A GRATEFUL HEART

The last twenty four hours have been about my heart - I went to the hospital yesterday to have the 24 hour monitor fitted, hoping against hope that it would only be 24 hours, not like my friend, Lin, whose monitor had to be in place for a week - eeeeek - imagine no showers for a week!

When I was called into the treatment room, I was asked if I had had a monitor before - I told Linda, the lovely nurse that I hadn’t and neither had I been a monitor at school, which she agreed was quite sad - I was never a prefect either, so feel quite deprived!  

Anyway, it took about five minutes for her to set it all up and put the requisite patches on me - but being me, I had to query the positions of the patches, as they were nowhere near where I thought my heart was!!  She assured me that there was a pattern to how she had put the patches on and that most people asked the same thing, so at least I didn't feel too stupid!

She then told me that I couldn't have a shower for the 24 hours that the monitor was on but I could just do what I normally do.  She also told me that I needed to check that all the attachments stayed in place, because the monitor would not tell me if one of them came off.  So for the next few hours, I checked carefully to ensure the vigorous exercise I had done the attachments were still where they should be.

The worst thing was having to sleep on my back, which I don’t normally do and I felt that I was awake for much of the night, but I doubt that’s true.  The monitor did feel a little uncomfortable, but knowing it was only going to be on for 24 hours helped.

The monitor had to be returned between 2 p.m.and 4.30 p.m. today so at 14.21 the ceremonial removal took place.  I decided NOT to take a selfie showing the exact position of the attachments, for fear of ridicule or being thrown off Blip for showing my ample cleavage, but I did give Mr. HCB the opportunity to “rip off” the patches, which I was told could then be binned, but he declined - so I had to do the job myself.  I guess things have come a long way since I had my appendix operation many years ago when the act of "ripping off the elastoplast" brought tears to my eyes, because today I didn’t feel a thing!

We then drove to the hospital, which is only about five minutes from where we live and I then walked about four miles, well perhaps not that far, but it always seems a long walk down hospital corridors, to deliver the monitor to the Cardiac Unit.  I forgot to ask how long it will be before any results come out, but I have been so much better since I stopped drinking ordinary coffee - now only drink decaffeinated - that I am hoping that all will be well.  

The little hearts in the photograph are the ones I give away each day to bless people; I gave one to Linda yesterday and one each to the two receptionists today.  I am so grateful to the people who work in our National Health Service and just wanted to show my appreciation. 

"He who has not Christmas
     in his heart, 
          will never find it
               under a tree."
Roy L Smith

P.S.  The beautiful pink scarf in the background is an early Birthday present from my friend, Marylou in Pakistan.  Sadly the birthday present I sent to her in mid November hasn't arrived there yet!