Well, it has been a few months since my last post. Thankful to say that my last blood work and ultrasound with my kidney doctor turned out normal. So, I am good for another 6 months. I also turned 50 just a few days ago. Before last year - I definitely would not have actually wrote that. But, having a year of surgeries and recovery put things in perspective. I am thankful to have made it through everything to be here. I am thankful for God's protection to catch problems before they are not fixable. I actually told one of my children last year that if I made it through everything - I wanted a big birthday party for my 50th. Well, that didn't happen....probably because I didn't plan it! 😄
But my hope for a quite, calm year without any health issues - has a bit of a kink in my plans. The beginning of the month, actually March 10th, my left foot started swelling. I was at school and by my lunch break, my straps on my Chaco's were tight. By the end of the day, my foot reminded me of my pregnant preeclampsia days. I came up with lots of excuses not to go to the doctor. I tried compression socks for a couple days. I waited a whole week before going. My foot never would go back to normal. It was continually puffy throughout the week. I could only wear my Teva's because the Velcro is a lot easier to adjust.
During my doctor's appointment the following week, she automatically drew bloodwork. Which was St. Patrick's Day and Krispy Kreme had green glazed donuts for the holiday. Which I thought would be great to share with work friends... which did not help my sugar levels in my bloodwork. Just being honest here! 😁 Anyway - she also ordered an echocardiogram because fluid retention usually means a heart issue.
March 25th was my echocardiogram. The day after my 50th birthday. As I was laying there and she was putting that jelly on my listening and taking pictures of my heart -- my thoughts went to all of the times that I was there when they did this to Kent. My prayer was just not this Lord. Not me. I have seen what heart disease does. I am a widow because of this. All the thoughts going through my head while I laid there trying to hold it together. The lady assured me that if it was too bad, she would get a cardiologist in there during appointment. When she let me get dressed and ready to go, I joked that it must have been good because no on was rushing in here. She just smiled and said, "for now."
My bloodwork came back and she also ran a heart test, the PROBNP, N Terminal. Which normal is <125. Mine came back <36. Looking that up, and it seems like a positive number. Then 24 hours later, the results came back from my echo on my Mercy App. LV function is normal and no significant valvular disease. 🙌 Now going through and reading what the cardiologist wrote - my LV number is a low normal (55%). I am just taking a deep breath right now. My heart does not seem to be the issue. My boys have been good to me knowing that this is bothering me a whole lot more than I am letting on or talk about. It has brought up too many memories.
I still have no answers. My foot is still sore and swelling. I am currently waiting on another referral for another test or ultrasound. I don't have any answers. But - I do know who has held me together each day when I didn't know how I'd make it. He was there at my lowest and my hardest. God will get me through this as well.
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