Nothing new happening

I just had an average day for me.  I like to take my time in the morning these days, and hate it when I have an appointment I have to rush to get ready for.  Like my 8am appoint for an echocardiogram this coming Tuesday.  I think I have had two of them in the past and only remember little bits about them.  I think I will have to walk on a treadmill for a short time during the middle of the test which should be a piece of cake for me, although if I remember correctly they set the ramp to incline a little more at a time.  I don't do inclines!

I went to the gym and walked, but didn't do much of a workout.  Maybe it's because I was by myself, although sometimes Jeannie, Ara and I are in the same area and other times we go to our favorite machines.  I wasn't motivated to do a full workout, which is probably just as well until I have the cardio done and can get some answers on my condition, what they plan to do, if anything, as well as what I can do and what I should avoid.  Generally speaking I think I'm okay with what I do at the gym because I'm more cautious and conservative than I used to be.

I drove to Target from the gym and saw something that horrified me, and the picture of it will stay with me for a while.  A young woman with a small toddler in a stroller was on the corner where I stopped for a red light, and  started across the street - 6 lanes of traffic plus a couple of turning lanes.  She tried to push the stroller with one hand and it kept going askew, but she never really straightened it out because her other hand was holding a cell phone to her ear; she was laughing and talking, and doing a better job of that than she did of getting her baby across the busy street.  That is disgusting and I think it should be illegal.  I wonder if a policeman would have even stopped to warn her if one had passed by.  Having raised four children I realize it's difficult to always give 100% of your attention to them, but phone calls can be returned when you get your child to safety.

(Stepping down off my soap box!)

I am just taking it easy today and will likely do the same tomorrow.  I will try to get to the market for some green vegetables; my appetite has been variable - mostly ravenous but sometimes not interested in food at all.  I'm not sure what is happening to me, but I wish I could put on at least 10# before surgery.  I can't eat hospital food and will surely lose at least 10# if I'm there a week or longer.  Maybe I'll be lucky and won't need surgery at all.  I think that is a possibility, although not likely.

Hard at work!

I've done 2 more loads of wash and carried them across the street to the dryer; I still have towels & a set of sheets that I want to wash and hang dry, but today isn't the day.  It's breezy enough but I'm just too tired to deal with it.

As I've mentioned in the past, I am a Scorpio (according to the astrological sign at my birth) with Gemini rising.  I guess I get about half my traits from either one, but I can always tell when Gemini is ruling.  I want to make clear that I consider this all in fun although true in general characteristics, but I certainly wouldn't base my life upon a horoscope.

I bring this up because I'm laughing at myself - I've been making lists all day, which is a Gemini trait (to organize and write everything down.)  Gemini is also what makes me sometimes run this blog on too long for one post!  Sorry about that.  I can't seem to stop blabbing (or blogging) sometimes.

I have a really good list of questions to ask the cardiologist the next time I see her, or whichever doctor falls into my path first!   I can and no doubt will add to this list as questions arise in my mind.

I'm really worn out from all the laundry and changing the sheets on the bed.  I was going to turn the mattress but found out quickly I can't do it by myself anymore.  It never was easy, but now it's impossible.

I don't know if I want to go to the gym this afternoon and still haven't heard from either of my girls.  One of my legs still aches from the last time although I try to really moderate the exercises I'm doing.   But I know that light exercising is critical for me right now (can't count doing laundry as exercise!)

More weeding

Joe came this morning and spent several hours pulling the weeds on my side & back yards.  Rain is expected for tomorrow and the next day, so I'm not sure how much good it did.  I tried to help a bit and stay out of Joe's way in the process.

I called for an appointment to have the echocardiogram and somehow I let them talk me into an 8am appointment on April 4th.  I think I might stay at Jeannie's house overnight and she can drive me from her place.  It is fairly close to where she lives, but we will run into traffic no matter what.  I'm anxious to get it over with as it could be the determining factor on whether or not I will have to have surgery.

I am so hungry but I don't really feel like cooking anything, nor do I even know what I want to eat.  At times like this it would be so convenient to like fast food, but I never have and never will.

I finally got a load of wash done and took it across the street to dry it.  At least I have some clean clothes to put on - I was down to my last pair of "you know whats".  I still have a big basket of laundry to do, but if it rains tomorrow then I'll put it off for a while longer.

I really appreciate all the supportive comments I've received from so many people, and I thank you for your positive words and thoughts.  I have a hard time responding to each of them individually right now - because of grief as well as low energy, but I really do appreciate you all.  I will snap back soon. 

New info

I'm going to just start a brief new post, and won't try to respond to comments made on yesterday's post.  (Haha, when am I ever "brief"?)

I saw the cardiologist today and I think I can get along with her just fine.  I've never had respect shown to me from other cardios and vascular surgeons, but this doctor was tops from what I can see.

I will be scheduled for an echocardiogram as soon as they receive the ok from my insurance.  This is something new to me - I've never had an insurance issue before.  This does not bode well for future medical practice, in my opinion.

I'm going to make it short and sweet, and really don't want to bring it up again until I have the echocardiogram, plus see the cardiologist again in about 3 weeks.   I have mitral valve prolapse, and I was given two possible options:  open heart surgery (which she said is the safest), and going through the groin.  That was how they inserted the stent in my left artery, but it wasn't far from the groin to the shoulder.  Going to the heart could be a different matter, and one I'll have to research.  Also, it's quite a different matter from inserting a stent into an artery, to repairing the mitral valve prolapse  I've already heard of a couple of folks who have had the procedure done with good results, but they were almost half my age.

So I will study my options and am in the process of writing down comments and questions as I think of them - right now I'm pretty much in the dark as to what I should  do.  There is probably a wide variance in recovery time between the options presented to me.

Right now I'm feeling  better than I have in nearly a year.  Maybe the iron tablet is kicking in - whatever is going on can just keep on helping me live a good life for a few (or a lot) more years.  I will face whatever comes and be grateful for the life I've lived, and the people whose lives have touched mine.

I hope I don't get many questions at this point becaue I have no answers.

Another Monday

I saw my chiropractor this morning and then came home and stayed in for the rest of the day.  I need to get myself in good mental condition for the appointment with the cardiologist tomorrow.  I swear I will not embarrass Jeannie, who is going to take me.   Whatever the dr. tells me I will act interested in and file it in in the filing cabinet in my head.  I will go home and do what I know is right for me.

Four weeks I still have to wait to see about my thyroid, which is slowly killing me.  It just doesn't seem right, but I guess waiting a while longer to see a doctor in my local area is better than having to travel to their main campus, even if someone drives me there.

I really ate well today, as I almost always do, and I feel pretty good.   I thought I'd be stuffed because I probably cooked double the amount of vegetables I thought I would eat, thinking I'd add the rest to an omelet tomorrow morning.  I ended up eating every last bite with my dinner.   Where are the pounds going?

Jeannie is due to arrive in a few minutes - she's bringing me some lemons and avocados - I've found I can tolerate avocados if I put poppy seed dressing on them!  I like the small ones, and wonder if one a day is too much.  They've never been a favorite food of mine, but since they have healthy fats I will try to eat them.

Until tomorrow - 
sleep well.

 

I'm not getting any better

If I don't have to go anywhere in the morning I usually eat breakfast and then go back to bed for a while, and I did that this morning.  My sleep patterns are still on the old time and I haven't been able to set my internal clock up an hour.

I took my computer and a crossword puzzle book and set them on the bed in case I felt like staying awake, but the sun shining in through my bedroom window makes it impossible to see the computer screen or to read anything else for that matter.

I got a text from Jeannie asking if Ara and I wanted to go to the gym.  I figured that since I definitely did not feel like going to the gym, this was exactly what I needed to do, so I joined them about an hour later.  I'm doing very light workouts lately - I may have mentioned this - I used to try to work up to a heavier weight setting each week, but now I just set it on the lightest setting and it's a lot easier on me.

I see the cardiologist on Tuesday afternoon and I'll find out about the results of the heart monitor.  I got a notice that the results were online, but when I checked it said something about not being able to show them.  It is a system for text and not for charts or graphs, which doesn't surprise me.  Since I doubt they found anything I have been content to wait until I see the doctor.  I really wish it was the other way around and I was seeing the thyroid doctor on Tuesday, as I think that is where most of my problems lie.  

One of these days I'm going to have to hire Merry Maids to come in and clean my house for me, although I'd feel like I would need to clean before I even let the Merry Maids in, that's how bad it has become.  And the scariest part is that I really don't care!

It is raining again and I can say I am so sick and tired of hearing the rain hit the roof and drip off the awnings, etc.  I looked out at the side yard and more huge green weeds have popped up!  So discouraging.

I want to thank everyone who has sent condolences on the death of my nephew.  I don't think the reality of what happened has sunk in yet.  



 

Sad News

A phone call at 8:30 this morning got me out of bed and I heard the sad news that my nephew, who just turned 31 on Mar. 4, died from a heart attack.  It's hard to believe.   He had just gotten married last summer.

Nothing else of interest to say today.