snowangel~

My sister sent me some pictures of their Christmas.  They had snow in Texas and her husband Mike was having fun!  I couldn't resist putting a page together for him.

Mike ~ the Snow Angel 2009

bum ticker~

 I have CHF ... Congestive Heart Failure

This drawing is my latest 'road map' of my problem areas.  Yeppers... 10 places ~ and those are just the ones that are in the major arteries that the doctor drew out.  Where it shows the stents; that's where I had blockages of over 90% already repaired 3 years ago.  All this other blockage is since then.  Oh if it could be so simple as sending the roto router man in and flushing the pipes.  Nothing can be done to repair this mess until it's over 70% blockage; so right now I'm literally like a walking time bomb.  My blockage  can change 'in a heart beat'.



It's a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to the rest of the body like it should.  In some people with CHF the heart can’t fill with enough blood. With others, the heart can’t send enough blood to the rest of the body with enough force. Oh lucky #7 (that's me) ... I have both problems.
 

Here's a list of some of my symptoms of CHF:

    * a dry hacky cough
    * can't concentrate and don't feel very alert ~ sometimes it's just a chore to think
    * feel like I have to pee and don't
    * I want to sleep; but can't
    * I feel so weak and tired
    * sometimes my heart feels like it's right up in my throat
    * I'm hungry; but just can't eat
    * nausea; you feel like 'if I could just puke' it would all go away; kinda like a bad hangover
    * my head aches; neck aches; body aches, arms hurt, legs hurt
    * sure... now I feel like sleeping; but now I have to get up every 10 minutes to pee; but don't
    * I'm short of breath all the time whether I do something or not
    * did I mention moody?
    * my abdomen swells up like I'm 20 months pregnant like a big ol' elephant
    * my legs and feet swell ... my skin feels like it's going to crack
    * I can gain or lose 15 pounds of weight in a 2 days!

This is what happens as the  heart's pumping action is lost, blood may back up into other areas of the body, including the:

    * Gastrointestinal tract, arms, and legs (right-sided heart failure)
    * Liver
    * Lungs (left-sided heart failure)

Most areas of the body can be affected when both sides of the heart fails.

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So y'all... (notice... I'm practicing my southern talk ... lol)

If I start getting goofier than normal ... accept it ... we'll just call it my new normal.  I guess the brain doesn't like it when the heart doesn't give it enough oxygen.  Go figure.


With all those  blockages ... am I running half full or half empty?  That is the question?

Okay... enough of this wallowing in self pity.

image from the internet

Until next time....
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

pause and reflect~

I know it's been awhile since my last post ...

I'm not giving up ... or giving in ...

I'm just tired ... and needed some time.

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My hospital stay this time around really knocked the wind out of my sails.  I've been home now for 3 days and I still can't get with the program.  I feel so weak. 

It's so frustrating ...  just a few weeks ago I was singing the praises of feeling so good.  Now I'm so pooped out ... I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't think.  I feel like a walking time bomb. 

I feel so bad for my hubby and kids and the rest of my family ...

They want me to feel better ...

I want to feel better ...

but all I feel like doing right now is crying.

I don't want to be on this pity wagon; but I can't seem to jump off of it right now. 

I talked with the doctor about it ...

and I know it's just part of the stages I'll go through.

Well ...

This blog is my therapy ... and my readers my therapist.

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CHF SUCKS!

~~~

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel