it?”
• Me: How would I know?
• Lunch arrives moments after I sign discharge papers. I eat half of it anyway.
• Home.

I could tell you stories though about how wonderful the staff was. There might be some cool things I could tell you about the procedures or the equipment. Heck, there’s always the wheel chair rides.

Love though, that’s what I’ll talk about. The pure outpouring I received from friends via Twitter. I couldn’t get on my computer but I had my Blackberry and Twitterberry. Therefore I had my tweeps.

Offers of prayers, positive thoughts, and more came over the ether. Wow. My wife and I were blown away. Folks offered to come to the hospital even.

To compare? I called coworker last night when I found out I was going to be admitted and left message at work. No one called at all today.

I challenge those of you who think Twitter is just about reporting bowel movements and breakfast to honestly put some effort into building relationships and come back and tell me that you can’t do more than that online.

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• Would you know if your heart was in trouble? (cnn.com)

Nurse Nanna... by Nanna J, on Flickr

My wife escorted me to the hospital for my tonsillectomy. She of course had to scrub in and help.

With chapters in New York, Philadelphia, Nashville and Miami, Musicians on Call bring live and recorded music to the bedsides of healthcare facilities. This helps complement the healing process for patients, families and caregivers. This is provided in a number of ways.

Bedside Performance Program

Volunteer artists give live performances in-room for patients that are too ill to leave their beds. To date, Musicians on Call have played for more than 150,000 individuals and their families. They also have 32 regular scheduled weekly performances at 27 facilities throughout the four cities they currently cover.

CD Pharmacy Program

Musicians on Call also provide hospitals with complete CD libraries, as well as personal CD players for the patients to use – all free of charge. Thanks to this, there are currently 310 CD Pharmacies throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Dublin in Ireland.

Project Playback Program

As well as the volunteer artists who help Musicians on Call achieve their aim, the charity also has a program that gives patients the chance to have their own music recorded and produced. By using special software, patients can compose their own songs and work with volunteer professionals – artists, producers and more – and get help in the writing an recording process.

View from House Tojosan

Music has been a part of my life from my earliest years.  My parents used music to help get me to sleep. Memories of joy were highlighted by those where I sang along with the music surrounding me. Still today I enjoy this.

Music makes a long drive short, a tough bit of programming less challenging, and a sour mood not quite so sad.  I’ve already thought about music I’d like played at my funeral.  This charity makes me mindful how I’d miss music if I was stuck in the hospital with illness or old age.

Take time out to visit Musicians on Call. Your donation will bring peace, joy and remembrance to someone stuck alone in a hospital bed.