Cardiac Catheterization

Continued from previous post...I have no strong history of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc in my family. Today, November 17th, they are doing a heart catherization. http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/cardiac-catheterization You can read further about this procedure at the previous link.

Cardiac catheterization (heart cath) is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done for both investigational and interventional purposes. Coronary catheterization is a subset of this technique, involving the catheterization of the coronary arteries.
A small puncture is made in a vessel in the groin, the inner bend of the elbow, or neck area (the femoral vessels or the carotid/jugular vessels), then a guidewire is inserted into the incision and threaded through the vessel into the area of the heart that requires treatment, visualized by fluoroscopy or echocardiogram, and a catheter is then threaded over the guidewire. If X-ray fluoroscopy is used, a radiocontrast agent will be administered to the patient during the procedure. When the necessary procedures are complete, the catheter is removed. Firm pressure is applied to the site to prevent bleeding. This may be done by hand or with a mechanical device. Other closure techniques include an internal suture. If the femoral artery was used, the patient will probably be asked to lie flat for several hours to prevent bleeding or the development of a hematoma. Cardiac interventions such as the insertion of a stent prolong both the procedure itself as well as the post-catheterization time spent in allowing the wound to clot.
A cardiac catheterization is a general term for a group of procedures that are performed using this method, such as coronary angiography, as well as left ventrical angiography. Once the catheter is in place, it can be used to perform a number of procedures including angioplasty, angiography, and balloon septostomy.

After 3pm today, the doctor's should have a much clearer picture of my heart including what type of damage I have, any blockages in my arteries or other complications throughout and around my heart. So, just be in prayer and I look forward to blogging again on all the new information that they find today during the heart catheterization. Stay tuned to the next episode of My Crazy Life!!!

What is a Left Bundle Branch Block?

Well, I figured since I had lots of time on my hands now... I would spend some time blogging on what exciting things have happened to me in the past few days. For the past few weeks I have been having some weird quivering and flipping feelings in my chest around my heart. Just like strong palpitations and fluttering... I thought maybe this was just stress (not that I really have any of that in my nice calm, quiet life! HAHA) But, you know, maybe anxiety or something. And as a typical busy mother, I ignored it and went about my days normally. On Tuesday, November 11 - I was having a lot of discomfort in my chest. My heart was going crazy in my chest and I was having lots of pressure, it was hard to take a deep breath. So my friend, Christina, suggested (insisted) that I go see Dr. Adjei so I would stop complaining. LOL I am so loved! So off to the doctor I went. Dr Adjei ran an ECG and it showed a Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB). This was not alarming, but was concerning and needed to be checked out by a cardiologist. Here is a short excerpt from The American Heart Association about Bundle Branch Block. What is the normal condition? The heart has its own pacemaker, called the SA node. This is a specialized group of cells in the heart's right upper chamber (right atrium). Somewhere between 60 and 100 times a minute, this pacemaker emits an electrical impulse. This impulse then travels throughout the heart on a specified route. As the impulse passes through the heart, the heart muscle contracts (beats). The impulse first travels through the upper chambers (the atria). Before it can go to the lower chambers (the ventricles), it must pass through one small group of cells called the AV node. The AV node is between the atria and the ventricles. After the impulse goes through this AV node, it goes along a track called the "bundle of His." From there, this bundle divides into a right bundle and a left bundle. These two bundles go to the right and left lower chambers of the heart. All of this is much like following the roads on a freeway map.
What is bundle branch block? Normally, the electrical impulse travels down both the right and left branches at the same speed. Thus, both ventricles contract at the same time. But occasionally there's a block in one of the branches. This doesn't mean that one of the ventricles won't contract. It just means that impulses must travel to the affected side by a detour that slows them down. That means one ventricle contracts a fraction of a second slower than the other. Usually if there's nothing else wrong, a person with bundle branch block shows no symptoms. But a bundle branch block shows up as an abnormality when the electrical impulses through the heart are recorded with an electrocardiogram (ECG).

So Dr. Adjei referred me to Dr. Huggins, a Cardiologist at Memorial Medical University Hospital, in Savannah, Georgia. I saw Dr. Huggins on Friday, November 14th and he ran another ECG and an Echo cardiogram. The Echo cardiogram shows that the front left wall of my heart was damaged due to a possible heart attack. The left ventricle of my heart was not emptying because of low ejection pressure and thus blood clots have formed in the lower left ventricle. Dr. Huggins, immediately admitted me to MMUH and started me on blood thinners, blood pressure medication, cholesterol medicine and some other things I can't remember. I have been observed and been placed on 24/7 heart monitors until they can decide a course of action. The doctors are quite baffled - calling me an enigma!

SOCCER SEASON

SOCCER

Soccer has begun! Need I say more? If you are new to my world, let me clue you in... all three of my children usually play soccer. And as my life would have it - all three of my children play on different teams! All have practice at different times! And all have games at different locations in different counties, sometimes - usually all on the same day!

So when I look a little haggled on Sunday morning, even a little tanner than the week before; you will know that I have been faithfully cheering on my little squad of soccer players and yelling my brains out from the side lines.

(yes, I am that mom! Just love me anyway)

Happy Fall Soccer Season!

Her Story - Conclusion

You know, when you begin to ask God for a spouse, you actually are relinquishing control. You are asking God to intervene and choose a mate for you. Not that much different than the betrothal of old… I was allowing my Lord to betroth me to His choice for my life. What a step of faith I was taking, yet what relief of that burden being lifted. I did not need to worry, to rush, to choose – God has His best in mind for me. All I had to do was wait. So waited I did. One year, two years, four years, five years. “ I am not getting any younger, Lord I would say; and I was so very weary of walking that road alone. Yet God still brought me strength every day… through His word – the bible, through brothers and sisters in Christ who encouraged me, and through the Holy Spirit. Even through each relationship I encountered, I learned new things about myself and how I needed to continue to most of all depend on the Lord. One day, while talking with a friend, he shared about when he met his wife. He explained that she was so clearly in love with the Lord, that she even told him, that he would need to come around to the idea of her being totally in love with the Lord, first. He was like – whoa! Who is this woman? Haha. I thought, Oh! To be that woman! And I guess I am, in a way. I am totally in love with my Savior and that is a thirst that has never gone away. There is always more to learn, always more to desire, always more wisdom to glean. Through His word, I have learned that our emotional needs, spiritual needs, physical needs are only truly met 100% through Him. Put that to the test in any marriage… we go into a relationship or marriage thinking that this person is going to meet our needs (well, some of us do) or we depend on that person for support or strength that really we should be looking to our Heavenly Father to provide. Women, especially, are bad with this! If we (women) would stop looking to our husbands to fulfill the needs that clearly God has not designed them to fulfill, we would find our relationships and marriages, much healthier. Our sense of value and worth are not wrapped up in what any human being thinks of us. It is solely based on our understanding of our relationship to God. When we go into a marriage knowing this, we enter in on equal footing…both stepping on a foundation of understanding before God – that only He can truly meet our needs. Then and only then will our focus be right – a right focus on the Lord, a right focus on our spouse, a right focus on our marriage.

So, as I continue down this road of singleness, I hope to have grown in wisdom and knowledge… to perhaps be an encouragement to other women who have walked in my shoes, or to warn some women who think the grass is greener on the other side, in my shoes. But I do not walk this road alone – oh no! I walk this road hand in hand with my Savior and all the while it is a sweeter walk than the day before…

Her Story - Part 1

I have yet to find a girl, who from a young age, has not dreamed of one day meeting her prince charming... her knight in shining armor... her rescuer from all things evil... her protector... her defender... the love of her life. Yet though we strive for such perfection in a sinful fallen world, rarely if ever few of us will find such a person. A person who complete us, a person who understands us, a person who is willing to look beyond our inadequacies with unconditional love. Nevertheless, we will try to find that person. If perchance, we are one of the fortunate one's, we might actually find more than one person with whom to share our life...either because of divorce or death. In either case, it is a welcome change of pace our lives have taken, to happen upon another soul mate. And I use that word sparingly, because I realize that the mere mention of the word will send many running and other's swooning.


Call it what you like... love is something we all wish to have, myself included. I was that little girl, sitting on her daddy's lap watching TV and wondering... how one day God would provide this same sense of security and provision through a husband. My father is a wise man and he would tell me the things I should look for in a future spouse... honesty, spirituality, integrity, kindness, love, etc. My dad modeled a great picture of Christ in how he took care of us, loved and provided for us. This set the stage for my thinking in adulthood. I had a good foundation from which to build.

As it would happen though, despite my good intentions and sure foundation, foolishness ruled my young heart. I made unwise choices of friends, companions and lovers. I even married one of those lovers, much to the dismay of my friends and family. I had embarked on a journey that would be pa see at best. All be it, I was immature, selfish, prideful, arrogant and unsubmissive... that marriage was doomed for failure. An eight year struggle over finances, control, parenting, pornography and infidelity led to an untimely divorce.

In walks the Lord... I knew the Lord was with me everyday and I did pray and grow in my relationship to Him. But I had never before been forced to depend on Him solely for my every need. I began to life out "Father to the Fatherless" verses. Upon my divorce, I found myself homeless, carless, moneyless, jobless and alone with a 6 month old, 1 1/2 year old and a 5 year old. God immediately began providing with a home, a car, jobs and much needed physical help through my personal and church family.

Over the next 5 years of singleness, my precious Lord guided me through difficult conversations with the kids, through financial decisions, through divorce issues with my ex-husband and through spiritual issues. It wasn't until my children were 3,4 and 8 that they began to notice our family was different. They realized that they didn't have a dad in their home and that I did not have a husband. They began to understand God's structure of the home and that we were missing pieces to the puzzle. So they asked me "Mom, why don't you just get another husband? We need a dad!" Hmmm...we laugh at such frankness and refreshing honesty from our children. They make it sound like I was just placing my order at the drive through and pick it up. So to them, what was I waiting for?

Well, God had me use this opportunity to teach them about decision making, prayer and petitioning to God and of course the all importance of patience! We had many discussions of God's sovereignty and how he provides in time of need. As a family we could literally write a book about God's provision for us. Yet we still seemed lacking in the area of an earthly father/husband. So we commenced to praying. We prayed at every meal, at every good night, the children were so bold as to ask for prayer about this issues in Sunday School and church. Now, talk about being humbled. Yet my children's frank and honest approach to praying for this request was refreshing. They knew God would send us a father/husband... so why not ask?

I, on the other hand, did plead with God for a mate, but with some trepidation. I had great fear in my heart of repeating my past mistakes, fear of being accepted for what I was, fear of not measuring up, fears that were just irrational. But God, in His love for me, gave me great faith and helped me to know how to pray. He gave me strength to live everyday... all the while I was praying diligently for a spouse. I vowed to not rush the Lord, but to wait on His timing and wisdom... two things I had thrown out the window the last time I was married. (To be continued....)

Walk Through the Valley

It has seemed that so much of my life has been a valley... have you experienced that? Valleys of trials that we all walk through as Christians? Valleys that we bring on ourselves from our own disobedience to God... Valleys that we didn't see coming because we were not focused enough on God to see the signs ahead... Valleys that we did see coming, but were powerless to do anything about... Valleys that God has providentially placed in our path, so that we would grow closer to Him... Just Valleys!

When I look back on my life I wonder "Why couldn't my life have been easy? Simple, uncomplicated?" Hmmm... no such luck for this woman. Parent's divorced when I was 16 years old, I rushed into a marriage at the young age of 18, divorced by the time I was 26 with three kids, an ex-husband who shirked his responsibilities, I have struggled to work, pay the bills, and raise the kids alone, been single now for 5 years, just lost the only job I really loved. Yes, having a valley moment about now! haha

I look at some of my friends from high school and they are still happily ever after, married - with 2.5 kids, suv's, houses, the whole nine yards. And here I sit in my valley! Just me and God!

But... how sweet this valley has been for me and my children! You know, there is nothing quite like a humbling experience of total dependency on God to grow your faith. Nothing quite like loosing your house through divorce/foreclosure, only to have God give you one through His providing hand... Nothing quite like not being able to pay the bills that week and coming out of church to find that God had someone place that exact amount in an envelope on the front seat of the car... Nothing quite like worrying if you are capable of raising your children alone and seeing 2 of 3 of them come to know the Lord and be baptized... Nothing quite like having 2 cars bite the dust and see God provide 2 better cars that were given to you! Nothing quite like struggling in loneliness from being single and having God give you your perfect soul mate, someone He has created just for you! Nothing quite like looking up out of that valley and seeing the mountain top just ahead and knowing that you are almost there! Nothing quite like, looking to your right and seeing your Lord and Savior, walking you out of that valley!

My brother's and sister's in Christ.... we will go through valleys, sometimes extended, sometimes brief. But, God has used these years of total dependence on Him to humble me, to soften me, to mold me, to teach me. Yes, it has been painful at times and hard - but how sweet to know that My God loves me enough to mold me - He loves me enough to walk through the valley with me - He loves me enough to walk me out - He loves me! What more can I say?

So, when you are walking through your valley... right now... or you can see it coming.... or maybe you are headed up the hill out of that valley... don't forget the precious times you had with the Lord. Hold His hand and let Him lead you on...

If You Want Me To By: Ginny Owens

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Chorus: Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise
You're not through with me yet so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will go through the fire
If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear
You answer my cries for help I'll remember the suffering
Your love put You through
And I will go through the darkness
If You want me to
When I cross over Jordan,
I'm gonna sing, gonna shout
Gonna look into your eyes and see you never let me down
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to you
And I will walk through the valley if you want me to
Yes, I will walk through the valley if you want me to

Fiber, Anyone?

This is a copy and paste from my old blog.... Because it has been soooooooooooo long (thanks donny for point that out EVERYTIME) since I have blogged anything new.... I decided to put this blog up for all my new friends to read. No, I do not still have this bread business, but I will be glad to bake a loaf for you anytime, just ask. And, yes, for all my out-of-state readers, I will gladly ship some to you! haha! I hope you enjoy!

Fiber, Anyone?

As I mentioned before, I began a bread baking company this summer. I am calling it "The Bread Lady." I use 100 % whole wheat flour. Big deal, you might say, however let me give you a little background. Once wheat is milled into flour the nutrients immediately begin to oxidize, thus causing the flour to be far less nutritious than when first milled. Within 72 hours, all but about 20% of the nutrients are gone - you're left with basically cardboard. Ever wonder why the "whole wheat" bread at the store taste like cardboard? Now you know why!

Anyway, with my flour being milled right in my kitchen and baked immediately, the nutrients are preserved, the taste is 100% better and you reap the benefits of awesome nutrition.One of the most amazing benefits of fresh ground whole wheat bread is the amount of fiber it contains. Combined with the nutrients naturally found in fresh flour, the fiber is more easily digested by the body and therefore absorbed into the intestines and produces a very "regular" system!

Yes, I'm talking about constipation! Like you don't have that problem! Honey, it is a huge problem, you just can't get away from that. Well, my family and I have been enjoying the benefits of a "regular" system for a while now, and every customer I have (in their own discreet way) has found a way to comment on their new found "regularity." It is completely amazing how happy people are when they are "regular."

Now for the fun part! We have (had) a Basset hound, named Sallie Mae. We were leaving on Tuesday night for VBS and it was pouring down rain. As we were leaving the dog darted in the door. Because it was raining, we were late already, the power had just out (need I continue?) I just let her stay inside. We returned several hours later to find her "happily" greeting us at the door. We immediately realized why she was so happy. There on the flour lay the tiny crumbs of what was left of a WHOLE LOAF of my cinnamon raisin bread (yes, the fresh ground whole wheat kind). Yes, my dog had somehow managed to get a loaf off the counter, out of a Wal-mart bag, out of the bread bag and eat the entire thing. So within a few hours she was "regular!" (twice in the house) Needless to say, she won't be coming in the house anytime soon! So, happy eating! And I hope you stay as "regular" as our whole family!