"Thank you!" and an Update

Thank you all for your care and concern. I so appreciate everyone who left a good thought or prayer. I have been home patiently waiting for a doctor appointment with my very busy cardiologist this week. In heart related problems you are advised not to wait, but to go to the emergency room. The problem is I have done this several times and unless you are in the middle of a coronary there really is nothing that they can do for you. The ER staff can only determine if you are having a heart attack and or try to make you comfortable, nothing more, so then you wait until you see your cardiologist. I did not want to go that route this time so I waited for my Dr. appointment this morning.(over strong advice of several of my loved ones)  I saw a physician's assistant who was one of the best "communicators" in the field of medicine that I have ever come in contact with. My husband was with me and we heard about new medications, and found out a few things about my personal situation that I had not heard before, so in that case, I was glad that I waited and saw this young man.

*Upon re-reading this I want to stress the important thing is this: If you are experiencing chest pain, what you think might be bad indigestion, pain in your right or left arm, heaviness in your chest, neck ache, jaw ache when combined with other symptoms GO,GO,GO to the ER. The only reason I waited this time is that I know what a heart attack feels like in my own body.

If I have learned one thing in the past 7 years it is to be your own advocate. Don't set around waiting for someone to "do the best thing" for you because it may not happen. I was looking at waiting 2 weeks for this test...me a patient that has had 4 heart attacks and just missed another one by  the "hair of her chinny, chin, chin"! So when the scheduling assistant said 2 weeks, I firmly said NO! They are trying to work me in Friday afternoon, so I am praying that this major test will happen, and that I won't have to wait until Monday. This is a cardiac catheterization, where a catheter is threaded up through your femoral (groin) artery into your heart and then a contrast material is injected. It shows blockages and defects etc. in the arteries.

I really don't know much yet about my problem, but part of my main focus in all of this is to find out what I can do to keep this from happening again. It has only been 8 months since the last blockage.

If this is all too much information, I will just say this. Know your own body. The symptoms of heart attacks in women are completely different than in men. When something is wrong don't let someone put you off or talk you out of what you know in your "gut".  I will do a post later about women and heart disease. The now #1 Killer of women...even above breast cancer.

So for now, hopefully, I'll be back home by the weekend, but maybe early next week.

*Once again I pulled this post to re-edit and hopefull clarify some of what I said. My friend, Jan from Summer Sundays asked a good question in her comment. "was this test something the doctor suggested or something that I felt like I needed"? Here is how I think I can best answer.
I have had this test done 4 other times, and upon numerous talks with my cardiologist he has admitted that this is the only test that will give a conclusive answer as to whether or not you have a blockage. Stress tests, nuclear tests, cat-scans etc. are all good indicators, but will not difinitively give an answer, only an angiogram (heart cath) unfortunately will show the artery and how the blood is flowing. The doctors cannot and will not do it unless they have a pretty conclusive idea that you indeed have a blockage. (Extremely expensive and an invasive surgical procedure.)
When I was saying "be your own advocate" I was talking of two things, #1, don't let someone talk you out of getting  a diagnoses, and #2 be sure you don't get lost in the shuffle of busy hospital schedules. The Physician's Asst. told me first thing, that this was what they needed to find out about what is going on with me, but I was handed off to someone who just "scheduled" and didn't know my history. Once I said that I would just go on to the hospital and go thru the ER, she looked at my chart and agreed that I shouldn't wait.
OK, sorry this has gotten so long.
Love to you all and please keep me in your prayers,

Debra

Fall Colors at Spring Creek and a "Time Out"

I wanted to share with you some of the fall decorating at Spring Creek. I did a little "fluffing" of my own booth, but I wanted to show some of the other great spaces and fun decor that's in the store this last week. Autumn colors and Halloween fun are showing up all around. You can see the variety of merchandise that's offered. From elegant old world and Country French to primitives and everything in between.

I guess I'd better clarify that all this great stuff isn't mine, but in all the many other booth spaces at Spring Creek. I'd like to take credit, but I have a much more humble little area. I'll try to show it later on in the week.

(Be sure to enlarge the photos for great details)

I just love these rustic orange chairs.

Love this color and the great detail

I usually share my junkin' escapades on Monday, but I've decided to concentrate on selling a few things, instead of buying more for a while. Trying to manage my inventory, hopefully make a place in the garage.

I will probably (not sure, but it's looking like that is the best option) be going into the hospital for some tests this week. Things to try to take care of in advance to "head them off at the pass" so to speak, defensive healthcare. All of you that have been with me since the beginning know that I have had open heart bypass surgery and have an hereditary condition known as atherosclerosis. It took my Dad at a young 70, but my brother passed at 44.

I take good care of myself, don't smoke, eat right and take my meds.This is just some kind of wacky thing that I am trusting God with. He knows my needs and I know I'm in His hands.

So if I'm absent this week it's because I'm probably having another stent put in, but I've been through this before and I know "the drill".

So please remember me in prayer, and I will miss being in touch with you all. Yikes, it will be withdrawal not to have my computer with  me!

You all have a great week, and hopefully I'll be back by the end of the week.

Hugs and love,

Debra

p.s. Everyone going to the shows, have a great, safe time...I'll be waiting to hear all about it.

"Wonder-fall"...Tablescapes and Buffets

Since this is my favorite time of the year,

 I'm hoping to do some posts that are "magazine inspired".

I'm a big magazine fan, and some of my best ideas

 have come from the pages of great layouts.

So to celebrate fall and all the goodness that it has to offer,

 from decorating, to cozy evenings at home with family and friends,

to parties, and everything in between...

here are some of my favorite

"vintage inspired" fall magazine articles...

Spooky vignette to really get you in the mood.

 Great for an entry if you're having a get-together.

Love this idea for a "Poe" inspired buffet
of hors'doeurves, or desserts.

Notice the tall silver candlestick, silver trophy cup,
 silver platters and blackboard.

Wonderful tablescape consisting of black books and pumpkins.

Casual dishes, bookpage print placemats, and colorfull fall leaves.

All of these images are from the current issue of
Midwest Living Magazine.

Have fun pulling together great vintage pieces
 to make your table decor a real party!

Debra

Heirlooms Party

I'm a pretty sentimental gal, so I'll be right at home at this Heirloom Party

 hosted by Marie at Emma Calls Me Momma.

I have some great memories of my childhood, and being the oldest sibling in my family, I was of course the first to leave the nest. My Dad's mom and dad were in their 40's when he was born. Old by the standards of 1929, so by the time I came along they were in their late 60's early 70's. One clear memory I have is of my grandmother's upstairs bedrooms that had been my dad's and uncle's, was an old sideboard that contained old papers and ephemera. She had been a schoolteacher for a while, and was a packrat. (Now I know where I get this from) The old sideboard had been her mother's and was crackled with old varnish. It seems that each year a new coat would be put on to "spiff it up". So many layers of darkend varnish were covering an oak beauty.

My parents gave this to me after my husband and I were married. We took it to a professional furniture restorer to remove the many layers of grime and varnish. It was in my Dining Room until we moved to this house, and now it's in our family area in the basement. It has a shelf underneath that holds some silver trays and  collectible Crabtree & Evelyn bisquit tins.

Original Hardware and beveled mirror.

An old Hull apple cookie jar and stove set were also from my Grandmother's kitchen.

The salt shaker met an untimely fate a few years ago,

so I need to give Mr. Pepper his mate back.

This red velvet autograph book is also hers,

with entries from friends which date from 1889.

 I wish I had a "macro" setting so you could see

the handwriting flourishes on some of the pages.

And a foil decal of a bird in flight.

Thank you for letting me share a few of my heirlooms.

Have a sweet day full of memories,

Debra