On March 6, 2016...
Cynthia posted a note for Barbara that says:
Dear Barb,
Great post!
Those of us who benefit from western medicine, even to the point of having our lives saved, still experience conflict within our intellect, our emotions, our faith, and our physical bodies.
It's so reasonable, don't you think?
How many times have I cried with gratitude over that first clean breath during an asthma attack yet have still cursed the side effects of the medicine that saved me? Every time. Fascinating. Human.
Very small example...so many running through my mind.
The bittersweet nature of life... the word human takes on meaning much bigger than I can express. It's hard and it gets harder when we start telling each other how we should be feeling. Hey everyone! Let's put up umbrellas for each other instead of denying the rain!
After your surgery, you will still have Ebstein's Anomoly but with a top-notch remodel courtesy of your surgeon. This is the right man, the right time...no coincidences.
I know you wrote that malformation is a better word to describe what's going on. I hope you don't mind if I continue to think, anomoly, since it means your heart is a rarity as are you. Tell your doc I said not to touch any of the love and generosity that you've got in there!
One more thing: I know you are, at times, worn and tired. Please try to remember how strong you are. Even marathon runners hit a wall. It's feared and it's predictable and it's beatable. You've been proving that your whole life.
Love from your sister,
Cynthia
Great post!
Those of us who benefit from western medicine, even to the point of having our lives saved, still experience conflict within our intellect, our emotions, our faith, and our physical bodies.
It's so reasonable, don't you think?
How many times have I cried with gratitude over that first clean breath during an asthma attack yet have still cursed the side effects of the medicine that saved me? Every time. Fascinating. Human.
Very small example...so many running through my mind.
The bittersweet nature of life... the word human takes on meaning much bigger than I can express. It's hard and it gets harder when we start telling each other how we should be feeling. Hey everyone! Let's put up umbrellas for each other instead of denying the rain!
After your surgery, you will still have Ebstein's Anomoly but with a top-notch remodel courtesy of your surgeon. This is the right man, the right time...no coincidences.
I know you wrote that malformation is a better word to describe what's going on. I hope you don't mind if I continue to think, anomoly, since it means your heart is a rarity as are you. Tell your doc I said not to touch any of the love and generosity that you've got in there!
One more thing: I know you are, at times, worn and tired. Please try to remember how strong you are. Even marathon runners hit a wall. It's feared and it's predictable and it's beatable. You've been proving that your whole life.
Love from your sister,
Cynthia
Barbara Laurie, Nicola Laker reacted to this
Barbara Laurie ๐๐๐ Thanks Cyn๐
Nicola Laker What beautiful words from your sister. โค Can I adopt her as mine too? Actually can i have both o ... Read more
Barbara Laurie Yes Nicola, you can have her, and my other sisters too.. If they were all close by you in London they ... Read more
Also, make sure you have several pillows that you can use to support your arms & shoulders. Seriously, you're going to be exhausted to begin with, and you'll doze in the car (I'm sure!) Make sure you have enough materials to support your upper extremities so you can relax and get a little rest.
Best of luck!
(It probably won't be as bad as you think it will)
-Meredith
I had a 4-5 hour drive back home after my surgery, which ended up taking 7 hours. I'm not sure my cases is representative of what most experience because I was in fairly good shape and seem to have had very few problems, but the ride back wasn't bad at all. I think just being excited to get home probably helped make it fairly easy. The worst part was when my dad drove through a very rough, bumpy, gravel parking lot to turn around when he missed a turn for a gas station.
We've done the trip several times now and we are hoping ,weather permitting it will be about the same, stopping to walk, food and well, ya know. Thanks for the great suggestions ๐โค๏ธ๐ Poor Dave!!