Half Way Through!! Woo Hoo Hoo!!!

 I am now halfway through my Cardiac Rehabilitation! Thankfully, the good days have outweighed the bad ones. *Note to self, do not take the blood pressure medicine that lowers your already low blood pressure just before exercise!! I take that med only because my Cardiologist says he NEVER wants my blood pressure to be high. I don't think that is going to be an issue any time soon. I have never had high blood pressure. It is always stupidly low! (Last week 84/60 after taking the medicine just before exercise...oops!). My "normal" is usually around 98/65. Anyway...another lesson learned. 

They are ramping things up now and it is definitely getting harder. Last Thursday, I did 25 minutes on the treadmill at 3.3 mph. Thought I was going to fall over and fly off the back of the treadmill, but I survived! After that, we did the weight machines. Wow am I a weakling now, but I enjoyed it. Lastly, we did a bit of relaxing with some Yoga. I nearly fell asleep during this part. I felt really good afterward. The nurse and exercise physiologist says I am improving so that's great!

Last week we also had a visit from our Cardiologist who started this program. He answered questions, asked for suggestions to improve this amazing new program, and gave us some important information. I learned that I am certainly not the worst off in this program. Several of the ladies are in full-blown heart failure from the chemo they took to fight off cancer. It's so defeating when you hear that although you've beaten cancer, you now have another potentially terminal condition. 

I feel so bad for them! The damage to my heart is minimal. I have a little bit of reduced strain, which means one section is not squeezing quite hard enough. He alluded to the fact that my "normal" may not have been too far off from what it is now, after chemo. He's not certain anything I do can repair that damage, but it certainly cannot hurt and that is why he started this program for cancer survivors with heart damage from chemo. He told me they know a lot about my heart since I have had a heart CT scan recently and what they see looks good. No huge issues aside from the reduced strain. So that is excellent news!

The reason I recently had a CT scan of my heart was due to me having an irregular heartbeat for several days. I have had this before, but never to this extent, so after a call to my Drs. office, I ended up at the ER to get checked out. Turns out my potassium was low. Who knew? Well, I do now! They suspected I also had low magnesium, so I am now on a supplement for that and have been told to eat more bananas, LOL! All has been well since then. But to give you a giggle, here is a video of me in the hospital after over an hour of that infernal machine behind me BEEPING NON-STOP! I asked them if they were trying to get my heart rate up by torturing me! Turn up the volume. 

Recently our Exercise Physiologist commented on wanting to make a logo for the new program and showed us an idea for the design. I told her I was happy to help her out if she wanted. I designed a logo for the program and after several tweaks, it is finished! I'm excited to have been able to design something for them to use! We are also working on a name, my suggestion was "Survivors with Heart". Here's the logo I made them. 

Y'all, to say that I am blessed is an understatement. The simple fact that I am still here is a miracle in itself. But even when things go wrong, He is still good. There is one thing that will never, ever change and that is that He will never, ever leave me. I am His. Loved ones, there is NO ONE who will love you like He does. 

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 43:2-3 which says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." He has kept me from drowning in the waters of despair. He has walked through the fire with me and protected me from the flames. I know what He can do. I know He answers prayers. I know He answered your prayers for me! God promises to never leave you. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." What comfort that brings me! He is with you wherever you go, and in whatever circumstance you find yourself in. I hope that this knowledge helps sustain you as you encounter challenging times, whether that be right now, or in the future. 

Today's Verse:

Today's Prayer Requests:

• Pray that my heart health will continue to improve.
• Pray that the ladies in my group will also improve.
• Praise for this wonderful program I am able to be a part of!
• Pray for a friend who has recently gotten some bad news.
• Praise that Jarod has found an internship that will transition into a full-time job doing what he loves!