Oz Fan - Wizard of a Different Kind

I have always been an "Oz" fan, however mine had an Emerald City and Yellow Brick Road. This is my New and Favorite OZ... Dr. Mehmet Oz.

I waited until this afternoon to post knowing that I wanted to do a post about him. He premiered today at 2pm (PST). It was a great show!!!! I encourage everyone to watch, or at least DVR it to catch up later with him.

Dr. Oz is a world renowned Cardiologist... but so much more! Check him out on TV or at www.doctoroz.com. I will be posting things that he shares and hope that they are beneficial. Dr. Oz encourages us to be a "team". He said at the end of his show today, "Take whatever you learned today and tell just one more person. Let's do this work together".

Time moves on

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

~Author Unknown

Five weeks today! I can't believe its been five weeks... There are times that I feel it never happened. Funny how your mind allows you to forget, yet your "heart" keeps it ever so close. I continue to just move forward, find something new each day that reminds me of what could have been and I would have never known.

Heart Healthy Living ~

I'm Back... I have been away for a bit, but I am back with lots of fun information. Here is a new magazine that was generously subscribed to, for me (THANK YOU CARMEL!). I have the Fall 2009 issue and it is available until November 3rd. I highly recommend this magazine. There are some great articles, recipes and all over wonderful advice! The one article that I really liked was "Pick of the crop", it is all about APPLES... did you know that there are more than 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United States? Who Knew!!! This article picked 18 of the most popular/better known apples and devised a guide as to where they originated from or were developed, their taste and texture and best uses. Fugi Apples is highest in phenolics (that's Antioxidants to us) among the 13 top apples. The McIntosh Apple bruises the easiest and the Jonathan Apple's flavor can "vary" from mild to tart depending where it is grown. I have always loved that there is an apple with my son's name, Jonathan, because he is the "Apple of my Eye"... ahhhhh

So, I strongly suggest you check out the magazine, or at least the website, www.hearthealthyonline.com. Another website I think is interesting and worth a look is, www.womenheart.org, this is The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.

Have a GREAT weekend and I promise to update on a more regular bases.

stress [stress]
n (plural stress·es)
1. strain felt by somebody: mental, emotional, or physical strain caused, e.g. by anxiety or overwork. It may cause such symptoms as raised blood pressure or depression.

Pressure? What Pressure???

*** PRETTY IN PINK ***

I am so glad this came in Pink! If I have to use it everyday, at least I have something fun to look at! This is my new best friend. We will be getting together about 3 to 4 times a day. I have to make sure that I check my Blood Pressure regularly throughout the day and track it. I hope to have a "Normal" reading in the very near future. With Exercise and Diet, I should be able to accomplish this goal in the one year time I have set as a goal for so many things...

DiD YoU KnOw????

High Blood Pressure has often been called the "Silent Killer" because mild to moderate levels usually go unnoticed by patients until serious damage has already been done. Untreated high blood pressure also places other systems (e.g., circulation) and other organs (e.g., kidneys) at greater risk of damage that could lead to dysfunction or failure.

CHECK YOUR PRESSURE ~ IT WILL MAKE THE RIDE A LOT SMOOTHER

Meet Jackson... this is my Baby! Isn't he the CUTEST little thing you have ever seen? Jackson has played such an important role with me going through all of this. It is funny, he knew something was going on with me. The night that I spent in the hospital and my mom came and stayed here at the house with the kids, my daughter told me that Jackson slept in the window seal, looking out the front window, waiting... Jackson ALWAYS sleeps in bed with us, he snuggles up close, makes his way to being comfortable in the down comforter. He missed MAMA...

Anyway, this is our Jackson, aka Piddle. He fills my HEART!

WAIT! Is that really my WEIGHT?

Here it is... yes I have just posted my WEIGHT on the Internet... on the Internet for ALL TO SEE!?! There is a very important reason behind my madness. You see, I am FAT! I had horrible eating habits, no exercise routine to speak of, and oh, that's right, I SMOKED! I SMOKED LIKE A FREAKIN TRAIN... one of those BIG BLACK COAL BURNING TRAINS... it's no wonder that my Heart just didn't EXPLODE right out of my chest. Anyway, back to my "weight"~

You might not be able to get a really clear view of what that scale reads... it's screaming 210lbs! That's pounds, pounds of FAT! Trust me, that's me there, my toes prove it. GOOD NEWS THOUGH... I have LOST, yes LOST 9lbs!!!! I haven't even started the exercise program yet (little secret, there are all kinds of little fears after a heart attack... it's kinda freaky). Anyway, this scale will allow me to prove some points over the next year, so REMEMBER this post... smiles and hugs for Tuesday - Jani

You ARE what you EAT

Life as I once knew it is no more! I "WAS" what "I ATE", hence... HEART ATTACK!

NOW it is Low Fat, Low Sodium, No Salt... the list just goes on and on. The funny thing about it is, one would think that all of these things being "taken away" would be hard. Amazingly, someone telling you that you had a Heart Attack... well it makes the choices a bit easier. The food seems to taste good as well. My husband has ALWAYS told me, it is MIND OVER MATTER! God, now I have to tell him once again that he is Right...

Here is the fridge with all the good stuff in it. However, just since I took this picture, I see so many things STILL wrong with it. The Milk is WHOLE (too much fat), the Sodas there in the back, they might be DIET/CAFFEINE FREE, but there is soooooooo much SODIUM in just one small can. I haven't had a soda in a week now... ahhhhh

Here I get to share with you how much I am LOVED. Trust me when I say you would have NEVER found this stuff in my old pantry! Really, NEVER! But thanks to all those that think I am worth having around, instead of flowers I got FOOD, GOOD FOOD, FOOD THAT IS GOOD FOR THE HEART! Rex and Carmel showed up with bags of groceries, and then my sister Tammy came with good treats. The funny thing is, she is still writing how much of what I need each day on the tops of everything... and with the help of my GREAT FRIEND CARMEL, I am learning more and more about label reading, ingredients and just the "ART" of knowing what you eat... THANKS!
I beg anyone who has ideas about COOKING??? DINNERS???? TREATS????? Please, oh please send my way!!! I have such a brain block about food and what to fix. That is what got me where I am. So please, send me anything that you find, read, made up yourself...

Meds Meds Meds - Take your Meds

Okay Friends... here is what is necessary to stay alive in the event you make it through the Heart Attack. There are 9, yes NINE, different medications that I MUST take each day. Now this does not include the "stool softener" that is just one of the side effects of taking these Meds.

This is what I take:

1. Plavix - this is a blood thinner, keeps my blood flowing through my heart and new acquired stent

2. Metoprolol - This is for HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (I will share those results from the day of another time)

3. Simvastatin - This is for HIGH CHOLESTEROL, I imagine it helps the soldiers with the blood thinning and makes their job a bit easier.

4. Aspirin - Just another one of those Blood Thinners (Yes, the one I will take the REST of MY LIFE)

5. Lisinopril - Yep, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (pay attention, they don't call it the "Silent Killer" for anything)

6. Nitroglycer - NITRO, I carry this around in a little container on my key chain. In the event I feel I am having chest pain, then it is to be placed under my tongue. GOES EVERYWHERE I GO!

7. Hydroco - Norco? PAIN... I am slowly getting away from these. There is quit a bit of pain that comes along with having a Heart Attack, and it isn't always your Heart.

8. Nicoderm - Oh Yeah! This is the "I have stopped smoking and could rip your head off at anytime" remedy. A Patch a Day keeps Homicide Detectives away... smile

9. Bupropion - Better known as WELBUTRIN! This goes hand and hand with the Nicoderm.

And like I said, there is the every wonderful remedies for constipation. New Diet, No Smoking... You let me know if Nature continues to be on your side.

I have a pretty little box that I place all the pills in for the week. I can't find my keys on most days, this box is a MUST! My sisters Tammy and Robin were great to do it for me for the first week. Tammy even went as far as writing what each Rx was for, like "Pain", "High Blood Pressure"... or my favorite and the one I sure they got the biggest kick out of "CRAZY"... yeah that was the wording on the Welbutrin...

Just a note*** Be sure to check "Name Brand" vs. "Generic"! Who knew that GENERIC can be MORE EXPENSIVE $$$$$ than BRAND NAME. If you have a large RX to fill, bad insurance or no insurance, shop around and find your best price. I would suggest that you ALWAYS stay with the same Pharmacy so that they would catch any medications that might interfere with the medications you are currently taking.

There it is... A Heart Attack in a Bottle... or Pill Box in my case.

One Week Ago TODAY!!!

Made a call at 8:30, told her "now don't get all freaked out on me, but...", went to "urgent care" because IT'S NO BIG DEAL. All I saw was their eyes were HUGE, the doctor backed up in the corner. All I heard was, "Take this, swallow this, chew on this"... All I asked, "Are those SIRENS for me?" Two ambulance rides and a stent later... I was recovering in a hospital I never knew even existed. Yes, ONE WEEK AGO TODAY, I HAD A HEAT ATTACK.