Change is inevitable. No matter how much we want things to stay or go back to how they were, they never are. So why grieve over the past that can never return. Yes, you were healthy and vibrant a year ago and now you have a chronic illness where you feel like crap most of…
Tag: Faith
The Weekend Revisit: The Passages Of Time
Why is it that time flies? When I was a boy, it seemed as if time took forever to pass through my universe, but now as an adult, a day, a month, a year flies by in the blink of an eye. I have been at this blogging adventure for a little over two years…
When Sh!t Hits The Fan, You Either Hold Your Breath Or Count Your Blessings
Last night as I started to doze off, there was a loud alarm sound coming from my bathroom. Instantly I thought it was the house alarm, but just as quickly realized how dumb the thought was as the siren is no where near the bathroom. Then I realized it was my oxygen concentrator. I got…
When You Realize That Life Is Just Awesome
Ever have a day when you wake up and realize just how truly blessed you are? I don’t just mean lucky to be alive. I mean truly and wonderfully blessed! A realization that stuff just falls into place for you no matter what! I woke up this morning and had that realization and it really…
The Weekend Revisit Of “The Power Of Positivity”
When I was first diagnosed with heart failure in August 2007, I was told my ejection fraction was 25% and I needed to have an ICD implanted. That was immediately after having surgery to close a hole in my heart, and during that surgery doctors came to the realization that sarcoidosis had gone into the heart….
When It Rains, It Storms
I posted last time that my friend was going in for testing and they discovered that he has lung cancer. He is not in a really good place, but that is another story. Last week I got a call that my mother was having trouble breathing and that she was going to the nursing home…
Knowing When To Support Quietly
“I’m having surgery on Monday” were the words that came up on my iPhone screen two weeks ago from a longtime friend. I’m not going into the details of the conversation, but it turns out that he has early stage lung cancer. He hasn’t gotten an exact diagnosis as yet, but he isn’t handling it…
The Weekend Revisit Of: The Only True Healer Is You
I came across a blog recently that was written by a person with some of the same conditions that I have – heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. The tone of the writing was very angry and bitter towards both the diseases and the establishment.
The Most Selfish Thing A Person Can Do
I get daily emails of top news stories for my town and surrounding areas and in close proximity are two large bridges that span the mighty Hudson river and a major train line that goes into New York City. Every week, sometimes more than once a week, someone kills themselves by jumping off one of…
Wise Words Wednesday : Wayne Dyer #2
Kindness, Always Kindness Originally Posted on MAY 11, 2012 If you find yourself in a confrontation of any kind with anyone, be it a family member or a stranger, before reacting ask yourself, “Is what I am about to say motivated by my need to be right, or my desire to be kind?” Then pick…
Losing The Battle But Never Giving Up On The Fight
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it” – Margaret Thatcher This is my fifth or sixth attempt of coming off of prednisone and again it failed miserably. I started weaning off in November and had pain that was tolerable, and in the middle of February I decreased the dose…
Wise Words Wednesday : Wayne Dyer
Forgiveness Originally Posted on MAY 10, 2012 Revenge, anger, and hatred are exceedingly low energies that keep you from matching up with the attributes of the universal force. A simple thought of forgiveness toward anyone who might have angered you in the past will raise you to the level of Spirit and aid you in…
The Weekend Revisit Of: No Matter What You Do, I Send You Love
When I decided to return to massage school, I was assured by the school that they will work with me and my conditions. The school has been swallowed up by another corporation and the rules have changed. Of course now everyone is back tracking and claiming they never said as such, and that they were…
The Weekend Revisit of: A Wasted Heart?
There is no greater gift than that of a second chance at life, and the ultimate gift is for a parent or spouse to decide to donate their loved one’s organs so that another person may have life. When an organ is donated, the recipient has a second chance, an opportunity given by the…
The Weekend Revisit of: Dangers of Statistics
DANGERS OF STATISTICS Originally posted April 24, 2012 I read a blog today by a heart failure patient who had just crossed their two-year mark of being diagnosed, and according to them, the statistics state that with their particular condition, they had a 50% chance of living for two years. This person apparently is convinced…
My Dreaded Registering With “The Man” Has Finally Come
Ever since developing cardiac sarcoidosis and getting my AICD implanted, I dreaded that one day it would affect my ability to get my driver’s permit. I love to drive, even in traffic. In summer my job requires that I drive an average of 4,000 miles in that time, and sometimes a 2 1/2 hour trip…
New Rx Can Help With Stress And Other Ailments
I came across this infomercial for the best remedy for stress and a lot of other ailments. Please take a minute to look at it. I have used this Rx for many a year now, and I know it has helped me bounce back from being a few years away from being on a heart…
The Weekend Revisit Of “Crossing Bridges”
Originally posted on April 22, 2012 On a recent trip into NYC for my ICD interrogation, my wife and I took a train down town to see the 9/11 memorial. We have not been there since the buildings fell. Prior to the attacks we were often in the North Tower as my brother had his…
Before You Can Really Get Help, Learn About Yourself
Exactly ten years ago today, I got a call from my doctor to confirm that my test results were positive for sarcoidosis. The day before, I came out of the hospital after a three day stay for an open lung biopsy, the test to determine if sarcoidosis was indeed active in my lungs. To date,…
The Saturday Revisit Of “Letting Go Of My Old Self”
Originally Posted March 9, 2012 Letting Go Of My Old Self One thing about having a chronic condition, and in my case, more than one, is that you need to accept that your life, in one way or another, will change forever. I remember the day before I had my defibrillator implanted I knew that…
The Sunday Revisit Of “Is There Such A Thing As Being Too Positive?”
Originally Posted March 7, 2012 Looking at the statistics on my blog, and a few emails I received, it seems the posts with the highest number of hits are those few ones where I am not positive. What exactly are people looking for? Are people look for stories and posts of despair that prove…
The Saturday Revisit Of “It’s All Just 50/50”
Originally Posted January 30, 2012 As I approach my fifth year of living with heart failure brought on by sarcoidosis, I think back to the day that I learned that people with cardiac sarcoidosis have a 50% chance of living for five years and a 20% chance of making it to ten years. Then I…
The Sunday Revisit Of “AICD (Defibrillator) Implant – My Truth”
Originally Posted January 29, 2012 I got a request to explain the procedure for an AICD (defibrillator) implant as the person is scheduled to have one implanted in a couple of weeks. As is my norm, I like to share me replies with the world. So here is AICD Implant – My Truth. After receiving…
The Saturday Revisit Of “Why Do People Suffer?”
Originally Posted January 3, 2012 I was telling my wife about an email I received from someone telling me that they have suffered from sarcoidosis for many years, when she interrupted me and asked “Why do people suffer?”. The question stopped me in my tracks and I realized the sheer power of words and their…
Family Politics And Being Able To Let Go
My eldest brother and I never had a close relationship. We are seven years apart and always fought through my childhood. In my teens and twenties, we tolerated each other, and then now we barely communicate. Some years ago, he and his wife became part of a “born again” church, and he wrote to me…
