Maybe I Should Have Gone to the ER

Health Dictates a Brief Post Today

Last night was scary. Just before I was ready to go to bed at my usual 2 am, my heart started to race and I felt dizzy. My blood pressure was 149/92 with a pulse of 155. Ten minutes later I took it again and it was 129/88 with a pulse rate of 156. My normal pulse rate is closer to 60. I had very mild chest pain. I wouldn't have noticed it had I not been lying down. Once again I debated internally a frequent question that comes up in my life? Should I take an ambulance ride?

Twin Cities Hospital Emergency Treatment Room, © B. Radisavljevic 

Why I Didn't Go

Why did I leave that bed above unfilled? I am an  emergency room veteran. I have been at least twice for chest pain. It's always pretty much been a wasted trip. I come home feeling worse than when I went because it's impossible to sleep. It takes me two days to recover. Read about my past experiences here: Our Experience at the Twin Cities Hospital Emergency Room.

I just reread it. I realize now that maybe I should have gone. But I knew I'd probably not finish this blogging challenge on time because they would have kept me overnight again to do a repeat blood test in the morning. I would have been too exhausted to do anything in the morning and probably the next day as well. I already knew the information in this video:



I have had these palpitations before. They haven't been this bad for years, but my cardiologist wasn't alarmed about them. When I didn't go last time this happened, when I finally got approval to see him he did another stress test and told me I had made the right decision in not going. He told me next time to take another half pill of my medication and rest until it kicked in. I did that last night. Except it took over an hour for anything to change. I tried to sleep, but it's hard when your pulse rate is really high. Then I noticed a tiny bit of pain in my chest and in my fingers in my left hand. I was pretty sure I wasn't having a stroke, because I've read this and keep it handy.

The Screen from the Ultrasound from my Stress Test,  © B. Radisavljevic 

I finally woke up my husband. I had almost passed out trying to make it to the bathroom. He sat with me while I sat in my recliner in the family room and we decided what to do. Had it been him instead of me I would have called the ambulance. He has a stent and a history of heart problems.

I know the doctors are in the process of experimenting with changing the doses on my heart and thyroid medications. No one is sure what the right dose is anymore because I lost weight and they cut the dosage of both medications to make up for the weight loss. Meanwhile, I never know when these episodes of palpitations and dizziness will occur, so I hardly dare drive. My head just doesn't feel right.

It's now 2:15 pm. Except for a weird feeling in my head I feel pretty normal, but my last two blood pressure readings, taken in bed, have been way below my normal 124. Meanwhile, I think I'll call my pharmacist for advice on the medications and have a bit of caffeine if my blood pressure is still too low. That would be green tea and maybe a bit of dark chocolate with my banana and almonds.

What I Frequently Have for Lunch, © B. Radisavljevic 

I had a pretty safe breakfast: hot oatmeal with walnuts, raisins and chopped apples in it. I'll take it easy today. Above is what I'll probably have for lunch - cold broiled chicken strips, tangerine, avocado, almonds, and maybe some of those olives. I could eat it plain or make a salad of all but the tangerine and olives and add a few white beans. If I do that I'll used slivered instead of the whole almonds. I doubt if my doctors would fault any of those foods.

Since I need to rest, I will schedule this post ahead and go to bed earlier tonight - as soon as I feel tired. I will only do online tonight what I can get done before I tire. I can use a few hours more sleep to make up for the four hours I missed last night, since I didn't fall asleep until about 6 am.

What Would You Have Done?

I'm sure many of you would probably scold me me for staying home. Many others would understand why I did. I'm honestly not sure yet I won't go tonight if the problem comes up again and my pharmacist has no advice and I can't reach my doctors by phone. Stay tuned.

Note: Please do not use this as medical advice you should apply to yourself. This is just my own experience and I used past medical advice from my doctors when making my decision. People with any of these symptoms should see a doctor, and if they are severe they should go to the emergency room. Each person's medical history and condition is unique.

Sunset on Daily Blogging Here

For some time I have realized that daily blogging about Paso Robles photos is more than I can keep up with and do justice to my topics.

This is one of many blogs, and it has caused me to neglect others, such as Barb's Garden Observations, The Writing Life of Barbara Radisavljevic,  Bookworm Buffet, my book review site, and my other local blog, Tidbits from Templeton . I would like to spend more time on these blogs and on my main website for home and school educators, Books to Remember, which is devoted to reviewing children's books and educational resources and teaching materials.

Health issues make it impossible to continue all I have been doing. A daily blog is just too much now, when combined with working on other sites. I will still be posting here when I have something specific I want to share, such as an art event, a new photo walk with scenery that's new to me, or whatever else I think might interest you. Right now, though, health issues prevent frequent photo walks, as well as walking very far alone. I hope to still post here at least once a week. All I'm backing away from is the commitment to daily posting. 

I would like to invite my local readers in North San Luis Obispo County to check out Barb's Garden Observations once in a while to see what's happening in my garden. It's a photographic garden journal where I share not only what's in bloom, but also what I'm learning and the different creepy crawlies I discover in my garden.

I will miss daily blogging on this site, but I'm recognizing my limitations and doing what makes sense. I want to thank all those who have read my posts regularly, and I hope you will continue to visit, even though posts won't be as frequent.

January 26 is National Spouses Day

Spouses Change a Lot in Fifty Years

January 26 is National Spouses Day. It is a day for spouses to appreciate each other. After over fifty years of marriage, I appreciate my husband more as each year passes and we can still enjoy each other's company. We've both changed a lot physically and mentally since this photo was taken on our wedding day. Some of our joints have worn out and been replaced and we've both put on more pounds. Those are the things one would notice just looking at us.

Our Wedding Day, used by permission of Robert Wantz

When we got married, we had some big cultural differences we had to get around. I was born and raised in California.  My husband was born in Serbia with some very definite cultural ideas about what was man's work and what was woman's work. These were reinforced by his mother, who would not have dreamed of letting a man get up from the table to get something from the kitchen if there was a woman there who could get it for him. That has changed. We help each other out.  Whoever is out and about picks up what we need at a store or runs the errand that needs to be done. That used to be all my department.

Hubby shopping, © B. Radisavljevic

More and more frequently we take turns driving each other to the emergency room, medical appointments after surgeries, and helping each other when one is not so mobile.  We are learning to care for each other when medical issues make us less independent for a time. Whichever of us is most able does what needs to be done at any given time. We even need to remind each other of important things we need to do so that doctor appointments, etc., aren't forgotten. Yes, they are on the calendar, but sometimes we still forget.

Hubby at Twin Cities Emergency Room, © B. Radisavljevic

Internal Changes that Affected Our Relationship

What one can't see just by looking are the internal changes. We have done a lot of growing up. Adopting our children accelerated this process. My husband was a good father and loved to play with the children, as you can see in this photo.

Hubby Playing with our Kids,  © B. Radisavljevic

Later, when my son died in an accident at the age of fourteen, we had to support each other through our grief. This is my husband sharing his thoughts at our son's memorial service.

Hubby Speaking at our Son's Memorial Service,  © B. Radisavljevic

Gifts for Celebrating Marriage

 Custom Mr and Mrs 25th wedding anniversary shirts Genesis 2:24 Love Quote Wedding Blanket Personalized Christian Tiles - 1Corinthians 13:4-8 Funny fortune Cookie Marriage Joke Postcard White cream roses marriage renewal ceremony card The Couple that Prays Together Mug Build your marriage on The Rock. Coffee Mug

& 

What We Can Do Together Has Changed

Because of the physical changes in our bodies, we can no longer do some of our favorite things together. One of these activities is hiking. It's hard to do when Hubby can't walk very far or for very long anymore. Sometimes I can't either. Sometimes we will go to a beautiful place where he can sit, while I  walk. Often these are just rest stops while we travel on business. These photos were taken in Santa Barbara County on a day we had to go to Ventura.

Hubby at Summerland © B. Radisavljevic

Hubby at Lake Cachuma, © B. Radisavljevic

We used to enjoy traveling,  but now that's hard, too. We do still both enjoy conversation and spending an afternoon or evening reading our books and just being together. That being together, after all, is what it's all about to have a spouse. 

As you live together, you grow together and year after year the relationship deepens if you can keep forgiving as hurts and misunderstandings happen. They can't help but happen when two selfish people try to live together. They happen much less as spouses adjust to each other's strengths and weaknesses and learn to appreciate them. If spouses give up on each other too soon they may discover too late that everything wrong was not the fault of the spouse.

Marriage is for better and for worse, through sickness and health, through prosperity and poverty. If spouses help and support each other through each of these, forgiving if necessary instead of turning on each other to blame and accuse, they will grow into mature people who can take on what life throws at them together. At the end of the road of life, they will realize they were each other's greatest treasure. 

Related articles

• Today's Experience at the Emergency Room at Twin Cities Hospital
• Our Experience at the Twin Cities Hospital Emergency Room
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• Don't Pass Lookout Park In Summerland - A California Life

Burning the Candle at Both Ends Burns Me Out

Enjoying Time with Friends Around a Fire

Life is catching up with me. Medical issues have arisen, including the need for cataract surgery at the end of the month and the beginning of next month. That means pre-op and post-op appointments filling the calendar and some recovery time during which I may not be able to get to the computer. We also need to  go  out of town for a couple of days to attend an important reunion before that.


I don't want to get too stressed and burn out trying to keep my current blogging schedule while I  have these extra real life commitments, I have decided to take a mini-blogging break. That will mean for an indefinite time period I will actually treat this blog the way I intended when I started it. I will keep my commitment to the City Daily Photo Blog international network by posting one photo a day I have taken in my local area with some words to describe it. I will observe theme day. But I will not be writing long posts until  I have more time.

This will enable me to schedule ahead for days I'm not sure I'll be able to post. I appreciate your understanding during this time, and hope you will still stop by to see the daily photo. In the meantime, enjoy this poster available at Zazzle. Here's the quote you see on it.

My candle burns at both ends

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-- 

It gives a lovely light. 

Edna St. Vincent Millay

My Candle Burns at Both Ends--Millay 24W x 36H Poster

Colonoscopy Preparation - The Best and Worst Parts

My posts have been short this past few days and today, because most of this week I've been preparing for the colonoscopy I had this morning. Like most people who take this diagnostic procedure, I dreaded it. As most people who have taken this test know, the colonoscopy itself is a piece of cake compared to the preparation one has to do.

The worst part of that is the liquid diet for about a day and a half before the test followed by another 24 hours of powerful laxatives and their aftermath. In contrast, the procedure itself is easy. The worst of that was the very tight blood pressure cuff that squeezed my arm painfully about five times before they knocked me out. It seemed they had barely knocked me out when I was waking up, all finished except for getting unhooked from all my monitors and IV's.

The best part of the preparation was having lots of time to read. In four days I finished six novels -- five mysteries and one romance. You can see them in the photo above. I checked them all out Monday at the Paso Robles Public Library and finished the last one  today. Earlene Fowler, Carol Higgins Clark, and Debbie Macomber are favorite authors. I find Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason's mysteries keep my mind occupied and are quick to get through.

 A gentleman who was browsing new books next to me suggested I try reading a new author, Alafair Burke, so I checked out some of her legal thrillers to sample. On my own I decided to try The Color of Law by Mark Gimenez, another legal thriller. All of these books took my mind off my MoviPrep cocktails and helped entertain me while dealing with the results. One does not want to sit in a bathroom for hours a day with nothing to read. I enjoyed all these books, so having time to read them was the best part of this entire week -- except for finally putting this colonoscopy behind me for another ten years.

Observations: It seems there are changes in the recommended preparation for the colonoscopy since the last time I endured it. First, I had to mix the MoviPrep cocktails myself. Second, it didn't seem to taste as bad as last time. Last, you don't get much sleep for the 24 hours preceding it. I don't remember exactly when I had to take the laxatives last time, but I know I didn't have to take the last dose 4-5 hours before arriving for the procedure as I had to this year. For me that meant being up at 3 AM and staying up. There is no  way to settle down and sleep once you start taking the MoviPrep because you will be on the run for the entire night. I didn't even bother to go  to bed. I read all night.

Feel free to share your own experiences with this procedure below.

Open House at Kennedy Fitness Adventure in Paso Robles

We got a flyer at our door this week announcing an open house today at the Kennedy Fitness Club around the corner from my house. There would be music, special activities, and great deals on membership. My husband and has been a member in Atascadero for years and it's an important part of his life. I formerly was a member, but wasn't using my membership much, and I gave my husband the remainder of it when I decided to quit.

Since I've been having trouble with my knee, my doctor said I should be doing cycling. I don't have an exercise bike. I also think I may need some supervision now until I feel I know how to exercise on my own without hurting myself after my two surgeries last year and possibly knee surgery coming up. So I decided to join again today and take advantage of the special. The photo above was my first view of the club today.

After I walked up the stairs, I could see people enjoying the pool. My plan was to stop by and shoot a few photos while the people were attending the open house. I knew it would be very crowded while the music was playing and the special activities were going on. So I decided to get the pictures on the way to do some errands, stop at home for lunch, and return about two hours after the end of the open house. I was told the special would still be good until 8 PM. I figured by 6:30 the crowd would be gone.

I was right. When I returned there were plenty of parking places, and that's very rare even on a normal day. I signed up and then spent twenty minutes on the exercise bike. Hardly anyone was still working out. I picked up a new membership card and then started down the stairs back to the parking lot.

At the bottom of the stairs I saw this sign. In the photo below the sign is the dry waterfall it's referring to. I have seen the water falling in the past, so  it's sad it's dry,  but during this drought, everyone has to conserve.

K is for Kennedy Club Fitness

The Kennedy Club Paso Robles Adventure 

The Kennedy Club Paso Robles Adventure is within walking distance of my home, and I was a member there for a while before I decided that I'd rather walk outside than in. I still think Kennedy Fitness is a great health and fitness club.

Now I probably shouldn't walk alone and I need to use the exercise bike, so I rejoined.   I'm still not one of the people who fits well into a fitness club. I only joined under pressure from my husband and doctor.

Kennedy Club Fitness in Atascadero

My husband, on the other hand,  wanted to join, and has been an active member of the Atascadero Kennedy Club location since shortly after we moved to this area.

He loves to swim and he has formed many important relationships at the club that also keep him coming back. For him Kennedy Fitness Club has been a club in every sense of the word. He has been in an aqua aerobics class since he joined, and he often swims laps and uses the sauna. I often tease him that he exercises his jaws talking to his friends there as much as he exercises his arms and legs.

Kennedy's programs and facilities helped my husband lose enough weight and gain enough strength to have two successful hip surgeries. The staff is very helpful and supportive. He has used some of the exercise machines in addition to the pool when  he thought he needed to. Everything he needs is there -- including a snack bar with healthy snacks. We have both taken advantage of some medical tests that were offered there.

Should You Join Kennedy Fitness?

If you've been thinking about joining a fitness club, you can't do much better than Kennedy in San Luis Obispo County -- especially if you want swimming to be part of your routine. The trainers are great and they work with you free at the beginning to help you learn to use the equipment. There are classes for every taste, and other activities for special groups of interested members. Check them out on Facebook.

A Revolution in Dentistry

Revolution Theme

May 1 is Theme Day for City Daily Photo bloggers, and the theme today is revolution. I was all set to write about the landscaping revolution in Paso Robles, with everyone being encouraged to get rid of their lawns and turn them into landscapes that use less water. I even had the photos. But something made me abandon that idea.

My dental X-rays, photo © B. Radisavljevic

The Revolution in Dentistry 

The Xeriscaping idea was replaced by a new idea that came while I was in the dentist chair today. I was remembering how dentistry was when I was growing up in the 1940's and 1950's,  and those memories are far from pleasant. Even up until sometime in the 1980's, while some advances in dentistry were occurring, it's only been in this century that the difference has been striking. New technology, primarily the use of computers and digital photography, also have become important in transforming dentistry.

I began talking to my dentist, Dr. Casper, and his assistant, Sandra, about the revolution in dentistry, and they helped me sum it up. Here are some of the contrasts between the dentistry I grew up with, and dentistry as it is practiced today in my city. 

In the past, patients sat upright in the dental chair and were facing an intimidating monster machine that held the feared drill. Directly in front of the patient was a small sink used for rinsing out the mouth and spitting out foreign substances that were usually byproducts of dental procedures. Now the dental assistant stands by with a hand piece that squirts water to rinse the mouth and then she can also suction it out so that the patient doesn't have to rinse and spit.

Today, patients lie back in the chair and the dentist uses a smaller, faster hand piece for drilling. It is much quieter than the old drills. The big machine is gone. Instead of looking at the machinery, I now have a view of the window you see in the photo above. 

In the past dentists used regular X-ray machines and the technicians would put awkward squares of film in a hard frame that cut into the patient's mouth while the pictures were being taken. The patient had to hold them between their teeth while the technician went to press the button to snap the photo. Now the mouth inserts are a bit more comfortable and digital photography rather than  radiation is used to take the pictures. You can see my latest photos above. 

Since I was young, many new dental materials and techniques for keeping patients chewing have evolved. Many were invented before the turn of the century, but most were not commonly used. One example from today's visit comes to mind. A crown that had been put in before I moved here in 1992 had to be removed today to fix a bit of decay that was starting under it. Crowns were made and attached with different materials back then, and Dr. Casper had a hard time getting the crown off to do the repair work. 

Most fillings when I was growing up were gold and silver. The ones I get today are composite resin and colored like teeth. To keep me from having pain while I was being worked on, I used to get Novocain and / or nitrous oxide. Today we still get shots, but they contain different anesthetics. Dr. Casper said a number of people had been allergic to Novocain. Before giving shots today, a raspberry flavored pre-numbing agent is rubbed onto the surfaces that the needle will be injecting into. This is supposed to make the shots less painful. I think there is still room for improvement here. 

I asked Dr. Casper why I can't seem to find a dentist that still will use nitrous oxide on nervous patients like me. I used to be able to get it until the late 1990's, and then it seemed everyone stopped using it. Dr. Casper explained that it was discovered that many patients exhaled some of the gas through their mouths and it accumulated in the air breathed in by dental personal, and it would build up in their systems. This sometimes caused pregnant women to have miscarriages. So Dr. Casper and most other dentists discontinued using it. 

Another thing Dr. Casper mentioned is that in the past, very little was done to effectively sterilize instruments. Novocain needles were reused. Dental personal did not wear masks or gloves, and patients were not given goggles like the ones I was given today to protect my eyes from splashes as the dentist worked. 

Today lots of universal precautions are observed by dentists. I think these new practices to protect both patients and dentists became more widespread when the HIV virus started to make the news and people became worried. 

A lot more specialists are involved in dentistry today. Although your family dentist is probably licensed to do everything if necessary, most dentists will refer patients to an oral surgeon  for anything but a simple extraction. Periodontists may be called upon to help with gum disease. You can read about more dental specialties here. 

It used to be if you had to lose a tooth, the the dentist pulled it and you didn't have many options besides false teeth or bridgework. Today teeth can be replaced with implants that look and act almost like your natural teeth. They are expensive and they take a period of several months between the extraction and the final placement of the implant and the crown, but they are worth it. I've had three of them. 

This is how dentists and a modern office look today when you are being treated. I took this picture with Dr. Casper's permission, but his assistant had her back turned. Sandra was busily writing me a cheat sheet for this blog, since I wasn't in a position to take my own notes while they were talking. She was also wearing a mask. I want to thank both Dr. Casper and Sandra for the information they gave me to help me write this. Dr. Casper practices in the downtown area of Paso Robles.