Early March can be remarkably good at concealing joy and things to celebrate under the snowy, folds of winter. We are teased with promises of spring only to be taunted and lashed with more insufferable snow. (I just might be totally over winter at this point)
But today I got a flaming blowtorch of good news to melt some of my frost. It was a really fucking excellently good day!
Good News Chapter 1
I had my first follow up with my cardiologist today. We did an echo and ECG to have a peep in and see how the little oinker valve is carrying on. Turns out the little bastard has settled in like a gosh darn champion.
The Echo Lab results showed the delightfully staggering news that – after only 6 weeks – my right ventricle has already begun to reduce in size. It is down from a dysfunctional, fat arse volume of 190, to a much more manageable size of 130!!! Needless to say the doctors are pretty shocked and thoroughly pleased with these results. I always knew my heart was an alien-morphing-ninja-wonder-cherry-blossom-princess-warrior!
POUR THAT OVER YOUR HIGH FIBER CEREAL AND EAT IT, CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE!
Good News Chapter 2
We discussed plans and future interventions and Dr. O said that because my replaced valve is a lower ‘pressure’ pulmonary valve, it would likely not wear out and need to be replaced again for another 25 – 30 years. Holy sweet nectar honey pipes, I am going to work this one for a long time! This is significantly more reassuring than the 15 – 20 year life spans of the more ‘high pressure’ aortic valves (I then vomited on him for describing anything internal as ‘high pressure’)
LIMBER UP SIR VALVEINGTON, WE ARE GOING FOR A LONG RIDE, BABY!!
Good News Chapter 3
At only six weeks post op they have taken me off of Metoprolol – the heart rate snail slug of beta-blockers. Which means that I am one major step closer to getting my energy back up to normal (beta blockers slow down your heart rate and can make you feel pretty lethargic and heavy) more importantly – come next week once I get the all clear from, Dr. Hickey, my surgeon – I will soon finally be able to drink wine!
SWEET MERCIFUL HEAVENS SHOWER ME IN A ROBUST, FULL FLAVOURED, SPICY, BERRY FORWARD RED! GET IN MY MOUTH!
Value Add Bonus Good News
(technically not really news but what the hell)
The ECG technician told me that there were 10 stickers to remove as she left the room for me to get dressed. Try as I might I could only find 8, I figured the last two must be lingering somewhere on a patch of nerve damaged skin (I currently have no sensation in half of my right upper side because of temporary nerve damage from the surgery) I chalked it up to poor counting and headed out to my next appointment.
While waiting to see the doctor I crossed my leg and noticed this little gem.
The last two ‘lost’ stickers were on the points attached to my legs! “Ahh the legs, so easy to forget when you are looking for things that should be stuck to your chest.”
Mystery solved! Disaster averted and I was relieved that my nerve damaged, numb right teat was not hiding stickers with metal nipples from me.
PRAISE BE TO ALL NIPPLE ANGELS, FLESH AND METAL ALIKE!
On the way out of the hospital, I felt so celebratory that I bought myself a goddam Fry’s Turkish Delight, because today was just that special. (And also because I love Turkish Delights! Second only to Cadburys CRUNCHIE bars. My grandfather actually worked on the machine that invented the delicious honeycomb center. True story.)
I decided that Life is nothing if not a series of jelly centred challenges.
You have two choices: Either eat them or simply wait for them to melt.
Onwards and upwards you milk chocolate covered, rosewater flavoured, jelly centred, life of surprises.
10 Comments
what an accumulation of excellent news! i mean especially the ones about the sticker! imagine if you didn’t find them! LOL
love and hugs
heidi
I know, I could have walked around with those stickers on for years! 😉
That was one heck of a lot of brilliant news of my favourite (no, correct that) equal favourite niecelet for an English early morning. Especially the thought of Dad and Frys and that you feel connected. Picnic bar does it for me as when he retired they made a massive Picnic bar for him and labelled it Harry’s Bar. You can imagine Jim and I were very popular with our friends..
Harry’s Bar!!! I remember that story, so wonderful! xo
Such wonderful news Tracy. I am sure your very positive attitude has a whole lot to do with this. You brought back some great memories for me. Your dad had taken us to the Fry’s factory in 1978 I will never forget it was pretty cool to see your favourite chocolate come down the conveyor belt (rosebuds). I could eat chocolate then and left the factory fully loaded.
I also got to visit the factory, many years later, and we could buy – for next to nothing – bags of any of the misshapen or discarded ones. There is a reason I gained 50 odd pounds when I lived in England….
Wonderful news ……..,you are a hero !!All that talk of chocolate made me want some , so to celebrate with tou had 2 blocks of sugar free chocolate !! Lots of love to Claudine the lil dog & your dear self Aunty Kay xxx ooo
Ohhh sugar free chocolate!! even that sounds good to me right now 😉
xo
LOVE THIS POST!
and I LOVE YOUUUUUUU 😉