Broad-sided

Flowers from my friend!

I sure didn't see that one coming. I just spent three nights in the hospital. My bp had been climbing a bit all year, but I was working hard to control it before it got out of hand. Well, suddenly it got out of hand. I had really not been feeling very good for a few days and finally realized that it was just going up and up no matter what so we went to the ER. As they tried to bring it down, my bp tanked. Glad we were in the ER. Later they did an angiogram to see if there was something that could have caused the high bp and the crash, but I'm clean as a whistle. I'm tempted to put the pictures of my pretty heart here for the world to see. At least my hard work hasn't gone for nothing. 

The angiogram did show a weak area in my heart, but like the cardiologist said, "It's like the chicken and the egg. Was that area the cause of the incident in er or the result?" One of my meds is specifically for strengthening my heart. I look back over several years and wonder how it all mixes together. Everything from stress to the meds I took before. Like the meds before...they worked as far as bringing my bp down, but I had periods of being lightheaded daily. I always thought that was just the med doing it's job, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe it was bringing it down too fast and doing little bits of damage. These doctors and nurses constantly asked if I was lightheaded at all and these meds don't seem to make me lightheaded yet they are doing the job.

So now I rebuild. They talked alot about stress and I'm sure the stress from the last school year and my trip to the mid-west played a role. I'm beginning to think that I was stressed out for so long it became the new normal because looking back I can see how even the little things were stressing me out. It really brought home that I need to be very careful. Apparently, I got the Bright heart (lots of love and disease). I just don't want the disease part to get a foothold. The good news is no blockage, no diabetes and my cholesterol is fine. 

The doctors seemed optimistic that I can get off the meds again in the future, if I do my part: 

Exercies--already doing it

Lose weight--that was my next step

Watch salt intake--I've never been a big salt eater unless I'm eating out

Stress--definitely will watch that one more closely

A couple chuckles: 

After the angiogram they asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink, I said, "yes, and make it lots of fruits and vegetables." 

Their reply, "That's what we like to hear."

And

We’ve been joking about our mission traditions. With both Johnathan and Timothy we had a car repair right before they left, and now we’ve had two health issues before they come home. 

James says, “I apologize now for what happens when I come home.”

We have been so blessed through all this. The sisters in the ward wanted to bring dinners...five of them. The sixth sister said, "I don't care if you need it or not. The Perry's will bring dinner on Wednesday." They just won't take no for an answer, and I love them all. Also, my counselors and secretary just carried on without me and did a beautiful job. I'm so thankful to have such wonderful ladies to work with. 

One other blessing was for John and Laney. They have been going through tough times of their own and John will be having his gall bladder taken out tomorrow. The bishop called to say that someone had left an envelope for them. It contained $200. Tom and I cried.