I don’t know if this is TMI (Too Much Information), but yesterday I might have shared TLI (Too Little Information) here when I wrote that I had recently dealt with two worst case scenarios. By not describing the worst case scenarios, my TLI caused some people to be concerned and worried.
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes don’t know what’s TMI and what’s TLI. In other words, I wonder whether I’m sharing JRI (Just Right Information).
Anyway, I wonder if I’m now going to share TMI to deal with the TLI I shared yesterday.
Because I was born with a very rare heart condition, I needed to get a mechanical heart valve in 2016, which requires me to be on Warfarin for the rest of my life to reduce the coagulation of my blood. If my blood has Too Much Coagulation, my heart valve will clog, which means I’d need the dreaded open heart surgery again to get a new heart valve. If my blood has Too Little Coagulation, that can cause internal bruising and bleeding.
So, I need to maintain Just Right Coagulation and, because I had a mini-stroke (also called a TIA!) when I had TMC (Too Much Coagulation) a few years ago, the range of Just Right Coagulation is very thin.
TMI? TLI? JRI? Wait, there’s more!
I have to use this device …
… to measure the coagulation time of my blood (also called INR), which has a delay before it displays the magic number. During the delay, my mind always goes to the worst case scenario — the number is too low, which means I need to inject myself with this …
… twice a day until my INR has good enough coagulation.
On Friday, my INR was 2.5, the lowest it’s been since I had my TIA when I was on vacation in Georgia, where I was hospitalized until my blood had Just Right Coagulation. So I’ve been injecting myself this weekend and I’m now hoping for an INR that has good enough coagulation (2.7 or above), which I’ll check after I finish this blog. If it’s still too low, I’ll just keep injecting myself and I’ll take more Warfarin tonight.
TMI, TLI, JRI?
And what about the second worst case scenario I mentioned in yesterday’s TLI blog post? I’m not going to describe that because it’s too long of a story, but I will avoid TLI by letting you know that it has nothing to do with my health or the health of anybody else.
Is there TMI, TLI, or JRI in my other images for today?
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I wonder if I’ll find Too Much Information, Too Little Information, or Just Right Information when I search for “TMI, TLI, and JRI” on YouTube.
Thanks to my friend Debbie (who sent me the cat texts cartoon), cats, my husband Michael for the delicious salad (I gained a lot of weight in Italy!), my friends on Twitter, everybody who is huggable, Bruno Mars, and — of course! — YOU.
I’m in the midst of preparing for my trip to Italy, starting on Sunday.
Preparing for travel includes packing, which I started last night.
Preparing also includes learning about my future destination while also being present, here and now, to deal with many issues at work. Typically, when I am preparing to go away, people prodigiously add to my work load the week before my vacation,
Do you see preparing in my images for today?
On Client’s Day and International Clients Day I’m preparing to work with many clients in individual therapy and group. And after work, I’ll be preparing for my trip with a manicure/pedicure.
Because of cognitive distortions like catastrophizing, I am also preparing for my trip by noticing things that might go wrong, including a sore thumb (from blogging on my phone?), a sensitive tooth, and possible issues with my vision. Part of my preparing also means packing my medication, my portable blood monitor, and injections in case my INR goes too low.
I’m also preparing to visit Rome by watching this video recommended to me by an artist I know:
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Now I’m preparing for your comments about this post.
It’s debatable whether yesterday’s VP debate will make a difference in the upcoming USA election.
It is NOT debatable how important an election this is.
Do you see anything debatable in my images for today?
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Despite what the Daily Bitch is saying there, it’s debatable what yawning means during social discourse. When people apologize after yawning, I tell them I believe yawning is a compliment — they are actually trying to become more alert by taking in more oxygen. If you think that’s a debatable response, consider this: do you yawn when you are bored and tired or when you are trying to wake up and be more present?
When I search for “debatable” on YouTube I find this …
Apparently, it’s debatable whether men should be allowed to vote.
It’s debatable how my INR got so high the day before my scheduled pacemaker replacement surgery, when the doctor wanted it to be below 3.1 and I did my best to maintain the perfect 3.0 I had a week ago today. However, numbers and facts are not debatable.
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I hope that proceeding with the surgery tomorrow is non-debatable.
Non-debatable thanks to all who are here for this debatable post, including YOU.
When I went for my ophthalmology follow up appointment yesterday, I was nervous because of an abnormality that had shown up on a scan of the back of my right eyeball.
Before I went to the appointment I stopped by my own office and took this picture:
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I felt less nervous when the ophthalmology specialist told me that the abnormality — a “freckle” which had shown up near the optic nerve — had not grown in five months.
Then I was nervous about driving home because my car has been having starting problems and they had dilated my eyes for the appointment.
Which reminds me — when a nervous eye technician came in to ask the doctor a question, “Is it okay for me to dilate a pregnant woman?” I said “Which way?”
Sometime I make jokes when I’m nervous.
I’m still nervous about my car because my mechanic says I should take it to a Honda dealership and I played phone tag with the dealership yesterday.
I’m also nervous about my cardiac device replacement surgery next week and the USA November elections.
Here are the kinds of images I capture when I’m nervous.
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I may be smiling at the Daily Bitch calendar, but I’m nervous about checking my blood INR reading today, because it needs to be between 2.8 and 3.0 for the surgery next week, and that’s a very small margin.
Do I look nervous when I’m performing this song at a live concert?
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I hope you’re not nervous about leaving a comment, below.
Thanks to all who are here for this nervous blog post, including YOU.
Get ready for another blog post from me, in which I share thoughts, feelings, pictures, tweets, updates, cats, meals, the daily holidays/observances, YouTube videos, and whatever else I’m able to get ready first thing in the morning.
After I publish this, I’ll get ready for another Coping and Healing therapy group and another doctor’s appointment regarding my very unusual heart. I also need to get ready for my upcoming cardiac device replacement surgery by maintaining an INR blood reading of 3.0. Last night’s reading was 3.2, but I think that’s good enough for now.
Because I sometimes, for moments, feel sorry for myself, I am not sorry to share today’s Daily Bitch Calendar.
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Now I’m feeling sorry for myself because (1) sitting there feeling sorry for yourself does NOT burn calories, (2) my ankle is painful and swollen after walking long distances yesterday, (3) my jaw is still clicking, (4) I have a bruise on my finger because (I assume) I was holding the sticks incorrectly when playing the drums waiting for my teacher who never showed up on Sunday, and (5) I have to check my blood again this morning again because my INR was too low last time.
Okay! Time to stop feeling sorry for myself and share my other images for today.
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On Make Your Own Head Day, I shall get out of my own head and stop feeling sorry for myself.
When I got home and after I finished my wonderful wonderful HK French toast from Rubato, I looked up “double vision” online.
“Phew! Phew!” I thought. “Looks like I don’t have to go to the emergency room (ER) because my double vision went away in 7 minutes and I didn’t have any of those other symptoms.” However, because I have complicated complicated heart issues, which resulted in my having a Transient Ischaemic Attack (T.I.A.) a year ago when I was on vacation in Georgia, I googled “double vision TIA” and found this:
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Oh no! Oh no! Double vision was on the short list of T.I.A symptoms.
The last last thing I wanted to do on a Saturday was call my hospital and ask about double vision, but I did. After talking to many many people on the phone including a nurse and (finally finally) a doctor, I was told to go to the Emergency Room immediately immediately because of my episode of double vision. As I was preparing to go go to the ER, my beloved beloved husband Michael said, “Do you want me to go with you?”
I had a vision of spending hours hours at the Emergency Room dealing with nurses nurses doctors doctors and tests tests, unsure whether to subject Michael again to the realities realities of being in an ER. After seconds seconds of deliberation, I said, “Yes. Yes. Thanks, Michael, thanks.”
When we got to the Emergency Room I was surprised surprised that there was no no waiting as doctors doctors descended and whisked me away to get a CAT scan (which unfortunately does not entail an actual cat).
A nice nice neurologist did many many tests on me including showing me pictures I had to identify, including two (two!) cactuses. When I called them “cacti” she said, “Now you’re just showing off.”
After the CAT scan, the cacti, and many many other neurological tests, there was waiting waiting as doctors doctors and nurses nurses gave us updates updates about my short short bout of double vision.
Good good news: The CAT scan showed no evidence of a TIA. Yay! Yay!
Strange strange news: My INR blood result was a totally unexpected and low 2.54. 2.54. I couldn’t believe it. That meant I now have to give myself two (two!) injections every day until I get two (two!) readings between 3.0 and 3.5.
2.54. 2.54. It didn’t make sense! 2.54 kept repeating in my brain as Michael and I waited waited, expecting that we could go home soon soon. We were told that a second neurologist would come by soon soon to clear me to leave, so we could feed our 2 (2!) cats and get some dinner.
We waited waited. No no neurologist showed up. I did something I have never never done before: I told a doctor I was thinking of leaving AMA (Against Medical Advice) because no no neurologist was showing up and I was hungry hungry and confused confused about why we were still in the Emergency Room after hours hours hours hours and no no evidence of a T.I.A.
The doctor explained that one of the two (two!) radiologists who had looked at the CAT scan saw an abnormality (abnormality?) and they were waiting waiting for a neurologist to say that the abnormality was within normal normal range.
Another hour hour went by. No no neurologist. Why why? we were asking. A neurologist is looking at the CAT scan, we were told. Waiting waiting. The neurologist is consulting with a neurosurgeon. Waiting waiting. What were they seeing on that damn damn CAT scan?
The doctor came in with some info and a question: “The abnormality is near the nasal cavity. Do you have nosebleeds?” That’s when I realized that the CAT scan did involve an actual cat. I told the doctor that two (two!) years ago our cat Joan scratched me inside my nose which resulted in nosebleeds nosebleeds which were very very impressive and had landed me in the same same Emergency Room. Hoping hoping that info would result in our going home soon soon, we waited waited.
No no neurologist. Why can’t we leave? Why can’t we leave? we asked each other and the doctor. The doctor told us that the concern was that Joan’s scratch may have caused an AVM (an AVM!) in my brain that would need to be treated.
I asked, why why didn’t this cat-related problem show up on the CAT scan I got in Georgia when I had my first TIA a year ago? The doctor said that the reading was subtle subtle and that was why one radiologist was concerned and another one wasn’t. So they still needed clearance from a neurologist to let me go go home.
Michael distracted distracted himself by taking walks outside and encountering resistance resistance from the security guard in the ER whenever he tried to get back in. (“Who are you?” “Who are you here with?” “Who are you?” Who are you here with?”) I distracted distracted myself by asking about favorite flowers on Twitter (Twitter!).
Finally finally, after hours hours of more waiting waiting, we told a nurse we’re sorry sorry but if no neurologist shows up by 11 o’clock, we’re leaving leaving. She said, “I totally understand and I’ll tell the doctor.”
After minutes minutes of more waiting waiting, the doctor walked in and said, “We heard from the neurosurgeon. He said you are okay and good to go.”
Everybody said they were happy happy and sorry sorry about the waiting waiting as we finally finally left the Emergency Room after hours hours hours hours hours hours of waiting waiting to go go home.
No no dinner for us but two (two!) happy cats when we got home and fed them. If Joan had complained complained I might have told her the part she played in everyone waiting waiting for us to to get home.
After all this waiting waiting, here are the rest of my images for this double vision post.
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Here’s the song I keep hearing in my normal (normal!) brain:
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Thanks thanks to Michael, Rubato, the kind kind medical people we encountered yesterday, Foreigner, everyone who loves flowers, and all those who help me with my vision vision every day, including YOU!
For the last few weeks, I’ve been writing a song — “I Don’t Wanna Be Late (Don’t Wanna Be Early Either)” — which is about maintaining happy mediums.
As I’ve realized how many happy mediums we struggle to maintain, I’ve added verse after verse, until the song is now over 13 minutes long.
I assume that people don’t wanna listen to a song that’s too long (or too short), but this morning I’ve written a new verse about my needing to maintain a different happy medium. I won’t record this verse but I will share it with you:
As all my doctors know, to survive I have to be neither.
What’s so bad if my INR’s too low?
Strokes and a clogged mechanical heart valve, Bro.
What’s so bad if the INR’s high?
Over-bleeding, I might be needing to say goodbye.
A year ago, my INR was too low and I had a mini-stroke. Since then, I’ve been working hard to maintain happy mediums for my INR (above 2.7) until this unexpected reading on Sunday:
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No one was happy about this and to regain a happy medium, I’ve injected myself with something called Lovenox, stopped eating greens, and upped my dosage of Coumadin. But we don’t want me to go too high, either, so I’ll be retesting myself this morning.
In the meantime, do you see happy mediums in the rest of my images for today?
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I need to get ready to retest my INR, hoping that nobody has to take me to a doctor today. If the INR is not a happy medium, I’ll be talking like a pirate (“Arrrrggghhhh!”)
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Arrrgghh! Now it’s too high. (It’s suppose to be below 3.5). As some of us suspected, Sunday’s too-low reading was false one. (That’s the first time I’ve experienced that with my home monitor.) I’m happy that I challenged my doctor’s initial plan for me to inject myself twice a day and wait to retest until Friday. And happy that I’m well on my way to restoring my happy medium.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “happy mediums.”
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Thanks to all who do their best to maintain happy mediums, including YOU!
