Chicks On Lit discussion
Girl Talk
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Some good wishes needed.
Good luck Jackie. I'll keep you in my thoughts. Heart procedures have come a long way since the first operation. I wish you a speedy and healthy recovery. :0)
God Bless.
God Bless.
Good wishes coming your way.Don't forget to put your dh in charge of packing the strongest disinfecting wipes you can find (and then wiping every surface that you might touch around your bed).
Now, be sure to choose a good book or two to read while you are recovering!
JackieI will pray for you. Just remember God has you in his hands and will be there through the whole thing. Have faith and this will bring alot of peace.
God Bless.
Yes, as Kitty said, heart procedures have come a long way. I will be keeping you in my prayers :-)
Lots of prayers for you Jackie! Think of it this way - before you know it, you'll be home and feeling so much better! Focus on the happy ending. And I'll definitely pray for the best outcome for you.
Good luck and best wishes Jackie! Despite your discomfort being in the same hospital as your mom (I would question that too) - maybe this is God's plan - as perhaps your mom will be there in spirit looking out for you.
Jackie, You are in my thoughts and prayers! My cousin who is only 46, had a heart attack last year and had to go in and have a heat cat also. She is doing great now, no problems. They can do amazing things. Try not to worry; this too shall pass. Keep your chin up and know that prayers will be going up all over for you!
As you know Jackie....I had a massive heart attack 5 years ago at 29 years old and you are my source of comfort in that journey---meaning you are the only other young person I know that completely understands what I have been going through.I had 3 heart cath procedures after my heart attack so I really do understand what you are going to go through and what you are feeling now. I firmly believe that your mom will be there watching over you at that hospital and that is why you must go there to have this done. Keep that in your mind at all times and you will come out of this well and whole and feeling better again. This procedure is going to make your quality of life 10 million times better and you need that. You are too young to be in that much pain (I fully know what pain you are in) and I want you to know I'll be thinking of you and praying for you tomorrow.
Take care of yourself....I need you around so we can help each other with all this heart crap we have to endure from here on out!! :)
Mod
Jackie, I don't know you, but my thoughts and prayers are with you. May you find strength, comfort and peace - in your faith, a concerned husband and lots of supportive friends. Medical procedures have indeed come a long way. I'm sure you are in the best of hands. Holli - what a lovely thought to feel the presence of Jackie's Mom watching over her. How frustrating for two such young women to be struggling with cardiac problems. And what a blessing to be able to support each other. I will keep positive thoughts for both of you. Every day is an unopened gift!
Thank you very much Nancy! Its nice for me to have Jackie to talk to about this stuff....she really understands the frustration and what I have to go thru every day. its also nice to know we have people out there in the world thinking about us and sending good thoughts our way....it DOES help!
Jackie sending you much good thoughts and prayers. Keep picturing yourself waking up after the procedure and feeling so much better.
Exactly KrisT.....positive thoughts and good visualization are key to these procedures having a good outcome. I like that!
Hi Jackie, I wish you the best as well and you are in my thoughts and prayers to get well soon :)
Sending warm, loving, healing thoughts your way Jackie.
You are in my thoughts and prayers. Get well soon!
Thanks for all the good wishes. One of the advantages is I'm going to get to catch up on my reading while I'm off.I've just finished packing my bag. I'll be out for a few days but I'll check in when I'm back home.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers Jackie...good luck tomorrow.
You are probably there now...in your procedure or about to go in...I'm thinking of you and knowing how much better you are going to feel once this is done. Let us know how it goes ok?
Jackie, I love you and have you in my heart & prayers my friend! Support & friendship & healing vibes are coming your way!
Hey guys.. I'm off to see the wizard.. Tinman is just going to have to wait in line, I guess.I know I'll be there at least overnight. The doctor was very vague after that. So, we'll see.
I'll see you guys on the other side.
(If I haven't said it lately, this place rocks)
We're all sending hugs, love, prayers & friendship and we'll be here when you get back!
I don't know how I missed this. So if you don't get this before you leave, when you come back know that you are in my prayers. You are not only my goodreads friend by my facebook friend so you have double thoughts and prayers.
Good luck Jackie. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Good luck! You will definately be in my prayers. My father-in-law went through the stents and ended up having to have a by-pass as well. He is doing so much better now. You will do fine!
much love and thoughts going to you Miss Jackie. We love you.
I'm home! I only had to stay overnight. I'm bruised up and my leg still feels a little weird but the cath went a lot smoother than any of us thought it would.. the good karma and prayers from my chickies and other friends must have worked!
I'm the proud owner of 2 new stents. The doc and I are both hoping this will help my angina. He went into the cath knowing I had 1 blockage. He found 2 that needed stenting. He said the surprise one he found was bad enough had it been there in the first cath he did last April, he would have stented it right then. It was a 90% blockage in an artery that supplies blood for about 40% of the heart. They call blockages in this area widow makers (yikes and I put him off for months).
So I'm a little concerned about the pace my CAD is progressing but I guess it's one thing at a time. For now, after about a week of taking it easy, I'm going to try to start walking again and then starting up Yoga again.
Again, thanks for all the good wishes!
That's awesome Jackie!! I'm glad everything went well and that you are home and in good spirits. Keep up the rehab and you'll be in top shape in no time...i promise. I'm MUCH better than I used to be.....you will be too. Give it time and take all your meds faithfully. Keep walking and exercising your heart that way and you'll be good.
Thanks, Holli! Yes, Teri, I'm back!!
I have some nasty bruises and I look like I was attacked by an octopus. I don't stick well for IVs and stuff and the heart monitor leads left little round red marks. All in all, I look terrible! But I'm feeling pretty good. The best part it.. it's 11pm here and no nitro all day!
OMG... I really need to check this more often!! Jackie I am so glad that he found the blockage when he did! I am a cardiac nurse and a widow maker blockage is usually not found in time....hence the name.... I am so glad that everything went well!!!! Now lay back and relax and let your husband treat you like a princess!!!
Kat.. I can believe it. I did a heart cath last April and there was no evidence of the widowmaker at all.. We were doing my most recent cath because of a blockage in another area he knew needed stenting. He felt that this blockage was the one causing my angina flares.
When he got in there, he found the widowmaker and he said it was worse than the one he was original going to stent.. so in less than 10 months it went from nothing to over 90% blocked. ..it's just scary to me and I'm trying to worry about what that means about the prgression of my CAD.
I'm relaxin for the next few days or so but then it's back to the gym, yoga and something new on the diet. The one I'm on isn't working. I might try Dean Ornish. I have his book but I haven't tried it yet because I heard it was really heard to stay on.
My widowmaker artery was blocked 100%...my left descending artery was completely clotted by a blood clot that burst which is what caused my massive heart attack. Believe me...you and I are on the exact same page Jackie. And I'm laughing as I type this because the nurses and I used to joke about me triumphing over the widowmaker and for days i couldn't figure out what the hell they were talking about. They finally explained what that term meant and why it applied to me! I was lost for awhile about that one...just laughing when they did thinking "what the hell are they talking about?" I was so clueless about everything "heart attack" back then. That's why when you were complaining to me about progressive chest pain I was urgently trying to get you to go in and get the cath done. I truly know how lucky I am to still be here because in all honesty I really shouldn't be.
I'm convinced that you will be ok now....I'm extremely glad you went in and had this done and repaired!
By the way....if you take your medicine faithfully and you exercise your heart muscle and you eat right (that's the important one) you can stop or significantly slow down your CAD progression. Have they given you an ejection fraction percentage yet?
So glad the procedures went well! And glad too that you're turning to yoga. Exercise and diet are so important for body, mind and soul. I'll keep sending good thoughts your way!
Sorry I'm a little late in reading this, but I'm thinking of you and sending lots of happy, healthy vibes!
Jackie, I'm glad you're back and already feeling better. You're so lucky to have Holli who knows exactly what you're going thru. That must help so much.
Jackie, I'm glad you're back and feeling better, too. I'm sending lots of healing thoughts your way, and that goes for you, too, Holli, because it sounds like you're doing everything you can to keep your heart healthy even now, after all those years. ((((((hugs))))))
Finding Holli has been great. ALL of the people in my rehab program were at least 70. It was strange to be the only one under 40. I was looking for a yoga class but I haven't found any yet. Living in BFE is not fun sometimes.
You are the only person I know Jackie that has my same issues and knows how I feel. I never went to a rehab program and the only person who came close to understanding my heart problems and how they made me feel was my grandma who has them too. So I was SOOO relieved to find you!!I just had a MUGA study done on my heart yesterday and I was asking the nurse in there if they have young patients at their office with my problems. She said not with my exact problem but with other issues close to it and she said she'll see if she can put me in touch with them somehow. It would be nice!
I know what you mean, Holli. The only people I've ever run into are much older than me. Any know anything about yoga?
I think I'm going to have to learn yoga on my own.. It seems there are several branches. Is one easier for a beginner than the others?Any books or DVDs you recommend for a complete newbie?
I have two suggestions. One is, if you can afford it, get a wii and wii fitness. They have a section on yoga and you can add to it with dvd's. it is a lot of fun and it is like being in a class of one with a personal trainger.The second suggestion is if you belong to netflix they have a few exercise/yoga videos on their watch instantly section.
So glad you are back and doing well.
i have been doing yoga on the wii fit for about a week now, and i love it. i trained in ballet for 10 years, so a lot of the movements are similar and come naturally. i can already feel the increase in muscle definition.
I started learning yoga from a book, although I find it really helpful to have feedback from teachers in classes. If you're interested in a book, I'd recommend browsing a bookstore and seeing which book speaks to you most directly.Word of warning: I started doing yoga thinking that it would be nice, easy, relaxing. Boy was I wrong about the easy part. I could barely move for about 2 days after my first class. But it's the best exercise I've ever had, for mind, body and spirit.
Jackie - I am glad your cath went well and that you are feeling better!My two oldest brothers suffered Sudden Cardiac Death - one at age 22 and the other at age 28. They both survived, thankfully. They now have defibrulators and live normal lives. I had a heart cath done about six months ago at age 25 to find out if I would suffer the same. The doctors do not know what my future holds.
I'm so sorry to hear that Courtney! Sudden Cardiac Arrest is what I'm at risk for after my heart attack from the way my heart reshaped itself afterwards and just knowing that really freaks me out. So far my heart pumping efficiency is good enough not to have a defibrillator put in but I will have to if it ever gets worse. I was scheduled to have one put in after my heart attack but I got better so they canceled it. So they aren't sure if you need it or not? Do they know what caused that in your brothers?
The only thing they've thrown out there is Brugada Syndrome (http://www.brugada.org/). Our cardiologist and a specialist we saw don't really agree on Brugada, either. So, we have really nothing pinpointed as the main cause. I had the heart cath and everything came back fine. But, my brothers never had any symptoms before their attacks so they are not sure if they would have shown symptoms years before their attacks. I don't think the insurance company would pay for an implant because I haven't had an attack and my cath came back fine. I wouldn't mind having one, though. It would give me peace of mind.
That's really very scary Courtney...I'm so sorry....I don't blame you for wanting it in you. It would be nice to have the ICD in your case wouldn't it?
Yikes, Courtney! I don't blame you for wanting one. Sometimes it amazes me how little doctors really know about the human body and disease processes. At this point I don't qualify for ICD either but the doctor has told me that I may have another (possibly fatal this time) heart attack in the future. There is no way to know. I am the process of making a will and living will, in case something happens. It could be enough to make someone curl up in their bedroom and never come out, thinking there is a ticking time bomb in your chest. But I'm not wasting any more of my life. I'll take what I can get and wring every drop out of it without looking back.
Sadly, there is no money for Wii at this poing but I did (amazingly) find a yoga studio in BFE. She has a beginners class tomorrow. The drop in fee is $14, if I decide to finish out the session (her studio goes in 6 week cycles) then she would let me sign up for the reminder of the classes for a reduce rate.
We'll see how it goes tomorrow but unless there is something scary about her or the studio, I've pretty much decided that I'm doing this.
I know yoga is not as "gentle" as people sometimes think, but it is peaceful(a plus) and it's low impact, which is what I'm looking for. It's also going to help me get my flexibility back, which is another plus for me.
Good luck with yoga, Jackie. I hope that it's what you are looking for and brings you peace.
Now it's pretty bad and I know I can't put it off anymore. So, I'm scheduled to go into the hospital on the 28th for a heart cath and stents.
I'm really not happy atm. I know it has to be done. The chest pain is bad enough that it's affecting my quality of life. It's a much simpler process than bypass, which would be my only other option, so this is my best choice. But my grandmother passed away as a result of complications suffered when she was having a heart cath. So, I can't help but freak out a little.
I'm also going to do this at the hospital where my mother spent the last months of her life. I almost said no when the doctor's office suggest I use this hospital instead of the hospital I first asked to use. But I decided to be logical instead of emotional and my only question was if there were any differences in their cath labs and if my outcome would be different at another hospital. The doctor said no and he prefers his suggestion because their lab seems to be able to keep up with their schedule better so there are fewer delays and they could get me in faster. I'm feeling miserable enough with the chest pain and I want to get this over with. So I agreed.
Now I'm just trying to remind myself not to be emotional about it. But I can admit, I never thought I'd drive into that parking lot again, so I'm a bit conflicted about it. My dad is completely unhappy about it, but (trying not to upset me) he hasn't really said a lot. But it's very obvious.
My husband is also a bit freaked out. Just because he's worried about me from a physical as well as emotional stand point. He doesn't think it was a good idea to agree to go to the hospital I'm using because he thinks if it upsets me, it could affect my recovery.
So, to use a southern expression, I could use a little head patting and a few prayers. I just want to get through this and come out on the other side in one piece and feeling better.