Posts Tagged With: T.I.A.

Day 3737: Here comes trouble.

Last week, when the social workers at my hospital gathered together in person for the first time in three years for a team-building event, I didn’t think “here comes trouble” because I have a high level of immunity to COVID (completely boosted, with a recent bout of the virus in February).

When the social workers were asked to briefly introduce ourselves and perhaps include our favorite ice cream flavor, I said my name, where I worked in the hospital, “Rocky Road, and I’m wearing socks that say ‘here comes trouble.’”

Here comes trouble: since then, I’ve wondered if saying I was wearing “here comes trouble” socks was too

  • weird,
  • off-putting,
  • age inappropriate, or
  • awkward.

Here comes trouble — human minds usually search for the negatives to try to keep ourselves safe, but that can cause useless and troubling thoughts. There’s enough real trouble in the world without wasting time on “here comes trouble” cognitive distortions, like mind-reading.

Here comes some personal, health-related trouble. Before I test my INR with my home device every other Sunday morning, I’m feeling “here comes trouble” feelings and thinking “here comes trouble” thoughts. Here comes the explanation: if the number that appears on my measuring device is not between the small range of 3.0 – 3.5, here comes trouble for me. Since I had a mini-stroke in September when my INR was 2.4, I have the trouble of needing to give myself an injection if the number is below 2.7. Also, if the INR number is too low, my mechanical heart valve could get clogged and need replacement with another very troubling open heart surgery. And if the number is above 3.5, that could cause troubling bleeding.

Whenever I test my INR, I always have to wait what feels like a troublingly long time (probably only about 10 seconds) to find out if here comes trouble. Here comes my INR result for today from here-comes-trouble me …

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Here comes relief! Now I’ll wait another two weeks to see if here comes trouble again.

Let’s see if here comes trouble in my other images for today.

Because I do my best to keep my INR in the no-trouble range by eating the right amount of spinach — which contains anti-coagulating vitamin K — every single day, here comes my celebration of National Spinach and Spinach Festival Day!

Let’s see what I find when I search for “here comes trouble” on YouTube.

Here comes gratitude from me for all who helped me write this here-comes-trouble post, including YOU!

Categories: cognitive behavioral therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Day 3549: I Saw the Light

“I Saw the Light” is a song I love by Todd Rundgren.

My husband Michael and I danced to “I Saw the Light” after I got home from a trip where I saw the light at Disney World, the gorgeous islands off the Southeast coast of Georgia, and (unexpectedly) a Georgia hospital after I had a TIA.

During a long and restorative walk in my neighborhood yesterday, I Saw the Light.

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For me, I Saw the Light means that I’m in the moment, observing the beauty surrounding me, and realizing again an important lesson I learned when I was young: life is short and every day is precious.

I Saw the Light when I was capturing all these other images for today’s blog post.

On this precious day when people might be talking like pirates while eating butterscotch pudding, what does “I saw the light” mean to you?

I saw the light while gathering expressions of gratitude for all those who have helped me see the light, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Day 3548: Still alive

Despite the many close calls I’ve had since I was born in 1953 with a very unusual heart, I’m still alive to blog another day and to share my latest images with you.

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Tomorrow (which is National Talk Like a Pirate and National Butterscotch Day), this wife will be working from home providing psychotherapy for people who are still alive. (Usually I’m in-person at the hospital on Mondays, but since I’m still alive after my T.I.A. last week, staying home seems like the smart thing to do.) Because my love of group therapy is still alive, my plan is to keep doing this work for as long as I’m still alive.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “still alive.“

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As long as I’m still alive, I’ll be expressing gratitude for YOU.

Categories: adult congenital heart, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

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