So it was a bit of a wild ride... I was expecting things to go smoothly. I've really gotta be better at managing my expectations.
I went in for the transesophageal echo on Monday. I've had those before, so no big deal, right? Well. The doc comes in afterwards and says, "How have you been managing with the heart inefficiency?"
Huh? "Your heart is functioning at 30% capacity." Well, before y'all get all flusterpated, the average person with a healthy heart has a functional capacity of 50-60%, so there's that. I'm apparently not functioning at full capacity (which some people I know would agree with...) and I had no idea.
"I have no idea - I didn't realize." Well, the doc says, we have to find out if there's a blockage. And then, if we need to toss in a stent or two, we can do that. Or, the worst case scenario: open heart surgery and bypass. Okey-dokey.
To figure all that out, I needed an angiogram, which they wanted to do right then and there. But they couldn't. I'm allergic to the contrast dye. Like, "I stop breathing" allergic. So they had to send me home, with a protocol to prevent anaphylaxis, and I was to come back at 6 a.m., have the angiogram then -- and if everything was peachy, or if they had to do a stent or two, then they'd proceed to the PVI. Otherwise, we'd go to Plan B... Which I was hoping would never happen.
The protocol was a bit of a farce; the pharmacy screwed up (luckily, I've done it a couple times before so I knew what to expect: 3 Bendaryl and 9 prednisone). I take 1 Benadryl and 3 prednisone 13 hours before, again at 7 hours before, and bring the last dose to take an hour before the angiogram. Except the pharmacy gave me ONE Benadryl, which was marked, "Take 1 at 6 a.m. for insomnia." What? And 12 prednisone. Yeesh...
So I told the doctor when I got there; he was none too pleased, and they dosed me up with IV meds to make it work. I had the angiogram and they said, "You won't be aware of a thing."
Ok, well. I'm there on this table, wrapped like a burrito because it's freakin cold in there, surrounded by machinery and very nice techs. I glance over at a big screen to my left, and I think, "Oh, wow. It's a heart. Isn't that cool?" I look at it a little more till this gigantic lightbulb goes off in my head, "Oh. My. God. THAT'S MY HEART!"
Whammo. I know nothing till I'm back in the recovery room. Apparently, I wasn't supposed to be THAT awake. So, no clogs, no blockages, everything ok, and the PVI went well.
I was in the recovery area when a nurse came in and said, "Well, we're going to let you go home." What? That wasn't the plan. I was to spend the night for observation. I had two puncture wounds right in the creases of my hips, 2 IV lines, and a puncture in my right wrist. And I've been given blood thinners. I have pressure bandages on the parts that didn't have an IV in them.
The nurse walks out and says basically that, and I get the OK to stay overnight. Apparently, they're overrun with Covid patients (a/k/a "Covidiots") and they're getting pressure to cycle people out. Well, not me, thanks. I've been on this ride before. I guess it's true that you have to be your own advocate. So speak up... Don't let them railroad you into something that's not safe for you.
As far as I'm concerned, if the only reason you haven't gotten a vaccine yet is because Fox News told you not to? Then you can stay home when you contract Covid. I'm done. My empathy bucket is empty. There really is no reason to deny science, and no - I'm not posting a bunch of links. Here's the information on how and why "the vaccine was developed so fast" -- because IT WAS ALREADY IN THE WORKS... Either you're going to believe it or you'll believe nothing that I post. And that's normally your right till your rights infringe on everyone else's.
Anyway, the guy next to me heard that whole conversation, and he said, "I'm a widower; I can't go home now, because I have nobody else at home." He had had a PVI as well. What was funny was that some woman bustles in to my hospital room and tries to explain that "your insurance won't pay for this observation stay, you know," and then hands me a Medicare form. I try, in vain, to tell her I'm not on Medicare (anyone over 60 -- assume much???) but she's not having it. I must sign this form. Okey-dokey... I sign the form. Good luck finding me on Medicare because I'm not there yet.
I got home the next day, rested, and all the puncture wounds are healing. I have another week till I can practice yoga, so I'm just giving it till after Christmas. Back to the office this week, and things will be back to normal. So far, thankfully, my heart has remained in sinus rhythm. They believe they've fixed the problem and I should have no further issues, God willing.
The Knitting...
So as I was sitting here resting, I whacked out 2 cowls, and I figured I'd start to finish some
socks. I had them on the needles and while I couldn't exactly find the pattern, I figured out what I was doing, and I'll just do my normal "Doris Heel," and take the pattern down the leg. Maybe it'll go over the instep; not sure yet. It's a large ribbing pattern, and it's kind of fiddly, but it looks good with the yarn. The yarn is Lorna's Laces, and I don't remember the colorway. I think it might be St. Charles, but can't swear to it. I'll have to find the original project bag - good luck with that right now.
Because I had some technical difficulties with my pictures and Blogger, I will have to get you pics of the cowls later. And hopefully, next time, I'll have more sock progress to show you.
My goal this year was to finish all the mates to the singletons. Well, I think that since this one had at least the cuff started, it counts as a "thing to finish." I've also been re-reading the Yarn Harlot books. She's been my inspiration to finish this stuff up. That, and the fact that I need to make some room in my office to make it more conducive to yoga for right now. And I'd like to get nearer to my sewing machine than I am currently able to.
Not that the room is a mess. But it's ... shall we say, charmingly chaotic. And I need less chaos and more charm right at the moment.
The Christmas...
Hubby went down into The Pit of Despair basement and found some decorations we haven't seen in lo these many years. A bunch of snowfolk. About 90% of them are salt & pepper shakers that I honestly can't tell you when they came to live with us. There are 13 salt/pepper shakers (not sure how they're odd-numbered), 1 doorstop (the guy in the back there, holding the wreath), one glass one from a glassblower friend (out front, as the "soloist"), one candle (the one with the shovel) and the "choir director" on the right, the tall one with the cut-out tummy. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if #14 was in another box somewhere. Instead of the Advent Wreath that normally goes on the shelf under the TV, he and I put together a Snow Choir... We have a small Holy Family on the table by the picture window, my Granny's ceramic tree on the dining room table, and a bunch of Christmas trees on the old sewing machine, with a basket where all our Xmas cards are (for which hubby is grateful, since I usually tape them to the inside of the front door and that drives him nuts).
The plan is to spend 2021 going through stuff, more of the "Swedish Death Cleaning" thing; getting rid of things we don't use, calling the kids to take what's theirs. Reshuffling the holiday stuff so that we use what we have, rather than finding the "newest thing" in the store, only to put it in a box and forget about it for succeeding years.
Most of the packages are wrapped. The kids basically said, "Please cut down on Xmas gifts, thanks." So we did.
The Cookie List got a bit a lot smaller. I'm not quite sure why, but we really decided to trim this year. We're going to my mom's and since the heart procedure(s), I have been ordered to "sit your butt down and knit." Oh, I can do that! My brother is ordering from the local chicken place, we did do potica the weekend before my hospitalization, so we're all good there. My one niece is bringing the baked beans; just really simple stuff. Chicken, biscuits, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans and cookies. My mom wanted super simple and this is about as simple as it could get.
The list included:
- Crescent Cookies (a/k/a The World's Fiddliest Cookie)
- M & M Cookies
- Snow on the Mountain (chocolate crinkles?)
- Lemon/Cherry Cookies
- Coconut Macaroon Kisses (like peanut butter only not)
- Jewish Honey Cookies
I made single batches of everything, except I did double the crescents. It was kind of weird not to have at least 6 more cookies on that list.
I read about how many folks are "Extra-ing" this Christmas, but I'm really not there yet. It's still too Covid-y out there. There are still issues where we don't feel comfortable in larger gatherings.
Maybe next year.
Random Picture...
I've also co-authored "The Ultimate Guide to Self-Healing, Volume 3" and "Wholehearted Wonder Women 50+" -- and I have signed copies available for those in the US. If you want one, drop a comment here, and let's arrange it. The books are $22.00 and I'll either sign it or inscribe it to someone in particular and ship it to you. Postage (US only) is on me. I can take PayPal. My other contact information is below.
These books are written by real people who are experts in their fields. The stories are varied - some make you laugh. Some make you cry. Some are so vulnerable you'll need tissues. And each author gives you some sort of tool,whether it's an exercise, a breathing practice, or visualization -- and there are a lot of tools. The Ultimate Guide books are generally 25 chapters. "Wonder Women" is 22 chapters.
What I love about the books is that you CAN read them cover-to-cover. Or you can do what I do: scan the table of contents and see what leaps out at you. Read that chapter or those chapters first. Then make your way through the rest of the book.
You'll find some things that absolutely resonate. And you'll find stuff you can't use. But there are nuggets in each book. I always learn something new, whether I'm editing other authors, or writing in an edition myself.
All of these books are Amazon best-sellers; so go there and purchase if you prefer. Check out all the Brave Healer books; there's bound to be something you'll want to read.
Want yoga but there's no studio near you? Want to practice but don't want to do group classes? We can help.
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