Tax Day
Not feeling much like writing about all that's been happening...at least not right now. Taxes suck, by the way. It's a pain to do them...especially when the deadline is up your ass. But, hey, who knew that I could do taxes? Not that difficult...with the proper software of course.
Anyhow, in a nutshell, my Great Aunt Edna is in the hospital...since Sunday when she passed out. It was called a Cardiac Syncope which is a loss of consciousness that occurs when blood pressure drops very low and not enough blood reaches the brain...changes in heart rate or heart rhythm reduce the amount of blood flow to the body. This was brought on by Bradyarrhythmia which is when the heart beats so slowly that it does not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, resulting in symptoms such as fainting (Syncope). We knew all about Edna's health problems, but she takes meds and has done well on them. Lately she had been feeling much weaker though, so we had a feeling that something was up. But, I just took her to her heart doctor last Thursday, and she even did an EKG in the office! It seems that there was also too much of one of her heart meds (DIGOXIN) in her bloodstream. This can also cause Bradyarrhythmia. Well, her doc thinks that they may have to try putting a pacemaker inside of her to help the heart along. They discovered using Ambulatory Electrocardiography (a device strapped to Edna 24 hours a day) that Edna's heart rate drops way too low when she is sleeping. The pacemaker will hopefully solve that problem. Doctor Luna wants to be 100% sure though before she does anything to Edna. She didn't want to chance surgery with Edna unless it was an emergency. But, I've read that it's not a big deal and can be done locally. I know my Grampa just had one put in, and he's doing better now. My Poppy had one put in also shortly before he passed away, but it didn't work so well for him because he had Congestive Heart Failure. Ughhh...Oy Vey. Didn't I say that I wasn't gonna write much about this right now?? See what happens? All this medical talk. I guess I should have been a nurse. Hooray for WebMD.
Anyway, as you can imagine, much stress running rampant in my family right now. It's really tough on my mother and I worry about her so much. Yeah, that's the word that sums me up right now...WORRY. 24-7. See, my Aunt Edna lives with my mom. I used to live with them also. See, you hear me say Great Aunt Edna, and you may think, oh just an aunt. Well, then you would have no idea. This woman is the most wonderful woman in the world to me. I have been closest to her my entire life. This is the woman who raised me. My mother had to go out and work to support me when I was a child because my father wasn't around. We lived with my Nanny, Poppy, Aunt Edna, and my Great Grandma Becky. Yeah, I was lucky...I had 3 amazing women caring for me during the day until the other amazing woman got home from a hard day at work. But, the one that was my main care giver was Edna. She is more like a grandmother to me. No, that's not quite right. She is like another mother to me. We were always together. She was the one who took me to the playground and she walked me to school. I slept in the same bed with her from when I was a toddler to the age of about 14! I had my own bed, but I wanted my Edna...lol. She always came along with me and my mom wherever we went for summer vacation. She was the one that I ran to if I was ever in trouble...LOL. My Edna protected me. She also had a big role in helping to raise my mother and uncles. She never had children of her own. We have been her babies. Whenever she would give me a card, it would always say, "you light up my life". I'm her little doll, she says. K, now I'm crying...just wonderful. But, you see, she is everything to me. I know that people can't live forever, but I sure wish that she could. I have lost all the others I mentioned before...Great Grandma Becky, Nanny, Poppy. Through it all, Edna has been there...my ROCK. Even with all her ailments, she remained strong...wouldn't leave me. I think she knows how it will crush me when she does go. It's hard to imagine life without her in it. I wish that I could turn back time for her...make her well, strong, and young again. I wish my future children could know her the way that I have. God, I just wish...for her to hold my child in her arms...to see that...would mean so much.
Anyhow, in a nutshell, my Great Aunt Edna is in the hospital...since Sunday when she passed out. It was called a Cardiac Syncope which is a loss of consciousness that occurs when blood pressure drops very low and not enough blood reaches the brain...changes in heart rate or heart rhythm reduce the amount of blood flow to the body. This was brought on by Bradyarrhythmia which is when the heart beats so slowly that it does not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, resulting in symptoms such as fainting (Syncope). We knew all about Edna's health problems, but she takes meds and has done well on them. Lately she had been feeling much weaker though, so we had a feeling that something was up. But, I just took her to her heart doctor last Thursday, and she even did an EKG in the office! It seems that there was also too much of one of her heart meds (DIGOXIN) in her bloodstream. This can also cause Bradyarrhythmia. Well, her doc thinks that they may have to try putting a pacemaker inside of her to help the heart along. They discovered using Ambulatory Electrocardiography (a device strapped to Edna 24 hours a day) that Edna's heart rate drops way too low when she is sleeping. The pacemaker will hopefully solve that problem. Doctor Luna wants to be 100% sure though before she does anything to Edna. She didn't want to chance surgery with Edna unless it was an emergency. But, I've read that it's not a big deal and can be done locally. I know my Grampa just had one put in, and he's doing better now. My Poppy had one put in also shortly before he passed away, but it didn't work so well for him because he had Congestive Heart Failure. Ughhh...Oy Vey. Didn't I say that I wasn't gonna write much about this right now?? See what happens? All this medical talk. I guess I should have been a nurse. Hooray for WebMD.
Anyway, as you can imagine, much stress running rampant in my family right now. It's really tough on my mother and I worry about her so much. Yeah, that's the word that sums me up right now...WORRY. 24-7. See, my Aunt Edna lives with my mom. I used to live with them also. See, you hear me say Great Aunt Edna, and you may think, oh just an aunt. Well, then you would have no idea. This woman is the most wonderful woman in the world to me. I have been closest to her my entire life. This is the woman who raised me. My mother had to go out and work to support me when I was a child because my father wasn't around. We lived with my Nanny, Poppy, Aunt Edna, and my Great Grandma Becky. Yeah, I was lucky...I had 3 amazing women caring for me during the day until the other amazing woman got home from a hard day at work. But, the one that was my main care giver was Edna. She is more like a grandmother to me. No, that's not quite right. She is like another mother to me. We were always together. She was the one who took me to the playground and she walked me to school. I slept in the same bed with her from when I was a toddler to the age of about 14! I had my own bed, but I wanted my Edna...lol. She always came along with me and my mom wherever we went for summer vacation. She was the one that I ran to if I was ever in trouble...LOL. My Edna protected me. She also had a big role in helping to raise my mother and uncles. She never had children of her own. We have been her babies. Whenever she would give me a card, it would always say, "you light up my life". I'm her little doll, she says. K, now I'm crying...just wonderful. But, you see, she is everything to me. I know that people can't live forever, but I sure wish that she could. I have lost all the others I mentioned before...Great Grandma Becky, Nanny, Poppy. Through it all, Edna has been there...my ROCK. Even with all her ailments, she remained strong...wouldn't leave me. I think she knows how it will crush me when she does go. It's hard to imagine life without her in it. I wish that I could turn back time for her...make her well, strong, and young again. I wish my future children could know her the way that I have. God, I just wish...for her to hold my child in her arms...to see that...would mean so much.