It has been a year and a couple of days since the great drama began

A year ago I went in to Kaiser and stayed for 8 days.  The great drama of A- Fib, diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood clots.  It was a scary time, and it was a life and death time.  Marty and I had to make decisions on my life.  Did I want to live a good life, or be a ticking time bomb?

We chose a good life.  We changed diet, exercise, cut back on commitments, and went through hell for about 9 months.  Lots of ER visits, midnight calls to the advice nurse, scary tests, and meds that didn't work.  Or meds that worked too well and I was a zombie. 

Around July things started meshing. I was used to eating healthy, still want bacon grease and butter.  I exercise 7 days a weeks.  I feel it is a punishment, I don't understand people who love exercising.  My meds were working together and no midnight ER visits.  Not even calls to the advice nurse. 

I have lost 95 pounds and am pretty cute if I do say so myself. 

Before

 

After with Marty, Little Brother, and Ann.

 



I feel fairly good most days.  I have learned to rest before I am exhausted.  I'm blessed with a husband who loves to shop and cook.  So a lot of routine work is off me.  I still cook, but rarely shop for anything.  Yesterday Marty came home with jeans for me.  He saw some 10 short, and knew they are rare and hard to find.   So he bought 3 pairs in different colors.  Yes, Marty is a keeper.

We understand none of my heath issues are curable.  But they are very treatable.  We know I will have flare ups and bad hard days.  But we know most days will be pretty normal.  Of course all of this depends on me following diet restrictions and exercising.  Boo hiss.  But I will do it.  I like my life and want to continue groups I am in and to continue volunteering. 

Most importantly I have learned that prayers from around the world help comfort and help with healing.  My blog friends and Facebook friends are very important to me and to Marty.  You all really helped us through a tough time.  Thank you. 

Stay tuned.  I am a drama queen so you know I will do something dramatic in the near future. 

A year in review, yuck

2013 was not nice to us.  We were very glad to see the end of it.  2014 we welcome with open arms.

This time in 2013 we were in the hell of moving into our lovely apartment.  Very little went right if you remember.  I am not going to put links for the move.  If you want to suffer through our hell just go to the archives and read again our troubles.  Satellite internet that didn't work, refrigerator that wouldn't fit through the door and had to be taken apart to be moved in.  And the list goes on and on.  Finally we were in our lovely apartment. 

Things were fairly normal until June.  I had a lump and in July surgery.  Yes it was benign, but another type of hell.  But I was ok, it could only be smooth sailing from there on out.  Wrong.

September the great drama of a 8 days in the hospital and 4 trips to the ER. (One trip to ER even in the ambulance. I was disappointed they just drove fast and didn't use the siren ) Triple diagnosis, heart, blood clots in the lungs, and diabetes.  I was really really sick.  I survived and I am getting healthy.

Three and a half  months later I am nearly 60 pounds lighter.  I walk every day for at least 30 minutes.  I eat healthy, which is hard for a Southern Belle.  We do love our fried food and gravy.

There were some good moments in 2013.  Being so ill I found out what great friends we had.  I found out people in the church I really didn't know well were praying for me.  My Facebook friends sent love and prayers, even people I have never met in real life, such as authors I follow.  I love my Facebook friends.  I realized I had a second chance to live.

2014 I am ready.  You have to be better than the last couple of years.  Welcome 2014.