As it became more and more difficult not only to breathe, but to get from one spot in the house to another, I finally gave in and called the Kaiser Advice Nurse. My doctor was on vacation but she got me into another doctor that afternoon. This doctor put me on antibiotics and an inhaler, thinking I had asthma. Luckily, she also ordered a chest x-ray. The next morning she called me and said that the x-ray indicated a moderate amount of fluid buildup in the lungs and suggested a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. She prescribed Lasix and I finally got some relief from the breathing problems. A week later I had an electrocardiogram which indicated that my heart was pumping with only 30% efficiency. I saw the cardiologist who recommended an angiogram and prescribed an ACE inhibitor and a Beta Blocker. The angio was done on the 22nd and came out clear…no ischemia, no blockages. So the final diagnosis was idiopathic cardiomyopathy. This means that they have no idea what caused the heart failure. It could have been a virus but more likely, it is a result of the chemotherapy and radiation I had back in 1985 for Hodgkin’s. I am now in the Kaiser heart failure clinic for one month. Starting July 1, I transfer to Sutter Health under Medicare. The purpose of the clinic is to monitor my weight, blood pressure, pulse and labs with a goal to increase my meds to an optimum level for my heart to increase its efficiency to at least 50%. It includes educational classes as well. Poor Rog…I gave him quite the scare. But it is nice to know what the demon is and that it is something that can be treated.
Meanwhile, out in the workshop, Rog finished the shoji screens for the hall closet which essentially finishes the inside remodel. He now is free to fix up the Sprinter for land travel. He tore out the bench/bed that the previous owner had installed and then removed all of the interior panels and headliners. We bought a new radio system and planned out the electrical wiring. He placed 2 solar panels on the roof as well as a vent and fan. Finally, he added a sticky insulation to the interior surfaces to help with sound absorption and thermal insulation.
My "workshop" was the back yard. I am on a mission to eliminate as much bermuda grass as possible. Roundup doesn't kill it and the only way I have found is to dig down to the lowest roots and get out as many roots as possible. So every day, I go out and dig down where sprouts have come up. We had Placer County Mosquito Abatement come out and stock our pond with mosquito fish and planted lobelia, Mexican grass and blue fescue. With the drought, I can't plant anything else until next Fall. That gives me the entire summer to battle the Bermuda grass. Fun.
We entertained the Zauchas for dinner and cards on the 1st and then went to my sister Micki’s place for a Kentucky Derby afternoon the next day. The Adamsons treated us to dinner at Outback’s and we enjoyed another round of “64” with them afterwards. As a pre-Mother’s Day treat, Ryan and Beth treated me to lunch at Boneshakers and I joined Michelle and her mother-in-law at a local nail place where we had gel pedicures. Then on Mother’s Day, Eric and Rog gave us a BBQ dinner and a nice, relaxing day.
With the school year winding down, and with both Eric and Michelle’s birthdays, I had quite a few babysitting opportunities with Karissa. Michelle is room mom so had to go in to help with a few special events. On our Monday craft afternoons, we made bookmarks for Mother’s day, window rainbows for Michelle’s birthday, and puzzles for Eric’s birthday. We even got in a cooking day and made coconut nests with caramel and jelly bean “eggs”.
Our date this month was with Max and we went to Granite Arches Climbing Wall. Max loves to climb and has become quite the little monkey. He climbed every course he could and then we headed for ice cream. Finally, we came to our place to work on his Batman outfit. He had asked me a few weeks ago to make him a Batman outfit. So we covered him with plastic and wrapped him in duct tape. Rog made muscles and accents out of cardboard. Max was quite impressed. We sprayed the entire thing black and added Velcro “clasps”. Now all I need to do is make the cape.
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