Happy Happy Joy Joy!!! It's Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008, and what a day it has been!!! :) I was awake off and on again all night with a headache and fever (only happens at night) and ANOTHER storm!!! I'm telling you, between NWA and St. Louis, I've seen enough rain to float my boat for the next several months! :) I set my alarm for 7:00 a.m. to call Blake and Brooke on their way to school. This is the second day in a row I've been able to do that, and it made things seem more normal than they have been in a while. (As a tradition, on the mornings I don't have them, I always call them at 7:00 to wish them a good day, chat for a minute, and just hear their voices. It makes my day go much better!) I sure have missed that the past couple of weeks. It's amazing what creatures of habit we are!!
Anyway....X-ray came and got me at the crack of smack for another chest X-ray (which happened to be even better than yesterday---still just a little bit of fluid at the base of my lungs). After that, I had an Echocardiogram. This is a test of the heart, and the last one I had was in Rogers. As far as I remember, this was the test that showed my heart was swollen three times it's normal size, was beating irregularly, and the left side was only functioning at 45%. I may be wrong on some of the details, but I do remember this test was one of the ones with more scary results. Today, however, it showed I have a strong, beating heart with no long-term damage, and just a little bit of fluid surrounding it. Dr. Brunts (my cardiologist) said I may get winded easily for several weeks as the heart continues to heal. Hey! I can handle a little out-of-breathedness----I'm alive, and it's beating normally.....and that's a HUGE improvement from 2 weeks ago today!!!
After that test, I took a shower (standing up the whole time), and the only issue I had was me cutting my leg with the razor---imagine that---me being an accident waiting to happen~ha! :) I was drying my hair when the massage therapist came in. Remember the awesome massage I bragged about last week? Well, I got another one today to prepare me for the long ride home tomorrow. Kathryn, the massage therapist, came in on her day off to give me a massage! Can you believe that?!?!?! Another random act of kindness!!! We talked alot beforehand, and she is a very special lady who shared alot of wisdom! She was definitley a blessing to me both times she was here. :)
Next, a long-time friend of my parents (she graduated with my mom) came by and visited. Her name is Sandy Cowan, and she was a breath a fresh air!!! She brought "I Love Shea" foot cream (my favorite) and chocolate-covered almonds (which I immediately dove into) from Trader Joe's---another random act of kindness!!!
Finally, I ate lunch, read e-mails and regular mail, and took a nap. I had great plans to walk outside again today, but it seemed like everytime I got ready to, something came up and I got side-tracked. But, I have been working out in my room with my makeshift weights (water bottles), resistance band, and the side of the bed. I'm kind of like "MacGyver-ette" actually...and you can invison me in my hospital gown, hospital-issue pajama bottoms, and fuzzy socks just toodling around the room doing my little routine---pathetic, I know---but hey, it's better than bedsores. I can tell you.....never a dull moment! :)
I'm just so anxious to get home!!!! As a matter of fact, Joey 2 (or Joey 3, as my parents call him; or "Man Joey" as Tena calls him) is enroute to St. Louis as I type this to get ready to BRING ME HOME tomorrow!!!!! All the doctors agree that I am ready to leave, and I'm MORE than ready! I was rushed in here two weeks ago tonight with little to no chance of surviving the night, and I still can't comprehend everything that has transpired over the last 14 days!!! God heard all those prayers and smiled down on little ole' me!!! I have so much to be thankful for!!!
One thing I did forget to mention...Dr. Shein (my Primary Care Physician here) ran some more blood tests today, and there are a couple of numbers that are still elevated (platelets and Alkaline Phosphalase). He wants me to follow up with Dr. Leuders within a couple of weeks of returning home, and I'll definitely do that. But, I just know it's all going to be good though, so no worries!!!!
Here's a scripture I'd like to share before saying good night. It's an extra-special one because it is from a long-time friend who has recently suffered an incredible loss. It's amazing that she is comforting me when she is still grieving herself. What an amazing and selfless friend!
Jeremiah 29:11~ "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future."
I hope you're day has been wonderful, and I hope each of you has made at least one good memory to hold onto. Here's a little something my best buddy, PDHSBR, told me a while ago, and it's very profound (even though he's not technically a philosopher)! He told me this last Fall when I was just going 90 to nothing and couldn't seem to slow down. It rang true then and even more so now...."JJ, stop and smell the roses on the way, but don't rush to smell all the roses that you can."
Love you all~
Joey :)
