It’s been a long while, but I’m finally back to blogging. And I’m happy to say, I’ve officially dedicated this blog to digging out, standing up, and re-energizing. For some karmic reason, I’ve been blessed with a life that has trained me to become a professional funk-buster.
This past April brought me some deeply personalized funk, in the form of Stent #2 being implanted in my right coronary artery. Long, complicated story short, it appears that over-grown surgical scar tissue (from my 2008 aortic valve replacement) had obstructed and closed the artery.
Stent #1, in case you’re wondering, was implanted in July 2009, by my cardiologist, Mark Blum. He re-opened my artery, which was 99.5% closed. I was, and still am, incredibly grateful. I knew I had been granted new life.
Unfortunately, at the time, I was completely and totally exhausted from the ordeal. Even more fortunately, I was able to re-energize with the help of healing foods and herbs.
When my artery closed AGAIN this past April, I was somewhat in denial. But I had all the symptoms – fatigue, pain in my jaw and teeth upon exertion, muscle weakness, and shortness of breath. So, very reluctantly, I dragged myself in to see my cardiologist. And ZAP. Within 5 minutes of listening to my symptoms, he ordered a cardiac catheterization. 4 days later, he placed Stent #2 inside Stent #1 (the sandwich technique), to re-open my artery, which was 95% closed.
Again, I am extremely grateful. I know how lucky I am. Truthfully, I am a little un-nerved that it happened again. I can only trust that my doubly-fortified-sandwich-stent will hold.
Of course, I am also feeling self-righteously p.o.’d that despite the fact that my arteries aren’t clogged with plaque, and never have been, I have been diagnosed with CAD (Coronary Artery Disease). When I complained to my doctor, he told me I have a rare condition for which there is no diagnosis. CAD is the only one that fits.
“Just relax,” I tell myself, breathing deeply, “and let go of this wound to my healthy-all-natural-organic ego.”
Stent #2 , and its accompanying funk, threw me back into dark depths. I began to experience the symptoms which made me believe that the stents were closing again. I thought for sure I would need surgery to correct the situation.
After a few tense visits to my cardiologist, another catheterization, and frightful thoughts of yet another open-heart surgery, we determined that I was ‘de-conditioned’. In other words, completely out of shape. Depleted from months of lack of exercise, illness, and low energy.
No surgery. Thank God.
So today, I am once again re-energizing my life. I am so grateful for having the tools to do so. As a gesture of my gratitude, I have decided to use this blog to share some of my best-ever funk-busting foods, herbs and techniques.
Stay tuned to De-Funk and Re-Energize your life.
Be Well,
Marian