Life Post third surgery

It has been a long two weeks!!! I went in the hospital for one surgery and left after two emergency surgeries. After the first lead replacement, it dislodged within 30 minutes of surgery. I was placed on bed rest and hadn't even gotten out of bed and the lead had already moved from my heart. The second surgery was scheduled very early the Friday morning and Dr. replaced the lead with a heavier one and used a different technique. I followed up a week later with my Dr. and it was still in place. I had the worse pain during recovery from the incision. It was itchy and burning...ugghhhh I don't want to do this again. I'm just happy to be on the road to recovery.

I'm still so shocked (literally) that the machine saved my life. I knew there was a "chance" my heart would fail because of the severity of the weakened muscle, but I didn't think that it would actually fail!! Who would?!?!?! But God is good! I had the machine to restore normal function. When I was discharged from the hospital, my heart began to beat on it's on without having to be paced the entire time by the machine. To God be the glory! I'm grateful for my family who are so supportive throughout it all. My baby sister and cousin who are here to help me through it. I head back to the Dr. tomorrow for another follow up and hopefully clearance to return to work. Pray for the best!

Surgery Tomorrow

Soooooooooooooooo the last 24 hours has been a world wind. At my Dr. appointment yesterday, I found out that the machine attached to my heart saved my life. So grateful! Now a lead is dislodged and I have surgery scheduled tomorrow to fix the screw that's in my heart. God is Good. Hopefully the recovery is not as long and I can bounce back quickly. Glad to have some great people in my corner. Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!

Lots of thinking

As my time at home winds down, I'm wondering if I'm ready to head back to work. It's just about readjusting to the way of things. Getting rest when it's needed and knowing my limitations. The good thing is, it will be two days then the weekend is here. Then the following week we only work three days and have two days off, plus the weekend. This gives me time to adjust. Time will tell!

My Australian friend Melany is here visiting. It's so awesome to have her here. We saw each other two years ago, at her wedding in Hawaii. She's taught me a lot as I developed as a person and a friend. We have been through some serous life changes together. Thousands of miles away and we're still able to maintain our friendship. Great friends are hard to come by! Fun, Fun!

Grey's Quote

Just wanted to share a quote with you! 

We're all going to die. We don't get much say over how or when, but we do get to decide how we're gonna live. So, do it. Decide. Is this the life you want to live? Is this the person you want to love? Is this the best you can be? Can you be stronger? Kinder? More Compassionate? Decide. Breathe in. Breathe out and decide.

-Richard-

Grey's Anatomy

Mango Salad/Chow

Just wanted to share this staple recipe. It's a West Indian thing!

Mango Salad/Chow 

Mango (I like green and not too ripe)

Black Pepper 

Hot Sauce (I use Baron's pepper sauce)

Vinegar 

Olive Oil (tablespoon) 

Salt (for those who can)

Peel the mango and slice. Place in bowl and sprinkle black pepper and salt. Add olive oil and enough vinegar to cover the mango (about half cup). Add the hot sauce and mix everything. Whala! Enjoy!

It's pretty simple but it's a good snack if you are a mango fan!

Life Adjustments

Just wanted to share my VLOG about Life Adjustments with Heart Disease. 

I've also added the link. Life Adjustments

God Is Bigger than your problems!

Today has been an ehhhh kind of day. Not sure why....I couldn't sleep last night and just laid in bed. I finally fell asleep about 2:30. I woke up tired. Worst feeling ever!!! I've noticed that when I'm not going to have a great health day, my feet and legs have a "heavy" feeling. So I got up and started moving around and went straight back to bed. I just laid there. I got up and made some breakfast and was on my favorite spot on the couch. It's just one of those days.

I had interesting conversations with two friends. One has just found out her mom died of Heart Failure and the other discussed work issues. At the end of both conversations, I just contemplated the future. What are next steps in regards to my career? Do I remain in this fast paced, high stressed field? Or do I transition into another area of interest? Those are some decisions I will have to make as I take charge of my health. Tough decisions but I have time to process.

Many of the people in my support groups discuss having these types of days. I'm grateful that I have only had a few of them. Hopefully tomorrow will be better! I can't imagine the pain that others go through. There are more painful diseases out there. Pain that attacks their bodies and makes living, hell. I'm not sure how they do it, but they are troopers, survivors! Just makes me think. You always believe that your struggle is too great to overcome, but there are others who are worse off than you. Just keeps me grounded.

Saw this picture and thought it was appropriate.

Chef Chronicles

Teaching myself how to tweak recipes in an effort to make them "heart friendly" has been interesting. The biggest change has been eliminating salt, no fried foods, and way less fat. I am slowly cooking more at home, since my doctor recommends that I eat no food that comes from a bag. NO FAST FOOD! I do love my chinese food though, I get steamed shrimp and broccoli with garlic sauce on the side. It saves me on a busy or late day from work. At least when I cook my food I know exactly what the ingredients are and can control what goes in my my belly.

Tonight I made crab legs and sauteed red potatoes and it was Awesome! Very tasty!!!

Sauteed Red Potato Recipe

4 red potatoes (boiled)

Onion 

Peppers (I used yellow and red)

Fresh Parsley 

Mrs. Dash (salt free seasoning)

Olive Oil 

I used enough Olive Oil to coat the bottom of the frying pan. I sauteed the veggies until they were tender. Once they were soft enough I added a good amount of Mrs. Dash to the pan. I sliced the boiled potatoes and placed them in the pan. I mixed the veggies, parsley and potatoes thoroughly and made sure it was fully coated. That's it. Very simple.

Sorry no pics of the crabs! 

Sodium Smodium

                         The Great Sodium Debate! 

The moment I was diagnosed with heart failure, the first thing I was told to eliminate was SODIUM! :sadface: I love some salt! It makes my mango, cucumbers and food taste soooooo much better. Because of heart failure, my body retains fluid like no other. By restricting my sodium the fluid around my heart disappears, it doesn't back up into my lungs and I have ANKLES! Before sickness, I was a grateful person. But now, I'm even more aware and try not to take the simple things in life for granted. Showering, walking in the sun, the beach, late nights with friends, being able to lift things on my own. It's the small things I swear!!!

I've tried this product, No Salt and it's ok. It's an alternative but I've heard it may conflict with some medications I take. So I rarely use it. It has an aftertaste, to me. 

I've been introduced to Mrs. Dash. I don't like her, but I use the seasoning and I supplement. Fresh lemons, garlic, cook with fruit, anything I can do to enhance the flavor of my bland chicken, brown rice and veggies. I have to do so in order to live. The little things make such a huge deal with heart disease. My dear sodium, I have let you go. In order to breathe and not sound like a cow while doing so, I say goodbye.

                                                         I'm not salty though!