Spirited and Lively Older Women Thread

Barbe ~ OMG! Very scary, indeed! Is that what took you to the ER to begin with? Did you have an episode or something? I'm keeping you in my prayers, girlfriend. Big hug! But, gentle. ♥

Oh Alyson, I cannot imagine the pain your friend is in!!! They would have dressed her daughter in the dress they were given. Who gave the funeral home her Christmas dress?? I CANNOT imagine the pain of seeing my child in a coffin......Oh my God!!! My heart stills aches for those who loved her....

Take it from me, it is the hardest thing anyone can do.

Alyson, Chrissy, Barbe everyone is in pain today, for themselves and others. What we're going through pales in comparison to what some others are experiencing. Still, Barbe, you have an amazingly strong spirit, even though your body is testing you in far too many ways.

Hugs to everyone. 

barbe, sorry about your trip to ER and subsequent diagnosis....it's a real shock that one...and I got exactly the same diagnosis on Friday pm. 

I went to see my cardiologist, for a routine check...to see if I was fit for a full anaesthetic for my back op. I particularly requested this appointment as I was a bit worried about anaesthetics and my 'diseased aortic valve', as found 6 months ago after episodes of fibrillation, and also ending up in ER. I got to see the head honcho, I was hoping for this, he is a professor, and I get on with him very well. He said 'WHAT diseased aortic valve ? ' I said 'the one your underling told me I had at my last visit' When he had stopped laughing at me calling his registrar an underling ( what a quaint word, he said !!!) He proceeded to tell me I have Atrial Fibrillation, NOT a diseased aortic valve. This to me is a real show stopper ...as barbe says your heart can just stop , just like that. I understand it to be because the heart is inefficient, and the blood pools, instead of circulating properly, and clots can form, and be fatal. BUT, and this seems crazy to me, he said you can go ahead with the anaesthetic WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE RISKS !!! ' Thank you very much' I said to him !!! He upped my beta blockers and said 'see you in six months when you've had your back op' THIS is the medical system we have to put up with here !!! I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the moment. I am quite lost for words, or advice....as I saw the absolute top man I could and this was his cavalier attitude....don't know who else to consult, as we are NOT allowed to swap and change once we are on a course of treatment. 

Had a house full of assorted DDs, GDs and 1 G/son today, we had a sort of brunch...just piled alsorts on table and let all dig in. All of them are saying DO NOT have the anaesthetic... but no-one can tell me what I do next. We are all going out for a meal tomorrow afternoon...one of honourary GDs birthdays to celebrate...there will be around 20 of us. I do not like big gatherings, and more than 3 is big for me !! I don't want them all to start discussing my health at all, as one or two are not too close to me, and I don't like my goings on broadcast ! Still will take my mind off the fact that I could wake up dead without any notice at all !!!!! Suppose I will just learn to live with it !

Very cold, wet and windy here. I don't think I will get a lot of sleep tonight I have been waiting for a litter of puppies...... waiting 3 damned days now. I was up 4 times 3 nights ago, three times 2 nights ago, and last night I could only drag myself out once ! If nothing gets going by tomorrow evening it's to the vets for an elective caesarean...I can't stand this lack of sleep like I used to ! I have a baby alarm fitted up, but, of course, it's broken right when I need it. I usually have it on quite loud at the side of my bed, and then I don't have to go up and downstairs all thru' the night, the yowling always wakes me up. I have a family coming tomorrow morning for 3 puppies, they ordered weeks ago. They're travelling nearly 150 miles, so hope I am not in a stomp with no sleep, and no puppies in the night!!

Right, it's only 7.45 in the evening here , but I'm off to get a bit of advance sleep now, all is quiet. I have put all dogs to bed, under great protest, but hard cheese, it won't harm them for once. I just hope I won't drop off into such a deep sleep, being so tired, that I don't wake up 'til 9am !!

Isabella.  

barbe...I really admire you for being so positive faced with AFib...I am still churned up about the whole thing being dropped on me so unexpectedly. Have you been looking at the AFib sites ? ...scary stuff.  If this is getting old I don't want to know. My paternal side of the family is peppered with heart troubles...what problems they've had I have no idea, as most have popped their clogs.

 I have been trying to forget about things today, I had quite a big b/day party to attend....supposed to be family only, but there were some 43 people there in the end. I think the restaurant seemed a bit overwhelmed trying to seat us all together, 'twas a fantastic meal tho' the portion sizes were enormous. There were 1 or 2 mix-ups...things missing off the menu, and of course, me being me...jinxed... my meal was actually brought wrong, AND the last to be brought to the table, so I had to wait on my order being cooked. By the time it arrived, most were finishing, then they all sat there quietly waiting for me to finish... and kept looking my way to see how I was getting on. My meal was Chinese pork and black beans, served in a dish that would have fed 3 people, then there was a baked potato, double sized portion of rice, salad enough for an army, and Chinese crisps. OMG, where I was supposed to put all this food I don't know, and it didn't help that it was soooo hot. In the end I had to give in and stop trying to get thru' it all. I was beginning to feel pressured with everyone looking at me, waiting for me to finish before they could go on to their next course. I asked for a doggy bag...well, I do have plenty of mouths to feed at home !! The waitress brought it back to me in 2 big foil containers !!  To catch up with all the others, and bearing in mind I was still hungry (I 'd not eaten all day in anticipation of this party, so I could go a bit overboard on the calories for once, but this was ridiculous !!) I ordered a child size portion of trifle, and, blow me, they'd run out of trifle, and I ended up with ice cream.

Was pleased to be home, and what did I find ? 2 dead puppies, from the 7 that were born last night. Or rather, early this morning. I went to bed around 9pm, got up again to check at 12.15...and found the 1st puppy about to be born. She then took until 7.30 this morning to deliver the rest...even tho' I had given her a jab straight after the first puppy. This jab is supposed to shift things along...USUALLY the remaining puppies will shoot out, one after the other within an hour or so. I don't often use this jab. I don't like to jab my dogs, and I like to let them do things at their own speed. But last night I thought 'enough is enough'. 3 nights of disrupted sleep, and what looked like a 4th about to happen....anyway the drug just didn't seem to work at all, so I had to sit it out. I know if I'd gone to the vets he would have just given this drug, and sent me home.

I shouldn't have gone out and left the little dog this evening...tho' if it'd been bed time I would have gone to bed and left her, as I always do. I was only away 2 and a half hours. It was pretty obvious she had killed them herself....  why ? I have no idea, she's never done this before...but always a first time for everything. So I have just pulled myself an easy chair into the kitchen, filled the log burner, and am going to sit up with her all night! No idea what she'll do now, she seems settled, but then she seemed settled when I went out to the b/day party !! I am right at the edge of losing my temper with anyone, or anything that happens tonight.!!!!!!

I have another party tomorrow night, my GD is 3 and DD has booked a play gym for 2 hours...another biggish 'do' I am trying to balance out a very good excuse, with wanting to go so damned badly !!

DD is going for Botox on Tuesday....I think she is being stupid, but will she listen !! She has told her DH that I am paying for this for her, as a treat....and warned me to keep up the pretence if SIL asked me about it !! If she didn't smoke so many cigarettes she wouldn't need to waste money. I had to have words with her tonight ( damn, I am ALWAYS having words with this girl !!) asking her to rein in GD, who was getting very silly, and was being allowed to run around the restaurant. The waitresses were giving DD evil eyes, but she just ignored it all. In the end I get up and go grab hold of GD,  slap her backside, and make her sit down and finish her food. DD said 'glad you're here...she does as she's told for you' This child will never behave herself while she is being allowed to do exactly as she wants....DD and I will never agree on this tho'. 

Isabella.

So sad about the pups!! Something MUST have been wrong with them for the mom to kill them. I have to believe that.....

Isabella, with my Long QT Syndrome, the Mayo website tells me to turn down my phone and cell phone ring so I won't be surprised and take off the door bell so people have to knock! I'm not supposed to get "excited or shocked" as that could send me into afib. I have to stay calm and not get excited "good or bad". You are doing too much!!!

That is beautiful.

This not so lively lady must get moving. It si just so pleasant to be in my house by myself doing wht I want when I want. My sister has to ability to make me feel guilty, she is away for a few weeks.

Big hugs to all.

If that is a great blue heron, which I kinda think it is -- a naturalist once told me (we had one that stopped at our Oregon place each year, and I questioned him) -- look for the same bird, same tree, same time next year.  Apparently these herons are "creatures of habit..."

After further review...it was a night hooded heron I saw..ooops