3-31-16/ The day that almost....

Before today, all birthdays were a day of celebration, gifts, and cake!! Today takes on a whole new meaning. Last night before bed I said my prayers and thanked GOD for giving me tomorrow. Tomorrow, why would I have to be thankful for tomorrow you ask? Well, until this year I had always taken for granted that March 31st would come. In the past, it symbolized the day I got to drive, my first beer and then last year turning the big 40!! Joe had always told me that when you turn 40, you start to fall apart. I laughed at him and thought he was nuts! Well, Joe you were right beyond your words. I had my first set of stitches from a pizza cutter incident, diverticulitis, and the big Heart Attack! Yikes, let's hope 41 is a better year.

Not only did I fall apart I almost lost it all. I sit here and write this blog post today with tears filling my eyes. Crazy right!! I should be over the moon excited that I get to go out to eat and have Birthday Cake ( Heart Healthy of course... maybe not), but all I can think about is that this day almost didn't happen.

There is no playbook that the nurses give you when you leave the hospital.( How I wish there was!) It would have chapters such as 1. Happy Days that now take on a new meaning. 2. Emotions beyond emotions. 3. Sam's Club memberships for Kleenex. 3. Grieving the old you. 4. Family, strengthening the ties that bind. 5. Never taking anything for granted. 6. Exercise.. The turtle vs. the rabbit. 7. Cardiac Rehab, bonding with strangers over your common bond.

It's been fun getting all the birthday wishes on Facebook and texts from friends and families. Although I will have to admit I have had many tears, they are happy tears. Tears, that I have so many loved ones in my life. Friends that I haven't talked to for years are reaching out. As I sit here and write I listen to the 10,000 Maniacs and their song These are the Days.  A song that holds a deep meaning. Joe and I call it our song, I listened to it over and over when my dad passed to remind me that life must go on.  And today LIFE DOES GO ON!!  In the song, it says " These are days that  you'll remember, never before and never since I promise."  Although these last seven weeks have been hard as crazy as it is to say, I wouldn't change the experiences I've had. It has made my family slow down and begin to enjoy every moment of every day. We find ourselves laughing more. Parker's favorite quote is "Mom, did I just give you another heart attack?"  Humor makes us who we are.. and everyone needs more of that in their lives!!

 

 

Joe for my birthday this morning gave me the Pandora Heart charm for my bracelet! It sparkles, just like my true heart.. for the new lease on life GOD has given me!! Both Julie and Jennifer gave me the bracelets above it. The Circle represents the path of life and the sailboat the journey.

 

 

Tomorrow I graduate from Cardiac Rehab!! I will be holding my diploma high. As one chapter in my life ends another begins!!



I can see clearly now.. the pain is going

Symbols: Common household items that mean so much more now..

 

 

Yep, this is my new morning and nightly routine. I look at this pill box as my lifeline to staying alive and out of the cath lab. This girl went from one pill per day to now 6 bottles lining her counter top. Every Sunday night I fill my pill box for the week.  I fear the day when taking these pills becomes too routine and I might forget. Then what? Did I just increase my risk of having another heart attack? What if skipping that last dose of my anti-platelet causes my stents to clot?  Crazy how much your mind can wander and so much focus can be put on a tiny pill the size of tic tac. ( Oh, and they sure don't taste like candy). How many times have I watched the Bayer aspirin commercial on TV and never thought that I would be that person. It's funny now how I look at objects in my house so differently. And what  deep meaning these items hold.

 





Gus watching another episode of Dexter





The many looks of Gus.. the healing dog

This is Gus our lab/beagle mix he has been by my side through the rehab process. My mother -n- law said he would sit on my side of the bed and cry while I was in the hospital. Gus and I have always had a love/hate relationship. He would eat the garbage, pull all the dirty clothes (yep,including underwear) into the living room while we were at work and loves to howl at inappropriate times. But through this crazy time Gus has been a healer! The scary thing is  I think he is becoming addicted to Showtime and Dexter as you can see from the photo. Gus is a true symbol of love, compassion and healing. No matter where I am in the house Gus is at my side! I'll be the first to admit it some days can get lonely while I'm rehabbing and Gus is a constant companion.

 

How many times do we look out the window and see a dragon fly or a cardinal and it catches your eye and it makes you stop dead in your tracks and remember the loved ones who have passed. Well, for me these symbols represent the guardian angles that were ridding shot gun with me that night in the ambulance. I truly believe that a higher power decided it was not my time to go.

 And each morning when I wake up I THANK GOD for blessing me with another day.

 



 

Many times Joe and I would go Kayaking and be surrounded by dragonflies on the water. And then out of nowhere a dragonfly would sit on my Kayak and just rest. I would see my dad in that dragonfly and feel it was his way of letting me know he was with me. Joe and I always laugh when a Cardinal flies by while we're in the car. We instantly think of our dads an them saying HELLO MURPHY'S! A friend gave me the dragonfly while I was in the hospital and it brought tears to my eyes. She knew just how much this symbol meant to me and at that moment I needed HOPE!

 

 

 

But in the end the symbol that had helped me the most through this crazy ride is FAMILY! We have shared many laughs, tears and amazing experiences over these last few weeks. They are the reason that everyday I get up and I am so thankful for yet another day.

 

 

"Family is like music, some high notes, some low notes, but always a beautiful song"

 

 

This weeks goal is to continue Cardiac Rehab without pain and enjoy this beautiful spring weather!!







Because normal is boring... purpose?

It has been almost three weeks since the night that forever altered my future. I am so thankful for the chest pain that woke me up, my knowledge to know that we needed to call 911 and an amazing support system from family and friends. But as a sit on the couch in a quiet house now that everybody has gone to school and work I often wonder to myself what is my new normal?? When will I be able just to run into Target or Hy-Vee and just grab a few things for the house? When can I run downstairs and get dirty clothes from my son's room? Do my kids think that mom will always be like this? No longer can I run around the house, empty the trash and start a load of laundry. We need bread, milk, etc.. how will I get that without asking for help? (I just like to go go go and not ask for help) One thing this heart attack has shown me is that IT'S OK TO ASK FOR HELP!!  I know what your thinking this chick is nuts. I should be enjoying not being able to do chores. But what I am finding out is it's not about the chores it is about having a PURPOSE. The quote below really summarizes what my view of the world is now. Laugh a lot, don't sweat the small stuff and who cares if you don't have the cleanest house on the block.

Currently, I have a very limited walking distance. Simply, going from my car to the front of the store can be exhausting. ( No longer, can I sprint like it's Black Friday and run into stores ) I have an incredible husband who drops me off at the front door for my appointments and picks me up. My sister visited last week, and we needed to go into a store, and I had to get a scooter.( It's funny how people look at you and wonder... Why is that woman on a scooter?)  Until this happened, I had taken for granted how long it is from the front of the store to the item you need. Why is it every item I need is always in the back of the store? OK, maybe that's an exaggeration.. but unless it's at the cash register it's in the back.. ha ha.

I would say that a positive to come from my heart attack is that my creative side has been awoken. One day I was getting ready to text my husband the grocery list and all I could think about is just one more thing I am asking him to do. Not only does he work all day, take the kids to their activities, now I'm asking him to get groceries. (Even though he doesn't care... I DO!) What happened to that multi-tasking mom who just went and did and never wanted to ask for help? Now, it seems that I sit in the living room and the hustle and bustle of the day goes on around me. Even though I know this is temporary, it still sucks...

That creativity I mentioned has helped with my limited mobility. We have truly been blessed with technology and online shopping. That grocery list I was going to text my husband I instead ordered all my groceries online and they ran the sacks out to his car after he got off work.  Heck, it probably saved me money. How many times do we run into the grocery store and start grabbing stuff because it's there? I love ordering my groceries online, and this will be my new normal.  I am so guilty of going in for three things and coming out with a cart full.

As the weeks, pass and I start to celebrate the little things.  I feel that some sense of normalcy is coming back.
I was able to do a full session of Cardiac Rehab yesterday. The new medicine they started me on for my chest discomfort is starting to help really!!! The crazy Iowa weather is getting warmer, and soon Spring will be here. Although what I use to consider to be normal has done an 180-degree turn I wouldn't change it for a minute. I no longer take for granted that kiss on the cheek as my kids run to catch the bus or always telling someone at the end of a phone call I LOVE YOU.  The consistent thing since my heart attack is that I now feel the cool wind on my face, the chimes blowing in the distance and celebrate all things no matter how small. I was able to go to my daughters Hooley this weekend and for me to think this might not have been possible three weeks ago.. I took in every minute and loved it.

Our life will never be the same but forever altered. As the weather starts to get warmer, I know the day will come that I can simply park in the Target lot, grab a Starbucks and just wander around the store.

Until then, my PURPOSE in life is to continue living every minute to the fullest!!


My goal this week is to continue with Cardiac Rehab and get all three days in with no chest discomfort.