A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 Tomorrow's Appointment

Thank you so for all your prayers and kind thoughts....I think it made all the difference for me today.

I did MUCH better today during the procedure than I ever have before and in fact, I actually fell asleep twice during the part where I typically have a panic attack! So clearly, your good will made a big difference.

My priest picked me up by 4:00 and since I'd had no food or coffee since yesterday, I quipped that I was about ready to start eating coffee grinds from the can. He laughed, then went to a deli and bought me a sandwich and some really most excellent coffee. I managed to eat half of the sandwich and drank the coffee and felt a bit stronger and better off for having had it.

Edward and his 3 yr old son were here with Maxi when I got back. They all went to the store for fixings for dinner while I went to bed. Edward cooked and fed the kids while I slept and so I was able to get a good rest knowing Maxi was having some attention given to him and his needs met.

Merme

Merme,
Goooooooood to hear Maxi had dad there and let you rest a wee~bit!!!
Making sure one has a wee~bit of rest helps immensely when recooporating....
More likely to get a more rerestfull sleep
knowing your wee~one is OKAY!!!

Good to hear you're okay, and your procedure
was easier than normal....That's half the battle.

Keep us posted with your test results.

Weezie

So glad to hear it went well today...sorry I missed the post yesterday..didn't get to stop by the forum, but we have you on the ladies prayer list at the church so your covered! And, yes, it DOES make a great difference when you know are in your friends thoughts and prayers...here's praying for some wonderful test results!

wonderful! continued prayers that things keep looking up.

Hi Merme,

Sorry I have not seen this thread before, we have been away, then busy with "stuff".

I am still pretty new here, but I love plants and gardening, along with animals and kiddos.

You sound like a very special soul and I wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you and your son and praying for good things.

Be gentle with yourself~

I am so happy things went well for you, Merme. Please be sure to post and let us know how the results went. We are still praying for you!

Dianna

Hi ~

The cardiologist called today and he does want to go ahead and do the angioplasty. His scheduler will call me tomorrow and tell me when. Early in the week I will go to his office to see his assistant and get the labs and consent forms done to help move the process along.

Meantime, he wants me to rest as much as possible and go to the ER if the chest pain gets too bad.

I am hoping there won't be any scheduling delays that would prevent me from having the angio while Maxi is away next week. Otherwise, it is too complicated arranging for his overnight care....

Merme

Dear Merme,
I'm glad you're getting this taken care of. You've got a lot of friends here, and we'll all be mentally holding your hand all the way!

Hi everybody ~

After a bit of wrangling with uninformed secretaries (which felt rather like talking to 19 people 25 times to no avail!) I finally found out that the angioplasty is scheduled for next Wednesday, the 23rd. And, since it is such a quick process, I should be home again on Thursday.

Today a girlfriend came over to help me clean house and we each took one corner that needed work and got it conquered! Three loads of laundry and one nap, and dinner in the oven later, I feel like a very virtuous woman indeed.

Maxi is supposed to be going with his dad in the morning, but a snow storm is rolling in at the moment so he might be delayed leaving until Sunday, depending on how much snowfall we get.

He's an agreeable kid, and always just goes with the plan of the moment, so he won't mind the delay too much, if there is one.

When he came home from school today, I pointed out how I'd cleaned up all his mess around his play area and told him "Don't put anything on the floor, Maxi!" Looking at me with some surprise but oh so ready to tease mom a bit, he asked in the voice of utter innocence "Not even my feet?" He got tickled and wrestled for that one, I guarantee you. What a jokester.

Merme

Ah, what a blessing it is to have a wonderful child!
We'll be with you in our thoughts next Wednesday.

Just keep thinking of those spring flowers on their way. Soon the weather will be mild and you can sit in the sunshine and breathe the sweet, fresh air again.

My grandmother, born in 1898, always insisted that people could never really recover from any illness without plenty of fresh air and sunshine. In her era, patients were bundled up against any chill and sat outside each day.

Myth or not, I always feel like I need clean air and sunshine too when I've been sick so no matter what, I try to at least spend some time with my chair parked at the top of my ramp where the sun shines the brightest through the midday. It not only makes me feel strong and well, but it also soothes my soul somehow.

Thank you, Bess, for the reminder that spring will be soon.

Merme

I agree with you (and your grandmother) I absolutely thrive in the sunshine...it is life to me. Even if I can't get outside, I have to raise a window or open every blind to let the sun in. I am so glad you have a place to go out and sit. Hope you are having a really great day today Merme!

Don't let go of my hand, Miss Bess, I'm feeling a bit scared about going up to the hospital tomorrow. I usually don't get too anxious about these things, so I'm not sure why I am this time, but I am. Maybe I'm just so tired? Maybe I'm just being a big baby? I dunno.

Either way, hang on to me Ladies, and I'll be back to chat with all of you soon.



Merme

Merme... trust me....there is a LONG chain of Garden Helper hands hanging on to you.

Catlover

Hi everyone ~

Just to let you know that the angioplasty has been postponed until Friday. I hated to hear that news this morning, but I understand my physicians reasoning.

My two cardiologists, Dr. Welch and Dr. Burkey, work as a team. Dr. Burkey does all the angio procedures and Dr. Welch does everything else. When I saw Dr. Welch last time he decided I needed this next angio but Dr. Burkey had to go out of town for an extended period. Dr. Welch doesn't think I should wait until his return, so he's arranged for another angio man to take my case.

However, the geography of my heart is very complex with all the changes they've made over the last four years and doctors who are unfamiliar with it have a hard time even reading the scans. So Dr. Welch decided he wants to be in the angio lab during the procedure so he can advise and explain me to the new guy, and to act as backup for any decisions the new doc might be inclined to make. He doesn't want anything overlooked or missed just because it is so complicated in there. So we wait til Friday.

The chest pain in bad today, so I'm off to bed. It is important for me to "lie low" until we can get the angio finished. Another 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected in tonight, so it is a good time to snuggle in anyway.

Thank you all so much for your interest and support. It means the world to me.

Merme

I am sorry to hear of the delay Merme..but am THANKFUL that they are being thourough (even if it means waiting a couple of days) Stay in bed and cuddle up with a few good garden magazines and dream away about spring! Happy thoughts!!!! We are with you all the way!!!

Merme,
I had been wondering about you and your procedure...
Well, one day repreeve...
But good that your one doc wants the other up to speed....
It's good to hear of them taking some extra steps.

Oh, and definately let them all know you keep us posted here,
and we know all about your proceedures and escolades!!!
*They stay on their toes more that way*
But yours sounds like an ok guy!!!

Can I ask if you are on something called CoQ10?
Or if your doctor has heard of it,
and if you could have some to try????

I will give you a link or two to be able to read up on it...

1st article on CoQ10
2nd article on CoQ10

3rd / Lot\'s of good reading on this one, on other stuff too.

Let me know what the doc tells you!!!
Would love to know his thoughts on it for you!!!

Weezie

How are you feeling today, Merme? Was sorry to read that you weren't up to snuff yesterday. Be sure to get plenty of rest before Friday. We are continuing our prayers for you.



Dianna

Please take it easy and get as much rest as you can

I thought of you often while Missy was in the hospital having all those heart tests done.

G~Mom

Better to postpone it until everything's right.

Take it easy, dear Merme. Give that Maxi an extra hug for us, too.

still praying for you and maxi

So tomorrow morning I'm heading up to Portland for the angioplasty which isn't scheduled until 1 PM, though it might be a bit later.

My doc called this afternoon because we were having a bit of trouble figuring out about my lack of food from midnight tonight until after the angio. My insulin pump is programmed to run its basic dose that keeps my sugars level while I'm not eating and I tell it to give me extra when I do eat. But for some reason, all this week my sugars have been running too low and it seems as though every time I turn around I'm having to eat at least 15g carbs to keep steady. I'm scheduled to see the endocrinology team on Monday so we can fine tune the settings, but we are all a bit concerned about 6 am. If I wake up to a low sugar, I will have to at least drink an Ensure to stabilize myself, but that will mess up the angio time schedule. So we agreed to turn my pump down at midnight and hopefully it will all be just right and I won't wake up with blood sugars sky high or too low... His plan is once I'm in the hospital, he'll hook up a D5 solution to my IV line and that'll feed me glucose through all the hours of no food. It's just the hours ahead of time that have me a bit nervous.

The last time I had a significantly low blood sugar, I went into cardiac arrest and it took Rescue 45 minutes to get me up and going again on my own. I hate running this close to my limits, not wanting to fall into the danger zone especially not when I'm by myself with Maxi away. So I plan to eat a good sized bedtime snack just before midnight, dial down the pump and say my prayers. Good plan, that.

So I'll post something probably late afternoon Saturday once I am home again and let you all know how well things turned out!

Also, I've heard that Maxi's dad has been in a VERY bad mood and the little boys aren't having a good time. But Maxi did have the chance to go to the Planetarium this afternoon with his school counselor and he said he had so much fun. I know he is looking forward to coming home on Sunday and returning to all his friends on Monday.

Merme

We will also be saying prayers for you Merme. Crossing everything that it all goes well. Maxi will get by fine, concentrate on yourself, if you are well, then Maxi will be to.

Doreen.

yep, more prayers...

And more prayers. You will certainly be in all of our thoughts tonight AND tomorrow! Get some good rest tonight.