Karen L. Syed's Blog, page 4

These would look so cute on you…

Click Image to BUY NOW!

It’s never too early to start picking up your holiday accessories.

Traditional red and green with silver filigree accents, these darling earrings will get you into a festive mood and have you humming carols in no time.

A portion of this items proceeds will be donated to “Donate Life.” This does not suggest any endorsement from the organization, only my desire to support the awareness of Organ Donation after receiving my heart transplant in May 2015.

All items in this shop are handmade by me and I apologize for any “quirks” as I am on numerous prescriptions that cause tremors. My only desire is to support awareness.

**To DONATE an items, please use the following coupon code at checkout. The item will NOT be shipped to you, but will be given to someone who needs the support. (Coupon Code: Donate1)

Filed under: Business, Handmade jewelry, Just for Fun Tagged: Donate life, heart transplant, holiday cheer, organ donation

Journey of the Heart Next Step

Well, it finally happened. On AUgust 7, 2014, I was officially listed on the Heart Transpant list. I did not think it would happen, but it did. I am pretty sure it because of the outpouring of prayers and support.

I feel a bit weird for havig got such good news. Kinda like it isn’t real. Of course, the thought of another surgery brings on a whole new set of problems. But I’m pretty sure we can handle it. I thought I would be happier, more relieved, but I am just a bit numb.

Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled, but don’t know how to act or what to think.I just thought it would feel different.

My life has become worse than a damn theme park with nothing but roller coasters. I would much prefer a Winnie the Pooh feel, even on a blustery day.

But alas, it is what it is and I am sure once it seeps in, I will be over the moon.

Supersize your Attitude

In a society focused on the misguided principle of immediate gratification, we, as a whole, have put ourselves into a very precarious position with regard to success and ultimately, survival. Every day millions of people wake up with what they think are plans, or even strategies for how they will make it big within the next twenty-four hours. Whether by day trading in the stock market or winning the lottery, and a variety of endeavors in between, they set out to accomplish the nearly impossible. This attitude has becoming frighteningly commonplace. Where exactly did pride in our actions fall to the wayside? When did striking it rich become more important than ensuring not only the productivity, but the very survival of the human race?

There are any number of organizations, companies, etc that spend millions, if not billions of dollars studying the habits of all living things. For now, let’s focus on the humans. There are surveys and statistics analyzing everything from the sexual habits of pre-adolescents to the scent preferences of the stay-at-home mom (tell me why this one is important) with who knows what else. The bigger the survey the better. For who? It has occurred to me that the problem with our society is that everyone wants to know why we do the things we do. Is it really that important?

Studies on obesity  are an excellent example of what is lacking in our society. A Missouri news article recently reported that 32% of its students in grades 6 -8 are overweight or at risk and 27% of high school students are overweight or at risk. In a world where fast food restaurants are more frequent than churches or schools, we see the problem but do little to find a successful resolution.

When did we stop encouraging our children to exercise and eat carefully? When did it become more important to get a quick meal than a nutritionally sound one? With the rise in single parent families struggling to maintain financial security, I believe the media has played a crucial role in advocating the convenience of a “fast meal,” thereby saving one parent time and energy in preparation of a balanced meal. How does this affect our society? Unfortunately, it teaches children that convenience trumps health and well-being. It also eliminates, or at best, dramatically decreases, the time families spend together sharing and bonding. It is unfair to blame the fast food industry for the decline in healthy and well-adjusted families, but it is easy to see how convenience can sway the average person into a trap that cannot only be counterproductive to success, but also potentially and literally deadly.

The same can be said about financial success. The average person in Pennsylvania will spend $7.00 on lottery tickets 3 times per week. At $84.00 per month, this is $1008.00 per year. Statistics show that a majority of lottery players are from lower income classes who struggle with decreasing financial security. It is my personal thought that if efforts were made on the part of educators and employers to increase the benefits and opportunities for students and employees, we could actually refocus the attention of people to strive for personal success, as opposed to a quick fix. Am I saying there is anything wrong with the lottery? Absolutely not. What I am saying is that the attitude of our society has dramatically digressed from personal or professional success.

What can we do to improve the overall stability and potential for success? This is literally a life or death question. Organizations and individuals can work together to shift the focus of the average person away from immediate success and strive to rebuild the confidence levels and self-esteem of each member of the human race. By focusing our attention as people on the positive aspects of life, instead of demoralizing the efforts of those who do find success, by whatever means, we can develop a productively more sound future for our race in general.

Take as many moments as you can to recognize those people who need guidance and offer them the encouragement to find pride and value in themselves. Make constant efforts to direct our children down smarter, healthier, and more positive paths. This alone can ensure the peaceful and productive success of the future.

Carefully consider each action you take in your life and determine if it is in the best interest of your life, or just the moment. Financial success is crucial to the survival of each of us, and in order to achieve this success, each person must be willing to carefully gauge the cost of their efforts and ensure that those actions are not at the expense of others.

Attitude is the key to the potential success of every individual’s efforts. Without a positive attitude, we run the risk of constant conflict and the destruction of our way of life. Attitude is the element that determines success, health, productivity, and destruction. Without positive personal nurturing the crime rates will continue to rise, the levels of intelligence will continue to decline, and the number of unnecessary deaths will remain the main topic of water cooler conversation.

Take a moment today, and every day, to nurture those around you. Don’t be afraid to help someone who truly needs it. More than anything take pride in everything you do that is in the best interest spreading a positive attitude.

Originally published 2007

© Karen L. Syed

Double-Edged Swords Suck

Okay, this is a whiny post, if you don’t want to hear me sobbing, don’t read this.

I have yet another reason to hate this freaking issue with my heart. Other than the obvious, exhaustion, discomfort, blah blah blah. It is the emotional pain.

When I first went to Mayo and learned I had to have the LVAD put in, I was devastated. Seriously. I manned up, I did it and then I went to stay at The Gabriel House at Mayo. That place changed my life. Literally. I don’t know if I would have survivied without the people I met there. I lived with those people and I came to rely on them for the love and support they offered so freely, even though they were sick themselves.

I met lots of people, but a handful came to be more important than others. One such couple were the Jusicks. Mike and Valerie. Mike struggled every day with caring for Valerie and helping her keep her spirit. Little did he know that Valerie willed herself to keep on living because she wanted to be able to care for him. He worried and she so did she. They nurtured each other and they spread a special kind of joy to everyone they met. It was a delight to be a part of their lives. Sadly, Valerie lost her battle with cancer very recently and the world lost a beautiful sunbeam.

Another such couple were Sandie and John Guerrero. John had undergone a lung transplant and then was hit by cancer again. He soldiered on and I do mean soldiered on. He was ruthless in his fight to survive and to maintain a positive attitude. I don’t imagine it always worked, but I never once saw him when he didn’t offer me a smile and a kind word. He teased me mercilessly about my endless pursuit of “talents” and his encouragement helped keep me going.

John also had a special gift. As part of his own personal therapy, he taught himself to draw with colored pencils and the results are nothing short of extraordinary. See for yourself.

John passed away last night. 

I love the people I met at The Gabriel House, but at the same time I hate that this stupid heart of mine has subjected me to the added emotional trauma of having come to love people who die. I can’t help but think that if I had never gotten sick I never would have met them and I would not feel such horrible pain at the loss. On the other side, without this damn heart I never would have experienced the wonder of knowing these people.

It just sucks. Really and truly sucks!!!!

Clinical Depression. You Can Defeat Your Demons!

Karen Syed:

Potential demon slayer am I!

Originally posted on Bob's NewHeart:

By Bob Aronson

Depression, what is it? Why can’t you just snap out of it? Many people including family and friends who have not experienced depression have great difficulty understanding it much like people who are not addicts can’t understand addiction. In both cases we often hear advice like, “Snap out of it, you’ve got things pretty good. There’s no reason to be depressed.” Or, “You made the choice to start drinking or using drugs so choose to stop.” Oh, if it were that simple.

Here’s a cold slap in the face to bring us into reality. Depression is a mental illness, like the common cold is a physical illness. There has long been a stigma associated with mental illness held over from the days of Insane Asylums and “Crazy” people. That stigma is rapidly disappearing because so many people suffer from depression which is often a chemical imbalance that…

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What’s New at Sassy Gal?

Click Cover to Buy Bow!

My book is The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty, a humorous fantasy about a young god who just graduated from God School and it out to build his first universe.

I was delighted to find Karen, who was a great help with editing and evolving my book.  She has an amazing knowledge of grammar and she brought that extensive knowledge to bear on my book.  As a high fantasy, there were numerous people, places, and things that were made up and without any earthly precedent.  Karen found rules for hyphens, capitalizations, and much more.  She was extremely valuable in catching my spelling errors, often putting my spell checker to shame.

Never having gone through this process before, I was surprised to learn she did a series of edits, each time looking for different things.  Using this technique, she returned manuscripts to me with a class of corrections, which made it easier to incorporate the changes into my manuscript.

She was committed to a successful completion of my manuscript, so much so that she committed to working with me until I was 100% satisfied.

I certainly am!

 *Note: This book was an editorial project. No formats or artwork were provided by Sassy Gal.

Steve LeBel

Author of The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty

www.TheUniverseBuilders.com

Blinded By My Tears

I have been waiting since December 2013 to have my follow-up heart cath. It has been a grueling wait, and after two postponements (we drove up on Monday for a Tuesday appt. I got in and they could not do the test because no one told me to stop taking one of my meds.) So we came home on Tuesday and drove back on Wednesday for a Thursday test.

We have been so optimistic about the results because I feel better.

Yesterday at Mayo I finally had my right heart cath. The goal was for my lung pressures to be lower. As they were in the beginning, they would not put me on the transplant list because my lungs would ruin a new heart. So they did the test and when it was all said and done, the pressures were down, but not far enough.

It was all I could do not to burst into tears right there on the gurney. My stomach turned over and my mouth went dry. All I could think of was having to live with this damn pump for longer. It is what keeps me alive, literally, and yet it causes me the greatest amount of pain. I’ve started having panic attacks again and I just want my life back.

The doctor tried to cheeer me up and he did his best to keep it positive, but I all I kept hearing was “not low enough.” Still not qualifying for the list is just not an option and I am not sure how to deal with the disappointment.

I am tired of crying.

Hurry Up and Wait

Click to Go Red!

Well, this week is ending on a high note. Oh wait, that’s a scream of frustration. Spoke with my (TC) transplant coordinator this morning and they have changed my Heart Cath test until May 20th. It’s only 3 weeks, but it will seem like forever. I am not very good at patience and this one is really hard.

TC says this is good because they want my knee to be much more healed and me being in better physical condition for the test. I get it, but I am not happy.

This week has been particularly difficult as it has a lot of focus o my mother. The 27th will be one year since she passed. I never would have imagined I would miss her this much. I actually have nightmares about disappointing her and letting her down. Those of you who know us can appreciate the irony in that. I think that the more I talk about her, the less angry I become. So many things I still don’t understand, but I am realizing there isnothing I can do about them now.

Proform Hybrid Trainer

Finally getting settled in the house. Still somewhat difficult to get around without getting hung up on stuff, but it’s getting easier each day. Yesterday the world’s greatest neighbor came over and helped hubby put together our new Hybrid Trainer. Once the knee is a little better, I will get on that horse and get into shape. I want to make that Mayo Cardio Rehab team proud. And myself.

I can also tell you that it feels great to be back to work. Being able to concentrate a bit more is a good thing. Oh and I watched birds having sex in my back yard…or maybe just fighting…hard to tell. LOL

A Doctor with Ethics?

Support the cause!
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Could it be true? Don’t get me wrong. I have been fairy pleased with my cardio doctors over the past few years. A few complaints, but overall. I do feel like I have made a few trips to the offices for little or no reason. But isn’t that what doctors do?

For the record, I am most pleased with my transplant team at Mayo in Jacksonville.

But since I am back in Orlando I had to make an appointment to see my regular cardio doc. So I make an appointment for today and I am all set to go. Then I get a phone call from the Orlando Heart LVAD center and the gal tells me that my cardio doctor has contacted them and that she is not familiar enough witht the LVAD or comfortable with treating me. She rescheduled my appointment with an LVAD doc in the same building and at the same time. She did this without having me come in to see her and charging me an office visit. I am impressed.

As for my fall on Monday night, I have several new lumps and brusies, but nothing serious. I hurt like hell, but don’t seem to have done too much damage to the bad knee. Thank goodness.

Home vs. Home

Randy Travis’ LVAD device

Well, it has been a long four months, but I am finally home. As some of you know, I had to go up to Jacksonville to the Mayo Clinic to be evaluated for the heart transplant list. I have been initially denied because of the high presures in my lungs, caused by the overexurtion of my barely functioning heart. After some very serious consideration I decided to get an LVAD. Many of you may not know what that is. It is the Left Ventricular Assist Device (Randy Travis and Dick Cheney both received one.) You can see from the links that they were very different devices. Mine is the one that Dick Cheney got.

Dick Cheney LVAD device

At any rate, after I received the device on Dec. 17, 2013, I had to spend the next 3 1/2 months at the Gabriel House of Care. The people that I met during my stay have touched my life in ways I never could have imagined. I made friends, I mean real friends, who went out of their way to help me, both physically and emotionally. I did my best to return the kindness.

Spending so much time in a single place with the same peple for months, makes them like family. You get used to seeing them every day, talking to them, eating meals with them, and laughing and crying with them. On Thursday I came home–to my physical home. The house we bought in Orlando. I think it might be one of the most difficult things I have done. I had to leave people I came to care about and love to be where I live.

Gabriel House of Care, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL

It has been a very difficult journey, I have spent several days, and nights, in tears, I have also found myself getting reaccustomed to my home. Given my situation, it seems odd to say that home is where the heart is, but it is also very true. Sometimes it is excruciating to have my heart in so many different places.

There are so many people who I met at Gabriel House, but the ones who stand out did remarkable things for me. Thank you, Lavon, Cindy and Dearl, Sandie and John, Sharon and Tonyia, and Mike and Valerie. There are so many others, but I could write all day.

As time goes by I will be lettig you get to know some of the people I have met. You will love them.

And don’t forget, people need you! Become an organ donor. My heart depends on it.