Artifacts

This turtle rattle has become important to remind me that my healing must proceed at a very slow pace.  I'm grateful that at least 3 animals are represented. The turtle of course, a rabbit in the fur at the handle, and some kind of leather wrapping handle and holding shell pieces together.

 I don't know what makes the rattle inside, and am not about to take it apart to find out.  I got it at a pow wow or festival many years ago.

That tiny little tick on my wrist is where the catheter was inserted to find what was wrong with my heart. I'm told a dye went through my veins until it showed where the blockage was, and a balloon was inserted with a tiny stent, thus opening the LAD artery on the wall of my heart so it would again provide blood to the big muscle. I don't know how much damage had been done to my heart (though I think the doctor told me in his short visit on the day before discharge.

Since the cardiac floor was full, he had to check his notes to tell me what percentage of my heart function had been hurt by the blockage...and his notes covered both sides of a sheet of 8-/12x11 paper...with a line separating each person's details. At least he pulled that out once to refer to it. Imagine then talking to 25-30 people who had just had heart surgery, and who were in different stages of recovery!

Maybe it wasn't that many. But I tend to believe it could have been.

So I have a tiny hole where the catheter, stent and balloon were inserted into my heart. I'm amazed. Many other people had the catheter inserted into their groin. And they often had more than one stent implanted.

Hearts are amazing, and heart medicine is too.

I never felt a heart attack, so I'm even more amazed, and keep wondering whenever I have muscle twinges, is that something like it? I don't know. Yet. And I hope I don't for many more years.

In the meantime, slow wins the race.