ECHO Me Life

Today I had my annual ultrasound of my heart, aka ECHO. I'm sure when my cardiologist reads the results, it will show I am not exercising as I once was. My heart doc once told me how the ECHO gives away your not being obedient ways.

I lie there today as a tech, born in 1986, and a male, gel'd me up. He asked me if I was OK with him doing the procedure. Yea. I got over any any pride years ago when I was in the hospital. After surgery, I was so weak. I needed a new bra for support due to my incision. I also wore a heart monitor and I didn't have the strength and know-how to mess with the heart monitor wires. The male nurse said, "I can get a female nurse, if you want." I told him, I needed help and I was no longer proud. I told that story to the kid who was born in 1986 and was my tech today. Anyway, I had on my paper smock, open in the front, no bra. The tech, who looked about 14, gave me a gigantic paper towel to cover myself even more. What I needed was a blanket...FREEZING. The tech, said I was the 'coolest' person he'd had all day.

Good.

I will have ECHO's until the end of my life. I have done them since 2006. I had a life before my open heart surgery to replace my mitral valve. I do remember it. Before the daily meds, which includes Coumadin, where I have to check if my blood is too thin or too thick. The check is called my INR. My blood range must be between 2.5 and 3.5. I have my own little machine I can check my blood all by my lonesome. Vitamin K affects Coumadin. Who knew? I sure did not prior to 2006. I had a life before all of this. Before I had symptoms of a stroke which affected my speech and I wondered if I would ever be 'normal' again. After all this time, I sometimes have really short term memory issues--yet, I can tell you what happen what I did 45 years ago--well, maybe. :)

I did have a have a life before ECHOs and all this other stuff. Before it all became a major role my continue to have a life. I do smile at the memory of my past life and grateful I am able to smile about the future life I intend to have.

ECHO heard is from me as I shout from the mountain top I know where my strength does come from.

Wednesday With Coumadin

Yep, I take the stuff. Have been since March 2006. Do I want to? If I had my choice-

Of course NOT!

Today I had a POKE--which is what I call my Protime/INR test. Basically a drop of blood is put on strip and run thru this little machine. Pretty like the one folks use to check their sugar. I get these POKE's at the most twice a month, usually just once. My blood range needs to be between 2.5 and 3.5--not too thin, not too thick--to prevent clots around my mechanical mitral valve.

So I sit, waiting for my name to be called. Once again, I realize I'm one of the three youngest people in the lobby. I sit by another POKE person. We both get involved with a cooking show on the Food Network--then I strike up a chat, because red peppers are being used.

OK, this other POKE person began to complain how Coumadin was rat poison (yes, it was used for rat poison once upon a time--I think in China or somewhere), how it's the bane of her existence, and how she takes more than me--then I tried to explain how Vitamin K affects Coumadin (I won't bore you with how--unless you ask) and she looked at me like was I was nuts. Then she made a comment about our President--and he was nowhere, nor was he on the cooking show we watched--then she went on to start cussing-and I tried to be calm and thought, "Well, there are a dozen doctors here if I punch her..." Then they called my name.

The young lady, Holly, who administered my POKE, says that lady is not very nice. And when Holly told me she saw my name, she came to get me, eventho the other POKE was before me. Holly says the lady has had to be restrained because she spewed racist comments about Hispanics and just got loud. None of the girls like her. Holly says she knows she made the other girls mad by taking me first--but oh well.

After all that, I was in my range. I don't get POKED again for another month. The only side effect I've really had because of the Coumadin, is fatigue--and if I'm real tired, I get a little loopy. Yet, that's usually at night--like now--and I just rest. I've learned to listen to my body.

Speaking of listening to my body: did I tell you if it's quiet and you're close enough to me--you can hear me tick? It's the opening and closing of my mechanical valve.

Coumadin may have been used to kills rats, yet its little orange pills (and this orange kitty) keep me tickin'..literally.

..and I like it like that.

Heart and Humidity.

Since my little open-heart surgery adventure, back in March '06, I've learned to listen more to my body. My body's reactions, I usta pretty much ignore. Learned how to adjust, unless the culprit is humidity when the heat is high. Like today.

Summer tries to slap us upside the head, just a few more times, until October comes round the bend. This morning, when I left for work at 7:30, the temp was already 80 degrees F and the humidity was 88 %. Muggy with a capital UGG.

I felt it. Bad. It doesn't happen that often, yet when it does, I do panic. Smacks me upside the head. I wonder if my breath will be short. Will I pass out? I didn't have to walk far from the parking lot to my job, once I arrived. I'm glad because I felt it all the way. Don't like that feeling.

Yea, my scar itches sometimes, however it's the high humidity like today, when I'm reminded I did get my chest cracked open and a machine pumped blood and oxygen into me to keep me alive while surgeons worked on me. Oh, and and for my mitral valve replacement surgery, they had to readjust my heart so they could go behind it and inside my heart to fix me. Adventure, indeed.

So this morning I recalled it all. Now when I left work today, the temp was up in the 90's, heat index over 100, yet the humidity is at 52%. Not as hard as this morning's smack upside the head, just a little thump.

You realize how far you've come and with a wave from Mother Nature, you realize how fragile you really are. So you seek a remedy:

Trust me.
It works.