Friday Foto Friends: It's All About The Heart

 Well Friends, this certainly was a week full of surprises! If you are a Facebook Friend, you probably already know what my week has been all about...but there's so much more to the story. So you might as well fix yourself a cup of tea or coffee and find a comfy seat, because this may take a while.

Let's just jump right in at the beginning, shall we?  Early early Wednesday morning, around 5:00 a.m., I was sleeping comfortably in my bed. But suddenly I started having a very disturbing and frightening dream. 

In my dream, I saw this chest of drawers (above), which originally belonged to my maternal grandmother's mother, but it now resides in my bedroom, and it is very very heavy.  In my dream, this chest of drawers was literally tipping over and on top of me, right onto my chest. I could actually feel it crushing my chest as it fell.  I woke up in a panic and in pain...my chest felt like that chest of drawers was on top of it, and my left arm felt weak, as well as my left leg. When I tried to stand up I felt dizzy and nauseous.  I immediately tried to awaken my hubby, who was sound asleep. Finally I managed to arouse him and awaken him to the reality that something was very wrong and I needed to go to the hospital. Somehow we managed to throw some clothes on and decided to just drive there (about 15 minutes away) rather than wait for an ambulance. Probably not the best idea, but that is what we decided to do. Thankfully, at that hour of the morning there was no traffic and also thankfully, when we arrived at the hospital emergency room, it was empty and I was taken in immediately as soon as I said "I think I've had a heart attack!".  

Thankfully the emergency room staff sprung into action and began checking my vitals and did an EKG. I never lost consciousness or anything like that, but it sure felt like a textbook case,especially for a woman having a heart attack. I remember the doctor saying he wasn't sure if I was having a heart attack, but he didn't like how high my blood pressure was. Anyway, they did all the normal things that should be done.  (I assume...I've never had this happen before, but it felt right to me).  

After a while they seemed to agree that I wasn't having a heart attack, but according to a chest x-ray, I apparently had pneumonia.  That, along with the other symptoms I was having, was enough reason for them to decide to go ahead and admit me for further observation. They also ordered a CT Scan of the chest and also the head.  

With each new event, I found that I was floating along in a bed, being carried here and there and back again, but I was in perfect peace.  When they wheeled me out of the room where the CT Scan took place, I saw a little white gauzy looking figure perched above the door. I asked the attendant what that was, and he said, "Oh, that's Jesus!"  We have Him around in all kinds of places.  Even though I knew it was just a piece of gauze bandage made into a little figure, somehow it was comforting to know that these people wanted something to represent Jesus in that place. I said, "Well, I know Jesus is here with me, but I guess I just didn't expect to see Him perched above that door wrapped in gauze, but I like that."  

I don't think I saw anymore little gauzy "Jesus" figures in the hospital, but I did see Jesus in many real people...there was a woman Chaplain who showed up in my room when I got back there, and she just kind of pushed around the nurses and attendants and stuck her head out and said, "Do you mind if I pray with you?"  Of course I said "Please do!".  She showed up again the next day to pray once more, and then said she was on her way to have an MRI done on her head and neck, and I said that I would be praying for her, and I did and I have. I hope everything went okay and that she is going to be fine.

I saw Jesus in the nurses and aides and even the lady who came to clean my room. I felt His presence with me all the time, and it was very comforting.

I finally got some food for supper, after not eating all day long. It was surprisingly good for hospital food, and I was SO thankful to finally be fed!

This was the view from my window.

I'm glad it was good food, because I was not allowed to eat anything again after midnight, as they had scheduled a nuclear stress test for me the next morning. Oh, and they also did an ultrasound/echocardiagram, which was interesting to see.  I wish I could've taken a picture of my heart beating. It would remind you of an ultrasound of a baby in utero, the way it moved around. The nurse doing the test assured me there was no baby in my heart when I told her I thought it looked like there was. (They might have been thinking I was a little cuckoo by now).  

For the Stress test, they had to inject radioactive stuff in my veins and then take me to radiology for the test. I know now why they call it a "stress test"!   Yes, it was stressful, but while waiting for me to drink my Pepsi after the test (because the caffeine counteracts the stress medicines in your body! Who knew?), the fella who did the test stood at a distance from me (because of the radiation) and we chatted about the Lord. He was a wonderful Christian young man, and we enjoyed sharing our faith with one another. Then he took me back to my room and told me not to snuggle up with anyone for about 18 hours so the radiation could go away. I called my hubby and told him he couldn't come and hug me for another day or so.  Our 56th anniversary is tomorrow, and thankfully I should no longer be able to glow in the dark by then. LOL.  

Philippians 4:13 NKJV became my mantra throughout these tests...

13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Thankfully when I got back to the room, this lunch was waiting for me: Another very good meal! I ate every bite.  Oh, and that pink "blanket" you see is actually my pink bathrobe. Hubby brought me my things from home, and he decided at that last minute to grab this big pink fleecy bathrobe. I never wore it as a bathrobe, but it stayed on my bed as a cover on top of the blue blanket,  and I snuggled up in it all day and night.  It felt so warm and comforting. What a sweet hubby to think of that!!!

There's the sky outside my window:

This picture was hanging on the wall in my room, reminding me of my own Still Waters Pond...

"He leadeth me beside the still waters...He restoreth my soul..."

Supper was Turkey and dressing...another good meal!  

And this was the sunset outside my window, while I was talking to my sister on the phone and she was telling me about the sunset outside HER window!  It was nice to talk to my sister, (who lives about 2 hours away) and also my brother called me from North Carolina to check on me!

So that brings us up to this morning. They had scheduled an MRI of my brain, to make sure that I had not had a TIA (or light stroke).    Again, Philippians 4:13 rang through my mind as I prayed my way through that tight spot in the machine.   

During this whole time, I had posted my situation on Facebook, and so many people were praying for me, I was totally amazed.  Also people from our church were praying, and I knew that God was working through all the prayers and all the wonderful people who were serving God with their talents for healing.  I kept seeing these different verses and quotes on Facebook, and they gave me comfort:

Especially meaningful were these verses about "the Heart"

Psalm 139:23-24  NKJV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

Finally, after all the tests were done and the results were compared, it was determined that I had not had a heart attack or a stroke, but they did discover that I have the beginnings of a heart condition called Diastolic Heart Failure. "What is diastolic heart failure?

Diastolic heart failure, also known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), is a condition in which your heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle) becomes stiff and unable to fill properly."   Thankfully, "With the right treatment, you can effectively manage the symptoms of diastolic heart failure."  

So I will be getting referred to a cardiologist, who will help me navigate this new situation in my life.

Why did I have that crazy dream and feel like I was having a heart attack? Well, perhaps that was God's way of giving me a literal "wake up call" to discover this condition before it became worse.  Whatever it was, it certainly got my attention, and I thank God for His love and concern for me, and also for putting me where there were His people to help bring about healing in me.  Oh, and they gave me antibiotics for the pneumonia, which really seems to be rather elusive...no cough, no other symptoms, but it was enough to make them keep me in the hospital long enough to figure out this puzzle. And so I give glory to God for His intervention on my behalf. And now I have to learn how to properly take care of myself so things like this don't happen again! 

As I said in one of my posts on Facebook, don't put off saying "I love you" to your loved ones and friends...don't think you've always got tomorrow to get things done...tomorrow may never come. We need to always be ready to go home to meet Jesus.  One of my high school friends actually passed away this week, which was a shock to all of us. But I know he knew the Lord and he is with him today. Still, I know it is very hard for his family, and they are in my thoughts and prayers.  It could've been me...and my family who would be left alone. Life is short...make sure you are ready to meet Jesus face to face. 

If you made it this far in reading this post, thank you for sticking with me. Thank you all for being such wonderful friends.  Now go tell someone you love them.  

Oh, and one more thing...don't put off washing your hair...I had planned on washing it that morning, because I was too tired the night before.  So I ended up with dirty hair for a couple more days! Guess what was the first thing I did when I got home today??? Yep, I took a shower, washed my hair and shaved my legs! And then I took a much needed nap! LOL.  Oh, and the Kids brought over tacos for supper so I didn't have to cook!

That's all Folks! Good Night!