The Widowmaker. This is what a heart attack looks like.

I got my first sad email last week. A person that had read my blog and corresponded with me before had a second "event." He's alive, and will be starting his second round of cardiac rehab soon. What's sad is that he KNEW he was having problems and didn't go get it checked
out. He didn't go to the hospital. Do you guys know what happened? Do you understand? Permanent, irreversible heart damage. He's never going to get better and he's going to die... much sooner than he should. After a few emails and a virtual hug of goodwill to my heart buddy I made him a promise. Full disclosure. Let's shine a harsh light on heart disease. This is exactly what a heart attack looks like.

The only editing I did to these pictures was to crop out my personal information. That's right guys, this is my very own heart. Let's take a deep, bracing breath and continue shall we? Look at the top image. That is my heart during a massive LAD heart attack. See the faint circle around the LAD that says Before? That's where my heart was failing. That's the blockage. See what's beneath it? You can see all the veins starving. That's my heart being strangled and starting to die. The whole thing looks wilted doesn't it? Now look at the bottom part of the picture. In a short bit of time I'd had a balloon angioplasty and a shot of nitroglycerin directly into my heart. Didn't work. Go big or go home right? This After picture was taken after I got my stent. Just LOOK at the difference guys. See how everything lights up? Notice the thickness of the LAD in the before and after. The difference is amazing! Notice the bloom of blood vessels that you couldn't see before underneath the blockage. That's my heart plumping back up and acting like it should.

These pictures were really hard for me to post so I really want you to look. Ask yourself this... Would you REALLY stay home and try to tough it out if you could see this? Does this look normal to you? Meet the Widowmaker. How do you think the LAD got that name? You don't stay home and tough out a Widowmaker attack. It's Death. The before picture could have been a swift end to my short life. It's a dying heart. What saved my life? I got help. I called for help and my husband saved my life. He made the calls and got me to the hospital. If I had stayed home I never would have woken up. This diagram was made by my cardiologist. There's my blockage. It qualifies as massive because my Widowmaker was little to begin with (I didn't know that.) and the blockage closed to 95%. Again, I cropped out the personal data but left all the grisly stuff for you guys to see.

After a year of tests we think we've narrowed down the cause. There appears to be a small kink in an already narrow Widowmaker. We think it's either a birth defect or a lesion caused by a childhood illness. As I got older plaque built up, I got stressed, and a heart spasm squeezed the plaque covered walls together sealing off the Widowmaker. A heart attack at 30. Go figure. I'll never know for sure because the stent is fixing the damage.

Now look at the poorly drawn little heart on the top left of the diagram. It says 40%. I had a swift response time and had surgery immediately to fix the blockage. After it was done? I had 40% of a working heart. Give me a break here. I'd had a rough day! All the tinkering on top of the attack leads to a stunned heart. I wasn't performing at my best. This is why you get tired and it's the source of heart attack fatigue. With just 40% of a heart working there's no way you're getting enough oxygen. Imagine powering your body with only half a heart. It's miserable guys. It took a year (And a lot of work.) but I'm fine now.

So there you go! This isn't a fun or funny post but I hope it serves it's purpose and fulfills my promise. I endeavored for full disclosure and you got it. I really want you guys to look long and hard at what a heart attack looks like. This is a Widowmaker. This is a blockage in a LAD. This is the leading cause of death. Go ahead and look at it. This is, or was, my heart guys.Look at these pictures and know this. I ignored all the warning signs and I paid a high price for my stupidity. I forced my frantic husband to literally carry me into an ER. I scared my family and made them endure the agony that is the surgical ICU waiting room. As for me, I had a slow, painful recovery, a boatload of expensive medication, and cardiac rehab. All while experiencing the joys of heart attack fatigue and angina.

Would you wait with this for treatment? You don't fight this and you can't wish it away. Please, please hear me and my friend when I tell you this. There is NO minor reason for chest pain. There is NEVER a time when it's okay. Felt a sharp pain and it faded? Call 911. RUN to the doctor. Please go get it checked. Get the blood work done. Know your blood pressure and treat it if you must. My friend wants you to learn from his mistakes and I hope you do. Scroll back up and look again. Would you wait? I really, really hope not. Make me proud guys and take care of yourselves!

So much for karma...

So I'm sitting on my back deck and enjoying some afternoon sunshine. Minding my OWN business I might add. A bug comes up with a stinger butt and I decide to practice my new inner calm and ignore it. Little stresses don't matter, the bug deserves to be there, it's not interested in me, yada yada yada. I serenely watch as it buzzes off and give myself a mental pat on the back.

OWWW! It stung me! That little 'effer snuck up behind me and nailed me right on the back! This is no small thing I tell you. It's an alligator tear inducing, hot poker feeling, sleep tossing ouch. That little punk. Bully. I hope it's one of those bugs that dies after it sticks you. That MIGHT make me feel better about having a sting right on my waistline.

Now here's the thing... If I had flipped out, screeching at the top of my lungs would it have stung me? If I'd scampered away and made Corey go on a bug hunt would I be sporting this fabulous whelp? Either way, a relaxing afternoon it wasn't.

Celebrate Tuesday at Middle Bay Light!

Pictures, pictures. pictures! There's lots for you to look at in today's post! Guys, I had a BLAST last night! The minute I was off work I was booking it across those dock boards. Date night! Corey did his man thing and installed a new water pump. Yay! Why am I so excited about a water pump? When you get a new integral part of your engine replaced you get a sea trial. I got a boat ride with my favorite person in my favorite place. Mobile Bay. Isn't it beautiful? We're off! She ran like a dream guys. With lots of love and care (and parts!) she runs like the well oiled machine she is. She plows through the water powered by two Detroit Diesel engines for work horses. She may growl like a lion but she acts like a lady. Not one complaint! See my ridiculously happy husband? He's proud of his work! He finally got to let her loose! This is him kicking it up a notch and testing her out. Can't you just see the happy vibes he's radiating right now?Okay fine, maybe not. You sure can on me though! I'm thrilled with our girl! Cheese grin! We're going WEST!!! What's west? Just my favorite place in Mobile Bay...
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Middle Bay Light! Isn't it beautiful? It's a tiny lighthouse that used to mark the mid point of the Mobile ship channel. See her flat top? It wasn't always like that. I get a happy shiver just thinking about this... Middle Bay housed an honest to goodness Fresnel lens. Wow. Big, big wow. A Fresnel lens is rare now and they're works of art. I can't believe we used to have one! Check out what Middle Bay used to look like when she had her lens. Gorgeous!It's like a candle on a cake. Perfect. I'm glad she lost her lens before my time. It must have been a heartbreaker to see it go. If you want, you can read some of the beautiful, interesting, funny, and sad history that I'm so addicted to here.We stayed as long as we could then raced the sun home. Of course, just to cap off a perfect boat ride, we spotted dolphins! I tried to catch a shot for you but they're squirrely suckers. I did get a shot of our sunset by accident though so that will just have to do. All in all, Corey had a blast, I had a blast, and the dolphins did to chasing us home. The only grumpy Gus?
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.Someone got left on the dock! Chuck's spot on MY side of the bed, on MY happy color quilt, left with the boat. Just look at the pissed off level of "cattitude" he putting out! He was quick to claim it and didn't budge the rest of the night. Poor old man. :(

Well that's it! This was a monster of a blog post! A blo-ster! Visit the links and I hope you liked my pictures! See you guys next time!

Everybody's got something.

Bug! BUG!!! There's a bug in the boat!!! COREY! Getitgetitgetit! Yeah, yeah. I know. We all have something right? If there's one thing that totally flips me out it's a cockroach. The definition of a phobia is an irrational fear. While I know it's ignorant, I'm so scared of the nasty things that I can't even get close enough to kill them. See? I told you it was irrational.

Bugs are an unfortunate part of marinas in the fall. They all seem to pop up with the weather change. One minute you're having a perfectly good evening and the next you've abandoned ship because a cockroach is FLYING around the living room. Poor Corey. I cower on the dock, refusing to set foot on the boat until he goes in and kills it. The worst part? He really doesn't have a choice. Here's why...

One night Corey and I were snuggled up in bed when I spotted a cockroach creeping around. This presented a rather big problem. There's no way I'm going to sleep with that critter inside. Do I disturb my slumbering husband? Nope. I grabbed a can of Raid and tried to sneak up on it. I sprayed it, it charged me, I panicked and held down the trigger. I literally finished off the can of bugspray. That sucker was snow white and d.e.a.d. Victory! Not really. I gassed out the boat. Corey woke up coughing to find his wild eyed wife clutching a can of Raid and crouched on a counter. Not my finest moment. We both ended up outside coughing and red eyed. Corey briefly braved the fumes to retrieve the dead bug and open the hatches. The poor man doesn't stand a chance.

Because of this little eccentricity of mine we have the unbuggiest boat in the marina. I've spent the past two days waging chemical warfare against, well, nothing. Every line, deck, hatch, and overhang is treated. Heck, I sprayed the dock to. Juuust to be sure. The only way the thing has a chance is to fly on. If it makes it past my chemical defenses it gets to go a round with the Heart Nazi. He's rather go a round with it then with me anyway. :)

Note - Yes, boat people, I know. It's a salon. Boats have salons. Well this is my boat so I can call it my living room on my very own blog. I promise the next time a bug zooms around it I'll cower in my stateroom, not my bedroom. :)

Aw!!!

Aww!!! Look what I got! Chuck's original daddy sent me an amazing goodie on facebook. Baby Chuck! I got a picture of Baby Chuck! He's precious!!! That's him and his sister Jezebelle. The Chuck Chuck kitty kitty is the one on top. Look at those itty white boots! Those too big ears! This just makes me happy. -Bring on the big silly grin and happy dance!-

He's like a little Yoda sitting there! "Precious, he is. But...there is another." Can I just add that Baby Jezebelle isn't too bad herself? It's cutsie overload! A twofer! Well that's it for today. Enjoy! It sure made my morning!