Hello, on a beautifully sunny Saturday, Dearies! My JB is over on campus doing his "Welcome to Notre Dame thing"...ushering the football game, and I'm freshly showered and in clean clothes contemplating a big long list of things that I'm just going to ignore today.
I sincerely thank you for your lovely outpouring of Spinster love for my test. The truth? The worst part of it was going 24 hours without any damn good, and then the claustrophobic dread that had me in a flop sweat panic attack for a month and a half.
The test itself takes just about thirty seconds. You close your eyes, put your hands over your head, and zip in and out of a CT machine before you have time to wonder if you remembered to shave your legs that morning, or if you had officially entered Winter Legs mode instead. The techs were brilliantly kind, and took pity on me with reassuring pats when I burst into the ugly cry because I was just so damned terrified.
Silly, silly Spinster.
But...
It would appear that I am, indeed, my father's daughter, because exactly like every single other member of the Rich clan I have inherited the "Rich heart". Full of love, and usually reliable, but the absolute poster child for all things coronary-related that are going to involve having a cardiologist as a new member of your family.
The test that I had was called a Cardiac CT/agatston scoring test. Apparently, this test measures the amount and density of the calcium (and presumably other gunk) in your arteries. Normal/optimal levels would be a score of 0-400. For a woman almost 60, the ideal is anything within that range.
My number was 2648.1
If you're a frequent flyer here at Batshit Crazy Spinster Airlines, you know that we live in a world of talking dogs, hyperbole and exaggeration, and enough Starbucks cold brew to float a battleship. (See what I did there with the exaggeration?)
But that score of 2648.1 is real. And it's on a piece of paper that was sent from a radiologist to another radiologist to a head of radiology and then on to my family physician, who said..."Double your statin and start taking a baby aspirin immediately and we're going to get you scheduled for a treadmill stress test".
According to Dr Google, I am just one big fat (yet impossibly cheery and well-meaning) heart attack waiting to happen, and if there are four major roads leading to Heartsville, three of mine are closed. There were a whole lot of other statistics in Dr Google's office, and I was viewing them with horror and big fat blubbery tears until JB told me to put the damn thing down and stop going to the worst case scenerio.
(This from a guy who's had two heart attacks, eats Big Macs three days a week, and just got a "for a 70-year old big guy (*) you're in pretty good shape" from HIS cardiologist.)
(Meanwhile...Yours Truly over here lives like a nun on an organic kale farm and gains forty pounds when she Door Dashes the TastyKakes that her Lovey has to have in his cookie jar for his after-dinner treat or he pouts worse than Stewey being told to take off his wiglet.)
But I regress...
Today I am trying not to think about any of this, and am staying positive and healthy by doing things that bring me peace, comfort, and joy. The shower was a good start, and I've just finished my breakfast/lunch of cottage cheese with melon and berries, and now I'm going to settle in for the Notre Dame vs Boise State game with some stitching and a nice cold brew.
Thank you for listening, Dearies. I apologize if all of this is just TMI, but I honestly feel so much better now that I've shared it with you and have put it in a better perspective. I'm going to continue to do my thing and will try to be more mindful of making good choices in terms of all things health, and will remember that there are a TON of things going right inside this pudgepot exterior...Belly Bean is doing his thing with numbers better than ever, and Mr Liver looks like his little department is improving, too.
(*) Rich will turn 70 on the 19th of this month.
Oh gosh Connie, so sorry to hear that heart problems have been added to your list! Thankfully it sounds like you have wonderful doctors who take very good care of you. Try to enjoy the rest of your weekend!
ReplyDeleteConi, while that is a big number you have always been bigger than life. JB is right about putting down Dr. Google, he is the stuff worries are made of. You have come so far in so many ways! Remember that. Love and prayers are heading your way dear lady.
ReplyDeleteYou can't seem to catch a break, Coni. But working with your team will set you on the right path. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer (caught very early with a good prognosis) and the first thing my surgeon said was "stay off of Google "! (Of course I'd already gone there!!!)
ReplyDeletePrayers.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
Coni, thank you for the update on your test. Continued prayers for you and please stay off Dr. Google. He causes more stress than you need. I hope you had an enjoyable Saturday watching your boys play and plying needle with thread. Thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteOh Coni! I really enjoy flying with you on Batshit Crazy Spinster Airlines. And you got this. Or your healthcare team's got this. Dr. Google should be sued for malpractice! Relax and do what they say and you will improve that number! XO
ReplyDeleteI’m joining you on Batshit Crazy Airlines and have been head down into Dr Google all weekend while alternating between crying and wringing my hands. I’ve just been told that my 3rd hiatal hernia surgery in less than 5 years needs to happen ASAP. I swear it’s PTSD after enduring the first & second during COVID and losing my MIL less than a year ago to a horrible, painful death due to her ignoring the fact that her’s had failed as well. Not to be graphic but her organs died and she was septic because she didn’t want to face it again. I followed all the dr’s orders and even lost over 45lbs since Nov 2024 because he said that would be beneficial to stop reoccurrence…..not so in my case. While my medical issues have improved and even gone away along with all my stretchy waistbands and oversized tees that can’t stop the hernia. I’m sorry but it’s pity party of one tonight. You take care of yourself and belly bean!
ReplyDeleteThat just really is nasty, right? I had a friend who ate lots of butter, drank whole milk, and stopped for ice cream every day after school. Me, I drank skim milk, strained my lean ground beef and then rinsed it. And guess who had the low cholesterol? It was the friend! I'm still alive though and take my daily statin pill. Genetics is just a sour pickle. My dad also gave me his gift of kidney stones. Ha! I have learned that I cannot eat spinach. I had been eating it twice and week at least because spinach is the Holy Grail of healthy food, right? But not for my body. For my body, spinach grows kidney stones. I just had to laugh. If I cried, I would get a huge headache. So you just keep on whining because all of us will listen and nod our wise heads. We know about the abuses of life's health unfairness. Fortunately, we are all alive to be here to listen! And we are so glad about that!
ReplyDeleteHugs.
ReplyDeleteSome of us need to walk a rocky road in this life- you are not alone. Big hugs and prayers, sweetie. -psv
ReplyDeleteConi, I had 1 stent put in my heart in July. My husband had 3 stents put in his heart in September. We are both well. It is amazing what doctors can do now. The procedures were not difficult to endure with very minimal discomfort. You have crushed all the difficulties you faced so far and you will crush this also. Prayers for you and JB.
ReplyDeleteHi there. My five brothers and I all inherited familia cholesterol problems. My youngest brother had a heart attack in 2020, so we all had the scan. My older brother had a heart bypass that fall, along with the youngest. I was dealing with osteoporosis and decided to hold off. In fall of 2023, I finally had several heart tests. They scheduled an angiogram for me thinking I would need one stent. Well, they found 4 blockages and went right to the hospital. I was in a panic because I had never had any surgeries. But now, 23 months later, I can tell you it wasn’t really that big a deal. Discomfort, yes. Slow recovery. You can drive after a month. I did the cardiac rehab. My body was bruised up. But after about 6-7 months, everything was good. I walk 4-6 days a week. You never get out of breath….i had a quadruple bypass. I am now cutting my fats down as low as I can. My cardiologist wants my ldl at 70. It was 88 and I had gotten too lenient. Don’t be afraid. I think I only took a pain pill for the first 2 days. I wish you all the best. Say goodbye to cheese, butter, pizza….but hello olive oil and avocados! I will be attempting brownies soon with either applesauce or avocado. Also, I am giving up muffins, cookies,etc. fig newtons have only 2 grams of fat. Best wishes for you. My score was over 2400.
ReplyDeleteConi, you deserve an award for putting up with all things medical! This is one more issue to deal with, and I'm sure with your good medical staff you will move this arrow in the right direction. Keep up posted and keep up your spirits! You have fans all over the place!
ReplyDeleteWishing you the best. FYI, my husband (now deceased from cancer) of 40 years would have been 70 this month on the 19th. Same exact birthdate as your JB. He was a wonderful husband, excellent father and a truly kind person. We had 42 years together before he passed and I am truly grateful for those years.
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