Part One Cardiac Rehab The Evaluation For whatever reason, I sat in my car, at my house, in tears before leaving. Not even able to logically grasp these outlandish feelings I was experiencing, I grew increasingly furious with myself. I couldn’t believe this was happening. But it was. Here I sat, terrified to drive. Seriously?? What was wrong with me?! True, it was only day two of driving, that is, if you counted day one as the short drive to…
It was determined that it would be best for me to make a trip to the hospital. I wasn’t necessarily thrilled about this, but I wasn’t necessarily against it either. I was actually scared “Poopless.” My heart rate was low and blood pressure was fluctuating. I certainly wasn’t gonna put up a fight… In the midst of this decision-making, one of the EMS workers took my seventeen-year-old- blind and deaf terrier outside to pee, while another helped me upstairs to…
Once I awoke from surgery and knew I had, in fact survived, I had it all planned out. My Recovery Agenda. I would continue to ‘blog’ the whole open heart surgery thing that I had started, making jokes along the way of all the little details, but once the magic “Six-to-Eight Weeks Recovery Period” came around, (I would choose the “six weeks”) all would ultimately transform back to normal. Or actually, BETTER than normal. I remember how my cardiologist in…
Ahh! The cozy compounds of my house!! It was great!!! I was so glad to see my son, my daughter, my grandkiddies and pets again!! I think my big orange tabby must have missed me the most though, over two months later and he still won’t let me out of his sight! (I say this as he lays in my lap while I type…) Home was a fan-tabulous place to be!! But, being home didn’t mean all was back to normal…
I’ve been asked by friends on several different occasions to accompany them to events when they needed a last-minute escort. One time it was wedding. Wedding=food+cake. “Sure, I’ll go.” Another time, many moons ago, it was a blind date. Blind date=food+entertainment (for me anyway). “Sure, I’ll go.” If my bosom buddies happen to find themselves in a pickle needing a last-minute companion, if I’m asked, I’ll most likely go. The following was a particularly unusual circumstance… A friend called me…
It’s the morning of surgery, and our scene opens early in room 619 of the Tudor Arms Hotel. Our protagonist watches as the numbers on the digital alarm clock take their time to slowly change, making 10 a.m. seem unattainable… NOT! Stripped of all my narcissistic dignity, (no makeup, no nails, no toe nail polish, not even a stud of jewelry!) I decided to put what little effort I was allowed into, my hair. Curling it and throwing it up…
I made it through Open Heart Surgery!!! Thank- You- Jesus!!!!! I couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that the very skilled hands of an amazing surgeon who has mended the hearts of celebrity actors, professional athletes, and dignitary lawyers, (malpractice ones, at that) would also use those very same hands to mend the, Not-so-notable heart of, Me, Valerie Archual. This was, undoubtably, a “God-thing” that this man, of mitral valve expertise, would cross my broken heart path! I…
“The waiting is the hardest part Every day you see one more card You take it on faith, you take it to the heart The waiting is the hardest part…” ~Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers From the album, Hard Promises 1981 Let’s hope it’s the hardest part! So far, it has been the most grueling! The waiting will kill ya, won’t it? It can drive you in-T-total-sane! I attempted to take on this whole heart surgery thing as if…
I wrote a story when I was about eight years old that, unknowingly to me, my mom had saved for decades. She had given it to my husband shortly before she passed away. I didn’t find out about this until she had been gone a couple of years and my husband actually came across where he had hidden it. I had totally forgotten about the story until he presented it to me, and then it all came rushing back! It…
Have you ever had that morning where the alarm clock rang, you woke up and before your feet hit the floor you knew exactly what the day had in-store? You knew because, after all, you had planned it out-mentally- right down to the hour of the setting sun. And then, when that day was over, and the sun finally did set, that twenty-four-hour period that you so meticulously planned out, took somewhat of a detour… That’s what happened on Friday,…