July 19, 2008

• Not having blogged for a long time now, I have a lot of things to write about in order to catch up with everything that has been going on in my life these last few months.

  Starting with our late Spring. Wet, too cool for plants to want to come out, or me for that matter

  These helped to brighten the garden in april. Not as full as I normally get, but still a delight to see.

  A week later I experienced major chest pains that did not want to go away. While I simply hate to go to a Dr. unless I feel it is something I cannot handle or could be really serious, this was definitely in that category, so made an apointment first thing in the morning. Result – I was sent to the hopsital to be admitted immediately. It is apparently the only way now days for any tests to be done, unless I wanted to wait for months. The hospital was full, so I was admitted into the emergency section. What an experience! I have never been admitted for as long as I have lived here, which surprised the staff no end. I became attached to a portable IV, and placed in a movable bed that was then set against the ice machine and supply shelf – I got quite the kick out of being appologised to every few minutes as nurses had to stretch over me to get either ice or their supplies. Not allowed to eat or drink until the test had been completed, I literally lived off that IV for the next few days. It did not take me long either to find out I could walk around and that was actually encouraged. For the next three days I got to know a few of the patients, and my way around the area I could explore, between all kinds of tests. On the fourth day, results came in, I was allowed to have breakfast (which was yucky so I did not eat) and told I was one very healthy lady. The only problem was my GERD which had burnt the base of my eosophagus, causing some ulcerations. And I could let Elmer know he could come and take me home! That was the very best news of all

  While I was in there, I just wished I had had my camera – there were some great photos I would have taken on my visits outside to have a smoke, but it was not so.  I had been doing so well in getting my walking up before this, but could not beleive how week my legs were after it. Still one of the things I did on a good day, after getting out was taking a walk to the nearby park for a photo shoot – this is one of the pics. The apple tree just starting to put out leaves and buds.

  I was given a prescription for the GERD – Rabeprazole – side effects, weakness, dizziness, headaches, loss of B-12 vitamins, itching, swelling, extreme tiredness. Yes I have expereinced all of these. My legs, instead of getting stronger became so week it was like trying to move double my weight just to get one leg in front of the other, so I have an ongoing affair with the pills. And it hit me within a few days. I stopped taking them for a couple of days, the symptoms improved but my chest pain returned, so went back onto them. It took longer to start the effects again, but soon I had to stop them for another couple of days. At least the headaches are rarer now, and the itching stopped. I do not feel so tired any more, and my legs are not so week, so I feel I am gaining on this, just make sure I take extra B’s every day, along with the other supplements I take regulary anyway.

  May – I thought yea! the weather has finaly warmed up and I can put out the planters I bring in over the winter – not a good thing. It froze and the ones I put out were not happy. But they have finaly come back, which made me happy. I am just pleased though I had hesitated to put out my Holiday Cactus, as that would have killed them.

  May flowers finaly arrived. The bed against my house suddenly burst into a riot of color. The Iris did me proud this year before aphids attacked them and almost destroyed all the plants in this bed.

   

  and one of my Peonies bloomed for me

  I did not get to see the others this year. I was off on a trip to family in Calif and Texas for the month of June when they bloomed.

   

  • 2:59 pm
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