The adventure continues
@GardenGerty (160665)
United States
September 21, 2017 6:00am CST
Not such bad news, not such good news.
In June my husband had a stroke. Three months ago he saw the cardiologist.
He saw him again.
Good news: His heart has not gotten any worse. Bad news: His heart has not gotten any better. Plan of action: call Monday and set an appointment for a heart catheterization, looking toward getting a pacemaker.
He is out of sick leave with his job, but will probably miss a minimal amount.
I have sick leave to take him, when scheduled. It just drives me batty to do so. I feel like I let my team down.
So good morning, world. It is time to make breakfast.
17 people like this
20 responses
@silvermist (19702)
• India
21 Sep 17
Hope all goes well.Is your husband on any special diet?What did you make for breakfast?
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
21 Sep 17
No, he does not need a special diet. He has never had problems with cholesterol or glucose or anything. He had a smoothie that was cherry, cranberry, chocolate protein powder and Greek yogurt. I need to watch what I eat and try to eat oats in some form daily so I ate homemade granola.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (51211)
• Canada
21 Sep 17
That's a shame that they count sick days like they are.
Here, if you have a doctor's note, then time off, for whatever the number of days, equals 1 day for the employer based on the fact that it is 1 excuse from the documentation that the doctor provided. When my brother-in-law had a stroke, his wife had her doctor put her on a sick leave for a year, she was able to collect unemployment benefits and look after him without feeling the whole financial burden crunch.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
21 Sep 17
I have sufficient sick days in my sick bank. Hubby used up all of his when he had the stroke, but we got his pay. It is probably going to be one day for the heart cath, and I am not sure about the pacemaker. His job is fairly mild and so it may be he will not miss much.
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
22 Sep 17
@GardenGerty Really? It seems like it would take longer to recover than that. Let's hope they are right.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
I will post when that gets scheduled. His heart cath is going to be Friday, October 6. They seem to think that he will not need to rest much after that, just recover over the weekend.
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
26 Sep 17
I hope all goes well... any surgery can be a bit of a worry... I will keep you both in my prayers... by Dad had a pacemaker fitted, and he has definitely felt the benefits of it...
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
27 Sep 17
Hubby and I figure he may get some of his old energy back once he has one.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
I think the pacemaker will make him feel more like his old self. We have known several who have had that experience.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
24 Sep 17
@GardenGerty I hope it does and I know you will be happy once the operation is over. A lot less worries for you I am sure of this.
I hope it does and I know you will be happy once the operation is over. A lot less worries for you I am sure of this.
@thislittlepennyearns (62517)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
21 Sep 17
Hopefully all goes well, and his recovery from surgery is quick,
What's for breakfast?
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
21 Sep 17
Homemade smoothie for hubby, homemade granola for me.
2 people like this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16764)
• China
21 Sep 17
It is said that pacemaker need placing if one's heart rate is below 40 bpm at rest.Hope everything will go smoothly!
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
His heart rate is not low, but it is irregular. This other test will tell if he is a good candidate for it.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
21 Sep 17
Oh no a pacemaker Heather?
Good morning dear friend.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
After he had his stroke he expected to be told this. I guess they needed him to do some recovering before they did it. Honestly the heart catheterization worries me more than the pacemaker. Not because of what they may find, as I do not believe he has any blockage. It scares me because it is more invasive. We studied up a little about pacemakers right after his stroke.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
22 Sep 17
@GardenGerty I see Heather..I will pray on this and keep you in my thoughts..I can understand how scary this may be.
@Marilynda1225 (82799)
• United States
21 Sep 17
If he has to be out of work and no more sick days can he apply for workmans comp? Hopefully the time he'll need off won't be too much and he'll be fine
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
For the heart cath he will probably miss a half day is all. He may still have that available. I am not sure how much he will have to rest after the pacemaker. Since this is not a work related issue, no he cannot get workman's comp. It is better to do it before the end of the year, although he will have more leave again after January 1, because as of now he has met all of his deductibles. We are not hurting financially. Not rich, but we have enough resources it will be okay.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (82799)
• United States
22 Sep 17
@GardenGerty I hope it all works out and the most important thing is that he's okay. I'm sure it's frustrating having to have all this on your mind. Best wishes for you both
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
We looked into pacemaker to inform ourselves after his stroke, knowing it might be a possibility. His health is really good except for this mysterious "damage" to his heart. This is a prime time to get his pacemaker if he needs one. Thanks for the encouragement.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
Yeah, us too. He was pretty confident it had, because mostly he feels good. We look at it this way, if he needs to have this done it is good to do it while he has work income, the deductibles for the year have been met and he is generally in really good health.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116936)
• Anniston, Alabama
22 Sep 17
I know you are worried but they do these all the time and they work great.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
The heart cath worries me more than the pacemaker. He feels the pacemaker will help him regain his energy.
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
22 Sep 17
I hope everything would be alright with your husband.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
I think getting this done now will help him have many more good years.
@peachpurple (13962)
• Malaysia
21 Sep 17
oh i am so sorry about your hubby.... why did the stroke happened? how old is he? My mom had stroke when she was 63 years old, only part of her brain was clotted with blood, so she lost her mobility and memory. Hope your hubby heart will recover
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
His stroke happened because an unknown cause has damaged his heart. It began having afib--ineffective irregular beats, and a clot formed that went to his brain. It did very little damage, but it could happen again. They thought his heart might heal itself but it did not, so we are having this other test and probably a pacemaker.
1 person likes this
@peachpurple (13962)
• Malaysia
22 Sep 17
@GardenGerty oh so sorry to hear that. My mom had stroke because she had too much of high cholesterol food, didn't exercise and was sleeping too much. She fell down, hit her head and fainted. By the time she was found, she had the symptoms of stroke but nobody knew. Luckily her heart is fine but her brain is partially damaged. Hope your hubby will recover
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
26 Sep 17
Praying for you and your husband. Keep positive and believe for Good things to come from this.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
Thanks so much. In a way he welcomes the pacemaker as it will probably help him get his energy back.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
Yes, but it is a small problem. The good thing is all his medical deductibles have been met in the event they decide to do this.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
Yes, we think it will restore some of his energy.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
Thank you so much. The doctors are doing the best they understand to help him heal and the prayers help too.
1 person likes this
@Diamondzglitter (21)
• Canada
21 Sep 17
I had a stroke but was very lucky I didn't have any heart damage. I hope for the best for your husband. I have a few friends that have pacemakers and they didn't notice they were there after they got used to them.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
22 Sep 17
He had something wrong with his heart that caused the stroke. He actually does not have any of the usual causes of stroke. I am glad that you seem to have recovered well.
