Friday, October 19, 2012

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to....

It's time for a new look, and a new beginning.  

Thank you, all those who inquired about my dropping off the face of the blogging world. For reasons that have become more clear in the past month or so, I simply did not have the psychic or physical energy to compose anything I thought would be of interest (did I ever?), so I just stopped.  I went "private" for a while posting tidbits of my life for my family, but I have removed those few posts and what you see, if you're interested, is for public consumption.

The funny (not ha-ha) thing that happened was that, in mid-September while I was in the office of an otolaryngologist having my vocal chords examined, I began to experience some rather frightening symptoms.  The good doctor told me he thought I might be having a heart attack and insisted that I allow one of his wonderful assistants to drive  me to the ER of a large hospital less than a half-mile away.  

Tests confirmed that I had, indeed, suffered a severe heart attack, and in the wee small hours of the next morning, a cardiologist inserted stents into two almost completely blocked arteries within my heart.  I spent the next three days in the CCU and another five days as an inpatient, under the watchful care of not only hospital staff, but my children, who came from far and near to be with me. 

I'm happy to report that the executor of my estate will have to wait a while to exercise his or her duties.  

I am enrolled in a Cardiac Rehabilitation program at a nearby hospital.  I exercise three days a week, and have lost nine pounds, so far.  Being on a low-sodium/low-fat diet hasn't hurt anything but my taste buds.  

I encourage those readers who may be of the female gender to familiarize yourselves and be alert to the warning signs of heart attack in women.  (Men... if you have wives, you should study these, also.) The symptoms may be totally unlike those of heart attack in men; mine were. Had I not been in the office of a trained professional, and this had happened to me at home, I very likely would have sat in my chair thinking I was having an esophageal spasm.  I don't know whether I would have survived.

Given all the circumstances, I am convinced that the Good Lord is not through with me, yet.

Tomorrow is also a day, thanks be to God.


12 comments:

Mimi Foxmorton said...

Love, love your new look!
So cheery!

And love even more that you are healthy and happy! What an awful scare!

Big huggies and many, many Blessings to you!

love,
Mimi
The Goat Borrower

Arkansas Patti said...

Wonderful to hear from you Pat but my what a very scary time you had. Luckily you were somewhere that recognized your problem and you were treated so quickly. Sadly, even doctors often mistake the symptoms for women.
I have been thinking about you and wondering how you were. So glad you are back blogging and that you dodged the ole bullet.
Do take care lady and I hope full recovery is on schedule. Will be checking in on you.

Snap said...

It's so good to see you! I've just had a myocardial perfusion test (nuclear stress test) because of an abnormal EKG. The test was normal. .... probably the first time in my life I've heard the word normal in reference to moi! :D :D Thinking of you. Wishing you well and lots of hugs!

bittenbyknittin said...

I was wondering where you were - how lucky to have been in the right place with the right people! Glad you are on the mend.

~mel said...

Mercy girl ~ and here I just thought you were taking a long leisure bath! Welcome to the club ~ I'm a 3 stenter. Not the best club to belong to; but at least they caught it. Hang in there and stick with the rehab. So glad to have you back!!!

Snowbrush said...

Wow, Pat, so THAT'S what became of you! I am so glad that you're still with us.

Pat - Arkansas said...

Snow! Nice to hear from you; thanks for being a hanger-on. :)

Jinksy said...

Always did think being in the right place at the right time was the most favoured spot on the planet! So glad you were the proof of the pudding in thi8s case.Nice to see you, to see you nice. :)

Richard Lawry said...

I'm so glad that you are alright. Looks like God knew where you needed to be that day.

An Arkies Musings

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Pat, It's great to hear from you. So sorry to hear about your heart attack--but I'm glad that you are doing so well. Life can change in a heartbeat, can't it???? Yipes!!!!

We are doing fine --and still traveling and loving life. I've lost alot of weight this past year --and am feeling so much better.

Love your blog look... So pretty for Autumn.

Hugs,
Betsy

rhymeswithplague said...

I am so glad you have returned to the blogging world. When I had a heart attack 16 years ago, I thought I had an upper respiratory infection. Shows how much I know.

Hope you are around for a long time yet.

Hilary said...

SO good to see you, Pat. I'm sorry that you've struggled with health woes but I'm so glad that you've come through them and working your way back to good health. You've been missed.

When Frank had his heart attack (before we were a couple), he spent about 5 nights insisting it was his hernia. The symptoms can fool anyone, I suppose. But five nights of symptoms was a bit much. ;)

I'm glad you were in the right place at the right time.