Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Why I've Been MIA

Hello Friends! I've been missing in action. And, I teased you all for four days with new Power Poppy digis and I promised a spectacular reveal on November 25th and then Friday came round and you got NOTHING from me. Not one word. Here's why...




On Wednesday, November 23, Thanksgiving Eve. I had a heart attack. 

I hadn't been feeling well for a few weeks. I couldn't put my finger on it but, I knew something was wrong. I'd had a few really stressful weeks and then that Monday, the 21st, I received a lot of stressful news. In addition, I had deadlines to meet and I was putting together Thanksgiving dinner and trying to coordinate guest lodging and so on and so on.

Around 1:00pm, I started having a bit of discomfort in my chest. But, I brushed it off as strain, maybe gas and I kept on pushing myself. I took a tea break and relaxed for a bit but, I was starting to feel more pressure. By dinnertime around 6:00pm, I knew that I was not going to be able to finish many of the things I was planning to accomplish that day. My husband came home around 7ish and I told him that I was not feeling well, described what I was experiencing and he suggested that we go to Urgent Care. I told him that I was going to take some Gas-X, grab a quick shower and then go to bed. After I walked up the stairs, I knew I had a problem and I knew urgent care was not going to be able to help me. I asked my daughter to get me some baby aspirins, I took a shower and we left for the ER.

Once I got there, the pain was UNBEARABLE. On a scale of 0 to 10, I was at 12. And, I have such a high pain tolerance, too. But this pain?! Oh my word, worse than childbirth! And let me just say here, I had a 10 pound baby naturally, with NO meds! But, the chest pains, I had no relief and they just kept coming, stronger and stronger. I was given three rounds of Nitroglycerin. It didn't touch the pain. Finally, I was given Morphine and the pain was diminished but did not subside. We live in a small town, with a great local hospital but they were not equipped to handle what I was going through so, I was transported by ambulance to a larger hospital with an award winning cardic care unit. Once I got there...things started happening! Good things. I went through a lot of testing and it was determined that I should have an angiogram on Friday because everything was shut down for the holiday.

I was having a good day on Thursday. Thanksgiving. I even ordered a turkey entree for my dinner. And the food was very tasty.



But, late Thursday night, I had another episode. Unbearable pain. Nitroglycerin and finally morphine. And I was able to sleep. I was concerned at that point that maybe the angiogram would turn into bypass surgery because the Dr had explained to me that depending on what they found during the angiogram, bypass surgery could occur.

I was up early on Friday. Ready to get 'er done! A really fun group of nurses, all male, came to get me and in we went to see what was going on. The procedure revealed two block arteries...One 85%, the other 95% so I had two stents put in. NO BYPASS SURGERY! Yaaaay!! After a little nap, I ordered my dinner and I was feeling mighty fine!


More rest, more tests. Another night in the hospital. Then, after a little bout with low blood pressure, I was FINALLY able to go home!

So, here I am! LoL! I feel GREAT! I am resting and letting my body heal. I am very thankful and grateful for those of you who were praying for me and sending me good vibes. I am sharing this experience with you all because this came as a complete shock to us. I attribute my high stress level to my cardiac incident. But, the blockages were definitely a shock because, I eat fairly clean. I have a loooooong list of  No's...no dairy, no bread, no corn, no grains, no eggs, etc. I am more vegetarian than meat eater, preferring chicken, turkey and fish. I drink water alllll day. I have very little caffeine or alcohol. I had a checkup earlier this year and my vital numbers came back favorable...no high cholesterol or triglycerides. I am not diabetic and I've recently removed 16 more pounds from my body. And yet, this beast attacked me. There are a few more lifestyle changes to be made, for sure because I have a very demanding sweet tooth and I absolutely ADORE french fries! Hi Cyndi! :)

So, here's what I want to impart to you today...

 1.  eat clean
 2.  stay hydrated
 3.  move your body
 4.  manage your stress
 5.  listen to your instincts
 6.  forgive others and yourself
 7.  share kindness
 8.  love big
 9.  laugh daily
10. do what you love

I will be resting and enjoying my favorite time of the year with my family. I'll be popping in every now and then and I still have some Power Poppy cards to share. I may have that post ready to go for Thursday or Friday.

Thank you for stopping by today. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

 Blessings~


11 comments:

Renee Walton | Comfy. Casual. Styled. said...

Wow! You are so amazing! You really kept your cool during a very frightening event. I'm so glad that you are doing well.

Patti Willey said...

Oh my goodness I have tears of joy that many people were around you for help! I probably would have stopped for a shower too isn't that something! Go figure your diet is so clean and healthy what a surprise these blockages occurred. Well it looks like you were spoiled rotten in the hospital and your dinners look Five Star! I'm so thankful you're home, take it easy and you're right about stress..it's a killer. Nameste

Patti J said...

You must have been so frightened... will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Hope you continue to rest, and feel bette. Hugs...!

Jeanne said...

You are truly amazing, Barb! My respect for you has increased dramatically. What an ordeal you've been through. I am SO very happy you are back and home and resting. I hope you will be stronger than ever in the near future. Thank you for sharing what has been a super scary incident or two. You've helped a lot of people by doing so. Big hugs to you! :)

Sharli Schaitberger said...

OH Barb! I am so very thankful that you got help in time! Please rest and take care of yourself. I know you feel great (my husband has several stents!) but don't over-do things. Think of your loved ones and how much they would miss you! Me too. Hugs.

ednamburgess said...

Oh my gosh, what you've gone through. Not a fun time but so glad it all worked out well. Don't worry about cards, decorating or anything else. Just take care of yourself. Prayers. Edna B.

canadian_liner said...

Barbara,
Thank you for sharing your experience and I'm so glad you are BACK in action (BIA). Continue to rest and recover.
Your description of continuing to push yourself as you felt unwell is such a common thing we women do! I appreciate your story and I hope we can all take your advice.
Happy Thanksgiving, indeed!
Caroline in Canada

Sheila H said...

Hi, Barb! I've sent you an e-mail

Jenny Colacicco said...

So glad youre healing. My mum died of a heart attack 2 years ago, very suddenly in her sleep. She'd complained of heart burn the day before and was quite sleepy. With women heart attacks are much more insidious - they can come on slowly as you described and can be attributed to bad gas pains or heart burn. After ignoring such signs it can be too late as it was for my mum. I'm glad to see you raising awareness through sharing your experience - do not ignore the signs and get checked out early !

Papercrafting Princess said...

Thank God you listened to your body and went to Urgent Care. Sure appreciate your list of 10!!!! Miracles and Blessings...

Anonymous said...

Just came across your cards and saw this message about your health. Glad you are doing better. I'm a physician and just want to say...Please don't wait so long before you seek care if this should ever happen again. Your life could have been at risk and you were ignoring it.
God bless you