It feels like a tremendous weight and wait has been lifted. The past few months has held a frightening thought that 2008 could be replaying for us. Once again bloodwork came back on Roy kind of wonky just like in 2008. The initial thought from the doctors, ALS. He underwent a series of exams and more bloodwork, saw a specialist and the Mayo Clinic became interested in him because while his bloodwork mimics ALS, and like 2008, he does not have it. He used to go every year for bloodwork and exam for this, but he stopped the yearly visit. No new research for Mayo and the Dr had the bedside manner of a gnat, irritating. Nothing unusual all these years, but I think with his significant diet changes, and basically with the loss of too much weight, it came on the scene again. They did find some circulation issues and so he has his instructions and an ultrasound in a couple of months. No surgery or procedures scheduled, so no trip to Houston for me. Yahoo! So today I have been online getting choices together for keeping his feet elevated at the office and some stronger compression socks. Also 2008 is when the diagnosis of a viral attack on my heart and that journey began with only 10% of my heart working, given five years to live, ten would be a miracle and now I am going on thirteen years since. Once again, like so many times before, afib and flutter raised its ugly head. Went a week with solid afib, saw the cardiologist and on the way home, with the treatment plans available and some concern, my heart went back into rhythm, right there on future 26. I have had a few episodes but nothing like that week. More like minutes not hours. Next week is a stress test and echocardiogram and our prayer is like what we prayed for Roy, that this too will be a non-event.
Last night, right before going to sleep, I checked the Astro/Braves score...still the same late into the game and then I saw on FB that an orange kitty had been moved to the side of the road, because it had been hit and died. The description of where the kitty was found, well it sure sounded like it could have been near us. This morning, Junior was not on the back step as per usual and my heart sank. Before even fixing coffee, I went to the garage. Biggio and Toupee greeted me, Biggio off on another bender but back home and wonder of wonders, there was Junior. Whew! Then Junioretta moseyed in and again relief. This group has not been enamored with the road like the generations before them. Well, not the main road but a group has rediscovered the gravel road behind us but that road holds dangers from predators. The only vehicles on that road is the neighbor running horse manure to their compost pile or their tractor bringing compost back for their gardens and flowerbeds.
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A cold, overcast, more like winter than fall morning. Our coldest temps since March. The garage was a tad chilly but not too bad. The little crack that is opened for the Feral Fam has boxes and such blocking most of the wind, but as kitties must be, those boxes are such fun for play. Almost a full house, Biggio must be on a bender again.
Knowing that today held chilly temps, I got grocery shopping done yesterday. I was so happy to see my University of Florida friend, who works at the Publix. Seems like I have been in numerous times of late because of several items on sale that they were out of. She was never there. We gave each other grief over LSU and Florida and this year, we both have enough grief for our teams between us. I didn't care if there were Instacart people in front of me or not, I was going to go through her line and check on her. I think she was surprised that I was seeing if she was okay. She has a bad back and is cutting back on her hours. We got a quick visit in while checking out. Oh and thankfully, no Instacart people in the line.
Yesterday morning our area experienced devastating news that several barns had been set on fire as well as hay stacks early in the morning. First responders from all over the county and from Madison and Haywood as well were on the scene. These are farmers who have worked hard to put in hay for their livestock for winter feeding. People are banding together to help the farmers, first off, getting them hay. People have offered their fields for cutting or have given names in other areas who have hay for them. A group has formed to begin fundraising. Local restaurants are offering free hot meals to those affected by this loss. Some of those barns were favorites to admire and I think Roy has photographed some of them several years ago. Thankfully, no livestock was lost.
This morning I woke up around 4:30 am. Had to take care of nature calling and as I stretched after getting back in bed, I went into afib. Dang... It was a several hour duration and going downstairs this morning, I felt the exhaustion that afib brings. Drank some water, ate a banana and sat down for a bit. Thought through the day yesterday maybe to determine some causes, could be dehydration cause I didn't drink enough water. The Feral Fam were meowing at the backdoor, a new thing for them to do. So once I gained energy, I was out to the garage to feed them breakfast.
I am reading Fortunate Ones. It was the book I was going to read while sitting with HP as she recovered from her hysterotomy. Only, she wanted a lot of attention so I never got to reading it until several days ago. It reminds me a bit of long gone tennis days. The U Club was known for women wearing expensive jewelry while playing tennis. Some of these women were married to some of the richest men in Houston. I was in their world but not of their world. I have written before that until I booked games and used a Waterman pen, that I wasn't really accepted. I didn't run in their worlds but that Waterman pen said, well maybe she could. Truthfully, the pen was a birthday gift but it did the job. So I got to do a lot of fun things because of their connections but I always remembered and by a few sometimes reminded that it could all stop in a heartbeat on the change of a whim. About ten years later after leaving the tennis world, I ran into one of my former teammates and a tennis friend at a sporting goods store. I had lost a ton of weight and she wanted me to come to lunch with her at The University Club, where we used to belong. She called me a few weeks later and invited me to lunch. I already had plans and couldn't go. I had forgotten the stipulation that came with those friendships, cause I thought, oh she just wants everyone to get together and have fun. About a month after that, I just called to see about having lunch together, not necessarily at the U Club and she said, no. I extended the invitation and you turned me down. Ah yes, it wasn't due to friendship, but showmanship, being the one to discover me once again after loosing nearly 90 pounds. So, back to the book, The Fortunate Ones, there is some of that, well a lot of that in the story. I haven't finished the book, but I have a feeling, it is not going to end well for the beneficiary of the kindness/control/give and take back. Here is an aside to all the above and asides hold the truth most of the time. Run, do not walk but run away from anyone who wants you to "perform" on their command. For me, when the command is given, it is to be funny. Not just funny but spot on, right now and then once I have performed the command, the people who have commanded will say something like, we act like this all the time. I can get her to be funny at any moment. It's not about the funny, it is about control. Run away, run away from that. I wish I had followed my own advice over the years.
Whenever I am driving out and about, but especially in the spring and fall, I think of my friend Betty. She grew up in eastern TN and a lot of times, that is where the drives take me. I constantly think of her and take pictures not only for the general enjoyment but with Betty in mind. What would she like to see? I get great joy doing that, not to make her homesick but to share the happiness of the mountains.
The temps keep dropping and I am out of afib. If I get the energy maybe I'll go over to The Fresh Market but no matter what, this is feeling like a day to take it easy.
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