Time for a valve job?

On Friday I went to the University Hospital for an echocardigram and stress test.  When I got there, instead of going to the room on the 2nd floor where I’ve had this procedure before,  they took me over to the ABACUS Research Centre which is part of the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute. I found out that I was going to have a new test – in fact I was to be only the third person to have it on their new equipment.

Typically, for an echo/stress test doctors  do an echocardiogram to see the heart’s function at rest, then the patient exercises on a treadmill or stationary cycle (while having a constant electrocardiogram), and finally the patient lies down and has another echocardiogram to show the heart’s performance immediately after exercise.

The advantage of the new test is that it compares the performance of your heart at rest to the performance of your heart during exercise, as well as after exercise.

So I was hooked up to an electrocardiogram, and strapped onto a bed with a cycle on the bottom.  The reason I was strapped on was because the bed tilts to allow the technician to do the echocardiogram while you are pedaling! Talk about contortions!

First they did the at rest echocardiogram. My cardiologist was particularly concerned about the function of my bicuspid aortic valve and wanted to get a good sense of how well it was functioning before going ahead with the rest of the test.  The result – borderline severe but good to go with the test!

They increased the resistance on the cycle every few minutes and monitored my heart rate. Meanwhile, they kept getting ultrasound photos of the heart in action via the echocardiogram.

It was a very  interesting experience. My cardiologist’s initial assessment is that we’re good to keep on keeping on for now…he needs to have a more in depth review of the images and the data but on first blush things seem to be quite good despite the borderline severe aortic stenosis. No valve job for me for now!

Yay!

Uninspired.

At the moment I am completely and totally uninspired.  I can’t think of anything worthwhile to say.  It’s not that my life is void of activity – it’s full. But I am without energy or inspiration to write. This too shall pass.

Root Canal – Pulp Reality

I’ve been silent lately. I’ve been nursing an abcessed tooth. Not fun.

It started in late November. I went to my dentist and he prescribed some antibiotics and referred me to an endodontist  on December 11. At that point things had settled down and the endodontist  said although I’d need a root canal soon, it wasn’t necessary to do it right away. Right, I thought. Let’s not do it if we don’t have to.

Then, over Christmas it flared up again. I spent the holidays eating advil and drinking brandy to control the pain. Not  very healthy but that’s what I had to do. Both my dentist and the endodontist were away for the holidays.

Root canal illustration from Wikipedia

I went for the root canal last Monday. It wasn’t pleasant but it wasn’t awful either. I was very worried about the freezing as I was in such pain and so tender to the touch that the thought of a needle was absolutely terrifying. The endodontist used a topical anaesthetic first and then injected the freezing very slowly. It was not painful.

Then he drilled an opening through the tooth into the pulp chamber of the roots. Using some instruments and x-rays he measured the exact length of the roots to be sure he was accessing the entire canal. He removed infected or dead pulp tissue and  the nerve from inside the canal.  In my case he said the nerve was pretty much dead and that the canals had calcified to some degree. Once cleaned out, the root canals were irrigated with a dilute solution of a bleach substance to wash out bacteria,  dead tissue, and debris and to sterilize and chemically neutralize any remaining dead tissue. Then he put a temporary filling in.

Because I had infection in the soft tissue above the root, I will have to go back to repeat the procedure again after two weeks.

I headed back to work on Monday after the procedure but when the freezing wore off I experienced a great deal of pain and had to go home, where I slept for a good part of the afternoon. Interestingly enough the dentist said to take it easy for a day or two and to get lots of sleep. My biggest set back was when Jed, the beautiful black boxador showed his affection by head butting me on the jaw – right where the root canal was done! I almost passed out from the pain.

It’s now been a couple of days and the swelling is almost gone (from the root canal not the head butt) and I’m only a little tender.  I’m on antibiotics to kill the remaining infection in the soft tissues.  I think the worst is over.

Famous Blue Housecoat

My mother who is almost 86 moved in with us last month.

It’s been a big adjustment. It’s not just the unpacking but all the chores associated with moving to a new city – finding a banker, a doctor, a lawyer, (an Indian chief?). And just getting used to living with each other is a major shift that can’t be overlooked.

My mother has been living with heart disease for more than half her life. Just shy of 40 she learned that she had high blood pressure. When she was about 44 she had a serious heart event. At first they thought it was a heart attack, then they thought it was a heart virus. I don’t think they ever really understood what happened. She was hospitalized for two months (bedridden) and when she came home her legs had atrophied and she had to learn to walk all over again. Nowadays they’d have you marching in the halls on day two!

When she was in her early 60s she got a pacemaker. And at 71 she had a triple bypass.  Yet here she is today, still going. I joke that she’s like a Timex watch.

Ever since my dad died in 1992, my mother has come west for vacations once or twice a year, often for three weeks or a month. To make packing easier, she left a blue velvet housecoat at my house.

So now that she’s here, lock, stock, and barrel – what to do with the famous blue housecoat?

Well, here’s the answer. We are fortunate to have a country hideaway – our lodge – in the rolling hills of northeastern Alberta. It’s a rustic country cabin (the inspiration for our website rustic-lodge-lifestyle.com) and she loves going there as much as we do. As I write this, it’s a lovely late August afternoon at the lodge. Mum is reading, the sun is shining, the dog (Jed, the boxador) is sleeping, the breeze is rustling the leaves on the trees, and I’m connecting with the world from my sanctuary.

Mum in the famous blue housecoat

So, the famous blue housecoat has a new home, here at the lodge where it will come in handy on crisp autumn mornings when the cabin is chilly and before the morning fire in the wood stove warms the air.

We never thought Mum would live so long. She is a testament to the fact that you CAN live with heart disease.

“Kersh Wellness Sucks”

I wrote in a previous blog that I’ve started wearing a kinetic activity monitor (KAM) from Kersh Wellness. The company I work for has made this available, for those who wish to participate, in an effort to encourage people to be more aware of their activity levels and to – hopefully – make healthier lifestyle choices.

Those who participate are eligible for financial rewards in the form of additional health care spending dollars or reduced premiums.

Before receiving my KAM I had a confidential health assessment based on height, weight, blood pressure, blood work, and by filling out a questionnaire about my medical history and lifestyle. I started wearing the KAM on August 1.

In the toilet

The fact that I dropped my KAM in the toilet the other day (got it out with lightening quick speed so no damage done!) bears no relationship to what I think of the program. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. As a person living with heart disease, I’m probably more aware of my choices than many people, but putting that little device on my belt each day certainly reminds me to get in my walk, take the stairs, or make sure I’m eating my fruits and vegetables (aiming for no less than five servings of fruits and veggies per day).

Not everyone feels the same way I do about this program and some, in fact, even say Kersh Wellness sucks.

It totally baffles my mind why anyone would be loathe to make use of an opportunity to live a healthier life. Getting active is not only good for your health, it helps you look good (shed some added pounds) and feel good! Adding more activity to your daily life can also reduce stress levels, increase your energy, and improve sleep and digestion.

Yes, a company that institutes this program for its employees may benefit from lower absenteeism and reduced use of health benefits (that’s the goal!), but the individual who takes care of his or her health will ultimately be the big winner.

It’s a win – win!

Gotta go get dressed and put on my KAM. I’ve got a whole wonderful day waiting for me out there!

Folk Fest Fun

A family tradition we’ve enjoyed for many years is attending the annual Edmonton Folk Fest with our family and good friends. It’s a four day festival of music held outdoors at Gallagher Hill just east of downtown. Now our young grandchildren even attend!

This year the weather was perfect – sunny and 28 – 30 degrees C (82 – 86 F)

Enjoying the sun and the music at folk fest

The music – always an eclectic range to choose from on the side stages and on the main stage – was both mellow or spirited depending on the artist. As usual we saw some old favorites and discovered some new delights.

This year we discovered Ryan Shaw – an incredibly talented and energizing young performer. He had 10,000 people in the palm of his hand in a joyful dance.

We also danced under the stars at midnight to Michael Franti and Spearhead - a previous favorite. He’s another performer who touched the crowd and had us all moving in unison to his heartfelt and positive commitment to peace and humanity.

The closing act on Sunday night was Chris Isaak, a seemingly unlikely candidate for a folk fest. When he came out in his pink sequined suit we thought maybe it was time to call it a night and head home. We didn’t and I’m glad. This man is AMAZING. Hugely talented, versatile, and funny as all get out!

Hula hoop for heart

You may think that sitting around at a folk music festival would be a very passive activity. Not so. Not only did I feed my soul and dance and move to the music, but the festival site is located at the base of a steep hill (yes we do have some hills on the prairies) that creates not just one, but several natural ampitheaters. Trekking from stage to stage (7 side stages as well as the main stage) and climbing the hill several times a day, meant that my KAM (kinetic activity monitor) recorded great activity levels for the weekend! I even joined in and hula hooped – such fun!

Plus we brought most of our own heart healthy food with us so we could avoid the junk food kiosks.

After four days, late nights, and lots of activity I’m tired. But I’m already looking forward to Edmonton Folk Festival 2009.

I am so lucky.

I am living with heart disease.

Lucky? What’s lucky about that you might ask!

The answer is in the first three words. I am living.

Tonight I saw a friend who lost her husband to an unexpected cardiac arrest at age 54. When I asked her how she was doing she said, “I’m doing okay day-to-day, but all I really want is to have him back again.”

Her husband Steve, an architect, loved his life, his family, and his profession.

Steve and I had a number of things in common. Both of us are/were passionate about our work and committed to staying fit. We both enjoyed a glass of wine (or two, or three). We shared the same birthday, and we both had heart disease in our families.

But he’s dead and I’m alive.

According to the American Heart Association, about 1.2 million Americans will have a first or recurrent heart attack this year. About 452,000 of these people will die. Heart disease is the single leading cause of death in North America.

Living with heart disease is like having a second chance. Every day is a gift. That’s why I feel so lucky.

If you’re living with heart disease be sure to check out smart-heart-living.com

Tomorrow is the start of a new life

Although I brought my 85 year old mother here to my home almost two weeks ago, all her worldly goods are just arriving tomorrow.

Not a minute too soon I suspect.

The past days have been difficult for her.  She’s been living out of a suitcase in the guest room.  We’ve done what we can to make her comfortable – she has a number of “resources” to help her with her daily living such as lifts on the stairs, a grab rail in the bath, a raised toilet seat with arms, a walker, and of course her trusty cane.

But she’s done without her “tippy chairs” that facilitate getting up and down out of a chair independently, her own bed and bedroom furniture, her own linens, her “office” and personal papers, and all the important and sentimental treasures from a lifetime that we will soon surround her with. And, since her new bedroom is sitting empty awaiting the delivery, she’s had no “private space” that’s truly hers to retreat to.

Even though it was her choice to move in with us,  I sense she is missing her privacy. To some degree we are too. I think we can work this out once she has her own things in her own space. It’s an adjustment for us all.  I watch her and I wonder how I will feel when I reach the stage in my life where I can no longer live on my own. There’s no doubt about it – aging sucks.

We’ll leave our country place mid-morning tomorrow to be at home in time for the movers. Steve, the friendly mover who we met in Ontario during the packing and loading will be making the delivery.

This time tomorrow my mother will really start her new life – in her own room with her own furniture and her personal effects. And the support of a family around her.

Big Brother is Watching Me.

Every move I make. 24 – 7. I’m under constant surveillance. It’s all being recorded.

All from a little KAM (Kinetic Activity Monitor) I wear on my waist band.

The company I work for has introduced a voluntary wellness program through Kersh Wellness where our activity is monitored and uploaded to a web-based computer application that tracks our progress. If we meet certain wellness goals we get additional health care spending account dollars.

Not only does the KAM record our physical activity at three levels, (normal living, healthy living, and sports) but we can also track the number of servings of fruit and vegetables we consume each day.

So does it bother me to “be under surveillance?” Not a bit. I think anything that can help raise awareness and act as a motivator for healthy living is highly desirable. I am enjoying ensuring that I’m on track with my activity each day (It’s SO easy to procrastinate!)

Just Taking a Walk..

There’s a great John Prine song “Taking a Walk” that I couldn’t help but think of just now.

Why?

Jed the beautiful black boxador

We just came back from walking our dog, Jed (aka Jedidiah, Uncle Jed) the beautiful black boxador.  Usually we walk him each morning at 6 AM (there are few people out and about at that hour)  but tonight we ventured out around 9:30 PM. What an interesting adventure it was. It’s amazing how you can connect with people through dogs.

First we met Jessie, a five year old German Shepherd Heinz 57 cross who loves to play in the children’s playground. Apparently she even goes down the slide! Jed and Jessie chased each other in circles around the playground until we were worn out just watching them!

At the other end of the park we met Shiva, a black lab border collie cross. While we visited with Shiva’s owner, the dogs chased and retrieved a ball.

On through the woods and out the the other side, when who should we meet again but Jessie (and her owner)! After another visit we carried on. Then across the school ground and past the hill and guess who we encountered! Yup. Jessie.

Later on the walk we heard a woman say, “Is that Jed?” It was Nelson’s owner. Nelson is a large – okay VERY large year old dog – breed unknown – that we have met a few times before. Jed and Nelson did the doggy sniffing and posturing thing and generally had a good old doggy time.

While we were chatting, a group of young men in ball caps and big shorts sauntered past and one stopped. He was very interested in the dogs and asked their names and talked to each one. Turns out he moved to Alberta three months ago to work the rigs. Cornell from Halifax. Yet another dog lover. But probably someone I’d never talk to if it wasn’t for Jed.

So my advice to anyone who needs exercise, or is lonely, or both -  get a dog!