The Gift

This morning the wind has left several gifts in our backyard, although nothing that the wind has given us is worth keeping much less re-gifting.  We are happy that the wind didn't blow any of our chair cushions as gifts for our neighbors or the construction workers behind us.  This has been one blustery and cold day. 

I have received a wonderful gift though blown into my life by the breath of God.  I actually learned of this gift a week ago yesterday but have taken the time to think, thank, ponder and rejoice at the announcement.  Last Wednesday I had a cardiologist follow up appointment for the month I wore the heart monitor.  The visit didn't begin as scheduled.  The receptionist thought I had canceled my appointment.  No way!  It seems as if when one needs the wisdom and direction of a Dr that is so very difficult to get an appointment with, one wouldn't cancel.  Really, those appointments are right up there with keeping appointments with my hairstylist Stevie.  So, I sat there in the waiting room for two hours.  In that waiting room of two hours, there seemed to be a plethora of unhappy patients.  For a few minutes we were entertained by an older couple and their adult son, who had just had dental surgery.  The adventures of using a cell phone had most of us laughing to ourselves and it wasn't like we were eavesdropping because all three of them must have been hard of hearing and didn't use their inside voice for conversation.  There also was a man sitting close by who had to have weighed 400 pounds.  His conversation with the woman accompanying him was rather sad...he kept asking her why do you think I have heart problems?  She'd pat his knee and continue on with her People Magazine.  A few minutes would go by and he'd ask her again, what was he doing that would cause him to have heart problems.  Back in the day, I might have answered the question for him.  Funny thing about waiting rooms, cardiologists in particular; everyone in there is either really ill, has been ill, wants to be ill or doing everything for prevention in being ill.  The last twenty minutes of waiting came complete with a man who was hacking up both lungs and possibly his spleen.  He sat one chair away from me.  I had an opportunity to move without hurting his feelings, (well, if he even was concerned about being kind of leprosy-ish with his cough.)   Finally, my name was called and I was escorted back to one of the patient rooms.  We did the usual Inquisition and as I waited for the next usual thing, an EKG, but instead, the Dr came in.  He read through my file, looked at me, and re-read the file.  He began the usual regurgitation of info and then he paused for effect.  He told me, my heart had shrunk.  The left ventricle had gone from 5.7 to 4.2 in a rather quick fashion and a short period of time.  He had last seen me in October and he said then, you look sick, you sound sick, you feel sick.  In that October appointment, he had two other Doctors look at me and asked for their diagnosis.  They all agreed that heart surgery would be scheduled after the first of the year.  They prescribed a heart monitor to be worn for a month and re-worked my meds and sent me on my way.  I wore that heart monitor during those difficult days of my mother being in the hospital, then in skilled nursing, put under hospice and then her death.  Then came the weeks in-between her death and her memorial service.  My heart didn't miss a beat, never raced or skipped.  Because everything is looking good, he took me off one of the meds that totally messes me up.  Thank you Jesus!  His instructions; keep doing the things I've been doing to reduce stress, rest, exercise, and don't overly hydrate.  He was truly amazed at the difference heart wise and countenance wise. I think maybe even if he so spoke this way he would have said this is truly an amazing, amazing thing.  He said, somebody must want you around.  I was able to share with him that my life has been saturated with prayers of the faithful.  Right after Christmas I got back to better food choices and I'm slowly increasing my exercise.  The only "thing" or news that wasn't great is, I'm very anemic.  So, I went to my Dr today and naive thing that I can be thought, oh, she'll probably give me a B12 or B6 shot.  Hahaha...no, first thing to do is get  a procedure that those over 50 should have done...part of the word kind of rhymes with monopoly.  Ugh...

I am so thankful to the Lord for my renewed heart, once again.  Roy and I were talking about all the news and we recounted the roller coaster ride this heart adventure has been.  Only 10% of my heart working and sent home to die during Hurricane Ike.  Positive recovery and regained heart health.  Heart slowed to 48 beats a minute, right and left side of my heart overly enlarged, told to take care of anything on my bucket list because I had about 8 months or so to live.  Extreme fatigued, much of life slowed to a crawl, limited activities fearful of a heart episode.  Then life slowly returned.  Strength regained.  Functional fitness gradually returning.  Then being told of this wonderful news, heart shrinkage and no surgery.  I loved what the Dr said today, your heart doesn't sound floppy anymore.  God is so good!  He has never abandoned me, even when I was questioning at times this round about journey that began in 2008.  Funny, I knew early on at the beginning of the year that Mark 5:39-43 would be significant and theme verses for 2012.   Jesus has made His way through the mourners, both real and fake, He came through the laughter and scorn and He entered the room, took her hand and told her to get up.  I know I am not a little girl but sometimes on the inside I feel like one and it feels like He has made His way through the same kind of crowd that at times have accompanied me.  And it doesn't hurt that in the last verse of that chapter, Jesus tells them, get something for her to eat.