Nitro. Part 1

Some things that treat heart disease have stood the test of time. My surgery, implants, and education are all new. My first line of defense is over 125 years old. It works so well and so quickly that heart patients still reach for it first before they even call for help. When I'm flat on my back on the floor this tiny pill becomes my Alpha and Omega. My please, please, please. My warning shot. I'd like you to meet nitroglycerin.

Last week I got caught in the rain on my walk. It felt so good (and so did I!) that by the time I got to the marina's dock boards I kicked off my flip flops and jogged the rest of the way. Corey had stepped outside to see me and I jumped right into his arms. There's something to be said about marrying a man that will catch his soaked to the skin wife and kiss her back in the rain. 20 minutes later he's asking me where my pills are. I honestly don't know what happened. One minute I was fine. Happy, calm, and flirting with Corey. The next I'm pouring sweat and on the floor. I'm not going to lie to you guys. Chest pain freaking hurts. Bad. It's a sharp, stabbing pain and it feels "hot" for lack of a better word. I felt queasy first, then a little dizzy, then I noticed I was starting to sweat. Not good. It's not much of a warning. Sharp stabbing pain then I'm making friends with the carpet with Corey hovering and clutching his cell phone. I took one nitro tablet and sweat it out on the floor. One and done. The pain fades, then goes away completely. I bumped Corey with my foot to get him to stop pacing and sat up. See? Nothing to worry about. Nooo biggie. I got up slowly and called my cardiologist. After hanging up with him I kissed my husband and made lunch. The day goes on right?

I'm fine. I have something called heart spasms. It seems my heart likes to lock up and squeeze itself every once in a while. So far my stent has survived the squeeze (It better!) and is still working well. If I keep my nitro tablets close to me I can treat the pressure to my heart. The pain is just a side effect. It lets me know I need a little outside help. What happens is my heart doesn't get enough blood and oxygen due to the squeeze. It starts to race and the pressure builds as it tries to do it's job while starving itself. My cardiologist is well aware of this little "problem" and I call him if it happens. We're treating it aggressively and it IS helping. The problem is knowing what is just spasm pain and what is an attack. If you don't have a cardiologist on speed dial then you need to go to the hospital. Period. There is no book, no set rules for every episode. I talk to my doctor monthly and see him almost as much. He has 9 months worth of heart data on me that make it okay for me to call him first if I only take one pill.

Part one of this blog post just covered the why. Part 2 will cover the how. You'll be surprised! It's an interesting little story! I do want to say this though. If you ever have chest pain, call 911. Immediately. It can absolutely save your life. I just can't say it enough guys. Want to know something else? I'm grateful for this little pill. In a way I'm even grateful for the chest pain. It makes kissing Corey in the rain that much more precious. I don't think about how it ruins my day. I think about how it's giving me one more day pain free and able to do the things I love with the people I love more. Sometimes gifts have a price. This may happen, sure. Who knows for how long? It's not the end of the world though and with nitro I'm fine. Good as new and ready to go so stay tuned! Part 2 coming soon!

And them there were two.

Squirrel! Oh, CUTE a baby squirrel! And I'm off. Ambling away after something else instead of doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Cardiac exercise. More often then not, my walks turn into rambling nature exhibits. I've come home with rocks, flowers, and wet sandy feet. I've met Big Ugly, baby raccoons, and all of the water birds I love so much. I end up throwing sticks for dogs on the beach or worse, parked on the dock boards petting our marina cat Chuck. I love walking outside but I love BEING outside more.

Check out my flower. I brought it home after a rather unfortunate encounter with it's friend. I sat on it. Look at the thorns! I had a choice of either making friends with the flower or making friends with the car barreling towards me. I chose the nice, pretty flowers. After getting a closer look at it, I wish I'd found a safer place to land. The scuff mark this pretty pink flower left was pretty impressive. Walk aborted. I picked it's friend, then headed for home to show my Heart Nazi and put a cold pack on my scratched up tushy.

I've been motivated to get back on my Hampster Wheel. The treadmill awaits! I got an email today that made my day! Another one of you has listened to me AND what their body was saying and has gone to the doctor. You guys make me cry. Reader L., I can't thank you enough. It takes a special kind of courage to go in then make the changes to save your life. You make the second person to contact me and tell me how a bloggie girl in Alabama sent you to the doctor. I'm stunned into single words. Here's a few for you. Humbled, touched, proud, grateful, and excited!

What suprises me is that Reader L.'s doctor recommended 3-4 days a week of exercise. Nothing else. Hello? Details! So here you go my very brave heart buddy. He means CARDIAC exercise. Find a Hampster Wheel a.k.a. a treadmill and crank it out. Start at a brisk walk and go from there. I'm cracked out on the rowing machine. I could stay on that thing all day. If you can, try the elliptical. It's a heartrate buster, but if you can keep it down, it's a great machine. Best of all walk, walk, walk. In this case, more is better! I turn my iPod to earsplitting and go until my time is up. Shake your butt to the beat and keep one eye on your heartrate. Pretty soon, with some diet changes, you'll notice amazing results.

Also weights. LIGHT weight training is fine. If you're experienced, you can do a bit more. No grunting, major lifting, or heavy strain is what I was told. In Gillianese, "Keep it tone but keep it tame!" Stretch before and after so you're not pitiful the next day. I promise it helps the heart and keeps you from whining to anyone that will listen that your butt hurts.

I am so, so proud of you guys! I'm climbing on my Hampster Wheel (and avoiding nature walks) with you guys in mind. We can ALL be healthier and happier! I never would have thought so many of you would read my little blog. Today my exercise is going to feel like I'm chasing some of you, walking with some of you, and winking at a few of you that are thinking about joining in. You're invited! Thank you so much my friends. I'm touched. More then you'll ever know. I'll try very hard to make you proud.

Oh Deer!!!

I'd never have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. COREY GOT BOMBED BY A DEER!!! I.`Kid. You. Not. Three dogs flushed a small doe out of the trees and chased it into the marina. It hid in the bushes near where my husband was standing and then burst out right in front of him! Deer bomb! It clattered around the side of the building and then into the boatyard. Here's a good example of our faces = O.O

A deer? Here? Really? Once we managed to close our mouths and get over the shock of a large critter running at my husband we took off in pursuit. We followed the little guy's tracks and they ended here! It jumped in the water!!! She must have been pretty flipped out and tried to stop. Does that look like a deer skid mark to anyone else besides me? To make the evening even stranger, the Fairhope police made an appearance a short while later. Someone had called and reported a small deer "stuck" in the water. It seems every time the police show up it's because of a critter bomb of some kind. Last year's Gatorgeddon comes to mind.

This random guy caught this gator while he was fishing last year. He brought it to us because we were "experienced" mariners and he thought we'd know what to to. Sure we did! The police were once again involved and it was decided to let the little guy go. It's his marina to. Before you ask, I loved him! Call me crazy but I think he's cute. The gator, not Random Guy. Corey deposited the gator on the beach and all was well. At least for the gator. (Spooky ghost story voice) But if you were to dip your toes on our beach, WATCH OUT! He's awfully angry... Kidding, kidding. I've seen him several times. He's a sissy and swims away from pelicans. He's not dangerous at all.

Anyway, back to the deer. She's apparently fine. Deer can swim. Am I the only person on earth that didn't know that? She was last seen paddling up the creek and likely got out at the nearest low spot. I wish I had a pho-doe of her but I was too busy staring like an idiot at the deer clattering around. Sorry. Silly me. I promise to do better the next time a large animal runs at one of us in this crazy place we call home.

Oh snap...

I busted my screwdriver. Actually, I busted my HUSBAND'S screwdriver. The specialised caulk-digger-outter tool was a total failure but I wouldn't give up. I snuck a little screwdriver out of Corey's toolbox and hacked away. Success! The itty bitty green screwdriver worked like a charm. I've spent the past week happily wielding that sucker while I worked on my first "dude" project. By the last day I'm bloody, I'm blistered, and I have a suspicious swollen, squishy knot in the palm of my hand. Ouch. I also have more tan lines then anyone would want to claim and likely 100 new freckles. Go me.

I was down to the laaaast 2 feet of my boards when my screwdriver gave out. The tip snapped off. Frankly, I'm just glad the screwdriver called it quits before I did. Thanks to the blood thinners I have bandaids on top of my bandaids. I confessed all to my Heart Nazi and learned I felt guilty over nothing! That stinkin' screwdriver came free in some kind of automotive kit. The tool I picked was a worthless little thing. As I was almost done (and still stubborn) Corey produced a nifty Craftsman for me to finish up with. As of yesterday I AM DONE!

I have to say... I'm proud of Corey. It can't be fun watching your wife, who's medicated up to her eyeballs, hack away at our beloved boat with a screwdriver as her chosen tool. I don't want any help, I don't need to rest, I'm not burned, it's just a little blood. You get the idea. He's a trooper. My boards are such a success I'm moving onto the next stage of this project. Sanding! How awesome is this guys? I get a power tool! Sorry, but never in my life did I ever have a desire to play with such things. Oprah would say it's outside of my box. I get to add and cross it off my bucket list. Cool huh?

Also, a Big Ugly update. It seems I have something else to feel guilty about this week. He's shown back up and he has a bald spot on his butt. His missing tail feathers are still missing. Did I really hurt him? He's still as nasty and mean as ever but he's keeping his distance. I saw him the other day chasing someones yellow lab down the beach so he SEEMS fine. Anybody? If you kick a mutant duck in the butt do the feathers grow back?

Blah.

Whoever made my marina smell like french toast this morning is mean. I hope you stub your toe today you toast stinker. I'm holding you responsible for my english toast and Whoppers breakfast. Now I'm green, and pitiful, and I still want french toast. Yuck.

Hey guys? Did you know Whoppers were really low in fat? Check it out!

Serving size 18 Whoppers
Calories 190
Total Fat 7g
Sodium 115mg

WHO eats 18 Whoppers?!? I had 8. And a muffin. Ugh. Gross. I'm blaming the french toast fumigator for eating that much sugar before 7am. This is not cool. I'm laying down, praying I don't hurk up candy I shouldn't have eaten, and taking a nap. Redo. Gimme. Mulligan. I'm finishing up my caulk project today so I'm crashing for a bit then getting to it. Just one more reason to not like you french toast stinker. Now it'll be hot and I'll be burned. Okay? The Whoppers are YOUR fault. And the sunburn. Surely it's not mine right? Right? Catch you guys later. I'm crashing!

My husband is, once again, fabulous. When you live on a boat you need your own space. That's MY drawer. Stay out of it. That's HIS stuff. Leave it alone. When you have very little leg room you make it work by becoming a team and respecting each other's boundaries and quirks.

So why is Corey being so great this week? His egg has been invaded. I'm all up in his personal space this week! I caught the harddrive in my treasured HP on fire. That's right, fire. Don't ask me how but I have a computer curse. Let's not even discuss the fact that my flaming HP replaced the virus infected HP that died a slow and painful death. OR wifigate from earlier this month. Sigh. Corey, being wonderful and gracious, lent me his to tinker with. Laptops DEFINITELY fall in the boundaries category so this is awesome. Thank you Handsome!

But... um...I need a project. I had already picked it and started pleading with my husband for a few lessons and a tool loan. This is no small thing for him! The last time he lent me a tool it was a rubber mallet and I cracked myself in the head with it. I gave MYSELF a goose egg. I really need something productive to do though. Sooo, he bent.

Meet my new project! I'm going to restore the teak boards that wrap around the whole boat! See those silver looking boards in my picture? Well they're meant to be gorgeous. They're teak, an amazing hardwood with a rose color when it's maintained. It looks lit from within and has a satin finish if you do it right. When I'm done with this decking they'll be watertight, and a showstopper.

Right now I'm in the digging out caulk stage. What a workout! As you can tell from my pictures, I'm hot, I'm sweaty, and I stink. I'm also getting brown as a nut and really working on my core muscles. There will be no weight training at the gym this week! Seriously folks, do I look like someone with a sick heart? No? I didn't think so. :) In 9 months I've followed the steps the rehab guys gave me in a nice linear fashion and I HAVE achieved some amazing results. 19% body fat, flat tummy, tone arms, and a heartrate that's kind of getting with the program. Unfortunately for me, I'm not a linear person. Just look at how I live! I'm a color outside the lines kind of girl.

I'm attacking these boards with two goals in mind. They're going to be gorgeous and so will I! If you hate the gym don't fret. Garden, walk, try yoga, or take up a sport or active hobby. Just move! I'm still walking every day. I just do it on the beach.

The whole purpose of surviving a heart attack is LIVING with heart disease. I spent quite a bit of time feeling martyred by my bran muffins and hitting the gym at my scheduled times. I still felt bad. Now I'm out, I'm about, and I'm busy! Sure, I'm still tired but I'm making an effort and I'm passionate about something. You're not going to do well if you don't love what you're doing. The results are in the pictures! I look happy and healthy! Go figure.

Marina cleanup...

Ah, marina life. Some days it's a blast, some days it's an adventure, and some days are just, well just this. "Hey? HEY!!! Get out of there!" First thing this morning I'm greeted by an unwelcome visitor. A big yellow lab decided to come aboard and busted the trash bag I had left outside. Really? Really?!? On the boat?!? He flipped out, I was flipping out, and he booked it back on the dock. Punk. I was later informed that the garbage groupie belongs to a shrimper on the other side of the marina. Great. Nice to know he lives here now. This is totally uncool. That dog is all up in my egg first thing in the morning. It's not fair invading someone's personal space that early. Just saying. It would have been nice to have at least had a Diet Coke before I have to pick up yesterday's coffee filter.

Moving on! It was cardiologist day! You have to love any visit that doesn't involve bad news. Come on heart buddies, we've all been there. Months of semi bad news, new rules, and miles of tests. Blah. Not today! I had to have an EKG done because I still have chest pain BUT everything was great. My test results came back from the awful heart monitor and they're mostly good. I am officially a hummingbird. I told you so! My heart just beats fast. Really fast. As usual, my normal is abnormal. It's nice to know I'm still an overachiever. I'm stuck with the pills I have for the next few years but there's nothing on the charts that should give me any problems. Just. Be. Careful. I'm going to keep having heart spasms and they'll occasionally hurt. It's nothing I can't handle though so I'll take it!

And finally... Meet the blob. Gross huh? The unidentified thing floated around my marina all day just driving me nuts. Some marina spectator theories were something oily, something dead, or something alive and floating. Yeah right.

I couldn't stand it! I retrieved my pole and watched it float closer. Corey manned the camera probably hoping I'd fall in. Once I got out on a finger pier I was fishing.

Round two! I'm telling you guys, I had to hook this thing. Success! What did I get for my efforts?

A stinkin' plastic bag. Everyone in the marina has been staring at a bag all afternoon. Brilliant. At least my marina is clean right? Right? Yeah, I'm not buying it either. I can't believe I fished for a Publix bag. :( At least I'm looking tan!

ICE!

I got some emails on what an ICE was so I'm answering! In Case of Emergency call this number. Get it? An ICE contact in your phone indicates who you want called if you're too sick, or busy, to tell them. Trust me on this, if you're having a heart event, you have enough on your hands.

My ICE contact is my Heart Nazi Corey. If I'm in trouble he gets called first. He's prepared for it to! It's smart to fill in your ICE contact and make sure they can handle everything if they get called. I stuck a little card in his wallet behind the picture he carries of me. That little paper carries my life on it. Birthday, allergies, medication, and medical history. When Corey shows up at the hospital, so does all my information. Any questions they have can be answered by him.

What else can you do? Several things. My Heart Nazi knows my favorite pajamas and to pack my hairbrush. He'll remember my cell phone charger and laptop when he packs my overnight bag and he knows to grab the RED lip gloss. He's also armed with a call list in case the "troops" need to be called in.

Lastly, my ICE contact is literally my medical voice. It's very hard to do, but we had The Talk. What I want, what I don't wait, and the (sigh) funeral talk. He knows it all. If something were to ever go terribly wrong his voice would be mine. He knows what to do.

Don't I have a great husband? What a trooper! Of course, the reverse is also true and I'm the ICE for him. Trust me on this guys. Get an ICE contact, program them in your phone, and prep them with everything they need to know. Do it today! Make sure you pick a person that can be there and can stand up to the stress of the situation. This isn't a job for a cry baby so choose wisely. My handsome husband is spoken for but you get the drift. Now go find your own and good luck!

I love you iPhone!

If you guys haven't guessed, my Internet is down. Go ahead, big frown for me. :( Our marina's wireless connection is no longer. It was a sad, sad day and we're still recovering from the loss but we'll recover and have something set up soon. Until then I'm blogging from the marina office for the next few days. As I type this I have the marina mascot, Chuck the fat cat, curled up in my lap and I'm listening to the boys bang out boat repairs in the shipyard. A marine radio is tuned to the Coast Guard station and they're discussing the oil spill in the gulf. I stinkin' love this place. There's nautical charts and tide prediction charts everywhere.

So what have I been doing for almost 3 weeks without Internet? Getting creative with my iPhone of course! I loved it before but I REALLY love it now! It's how I've been responding to all of you guys on my facebook friend page. I've been doing some tinkering to my trusty phone and you'll never guess how helpful this little guy can be!

Do you have heart disease? Get a smartphone! Right now! Go, go, go! We all know a phone is one of your first lines of defense against a heart attack. Calling 911 quickly can absolutely save your life. Being a techie girl, I started snooping through the app store for my iPhone. Oh my goodness did I find stuff! Here are just a few ways my cell phone is helping me stay on track...

-It's a pedometer! That counts calories! Yay!
-Blood pressure tracker! I can record my bp, pulse, and medical stats all in one place!
-Guess who's got a food journal now... okay, get your own downloaded!
-I have my ICE contacts stored so they're the first thing you see. VERY helpful!
-I have a pill log! All my doctor or pharmacist has to do is tap to see everything I've been prescribed, dosage, and even schedules and pill colors. Cool.
-I have a medical dictionary! Never again will I be flipped out by a Web MD search, the website guaranteed to convince you you're dying. Just a type and a tap and a plain English definition pops up. Easy peasy!
-I've got an exercise log/schedule! It tracks what I do and I can type in what I'm planning to do for the rest of the week!
-One of my favorites, restaurant guide! Want to know the healthiest thing to order when you're out? Ta da!

If I'm in trouble, my iPhone has become an amazing tool to help get me on my way to better fast. All anyone has to do is look at it to have my numbers pull up. All any doctor has to do is tap and everything from my medical history to my drug allergies is available. See how this is helpful? What if you're not conscious? If your ICE contact isn't there yet, or worse, hasn't been notified? You phone can be speaking for you. If the ER doctor has an idea what's wrong you can be treated faster and have a better shot at a full recovery. Think of it as an incredibly detailed medical alert tag you carry all the time. Pretty cool!

All this and the thing is pink, connects to facebook, delivers the news, and has games. If I download Bejeweled forget it. I may sleep with this thing under my pillow.

Thanks for being so patient guys. Really. Now that I know I can pop into the office I'll be up and running again! Pretty soon an new wireless connection will be established and it'll be back to business as usual. Hope to hear from you guys soon! Anyone else out there using your smartphone in a smarty pants way?