Knit By God's Hand: 2022 has me singing Stroke me, Stroke me!

This thing on..... (Tap tap tap)....

Hey all!

Look whose back! I've missed everyone so much!
Year end is just so much for me & I sort of just disappeared into the mist... & then I had a health scare that has left me shaking in my boots... but we're starting a new year & I'm on a mission to get my health in check & make this year the best one yet.

Let me do some little updates in the past few weeks

Holidays
Our holiday was simple enough really. I enjoyed it was 70+ degrees... I know a lot of people werent too happy about that, actually wanting a White Christmas. I enjoyed sitting on my back porch reading in short sleeves & no shoes.

It was actually a really low key, no hub-bub kinda day. Hubby & I decided not to buy for each other because we are wanting to put money on furniture - our gift to one another - so with no gifts on Christmas, it just sort of felt like any other day.

We did work a Christmas puzzle though... that was fun. & I went & saw my mom for awhile.

I'm happy we made it through the year with Ozzie not bothering our tree. I was questioning that if it was going to be an issue. Our baby boy was a trooper. Didnt even look twice at it.

Birthdays
Hubby celebrated turning 60 & 6 days later, I turned 50. Big milestones birthday - both of us feeling old. But grateful. Another year around the sun is always a blessing.

We didnt buy Christmas for one another, but we did for our birthdays & Hubby got me a new laptop! WHOO HOOO!!! Maybe this will help with my blogging now. I'm excited to to start looking at photo software & uploaded on it. I dont have plans to get back into photography for a business - but I do enjoy taking pictures & editing & taking some pics of loved ones. I have always been a Photoshop girl but thinking of looking into Lightroom. If you've had experience in both - tell me what you like.

Boosted
I ended up getting my Booster the day before Christmas Eve. Remember when I got my J&J shot & had a fever for 21 days? I was a nervous wreck of getting this one - but want to be protected because I honestly think COVID has done a number on me & I dont want to go through it again. I ended up getting the Moderna for a booster & did much better with it. Granted - it was still rough. After about 12 hours, the symptoms hit me. & got worse through the day on Christmas Eve.

I slept most of the day - poor Hubby - on his birthday! ... & my fever was hanging around 101.5... at one point, my temperature got up to 103!!!! & my heart was just beating out of my chest the whole day. I have an alarm on my Garmin watch that lets me know if my HR is too high when resting. That sucker went off ALL DAY Christmas Eve. I would be dozing off & BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ - while sleeping, my HR was like 110-125 beats per minute.

I was taking Tylenol & then switching to Advil ever 3 hours... I felt AWFUL.

Christmas Day - I did feel SO MUCH Better - my heart alarm only went off twice - LOL... & my temp was around 99.5 - but definitely better than the day before...

TIA
OK... the scary part of the last week. Honestly - the scariest thing I've ever experienced.
So the Monday after the Holiday - I was so super busy all day at work, had to go take care of the horses, came home & was taking care of the dogs.. .. & all of a sudden, I lost vision in my eye. It got blurry at first & then all of a sudden, I saw I didnt have any peripheral vision. Nothing.

I started looking at the TV & the news was on. I was trying to read the bottom tracker & I could only see one letter. Nothing but one letter. If I moved my head, I could see the next letter - but only that letter. OK - trying not to freak out.....

I laid down thinking it could be a migraine or something & about 10 minutes later, my vision was coming back... so I went to go look at my phone to see if this is something that can happen with a migraine. (Remember I lost vision in my other eye a few weeks back when my blood vessel broke)

I got my phone & tried to read... & I couldnt. I was reading & could see the words, but it was like my brain was going 100mph & I couldnt actually read. I would see a word, but I couldnt SAY that word. Like, if the sentence said, "The symptoms for this are the following" ... I was saying out loud, "The sunshine blue dog jsut tree falling"... like nothing made sense. & I KNEW I wasnt saying the right words but I couldnt make myself actually read. It was the craziest thing I've ever been through.

Instant panic - instant freak out.

I scream to Hubby who was downstairs, "I NEED TO GO TO THE ER"- he comes running & he's asking whats wrong & I yell - I CANT READ!!!!! - which he is like HUH? LOL - thinking about it now, what a strange thing to say - but it was true.

Hubby got me to the hospital fast. The whole way down, I kept reading things on my phone - almost trying to force my brain to work. Wake up. Slow down. Something... Hubby said everything I was saying wasn't making sense.

We got to the ER & people were EVERYWHERE. I told Hubby not to go in because COVID rates are soaring & I didnt want him going into COVIDVILLE. I walked in & went to the counter & tried explaining what was going on but stumbling upon my words & they rushed me right back. Honestly - there was a man which blood dripping from a towel on his foot & he was even waiting. They rushed me back, got my BP & all of a sudden, everyone around me is screaming CODE STROKE.

Is this my life????

They were literally running with me to the CT room. They had me on the table & people were all around me, doing all sorts of tests, making me touch fingers, noses, repeat things. I could do everything except read. They had sentences on a chart & words & like, there was one that said TIP TOP... & all I could say was TOT. I knew it wasn't right - but I literally couldnt get my brain/mouth to say the actual words.

I ended up shaking so much, they threw blankets on me & tried to hold me calm. I dont know if it was nerves or what. My BP ended up being 201/92 there.

They got me to a room in the ER, which I was glad for because people were LINING the walls - gurneys everywhere - people sitting in chairs sick. They put me in a room & said DONT COME OUT! They put a little bucket thing for me to use the bathroom & told me with COVID everywhere - not to go to the restroom except right there. Geez. I laid in that room for 4.5 hours & never saw another person. So strange. I know they were busy & had so much on their hands - but honestly, I could have died in that room & no one would have known. I didnt have any monitors on me or anything because they came off when I got up to use my "bucket". I didnt even have a nurses button & I couldnt find it either. I was given no water either in there for over 6 hours. I honestly felt like my mouth was cotton & my head was killing me - I'm like, could be a stroke, could be dehydration - who knows! My goodness!

The doctor ended up coming in at 3am & telling me they were admitting me, though they had no rooms. They wanted to do an MRI & some cardiology tests the next day & that it looked like I had a TIA - which is basically like a mini-stroke.

I laid there all night long trying to get my brain going... & eventually, I could start reading SOME things.

& I couldnt remember anything. I always say scripture in my sleep or when I am afraid or anxiety creeps up - I couldnt remember ANYTHING. Not my favorite verses, not the ones I always say ... nothing. That was terrifying. I ended up getting bits & pieces of scripture but it was like mental marathons trying to get thoughts to come back.

The nurse ended up coming in around 4:30 & finding me holed up on the gurney in a little blanket trying to sleep & she said, OK - I'm finding you a bed. Bless her heart - she went around the hospital & found an empty bed & brought it down to the ER for me.

The next day, still no room in the hospital - so they took me for my MRI & did all my heart tests in that ER room. I could hear people lining the walls again by the afternoon.

They finally got me to a room around 4:30pm the next day & when they wheeled me out - people were everywhere. It was horrible. If you dont think COVID isnt running down the hospital & staff - let me tell you, I witnessed it first hand.

Finally got to a room & yes, slept in my jeans for 3 days - which I've since burned

To make a very long story a little shorter.... the good thing, they didnt see a stroke in my tests/scans. My heart tests came back OK too - thought they have sent me home with a monitor I have to wear for 30 days! 30 DAYS!!!!! Isnt that nuts? I have to carry a cell phone that monitors & relays the information.

The bad news... if you look up TIA, it had my anxiety at a level 11 on a scale of 1-10. Mainly because they say the odds of having another one, or a major stroke in the next year are really high. & it mentioned statistics of death in the first year. Yeah - let me be alone reading this all day long.

Needless to say, my BP was up the entire time I was in there.

I ended up getting out of the hospital Wednesday evening - with a slew of prescriptions. Me, the person who doesnt want to take anything.

Blood pressure medicine - cholesterol medicine (though my cholesterol isn't even high) - an aspirin a day - even Vit D. The doctor literally YELLED at me about my Vitamin D level. he said its basically non-existent, which I knew - but he said it effects your cardiovascular system. Huh - who knew. Plus, I found out people with really low Vit D in their body has a really bad reaction to COVID too. Double Huh.

I have a ton of doctor's appointments ahead of me too. They really dont know what caused this. Could it be spikes in high blood pressure? I really dont have high BP unless my anxiety kicks in - which let's be honest, this past year, its been bad. Add in the effects of going into menopause & yeah, I just dont feel like myself. The neurologist in the hospital said I need an anti-anxiety med - which honestly, at this rate, I'm all for - but I want to talk to my family doctor that knows me the best to find which one I should try.

So, I'm taking the meds... I'm willing to do anything to fight this. & I'm on a mission to move everyday for 20 minutes MINIMUM. When I got home from the hospital, I even went on the treadmill & walked - SLOWLLYYYYY - for 20 minute. I truly feel like I'm in a fight for my life right now..

Walking on New Years Eve for 25 minutes

I've gotten a ton of questions asking me if I think the booster did this to me. & granted, I ended up in the ER when I got my J&J shot too!!! BUTTTT - I think COVID has something to do with this more than the vaccine.

When I had COVID, at one of my sickest days, my vision got all scrambled & I just thought it was due to fever, or panic... but that was the first time my vision changed so strangely where I couldnt see anything but a little center point. That has happened 2 other times... & does the vaccine sort of make my body react like its having COVID again? I dont know how it all works - but I did read a lot where COVID was causing young, healthy people to have strokes or TIA's ... so I wonder if I was having TIA's before & they are just getting worse, with the reading/comprehension thing this time? Who knows!!! It really could be any number of reasons.

All I know is I NEVER want to go through this again.

This week, I have an appointment with an Ophthalmologist, & another appointment with my family doctor - & they want me to schedule a sleep study.. & I still need to get with my cardiologist.

Tell me 50 isn't starting off with a bang.

Now, I'm trying to adjust to the meds. I just dont like medicine & my body doesnt tolerate them well - so I got a 50 year old gift to myself - a pill organizer - HAHA. Getting used to blood pressure meds that are giving me a headache & making me feel dizzy & off.... but I am doing better each day with it.

On the top of the paper the hospital gave me regarding TIA's - this is what it says....