I’m sure by now you have seen the news coverage of the plane that crash-landed in Alaska. I first saw it and thought, “Wow- what a miracle that they all survived.” A couple of days later a friend posted on Facebook that her husband and his brother were on that flight. It shook me up a little bit!! I never know what will be a big trigger or a small trigger to get me thinking about my journey with loss. This trigger was not a soul-searching one, but it did make me pause and realize once again how quickly our lives can change. How one phone call, one doctor walking into the room with news, one decision can change our lives forever.
This particular friend isn’t a “best friend.” She is a “church friend.” Aren’t those church friends sometimes the best!!! I remember that every time I saw her after R passed away, she encouraged me like so many women from our church did. She was supportive; She asked how I was, and she always encouraged me. So, to know that she came really close to following in my shoes of losing a husband really bothered me. But, the good news is that God performed a miracle that day. Everyone survived that crash. She doesn’t have to go through the unimaginable!!! Praise God!!! I know her well, and I know she is praising God today for this miracle!!!
I’ve been having some health issues as of late. I have always been very healthy so the past 9 months to a year have just been weird for me. I knew something was wrong, and it has been a gradual progression into a really bad place. The first of the snowball started with some kidney issues. I got great news last Monday when I went for an appointment to get all my lab results. I knew in my heart it wasn’t anything serious, but Dr. T went with me because I knew I would need someone with me if it wasn’t all good news. But, it was fairly good news. I will be monitored for a while longer, if there is kidney disease, it is slow to no progress at this point.
I also made an appointment to discuss my cholesterol for later that week with a primary care doctor. All the weight I’ve gained since moving here has also increased my cholesterol. I was planning on begging this new Dr. to send me on to a cardiologist because I have been having major issues with my heart, dizziness, trouble breathing- like a weight on my chest among other things.
You see, I’m the patient who goes to the doctor with my diagnosis ready!! I’ve googled, read, and asked others’ opinions until I have a diagnosis ready to tell them— to save the doctor time of course!!
She didn’t buy my diagnosis when she looked through my blood work. I confessed that I had trouble climbing the few stairs to her office- proof that I need to see a cardiologist pronto!!! She asked me how long I had lived at this high altitude and then proceeded to tell me that I was probably anemic. I have never had an issue with iron deficiency. I thought you just got really tired if you were deficient in iron.
By the end of the day, my additional bloodwork had come in and her nurse called to tell me that I immediately needed to get on an iron supplement. I was severely iron deficient. I started googling the symptoms, and much to my surprise, I had experienced many of them. I’ve been a little MIA this past week because I just didn’t have the strength or the mental capacity to do very much with this blog. If I don’t take a nap, I’ve been exhausted by the end of the day.
Again, Dr. T and I were rejoicing that I had received good news. Although there is no quick fix to my deficiency, there is a fairly easy fix— just take my supplement religiously!!! Halleluja!!
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| Unfortunately, this was so me. I was so negative to myself. I would be out trying to run saying terrible things to myself about how out of shape I was. After my diagnosis, I’m trying to be kind to myself!!! Why are we so hard on ourselves? |
I was so relieved. I had been trying to wrap my brain around how I was going to tell my children that I had heart issues when they had lost their dad to a heart attack a few years ago. That is something no one should have to think about.
I remember the first time I realized that I was all they had left of our little family!! It was a sobering realization that I was their sole parent!!! I wrote about it here. It was a scary situation, but the really scary part was later when I thought of the enormous weight I felt at being the only one they had left. I know they are adults; I know they have each other; I know they have extended family; I know they have great friends, but my pity party was still needed on my end!!!
I’m am rejoicing today that I am in good health. I know of too many people who are battling cancer or other very serious illnesses. I am thankful today that I get to pop a little pill each morning for the next few months to get my iron levels up.
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