Travels and Treadmills

Well, I went to Indiana to see our new Christmas grandson, and he is adorable. I got to see (and feel!) snow, and play with our toddler granddaughter and I had a great time. When I got back I had a couple of weeks of remarkable energy, and then I crashed with a vengeance. I experienced severe pain in my chest, back, left arm, jaw and even my ear felt as if someone were pinching it really, really hard, the way they did to kids in those old movies. Now I know why the kids always squealed! So another stay in the hospital, another cath, and this time they diagnosed Prinzmetal's Angina, or Coronary Artery Spasm. It basically closes down an artery with a severe spasm, slowing or stopping blood flow. It is probably due to the microvascular disease in the heart. If it does not let up quickly enough it can cause a heart attack and damage to the heart.

They tell me to walk a lot. But not by myself. And not outside. So I accepted the gracious offer of a treadmill and I'm learning how to use it. I intend to have some adventures related to my new treadmill, which I will share with you later. For now I'll leave you with a picture of my young granddaughter demonstrating the proper use of a treadmill - plenty of pillows to lounge on and something good to drink! (Disclaimer: She was not allowed to play on here as a rule. This was a fluke, and she was closely supervised. The treadmill could not have come on, as there were multiple safety features and careful adults. She's not allowed near it for the most part).

All's Well on the Southern Front

I have wonderful news! At least, to me it is wonderful. I had the latest heart procedure, and the doctor said he had good news with a capital G and bad news with a little b. The good news is that I do not need a bypass after all! The stents are finally working properly, so the major arteries are clear. The bad news is that the littler arteries are blocked and that is what is causing the pain - but it won't cause a heart attack. So I am healing from the procedure and beginning to build back my strength. I am very grateful to all my dear friends who have prayed for me. Our God is gracious!

Here We Go Again... sort of

To my dear blogging friends,

Apparently this 3rd heart stent is not working either. I am on (more) medicine to stabilize the angina, and scheduled for another heart cath in a little over a week. At that time, a surgeon will be standing by, and bypass is extremely likely. They say I may be a candidate for some kind of bypass surgery that does not require "cracking my chest open," and I am somewhat hopeful that will be the case. But I am content to leave it in God's capable Hands. I say with Paul, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." (Philippians 4:11)
I rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whom I serve.
I'll visit your blogs when I can!

Be Still, My Foolish Heart

My apologies for my absence recently. Unfortunately, I have a really good excuse. I began having chest pains again and on Labor Day found myself once again in an ambulance on my way to the Emergency Room. Another week in the hospital, another round of tests, including for pulmonary blood clots, another heart catheterization and once again, my heart was blocked in the same spot - so another stent; the third in the same place in six months.

Evidently my heart does not like metal stents very much. A bypass is looming, but hopefully (prayerfully) this stent will be the solution. The first time, I thought, "Whew, dodged a bullet! But now I'm fixed and all's well that end's well." Except it wasn't ended, after all. A few short months later I was back in getting a different kind of stent inside the first one. But the first one was a bare metal stent, and there was a 20% chance of restenosis - my heart had quickly formed extreme scar tissue - so they put in a drug-eluting stent. Only 5% chance of this one ever reblocking. But two months later, it did.

So now I "get it." I have an ongoing problem and they can't just fix it. They did tell me, however, that it was not my fault and that helped some. I have been doing everything I am supposed to. I actually crave vegetables now. Never saw that coming. I fix salads with spinach, radishes, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red cabbage, green cabbage, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, precisely 3 olives and sometimes a bit of chicken. That's probably more veggies in one salad than I used to eat in a year! And I like it. Very much. I don't even think of unhealthy foods as "real" food anymore. I've lost 30 pounds so far.

The exercise is a bit trickier, because every time this happens it sets me back to square one. I had just gotten to where I could exercise 30 minutes daily again. Now they tell me that in a few weeks, I can set the timer for 5 minutes and walk around inside my house, as long as I don't hurt and my heart rate doesn't go too high. Once I can tolerate that, I can add one minute every other day. I thought this was a major over reaction, so I tried it after one week. Turns out they were quite serious. I had chest pain for 3 days afterwards.

The medicines aren't much fun either. The slow release nitro pills gave me an excruciating headache for hours every day. But when I quit taking them I had chest pain. So I'm back on them. I chose headaches over chest pain, but this time the headaches aren't nearly so bad, so maybe I've adjusted, hallelujah!

All of this heart nonsense makes me think of my mortality. As a Christian, God has blessed me with peace, contentment and joy in this life. I love my life! But I have eternal life as well. This life is just the journey. Heaven is the destination, and the reward. I mean, really, even if you are having a great time on the ride, you still aren't sorry to arrive at Disney World, right? I am loving the journey, and I am looking forward to the destination. May God help me bloom where I'm planted, and glorify Him in whatever circumstances I find myself.