# A package deal

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-package-deal/199299>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Created:** [February 27, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-package-deal/199299 "2025-02-27T13:54:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 1:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-package-deal/199299/81 "2025-03-05T01:30:06Z")

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Welcome back. I hope treatment will keep you with us for a while.

I felt sorry for myself briefly in 2014. After returning from several long trips to Japan my ejection fraction dropped to 25% from the normal 50% and I developed afib. I stopped exercising and while not working, I sat around and moped. One day I went into the garage to empty a small bag of trash into the large can. I dropped the small can because my arthritic thumbs hurt too much. I lifted the can up , threw it, and cried for a while, wondering if I was seeing my demise. I quickly decided that I would go back to leading a normal life and get my walks and weight lifting in. I figured if I died I’d at least be living right up to my collapse. I’ve had ups and downs since then. Right now things are stable and I’m grateful for that. I hope you guys are S lucky as I’ve been.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-package-deal/199299/82 "2025-03-05T02:33:14Z")

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> [@VDCdriver](#):
>
> I didn’t cry, but I was–literally–stunned. The words that I never wanted to hear were what rang in my ears for at least a few days.

What through me off more than anything, was the early onset part, I was mid 40’s being told I had a disease that normally doesn’t show up until retirement age or older… So, I will have to deal with it for 20+ years longer than what is normal, as it will not kill me, but I will die with it… That was just a hard pill to swallow…

Crazy part is both my parents had cancer, and dad (rip) also had heart disease… So, I have even more fun stuff, possibly, to look forward too… 🤪

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