THE SATURDAY SOUP #12 - Heartfelt - Holidays - Hopes #SliceOfLife #SoupRecipe

  

THE SATURDAY SOUP

TWELVE

A SPOONFUL OF MY LIFE

HEART & HOLIDAY

AND A SOUP RECIPE

Welcome to The Saturday Soup! It's a floating feature I hope to post once a month, but if I can't find the time there's no pressure. I will be giving a life update and sharing a soup recipe.

PREVIOUS SATURDAY SOUP

I'm linking up with THE SUNDAY POST, hosted by The Caffeinated Reviewer.

HEART

At the beginning of November I contracted the latest Covid strain, and the respiratory part of it was extreme. I was slowly improving and in mid-January I had about a week and a half of almost normal breathing and stamina, when I became sick again with that bad respiratory flu which was going around. The one-two punch completely sunk my ship. On March 6th I became so weak I collapsed, and my son called 911. At the emergency room they didn't like my EKG, so they decided to keep me overnight for an echocardiogram the next day. It was determined at some point in the past I had had a heart attack, and there is a small damaged part of my heart muscle from it. It's strange because I don't recall ever having chest pains, and before this last Covid I never had any regular breathing problems.

•

I spent five days on the cardiac floor in the small hospital near our apartment while they were trying to get my medications regulated and my breathing improved. On the day I was supposed to go home, after a CAT scan, the hospital's cardiologist decided I needed a chemical stress test, and even though I had zero reaction to the stress test they wanted a heart cath to look for blockages and had to transfer me to the university hospital for that procedure. I was at the large hospital for four more days. Here's a timeline of the unbelievable craziness which ensued...

TIMELINE

(main points in bold type for a quicker read)

•

FIRST HOSPITAL

EMERGENCY ROOM

Your EKG looks a little wonky.

We are keeping you overnight for observation.

CARDIAC FLOOR

You need an echocardiogram.

At some point you've had a heart attack. Maybe years ago, maybe not.

No big deal, you will be on eight medications for the rest of your life.

You need a CAT scan.

(they found fluid around my lungs most likely from the second virus)

They drained the fluid and my breathing problem disappeared.

You need a stress test.

(I passed the stress test with flying colors)

You may need open-heart surgery.

(huh, why? I had zero reaction to the stress test)

You need a heart cath that we can't do here.

•

SECOND HOSPITAL

CARDIAC FLOOR

They did the heart cath.

Doctor who did the heart cath says things don't look that bad.

I breath a sigh of relief.

You'll be on seven medications for the rest of your life.

Oh yay, one less than the first time, ha ha.

Second doctor comes in and says I need open-heart surgery.

(ugh)

A group of doctors come in and argue about why not just stents.

Senior doctor says they can't do stents because I had more than 50% blockage.

(the first doctor said I had 44-47% blockage in two arteries)

Young doctor says they do it over 50% at other hospitals.

Senior doctor... but not here.

The hospitalist says to me, "Keep questioning this."

I was discharged and had an appointment with the thoracic surgeon in two weeks.

•

BACK HOME

I spend those two weeks scared to death.

I see the surgeon. He looks like he's nineteen years old.

He explains the surgery.

I am now terrified.

He says I also have a leaky valve that needs to be repaired.

He says I have three months to "get things in order".

That jacks up my anxiety even more!

I will be having open-heart surgery in three months.

•

A WEEK LATER

 The cardiology group calls to schedule my post hospitalization follow-up appointment.

Nurse practitioner at appointment says to continue my meds and they will reevaluate in June.

I say, but I'm having open-heart surgery in June.

The nurse practitioner seems confused.

Apparently the cardiology group was supposed to determine my treatment, not the surgeon.

Somehow the surgeon snuck in his appointment before the cardiology group's meeting.

Open-heart surgery is not recommended.

Again I breath a sigh of relief.

•

ONE WEEK LATER

I get a call from the nurse practitioner and once again the bypass surgery is back on.

(ugh)

It was determined that the leaky valve tipped the scales in favor of the open heart surgery.

•

A MONTH LATER

I get a call from cardiology...

the NP says one of the doctors in the group wants to do a transesophageal echocardiogram.

He feels the leaky valve isn't bad enough to warrant heart surgery.

Taking away the double purpose will mean no open-heart.

Here we go again. I'm not going to sigh in relief this time. I don't trust them.

•

TWO WEEKS LATER

I had the TEE done and the doctor said my leaky valve isn't that bad.

In fact, I may have had it since birth.

No open-heart surgery required.

After two and a half months of serious mental stress I wouldn't let myself be hopeful.

•

THREE MONTHS LATER

I get a call and it's been decided that they are going to do stents.

You know, the stents they said they couldn't do here.

I had them done just before Thanksgiving.

•

I truly feel there were some people trying to railroad me into getting the open heart surgery so the fresh out of residency surgeon had someone to practice on. I really do.

Thank goodness for the honest doctor who suggested the TEE imaging.

•

My only problem now is with the dreadful side effects from the meds I am taking, I don't even feel as well as I did the week and a half I had between viruses; let alone how I felt before the Covid. Therefore, I am still pretty depressed about all of this.

•

Anyway... this is why I only blogged nineteen times last year, but I'm ready to get back onboard!

YULE

DECEMBER 21ST - JANUARY 1ST

My Yule sock was a little sparse this season. I have to lose thirty-five pounds so my son had a difficult time thinking of gifts because he is used to being able just to stuff it full of candy, ha ha! I love my Wizard of Oz playing cards. I was good and ate my Terry's Chocolate Orange two slices a day. The Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea is now my official winter tea. It's delicious.

My son's Book and (no) Cookies Night gift for me was the next regular sized illustrated HP book, Goblet of Fire, with all the little moving parts pages. No cookies because of my diet. He found and ate his Holiday Oreos before our book and cookies exchange, and the only book he wanted isn't publishing until spring, so Book and Cookies Night 2025 was a bust. Ha ha.

Jolene, my HP pal to book blogging buddy to dear friend, sent Pioneer Girl to me. It's an oversized annotated autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder with a lot of photos. I have thumbed through it and cannot wait to sit down and properly read it.

I received a raincheck from The Manchild for one of these local architectural replicas. He couldn't get down to the Historical Society before they sold out, so I will have to wait until more are made.

HOW WERE YOUR HOLIDAYS?

SOUP RECIPE

WILD RICE AND MUSHROOM SOUP

Do you have any new plans for 2026?

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