Did I mention I had heart surgery? No, actually, I had surgery again. I didn't have much time to plan, really.... I couldn't clean the house, just had time to get the porch plants watered, the fish fed with a weekender block, pack a little bag, fall apart at the seams. Luckily my sister was here, and when I got a call from the cardiologist that there was more fluid on my heart, and he wanted a surgeon to operate that week, I had someone here to pick up the pieces. He called Tuesday, and that afternoon the surgeon's office called, said to be at his office on Thursday and he'd do surgery on Friday!
David took me to Scottsdale Thursday, we did all the pre-op stuff that day, and went into the hospital Friday. Unfortunately, I got bumped from the 7:30 am slot to later, because some poor lady had to have bypass surgery, then they couldn't find decent veins in her legs to use. I wheeled into surgery at 4:00, which is scary, because statistics show more mistakes occur during afternoon surgery. Oh well, everything went well, although my chest looks like it's been used for target practice. I have 3 poke holes on the right, then 3 on the left that are bunched up all together. Then of course I have the vertical scars down the sternum from the July surgery. Mine still don't even come close to the size of Jared's, though, so I shouldn't complain. OK, I will just a little! Saturday and Sunday were awful, then things started getting better. David, Debbie Mom, and my friend Julie set up a watch schedule, and there was someone with me 24 hours a day through Tues. It made things so much more bearable, that's for sure. I was released on Thursday, and we stayed with David's sister Trish that night. I got the luxury ride home on Friday, my Mom brought her motor home and I got to sleep most of the way. It's nearly a 3 hour drive at times, so that made it much more bearable.
I have the hardest job now, which is to take it easy and allow my body to heal. I had a blessing that told me I'm to be patient, there's that word again... Anyhow, I have a couple knitting projects I can do, and of course my 'quiet time' will give me more time to blog. Watching the weeds grow in my garden will make being quiet much more difficult though.
The great time about August is watching the hummingbirds fight. Now there are fewer flowers for them, and the feeders are much more popular. I have one right in front of the family room window, so I can knit or surf the internet, read etc. while watching the birds. I have a huge elderberry bush nearby, so they race from it to the feeder, engage in arial combat, chatter and scream at each other, then zoom back. I bet if I looked there would be some hummingbird nests up in the elderberry, but I leave them alone. I don't like people peeping in my bedroom!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Summer Storms
Wow, what a great monsoon we've had! After the terrible drought we've had for the past 7 years, it's a bit of a shock to have cloudy days for weeks, and rain nearly every day. I know most of the US has hot, muggy summers, but we're just used to dry heat, up to 115 during the worst days. We've had clouds every day, and rain almost every day, since July 12. We desert rats hardly know what to do! I don't have a mud room, there's rarely a need. The dogs are tracking mud in, so I put rugs and mud mats in front of the doors to save the floors a bit. Since I'm not allowed to sweep or mop, something has to help me out!
The clouds have been building all day, and now it's raining hard. The thunder and lightening is very close, crackling and loud. Our poor dogs are cowering, either on our laps or under our chairs, they hate the thunder. The best thing about cloudy days in Arizona are the sunsets... as the sun drops below the Mountains, the clouds cast out the most amazing colors of orange, pink, gray and hues in between, all radiating across the sky. The sunset in the west will be orange and dark pinks, but when we look toward the east, the clouds will be radiating the most amazing color of pink- 40 miles worth across the sky it seems. Where the clouds are too dark to let the colors glow, there will be sunstreaks through the lighter spots, looking for all the world like a spolight blazing onto the ground below.
With the rain comes the weeds. It's too wet most days to mow, although David was able to push through the worst of the backyard weeds before it rained again yesterday. Now it looks more like lawn in the back instead of weeds. Thank goodness for the rain, with it raining daily, I didn't worry about my pots and vegetable garden as much. I've been in bed or in my recliner more than any place else, and I can't do anything that causes exertion. Yeah, that's the bad news, the echocardiogram done on Thurday showed more fluid around my heart, and also my lungs. At least that explains why I've been so tired and easily winded, but it sure wasn't what I was expecting to hear. Now there will be more tests, lab work, blah blah blah. I love the fact that I have a good excuse to have a messy house and yard, though. Can't blame it on laziness any more, get to use the old ticker as a reason!
The clouds have been building all day, and now it's raining hard. The thunder and lightening is very close, crackling and loud. Our poor dogs are cowering, either on our laps or under our chairs, they hate the thunder. The best thing about cloudy days in Arizona are the sunsets... as the sun drops below the Mountains, the clouds cast out the most amazing colors of orange, pink, gray and hues in between, all radiating across the sky. The sunset in the west will be orange and dark pinks, but when we look toward the east, the clouds will be radiating the most amazing color of pink- 40 miles worth across the sky it seems. Where the clouds are too dark to let the colors glow, there will be sunstreaks through the lighter spots, looking for all the world like a spolight blazing onto the ground below.
With the rain comes the weeds. It's too wet most days to mow, although David was able to push through the worst of the backyard weeds before it rained again yesterday. Now it looks more like lawn in the back instead of weeds. Thank goodness for the rain, with it raining daily, I didn't worry about my pots and vegetable garden as much. I've been in bed or in my recliner more than any place else, and I can't do anything that causes exertion. Yeah, that's the bad news, the echocardiogram done on Thurday showed more fluid around my heart, and also my lungs. At least that explains why I've been so tired and easily winded, but it sure wasn't what I was expecting to hear. Now there will be more tests, lab work, blah blah blah. I love the fact that I have a good excuse to have a messy house and yard, though. Can't blame it on laziness any more, get to use the old ticker as a reason!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Deathly Hallows
Yeah!! Last Friday I finally felt good enough to start reading the new Harry Potter book, the Deathly Hallows. I started it earlier, but too many pain meds kept me from being able to get into it. Well, that and recuperating, I'm sure. Anyhow, I started it Friday after Shawna left, and of course read most of the night... OK, actually until 2:30 am. I finished it Saturday about 1 pm. The problem with reading is that I'm a junky- if it's good enough to read, then I do so until it's finished. I cook dinner, eat, etc., but I can't really sleep until a good book is read. If it's an 700-800 page book, that's a bit of lack of sleep for me! It's a great book, and I am OK with being a geek. Now I just have to get well enough to see the latest Harry Potter movie. I'm so bummed I didn't get to see it when it came out, but they don't have movie night in the hospital :).
We are getting the most wonderful rain!!! It started raining here about the 12th of July, and has been raining almost daily since. What a blessing, we have been in a drought for the past 7 years, at least. It's supposed to rain for at least the next 10 days, I sure hope and pray it does.
We are getting the most wonderful rain!!! It started raining here about the 12th of July, and has been raining almost daily since. What a blessing, we have been in a drought for the past 7 years, at least. It's supposed to rain for at least the next 10 days, I sure hope and pray it does.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Heart Trouble
No, it's not what you think, David and I are doing well together. My heart trouble is literally the ole ticker. July 10, as a result of the echocardiogram done that day, I had emergency heart surgery to drain fluid from around my heart. The surgeon drained nearly a liter of fluid that day, and the 'hose' they had in me drained another 250-300 cc's. The scary thing is, there really were no symptoms to speak of, at least not before the Ct. Scan. I'm pretty sure the allergic reaction I had to the IV dye triggered an increase in the fluids- I felt worse every day after until Tuesday when the echocardiogram was conducted. But the cardialogist that met me in the ER said that I'd had fluid in the pericardium for some time. We still don't know what started it, and may never know why there was blood in there first. Anyhow, I had surgery just a few hours after the echo, and there is no doubt that the decisive and quick actions of the technician conducting it saved my life.
The surgery went well, but somehow the other specialists involved, the internal medicine guys, decided I should be put through a bunch of abdominal tests while I was in there, I guess heart surgery isn't as important as their work. Anyhow, they put me through the wringer for nearly a week before I finally got home, 10 days after the heart surgery. I'm pretty mad at those doctors right now, but David says I can't think about it too much right now, cuz I get all stirred up. OK, raging might be a better word..... Anyhow, that will be dealt with, but I have to get well first from the heart surgery. I still have some bleeding from the wounds, but it's healing well.
The hardest thing for me is to take it easy, and not overdo things. I think I keep getting these health problems just to learn a little patience, and to pace myself better. Obviously, I dont' learn that lesson well, so I keep getting more opportunities!
Just a note- I'm grateful to be alive. I'm so grateful for my family- when I woke up from surgery, David, Heather, Nic and Jared were there. Hap & Sandy, my brother and sister-in-law, came up that evening, and my sister Debbie was here Wednesday morning. Allison had spoken to them, making arrangements to come down when I got out of the hospital if needed. My poor mom had left here Tuesday to be with her brother California, who has terminal cancer. She was so torn when she called me Wednesday, but I told her that I have all the other family here, but Jerry really needs her, she is the only one that can help him right now, since his wife is hospitalized.
So many of my friends have been here, Jenny and Laina came to see me in the hospital, Julie came up shortly after I got out. My niece Shawna came on Monday and stayed here all week, helping us in every way. It's tricky to cook for me, I have a lot of allergies to food, but she very patiently worked with me to make meals I can eat, that also taste good to David.
Everyone has been checking in on me regularly. I just want them all to know how much I love each of them, and I'm humbled by the love and compassion shown to me.
The surgery went well, but somehow the other specialists involved, the internal medicine guys, decided I should be put through a bunch of abdominal tests while I was in there, I guess heart surgery isn't as important as their work. Anyhow, they put me through the wringer for nearly a week before I finally got home, 10 days after the heart surgery. I'm pretty mad at those doctors right now, but David says I can't think about it too much right now, cuz I get all stirred up. OK, raging might be a better word..... Anyhow, that will be dealt with, but I have to get well first from the heart surgery. I still have some bleeding from the wounds, but it's healing well.
The hardest thing for me is to take it easy, and not overdo things. I think I keep getting these health problems just to learn a little patience, and to pace myself better. Obviously, I dont' learn that lesson well, so I keep getting more opportunities!
Just a note- I'm grateful to be alive. I'm so grateful for my family- when I woke up from surgery, David, Heather, Nic and Jared were there. Hap & Sandy, my brother and sister-in-law, came up that evening, and my sister Debbie was here Wednesday morning. Allison had spoken to them, making arrangements to come down when I got out of the hospital if needed. My poor mom had left here Tuesday to be with her brother California, who has terminal cancer. She was so torn when she called me Wednesday, but I told her that I have all the other family here, but Jerry really needs her, she is the only one that can help him right now, since his wife is hospitalized.
So many of my friends have been here, Jenny and Laina came to see me in the hospital, Julie came up shortly after I got out. My niece Shawna came on Monday and stayed here all week, helping us in every way. It's tricky to cook for me, I have a lot of allergies to food, but she very patiently worked with me to make meals I can eat, that also taste good to David.
Everyone has been checking in on me regularly. I just want them all to know how much I love each of them, and I'm humbled by the love and compassion shown to me.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Continuing Saga...
Call me a geek, or a kid, but I don't care, I'm looking forward to the Harry Potter book, and the movie of Order of the Phoenix. I went to the first movie several years ago, and was surprised at how good it was, so I read the book. J.K. writes well, and they are clean books, something hard to find any more. I love that good triumphs over evil, but in an interesting story. So next week will be a busy one for me, I hope, reading the book, then watching the movie on an older H.P book.
Speaking of next week, I had some interesting news today, and not really in a good way. I had a CT scan yesterday, for my abdominal problems- i.e. gut pain. Ran into a little trouble there... drank the lovely 'berry smoothie', which is actually barium in chalky milk. The 1st 32 ozs. weren't too bad, I drank that at 8:00 am. Got to the hospital, went to Radiology, where they so very kindly gave me another 'berry smoothie', which I obligingly choked down. Now, I couldn't eat or drink anything else, and I'm pretty hypoglycemic, so by the last few chalky gulps I was feeling a sugar buzz, and losing focus from the lack of food and water.
The Radiologist finally came to get me, shortly after 11. He was very friendly, and explained everything he was doing beforehand. Then he inserted a 'pic' line into my arm, and have me a shot of and IV dye, to light up my blood system. I made it through the CT scan, which only took a few minutes, then as he was pulling the table back through the system he said "how ya doin?" I said 'not good', and blacked out. Turns out I'm allergic to the dye, and it took them about an hour to get me back. They kept bugging me, all I wanted to do was slip into oblivion, but thank goodness they wouldn't let me. Finally they gave me some Benadryl, after they were sure Heather could pick me up so I didn't have to drive.
Cut to today, my Dr.s office called and said that the CT scan didn't find any problems in my guts, but I have blood in the pericardium around my heart. Now that's the last thing I expected to hear! So, next week I have an echocardigraph scheduled, along with 2 Dr.s appointments. I tell, ya, I hit 50 and just fell apart physically, now what's that about?????
Speaking of next week, I had some interesting news today, and not really in a good way. I had a CT scan yesterday, for my abdominal problems- i.e. gut pain. Ran into a little trouble there... drank the lovely 'berry smoothie', which is actually barium in chalky milk. The 1st 32 ozs. weren't too bad, I drank that at 8:00 am. Got to the hospital, went to Radiology, where they so very kindly gave me another 'berry smoothie', which I obligingly choked down. Now, I couldn't eat or drink anything else, and I'm pretty hypoglycemic, so by the last few chalky gulps I was feeling a sugar buzz, and losing focus from the lack of food and water.
The Radiologist finally came to get me, shortly after 11. He was very friendly, and explained everything he was doing beforehand. Then he inserted a 'pic' line into my arm, and have me a shot of and IV dye, to light up my blood system. I made it through the CT scan, which only took a few minutes, then as he was pulling the table back through the system he said "how ya doin?" I said 'not good', and blacked out. Turns out I'm allergic to the dye, and it took them about an hour to get me back. They kept bugging me, all I wanted to do was slip into oblivion, but thank goodness they wouldn't let me. Finally they gave me some Benadryl, after they were sure Heather could pick me up so I didn't have to drive.
Cut to today, my Dr.s office called and said that the CT scan didn't find any problems in my guts, but I have blood in the pericardium around my heart. Now that's the last thing I expected to hear! So, next week I have an echocardigraph scheduled, along with 2 Dr.s appointments. I tell, ya, I hit 50 and just fell apart physically, now what's that about?????
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