A Sound Heart

A sound heart is the life of the flesh... Proverbs 14:30

Mike is doing very well with his new "bionic ticker". He still has some limitations in lifting as the leads continue to heal. The first picture is a duplicate of the pace maker. His pace maker is a dual lead. Which means the leads are attached to the upper and lower chambers of the heart. I am amazed at how small (as you can see, next to my car key remote) it is. No doubt, this PM is already out dated and the next one will be smaller.  Mike's PM is an assisted type. It picks up the beats where his heart natural heart beat leaves off. It does not do all the work for him and he does not have the type that would shock his heart back in to beat. He did not need that.

Now, look at this device below. This is his monitor. It arrived in the mail two weeks ago. In Feb, we will hook this up to the phone line, place the paddle over the area where the PM is and send all of his date to the Dr. . The Dr. will look the data over to make sure everything is ticking along like it should. Kinda creepy, huh?

This transmission of information allows Dr free visits- so long as everything appears normal. Eventually, he will need an upgraded PM. There is no such thing as needing new batteries in a PM. The life of the unit is what wears out. That is just an out patient surgery. They open up  the area where the unit is, unhook the old PM from the leads and plug in the new PM, sew him up and you're done. Well, it sounds simple when put that way, of course. It's not something that either of us look forward to, nor is anything like that without risks. At least it is simple compared to major heart surgeries.  I find it all very interesting.

Thank You All for your Prayers!

We are home now and Mike is recovering from his surgery. He is learning to cope with an imobilized shoulder. It makes it very difficult to do some basic things, like dressing. He is only allowed to use his arm from the elbow down.  For those of you who knew what was going on, thank you for your prayers. For those that didn't know what was going on, let me fill you in.

Back in May, Mike applied for life insurance. It was declined as the home EKG,done by the visiting nurse, discovered "something". After a trip to his primary Dr and another EKG, he was diagnosed with First Degree AV block and Bradycardia. After several heart tests and trip to the Prescott VA hospital, he was diagonosed with Second Degree AV block-Type B (Moblitz II) with Bradycardia. He was told he would need a pace maker. After a trip to the Phoenix VA for MORE tests, surgery was scheduled for Monday, Nov 28th. Basically what all this means is this--His natural pace maker was not sending the right signals to his heart (Second Degree AV block). He also had an extremly low pulse (Bradycardia). A normal pulse is over 60 (however in athletes it can be lower). His tests regularly recorded his pulse around 30-35 with some dipping down into the 20's. The cardio Dr was amazed that Mike could have a pulse down around 20 without being in serious medical trouble. If this was all left untreated, eventually, it would have progressed (Third Degree AV block) and he would have been at risk for cardiac arrest. He could have passed out driving or working and injuring himself or someone else. Mike really never had any symptoms that we could directly relate to his condition but hind sight is always 20-20.

So my hubby now has a bionic ticker. He is doing very well and recovering. He is unable to move his shoulder for 2 weeks and his left arm is a sling. He will not be able to raise his arm up for at least 4 weeks while the leads heal. No driving till our follow up appt in 2 weeks and they clear him. No lifing anything over 10 lbs for 4 weeks. This all will be hard for a man who is used to working. He will most likely be off work till January.

Again, I thank you all for your prayers and ask that you keep praying. Pray that he does not go stir crazy sitting at home :).

Closing In On My Goal

Currently I am at -71.4. I have 9 lbs left to goal. Visualizing a realistic end goal has been difficult. In the beginning the whole process seemed overwhelming. These awards along the way have been very motivating. I have learned that you MUST take it one step (or pound) at a time. One of the biggest weight loss visual memories I have is from Oprah. Years ago she lost 60 lbs (?). I remember her coming on stage pulling 60 lbs of lard, in a wagon, behind her. It showed how much she had been carrying around on her body. That visual always stuck with me. Well, I am not going to buy a bunch of lard. LOL.. But as a visual I can use my son. So far I've lost 71.4 lbs. My 9 year old son weighs 74 lbs. I can't imagine carrying him around all day, yet I was. Carrie Fisher on Jenny Craig has lost 50 lbs "half a super model" she says. LOL.. I certainly would not want to carry around a super model. LOL

Phillipians 4:13--- I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.



Last Weekend & This Weekend

Last weekend at Demo practice. . Happy, having fun and healthy. Brandon is in the orange shirt.

This weekend. Throwing up, fever and congestion. Sigh.

Apple Cider Vinegar & Health

I have close friend who has told me about ACV over the years and its benefits. I could only imagine using it and just my luck I'd smell like an Easter Egg, I must point out she has NEVER smelled like an Easter Egg-- Hee Hee!! Anyway, I thought I would give  it a try over the next few weeks and see if I notice any changes in my health. ACV has a wide range of benefits from skin ailments, to helping with joint pain from arthritis to other similar related conditions. It is supposed to help with digestive disorders and even has benefits for diabetics in regulating their sugar/insulin levels.I have to admit after drinking some last night my all day tummy ache did go away!  If you do a search for Apple Cider Vinegar you'll find a WIDE assortment of information. I tried it last night for the first time in a drink form, called Honegar.  I mixed 1 teaspoon of honey with 1 teaspoon of ACV in a little over 10 ounces of water. Usually the ratio is 1 Tablespoon of ACV to 1 Tablespoon of Honey (or a tad more) to 8 oz of water. It was very tasty..It did not have a vinegary taste at all. It tasted more like watered down lemonade.NEVER drink the ACV straight, it can ruin your teeth and your Esophagus. You can find this recipe along with others , on the Internet. This morning I mixed the ACV with my Ice Tea--I didn't like the taste change in my tea but it was still drinkable.. I am not sure what I am trying to accomplish by trying this 'cure' but maybe I will discover some health benefit . I would like improved skin (I have Psoriasis) and no joint pain ( I have Arthritis) I also have Chronic Fatigue & Sleep Apnea, just to name a few annoying health issues.. It is also supposed to help with blood pressure, too.    Have you ever tried it? What was your result? Do you know anyone who uses ACV for anything?

Here is one site to find information. Keep in mind there are many many sites so if you are interested, keep searching....----->>>>. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. A lot of sites recommend using Organic ACV. I have Heinz right now but I will prob switch to organic eventually.

*** Don't confuse ACV with White Vinegar** It's not the same.