The Little Blue Bag

Tony returned home from Dallas this afternoon. He's been traveling for work for a few weeks, so it's good to have him home for a while.

And as luck would have it, he came bearing gifts. Well actually it was just one gift but it was all for me and it is very nice -- beautiful garnet earrings!

The earrings came housed in a simple but elegant black suede box.
The suede box was wrapped in white pearlized tissue paper.
The tissue paper-covered box was nestled inside a blue cardboard box.
The cardboard box was wrapped in matching blue gift wrap.
The gift-wrapped box was tied with a white satin ribbon.
All nestled in a distinctive blue bag bearing the name Tiffany & Co.

Tony calls the earrings an early anniversary present. I think they're a combination "anniversary"/"glad you didn't die" present. Either way, they sure are gorgeous!

Interesting postscript to this story...the blue Tiffany box is stamped "Made in Thailand" and the matching blue Tiffany bag is stamped "Made in China". I guess Tiffany blue is Tiffany blue no matter what part of the world you live in.

Nap Time!

I went back to work this Monday!! I'm only doing half days right now, but it's very exciting to be back, and very encouraging for my recovery. It was good to see everyone and to start resuming some of my work responsibilities. The half days are working well to ease me back into my old routines, as well as to gently get me back into the swing of work. I admit I'm also enjoying my moments in the "glad to see you back!"/"what the heck happened?!" spotlight.

The last few weeks I've been feeling better and stronger each week. I know I'm not at 100% yet, but I'm on my way. I haven't even felt like taking a nap in several weeks. Until today, that is. ;-) I've fallen asleep on the couch a couple afternoons this week after coming home, but today was the first time I felt like some dedicated nap time.

I like taking advantage of my urge to nap and I do enjoy it. When Tony's here (like he was today) I ask him to wake me up at a certain time. Unfortunately, the most comfortable position for me to lay in is on my left side - ie my "good ear" is down. But it's sweet waking up to see Tony sitting patiently next to me, gently stroking my hand to wake me up. :-)

Walking AND Chewing Gum

Everything is continuing to get better here. Things are so much easier for me and I have been more active over the last couple weeks. Last week I started walking regularly for exercise. I only do 1/2 mile a day, but I have done it six out of the last seven days. Looking forward, I'd love to get back in the swimming pool within the next month, but I think the racquetball will have to wait a while. I am a little bummed, however, that with all the other limitations of my body, I haven't been able to take the new and improved ticker out for a test run to see what it can do.

Ironically, I also found that last week I started doing some really quality "vegging". In large part that's because I finally feel comfortable (physically) lounging around on the couch. Part of it might also be that I'll be returning to work soon and want to soak up the rest of my time off while I still can. ;-) Ripley, of course, has fully supported my couch time by graciously keeping me company and continuing to look out for me.

Looking back, February was a blur. I came home on February 4th, and it was a good three weeks that I didn't notice much improvement at all. Actually, it was just a few weeks ago that I suddenly found myself starting to improve and feeling better and stronger.

As far as on-going issues, I'm still on blood pressure meds, but honestly, I'll probably always have to be treated for that. I'm continuing to take an iron supplement, but I'm only expecting that to last for another couple months. Also, I'm continuing to test my blood sugar each morning, but I'm not being treated currently (I'd love to avoid that if I can!).

The hearing loss in my right ear is still 100% which continues to suck. I am getting used to it, though, and trying to make the proper compensations. We saw an ear doctor last week - he listened to our story about my hospital stay and thinks that while I was being treated for the blood disorder, I had a small blood clot that lodged, essentially causing a mini-stroke that solely affected my right ear. Hearing aids won't help as there's no hearing left to work with and the nerves have been damaged. However, once you start hearing "blood clot" and "mini-stroke", suddenly the hearing loss is put into perspective and you realize it could have been so much worse.

Now that I'm well into healing, before you know it (okay, next Monday, April 3rd!) I'll be back at work. It'll be difficult getting back in the routine, I think, and catching up on all I missed should be interesting. But it'll be nice to see all the familiar faces and catch up with my friends.

Oh! Today while I was outside walking, I was also chewing gum, so...... well..... you know.
;-)

Finally, a new post!

I haven't posted in a while because I thought I had nothing to say. There's been no earth-shattering events -- which if you think about January, it's a good thing there's no new big events to talk about as they are not always the happy type.

I do have news, however. I'm doing so much better in my recovery! It's been over 7 1/2 weeks since my surgery and I've been home for almost six weeks. Somewhere in the last week and a half, things have started coming together. I'm more active around the house and have been less hesitant to venture out. I have been climbing the stairs and doing laundry (Tony still carries the basket back up as the stairs do wear me out). I'm also driving now.

The doctor appts are fewer and farther between now. I had an eye exam yesterday - figured I was due and since everything else on me went south recently, I thought it wouldn't hurt to check out the old peepers. Everything's A-Okay with them which was good to hear!

There's been no improvement in my hearing loss, however -- this still pisses me off as it just seems so random. Monday we have an appointment with another ear doctor and we'll be prepared with "what can we do to live with this condition?" type questions.

I plan to go back to work on April 3rd. I still have two weeks at home and I'm looking forward to continued improvements and increased energy and strength during that time. My legs still feel weak if I'm up too much - I'm trying to challenge them more as they might just need the exercise.

Happy St Patrick's Day!
:-)

Care to make a donation?

Yesterday we received a call from St Joe's asking if we'd like to make a donation to support the construction of their new cardiac surgery wing.

Luckily Tony answered the phone and responded with a polite "not right now". My response? Ummm, yeeaahhhh.....I'm going to have to pass. January wasn't that long ago - I know you guys pulled me through, but the whole "almost died" thing is just too fresh. Call me back in six months and we can talk.

;-)

Getting Better

It's been five and a half weeks since my surgery (I can't decide if time is flying by or creeping by - it's sort of a combination). I had a series of doctor appointments this week and things are looking better. Tuesday we saw the kidney specialist, then my primary care doctor; Wednesday we met with my surgeon.

The kidney specialist thought things were looking good but she was hesitant to give a glowing report. A couple of levels were high (like protein) but she assumes that was just a temporary abnormality from the sample that was tested. I had additional lab work done before I left and will see her again in three months to have an ultrasound of my kidneys so she can get better information. What we learned is that kidney damage, to some extent, is permanent. Yes, the kidneys can repair themselves, but that will leave scar tissue which can still inhibit performance. Looks like blood sugar and blood pressure will be something I'll need to keep my eye on from here on out as they both can lead to further kidney damage if the levels get too high.

The visit with my primary care doctor went very well. I've been wearing a pedometer since coming home from the hospital, but my walking has just been around the house, going out to eat, or quick grocery trips with Tony. No walking for exercise yet. But the time has come and Dr S wants me to try some dedicated walking - outside or in the mall. Her recommendation is to try to do a full lap of the mall - if it takes me an hour, it takes me an hour. I'm going to start this today - Tony and I'll head up to the mall later, do some walking, then grab lunch.

Then on Wednesday, we started the morning bright and early at St Joe's where I had an echocardiogram, then a visit with my surgeon - everything related to the surgery looks terrific. Dr K seemed very excited (beyond the valve replacements, he'd made a couple other corrections while he was in there). There's still some fluid around my heart, but it's nothing at all of concern to him. As far as he's concerned, my cardiac recovery is 100% and there's no need to schedule any additional follow-ups (although next week I do check in with my cardiologist).

I'm looking forward to the walking - at first it's going to be hard (just don't feel I have the energy and my legs do get weak if I'm up too long) but I'm hoping after a couple days the activity will start feeding my energy level. I know my body was zapped by the post-surgical complications and the week in ICU, but it's also been over a month since I've asked my muscles to perform beyond the bare minimum. Maybe it is time to start pushing myself a little. I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

Souveniers

I went into the hospital on January 23 to have my aortic valve replaced. All things considered, I had a pretty good attitude - not a lot of concerns. I've been under general anesthesia twice before so I was confident all would go well this time, too. Well, something went wrong - too long of a procedure? the heart lung bypass machine? Who knows. Either way, my body rejected something and I spent a week in ICU fighting to survive.

I was discharged from the hospital on February 4 - almost two weeks later. Alive, yes -- that does count for an awful lot! But also with a range of weirdness that had happened to my body (or would start to happen over the next few days) from all the trauma.

• thrush - a yeast infection in my mouth
• 100% hearing loss in my right ear
• GIGANTIC bruise (darkest purple I've ever seen) on my upper left thigh
• high blood sugar
• high blood pressure
• various blotches, tape/sticky marks, etc - but these are pretty much standard
• two arms which were TERRIFIED of needles for the next couple weeks - I swear my veins all went into hiding (who could blame them)
• rather startling hair loss (this started the day after I got home)
• dry, flaky skin - practically leper-like (between the hair and the skin, Tony was constantly vacuuming up after me)
• scabby knot on the back of my head (where did this come from? We noticed it several days after I was home)
• concerns about kidney function
• concerns about fluid around my heart

I've been home a couple weeks and things are starting to settle down a little. Everything seems to be healing well and the weirdness seems to be subsiding a little.

• the thrush was gone after about a week (what a gross week). I still can't really taste much, but my doctor assures me that is only temporary
• still no hearing in my right ear, but we remain optimistic that once things settle down and my body heals itself, this might correct also
• the bruise has pretty much disappeared (believe it or not, there's still evidence four weeks later - it was a hell of a bruise)
• I'm off the insulin (way to go, pancreas!) but continue to monitor my blood sugar twice a day
• I'm on medication for my blood pressure - hopefully this will come under control and I can get off the meds
• all the tape/sticky marks have been washed away (several showers later)
• my arms and veins are relaxing a little - they've only been poked twice in the last two weeks
• the hair loss has reduced dramatically (no harm done - I started with a lot of hair so it never reached the point of being noticeable, other than to me)
• the dry, flaky skin has subsided after a change to a milder soap and applying plenty of lotion
• the knot is gone, but the scab remains
• I have appointments with the kidney specialist, as well as my surgeon in a week and a half, so these last two concerns will be answered then

Day by day, inch by inch my body is recovering. My energy level is very low and I do feel weak - but if my body needs that energy and strength to heal itself, I can hold off on running any marathons until it's done. ;-)

"You almost died!"

I had an appointment today with my primary care doctor, Dr S. Sort of a post-surgery follow-up to bring her into the loop (my surgeon's office had sent my records) and to touch base on some pesky little irritations I have going on. Tony and I've been seeing her for years; of course neither of us has been really sick, so luckily we haven't had to see a lot of her. Well, turns out, she's pretty cool.

We were waiting in the exam room for a while (I wanted Tony to come back with me as he knows more about all the post-surgical complications than I do). At one point Tony said "hopefully it's taking a while because she's reading the novel the surgeon's office faxed over". He was right. There was a knock, the door started to open, and before her head even appeared, we heard Dr S say sympathetically "You almost died!"

Over the next half hour (yes, we had her full attention after she read the surgeon's report) we covered all aspects of my surgery, complications, recovery, etc. Dr S was very sympathetic (lots of "you poor thing", pats on the shoulder and the knee) and understanding of how I feel physically. When I told her I have no energy she said "well yeah, you almost died!" It was actually sort of cute the way she kept saying this - equal parts impressed and sympathetic.

It was a very good appointment, and we think Dr S is sort of excited to have such an interesting patient case to monitor and treat. I go back in two weeks to check-in again and see what's happening. I was happy that she wants to be so involved in my recovery; as well as her support of my just wanting to take it slow.

She checked my blood sugar readings and recommended I discontinue the insulin but continue to monitor my blood sugar and report to her. She prescribed a powder for a skin irritation I have -- that's all I'll say about that. And she told me that the pasty-mouth not-able-to-taste-anything thing I got going is not an infection, but it's just traumatized taste buds and she assured me it will get better. That earned me another "you poor thing" and a pat on the knee.

So, I'm improving, but it will continue to take time - I'm excited to get off the insulin, and I've noticed that my hair loss has slowed dramatically from what it was last week (thank God I had so much to begin with!). Tony and I are taking it day-to-day and he says he is more than happy to take care of me (which is nice because he left the appt with a whole new list of "To Do's").

We did lunch at Ground Round after the appt -- we know how to do Valentine's Day up right. ;-) I joke, because having Tony here wanting to take care of me, filling all my prescriptions, buying me fruit, etc, is about the best Valentine's gift I could hope for. :-)

I'm home!!!

I think I owe my own tremendous-sized update after all the work Tony went to over the last couple weeks. I will be working on one in the next couple days.

In the mean time, rest assured I'm home and alive and well. The "well" bit gets a little hazy in areas, but I'm a trooper, I'll survive.

Just know that I'm cognitive, coherent, strong, etc. No rolling-eyed, drooling, touched in the head burden for Tony to have to deal with (at least not since like last Monday or something).

I can't express my appreciation to Tony, my parents, and my in-laws for all of their hands-on love and support over the last couple weeks. Remember, this was their emotional and physical burden for over a week before I was clued-in and had to upgrade my own fight.

And thank you to everyone who sent their best wishes, positive thoughts, prayers, etc. Visits were truly appreciated (not just by me), but even if you weren't there in body, I know you were in spirit.

The Pig Might be Spared

Slight change of plans -- I think I'm going to go a different way with my surgery on Monday. After a last-minute consultation with my surgeon, I'm opting for the Ross Procedure instead of the pig valve.

Throughout my research of the last six months, I've read about the Ross Procedure (moving my pulmonary valve to replace my aortic valve, then using a human donor valve to replace my pulmonary valve). Somehow it never clicked with me (I was never aware of the benefits for a patient my age) and I was stuck thinking "why replace two when I only need one?".

This week at St Joe's I was given a booklet about heart valve surgeries (explaining the variety of procedures, hospital stay, recovery, etc). Wednesday night I was idly flipping through just reading random snippets - confident I knew all I needed to know after months of research and consultations. For some reason I stopped and read the two quick paragraphs describing the Ross Procedure -- how the repair lasts longer than pig valve replacements, also does not require blood thinners after recovery, and is a very good choice for young, healthy patients expecting a smooth recovery. "Particularly women of child-bearing age requiring aortic valve replacement." Ding ding ding -- a bell started to ring, and I mulled over the Ross Procedure for the next 24 hours. Last night I mentioned it to Tony and we did some quick research to reinforce what we already suspected -- that this might be exactly the surgery for me!

Today I called my surgeon's office and asked if he considers me a candidate, does he recommend the procedure for me, and can we still plan it for Monday? Yes, yes, yes were the responses! No final decisions yet, however, he's going to see what's the best he can do for me come Monday morning.

Sure, I'm a little disappointed that he hadn't tried to sell me on the Ross Procedure originally, or that he hadn't made sure I understood the benefits before I dismissed it as a possibility. But I guess this is why it's important that patients do their own research - not to second guess the docs, but more to be fully knowledgeable of their condition and possibilities for treatment. I'm glad I've done my research.

The surgery is a little riskier due to the replacement of two valves instead of just the one. However, now that I've got my mind wrapped around the need to have the surgery, I'm not so concerned about the risks of what he does while he's in there. Honestly, my concerns are more general - having the surgery at all, and going on and coming off the bypass machine with no problems. Beyond that, once he's in I don't care what he does and if he spends another hour Monday morning which buys me ten years on a redo - I say go for it!

Here's a little bit of info about the Ross procedure:
http://www.cts.usc.edu/rossprocedure.html

So yes, the pig may be spared ("Whew!" says the piggy). I am leaving the final decision in the capable hands of my surgeon - I told him I want to try the Ross Procedure but to do whatever he thinks is best when the time comes.

In the meantime, I'd like to give an enthusiastic, appreciative shout out to all of the organ donors and those considering organ donation -- THANK YOU! I'm not even remotely able to wrap my mind around this one right now (receiving a donor organ). But I do appreciate the opportunity it provides me.

All About Monday

I had my pre-surgery physical today at St Joe's. I think they are a little excited to have someone under the age of 70 to work with. :-) Two Physician Assistants (one experienced, one in training) came in and asked me the usual (although extensive) battery of "have you ever had/experienced (fill-in-the-medical malady)?" questions. I maintained an almost steady shaking of the head "No. No. Uh uh. No." They looked a little surprised - in their usual course of work they probably run into people with any range of health conditions other than the heart condition for which they are being treated (face it, you live long enough you acquire a laundry list of "yes, I have/had _____". My summary to them today was "nope, just the pesky heart defect".

I do have a CAT scan scheduled tomorrow morning (that came up late this afternoon so I haven't had a chance to mention it to my boss -- but his wife reads my blog, so he might be just about to find out). The CAT scan just gives the surgeon a little more information about what he'll find Monday morning. I'm all about him getting all the info he needs before he gets in there!

We learned more about next week's hospital stay and what to expect during the procedure and recovery. Lots of valuable information and it's nice to know as much as you can ahead of time, but there's a point where you just say "yeah, yeah, yeah, let's just do it already and get it over with!"

I'll be in the intensive care unit for 24 hours after surgery, which means Tuesday morning I'll be moved (by wheelchair even, not by gurney) to a regular recovery room (private, thankfully). My total hospital stay (I'm expecting a swift, smooth recovery with no complications) should have me home Friday or Saturday. I'm shooting for Friday.

Visiting hours are 11:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m. Tony'll be pulling some long hours at my bedside so he would welcome some friendly faces, too, I'm sure. Here's where to find us:
http://www.sjmercyhealth.org/body.cfm?id=33

Wish us well and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Home stretch

Well, I'm in the home stretch leading up the my surgery and reality is setting in. Yesterday at home I started having what can only be described as sudden, violent mood swings. Poor Tony didn't know what was happening. I apologized and advised him that his best strategy for survival over the next week is to keep a very low profile and/or bow to my every whim. He seemed to understand and began obliging me.

Despite the aforementioned mood swings, it was actually a very nice weekend. We had friends over Friday for dinner and games. Saturday I met a dear friend in Ann Arbor for lunch, shopping, and catching up. The rest of the weekend was spent at home with Tony, watching tv and movies. Absolutely nothing was accomplished and I loved it!

At work this morning I sent my company-wide email informing everyone of my upcoming leave of absence. None of the gory details of why I was going to be gone -- I approached it strictly as the practical need to inform everyone of my absence. After the initial email, however, I sent some individual notes and responded to questions as they came. I definitely don't mind talking about my upcoming ordeal, but it seems so dramatic to just whip it out of the blue and say "oh, I won't be here Monday, I'm having open heart surgery".

This Wednesday I have my pre-surgery physical at my surgeon's office (he comes highly recommended, by the way - we've heard excellent things from other medical professionals, as well as former patients). After Wednesday, I'll have more information about my hospital stay. At that time I'll post information about visiting hours and directions, as I would LOVE to have visitors and see some friendly faces while I'm laid up.

Cow valve?! What the.....?

Tony and I went to St Joe's yesterday afternoon for office visits with my surgeon and my cardiologist. All went well - no new roadblocks, some questions answered, minimal poking and prodding, and no one made me feel like crying - generally good visits.

During the surgical consultation, my doctor asked what type of valve we are thinking about - I said a tissue/pig valve. Doc agreed with my reasoning in selecting the tissue over the mechanical valve at this time. Then he asked if I wanted a pig valve or a cow valve. Now, I was aware that cow valves are also in the pool of possible replacement parts, but most of the reading I've done was centered on pig valves. Apparently cow valves are equally popular as pig valves and offer a viable option.

Two things:
1 - My first thought was "Pig valve! It's gotta be the pig valve! Months worth of teasing and mockery have been endured with more to come -- we can't change tracks now!!"
2 - I can't imagine I'm going to notice the difference, and I have no criteria with which to make this decision (is one prettier than the other? does it clash with my aorta repair? which one is more slimming?).

I figure I'll leave the final decision to the doc, but here's hoping for the pig valve.

Missing!

My darling brother created this and presented me with a full-size copy (suitable for wall-hanging) at Christmas. It's very creative and a very entertaining read.

http://home.comcast.net/~gartrell/Arnold_is_Missing.pdf

There's nothing quite like a brother's love to help see you through.

Thanks, Rich.
:-)

Lists

The past month has found me drowning in lists of things to do. Mental lists and paper lists, it seems I've been just swimming in details.

List of things to do at work before holiday shutdown
List of things to do for work during holiday shutdown
List of Christmas gifts to buy and wrap
List of Christmas goodies to make
List of groceries to buy in order to make Christmas goodies
List of things to do over holiday shutdown (personal appts as well as yes, some recreation)
List of things to do for Tony Co (aka CompuLogic) before year-end
List of doctor appointments to schedule for January
List of things to do at work the first three weeks in January (closing out 2005, getting 2006 up and running, preparing for my leave of absence)
List of people I want to email - some I get around to, but too many I don't

Some of the lists are now completed, while others remain outstanding. As I work my way through them, I do feel the weight of all the details lessening a little; things start to come into sharper focus as the flow of To Do's subsides a little.

Luckily, it seems that one event has escaped the whirlwind detail frenzy that has been consuming me lately. New Year's Eve is tomorrow and Tony and I are planning our traditional New Year's Extravaganza(!!). Somehow, things are falling into place nicely without me sweating any of the details. I'm glad for this, as the last thing I need right now is another list. Maybe New Year's is going to be the oasis in the middle of these two chaotic months for me. I can definitely handle that!

Have a Happy New Year!!
:-)

Perfect Timing!

My Chocolate-Covered Caramel Corn arrived today!!!!!

:-)

(reference previous post "Chocolate-Covered Caramel Corn", 11/8/05)

D-Day 2006

Okay, not D-Day, more like HVR Day. I've scheduled my heart valve replacement for Monday, January 23. Bright and early - gotta be there at 5:45 and then surgery at 7:30. Tony's not going to like having to get up so early - that's the sort of thing which could really throw his day off. ;-)

Glad I don't have to stay over in the hospital the night before (creepy!) but it seems odd to go into this "cold" without the overnight monitoring (or whatever they'd be doing to me if I were there).

The doctors and staff all seem so casual about open heart surgery... like it's no big deal. Which, to them, it really isn't; they're professionals, this is what they do, and they know that the risks to the patient are low. I'm glad for this confidence, and it doesn't come off as arrogant at all, purely self-assurance in what they do. Which gives me peace of mind to put myself in their hands.

However, I did get the feeling that I was scheduling to take my car in for service -- "Drop her off first thing Monday morning, leave her with us a few days, we'll have her up and running and back on the road by Friday".

Alcohol + Surgery = ????

Two scenarios:

1 - Tony is NOT allowed to be at the bar while I'm in surgery. That's just a non-negotiable, no matter how much he begs.

2 - I will be on blood thinners (aka - no alcohol consumption) for three months after surgery.
Let's see.... surgery late-January, three months will take me to February, March, April....

Mark your calendars now for Cinco de Mayo - 2006!!
Better show up early; once I'm out of the gate, there's no telling how long I'll last.

Alas, my poor heart

I've always had a heart murmur. By definition, my congenital heart defects were present at birth. Chronologically, in order of correction: holes in my heart as a newborn, coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta as a pre-teen, and now stenotic (narrowed) aortic valve. As one of my aunts lovingly described me at a gathering this summer "She was born all messed up." Thanks, Aunt _____, I'm taking that with a grain of salt. ;-)

However, I've been lucky never to have experienced a moment of symptoms or limitations as a result. The holes in my heart at birth corrected themselves (I guess this condition isn't entirely uncommon in newborns and most often the heart can heal itself as it continues to develop in early infancy). The two more permanent defects are related to my aorta and aortic valve.

The aorta is the main artery leaving the heart and feeding the entire body (with oxygen-rich blood straight from the lungs). The aortic valve is the gateway from the left ventricle to the aorta. My narrowed aorta was repaired when I was 12; my aortic valve will be replaced next month. Apparently, these two defects often travel as a couple, which makes sense - they're both in the same general area and if that part of the heart hasn't developed properly it stands to reason they'll both be affected. I was comforted to see that the treatment I've been receiving seems pretty textbook (aorta repaired pre-teen and valve replaced later in adulthood).

Back to the murmur.... I've always known I had a heart murmur, but it wasn't until .. oh, about a year and a half ago, that I really and truly understood the uniqueness of my heartbeat (resulting from my defective valve). At my annual OB/GYN appt (of all places!) last year, I finally heard a side-by-side comparison of my heartbeat and a "normal" heartbeat. Wow! That was an eye-opener!

If a normal heartbeat is ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump, then mine would be more like ba-swoosh ba-swoosh ba-swoosh. Definitely not "normal"!

Well, after the dust from my doctor/surgeon appts this summer settled, and a course of action (valve replacement) was planned, it dawned on me that my heartbeat will be altered as a result. How weird to think of something so elemental to your existence as being changed! Not wanting to miss out on what was happening to my body, I went out and dropped a few bucks and picked myself up a shiny new stethoscope.

Now I (and anyone else with an interest or curiosity) can hear my heartbeat any old time. And then next year listen again and see how it's changed. [enter pig valve oink/squeal joke here]

mmm....Flannels!

I love my flannel sheets!! My husband isn't too crazy about them (he's basically a human furnace, though, so the added warmth isn't welcomed by him). I tend to run a little warm myself but crawling into a cold bed is just not fun. And I do love cozying down under all the covers in the winter.

I'm taking advantage of this week by putting the flannels on the bed. Hey, what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

I love my flannel sheets!!