Life Update Part 1

 

I will start off by giving you links to Part 1 and Part 2 of my Life Updates:

Life Update Part 1

Life Update Part 2 (see August 20th post first)...Warning...very long post!

My next to last paragraph of Update part 2: I am healing well and getting stronger every day. I am going to stop here and will be back very soon with some thoughts and concerns that I hope you can help with. 

Two weeks later after I posted that I decided it was time for me to try and get back in the "normal" swing of things and I tried to cook dinner on a Friday evening. Well, I ended up passing out (thank goodness I had the forethought to sit down on our dining room table's bench)...I called hubby over and he came and stood in front of me asking some questions and I just passed out into his arms. He laid me on the kitchen floor...I came to right away; he called an ambulance and I ended up spending the night in the hospital. More tests...a diagnosis of an irregular heartbeat and a recommendation to follow up with my regular cardiologist.

Once seen at the cardiologist's office I needed more tests and a heart monitor for a week....then another visit for results. Dr. Walsh gave me the absolute best Christmas present ever when he said the test came back showing all was fine. I still have an irregular heartbeat but it is not too concerning at this point. 

I was given the go-ahead to begin Cardiac Rehab. He said that would be the best thing for me.

I still have days where I am extremely tired, and not sleeping well at night I am sure adds to that. But, I am plugging along healing well, and doing the best I can do to resume normal activities. 

So, here I sit typing this a few hours before all my wonderful grandchildren come over for our Cousin Crew party, extremely thankful and grateful to so many people for keeping me in their prayers, family for putting their lives on hold, doctors for helping to keep me alive and our wonderful Savior for deciding it was not time to take me home yet. 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and wonderful celebrations with your family. Hold them a little extra tighter this year!

Life Update Part 2 (see August 20th post first)...Warning...very long post!

 

If you haven't please read the post from August 20th first.

I wanted to give everyone an update on all of my medical concerns....first of all I want to let my followers and subscribers know that I was vague in the past and I didn't mean to be but wasn't sure if I wanted to just spill it all...Well, I hope you are up for a long story. I am going to begin with some honest feelings and concerns I have. Please, if you have any advice please let me know.

As stated in my previous post some medical concerns popped up when I went to the Doctor for a regular checkup. I was diagnosed with Carotid Stenosis and after some further tests it was determined that I needed to see a neurosurgeon. 

However, in the meantime my Doctor wanted me to take a stress test and well....I failed that test. So the next step was a heart Cath which revealed a major heart blockage! I was petrified! 

I was admitted to the hospital and floods of various doctors started flowing into my hospital room...each one having to be told the reason I was there and my previous diagnosis...do they not stop to read your chart to determine what is going on with you before talking to you? We were getting very worried and very concerned quickly. 

The concern was raised that since I was referred to a neurosurgeon and there was not one in our hospital or county that shouldn't I be at a hospital where we could consult with one. So the process began to transfer me to a different hospital. 

I took a long, lonely freezing cold (I felt like I was riding in a refrigerator) ride in an ambulance to Largo Hospital in Largo, FL. Thank goodness for my wonderful daughter following the ambulance at midnight all the way there. 

So, began the long process of gathering all the information, more medical tests, meeting new doctors (at least everyone here seemed to all be on the same page) and waiting....yes more waiting. After 6 very long days it was determined to monitor the Carotid Stenosis for now because that was not emergent, but the major heart blockage was going to take at least a double bypass.

I am sure you can imagine what that 6 days (actually 8 if you count the heart Cath day and the next I was in the other hospital) was like....VERY EMOTIONAL....like I though I could possibly die! 

So on Tuesday September 20th I had double bypass surgery. I would not wish this surgery on ANYONE! Although I am so grateful to be alive and for all the doctors that coordinated my care it was and continues to be a pretty tough road to go down. 

I am healing well and getting stronger everyday. I am going to stop here and will be back very soon with some thoughts and concerns that I hope you can help with. 

Thanks so much for all your support, the cards and care that have come my way while I have been down and unable to craft or communicate really. 

Life Update

 

Hi everyone, just wanted to stop in and give an update on things going on with me! I also do have some cards to share as well.

The first quarter of my year went fantastic...I was moving along great keeping up with things and then boom...I felt like I ran into a brick wall! I am staying on top of things that I totally enjoy so. that is a good thing. However, some things that I do enjoy have just had to fall by the wayside. Very unfortunate because I did not want my year to be like this!

So, what has fallen by the wayside is the weekly blog series I was doing...so my blog is used for randomness! LOL! The other thing that has had to take a back seat, for now, is my decorative planning and planning videos...I was so gungho with that at the beginning of the year but I found myself falling further and further behind so I just had to give it up for now. 

I bet you are wondering what in the world could be going on that would prevent me from all of these great things I want to do. In April I found out I have some medical things going on...nothing hugely serious but serious enough that it has taken up a lot of my time with Doctor appointments and well some worry on my part.

It is not all over yet...still dealing with it but if you are the kind of person that lifts others up in prayer I sure could use some.

Now onto some better things...yesterday (Friday, August 19) and today (Saturday, August 20) I spent some time in my craft room cleaning and pulling some things out of my stash that were screaming to get used up....they had been hanging around for way too long! 

I created 26 cards...21 are completely finished...5 of them are to be finished another day...I didn't have appropriate focal images for those 5. Hope you enjoy the cards and thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!

It's Been A Long Road...a life update

 

I want to share a story with you today...a true one and a continuing one. I have often been in my life an oversharer and today is no exception to that. I want to share about a journey I recently decided to go on.

It began in December of 2020..I decided it was time to take my life back...to give some background...I had a second knee operation in October of 2016 and let's just say it did not go as well as the first one...it was always painful, rehab didn't go well, and it just plain hurt to walk. I also ran a business that had me sedentary and so I just settled into that way of life. I also was experiencing panic attacks and depression so I of course turned to my physician for some assistance. I was prescribed medication and things improved, but not my overall health. I was still sedentary and did not have a ton of energy. Well, in December of 2020 I closed the business and decided to truly retire...(I had retired in 2012 from teaching, only to open a business a year later). I also decided it was time to take back my healthy lifestyle I had prior to the knee surgery. 

I began by taking myself off all medications...now I also have hypothyroidism which caused my Doctor great alarm when I finally got around to going, oh in April of 2021. You see it took that many months to detox (if that is a good way to put it) from the constant stress of owning a business. So, when I went to see her in April I informed her I wanted to heal my hypothyroidism and get healthy again with exercise and diet. 

Reluctantly, she agreed and approved of me going to see a holistic physician (one who specialized in thyroid issues) and a nutritionist. So off I went...it took a while to get those appointments so I began the best I could on my own  changing my diet...and from April 13th-June 29th I lost 15.5lbs! 

First progress photo taken on May 24th

I saw the holistic physician on June 29th and the nutritionist on June 30th...together they agreed a Paleo Diet was what was best to begin the healing process. I can tell you it has not been a very easy road, thus the reason my crafting and YouTube channel suffered. Because I tell you this diet and adjusting to it took a toll on  my emotions and just was plain not easy. 

On June 28th hubby and I decided to join a gym and have been very diligent about going 5 days a week. I began with training sessions with a fitness instructor and I can say that  is one of the  best things I have ever done for health and well-being outside of deciding to take my life back. He pushed me to always do my best and when it got harder he said keep going, You can do it!  I am taking water aerobics classes and go to those 5 days a week in addition to treadmill and strength training I am getting stronger and more fit each day.

Adjustment to the change in diet has become much easier. I am sticking to it 6 days a week and have 1 day I can  eat outside of my diet but yet still within reason and continuing to eat healthy. I am so thankful for these persons that came into my life to help during such a difficult time adjusting. I am also very thankful to my support corner, my best friend Kimberly and my husband!

So as I continue on with this challenging new way of eating I will press on and continue to improve in both body, mind, and spirit! My YouTube channel is getting back to normal as of this month so I hope you can join me over there and gain some inspiration from my crafting!

Second progress photo: taken August 19

And as of Today September 7th I have lost a total of 31.6lbs since I began this journey in April 2021!

Update on My Life

Thought I would pop in today and give a quick update on what has been going on in my life lately. I am happily retired from teaching. Loving my life...running my business Scrapping for Less! I spend time running the business, creating, and helping my daughter get through nursing school by picking up the slack with getting kids to and from school, appointments, and if they are sick.  All 3 of those happened to collide together...oldest ortho appt, middle one sick, and picking up youngest from school. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I have gotten into recently designing for our company and realize I absolutely love it...ephemera, paper pads, and stamps....and oh how I love my scripty fonts and being able to decide which to use on the various sentiments I choose.

So, my advise to you today...if you are not living your dream, why not? What tiny little steps can you take towards making your dream a realization? I never thought I would be living mine, but here I am loving and enjoying life and a dream come true!