Heart Health

Fasting has been something that I have done regularly on a monthly basis where we take the money saved on food and give it to charity to help those who are struggling.  Occasionally, we are asked as part of our church to fast for additional purposes.  Our former pastor and neighbor was recently diagnosed with aggressive leukemia and we were asked to join in a ward fast if we would like to.  I was happy to do so.  I've also heard through educational sources that fasting is good for the body on occasion as well.

We were asked to begin our fast at 4pm and close it the following day after church at 4pm.  About 2pm the following day, I began to have symptoms that scared me.  I experienced splotchy vision and a feeling that I might pass out.  I decided I needed to do something for my own well-being and drank some juice and had a few chips.  Following this, my left arm went numb and I had a headache that throbbed, especially if I lowered my head.  After joining the congregation at the church to end the fast, I then ate a normal meal.

The following day, after a regular breakfast of raisin bran, I went to a clinic to participate in a University Study comparing women who had given birth to healthy babies with those who had had babies with cleft-palates. I was part of the norm group, having had 5 healthy babies.  After drawing my blood for future DNA studies, my blood pressure was taken repetitively for 10 minutes.  After which I was told that my blood pressure was low.  I told the nurse that my blood pressure was usually at the low end of normal.  She said, "This isn't the low end of normal, this is very low!"  She mentioned that the lowest reading was 70 over 50 and the other 3 were 80's over 60's.  I had a headache at this time as well, and suddenly I connected that maybe all my symptoms over the past months may have been blood pressure related.

I have had numerous headaches lately, been tired, had blurred vision, and coupled with the symptoms during fasting that may have effected my blood pressure, I decided it was time to see my doctor.  During surgery to remove the tumor on my thigh last month, the monitors went off repeatedly due to low blood pressure.

My doctor is in the process of running numerous blood tests which included a cortisol study that meant I had to have an IV through which cortisol was administered and blood was drawn 4 times with 30 minutes in between.  He said my heart beat is uncommonly slow, my EKG was abnormal (not the first time this has happened), and had 3 vials of blood drawn at the office to check anything that might be related.

I use reading glasses because of my 45 year old eyes, but my far vision has always been excellent.  Lately, I've had blurred vision that changes - maybe due to blood pressure.  I hope we can get this figured out soon, because I've had to consider that with the vision changes, I may not be a safe driver.  If I can't drive, I can't work, get my kids to Jordan Hills, etc. Joy!  I can't imagine losing my independence, especially since I've already lived through 16 weeks of not driving while my right foot was in a boot and my doctor would not clear me to drive.

I've never thought I was above the law and figured it would be just my luck to get pulled over or in an accident if I'm not doing the right thing... so I try to follow the law.  My ex husband wouldn't hesitate to write me a ticket so I figure I'd better live right!

I hope we'll figure things out soon and that it won't be anything serious!

Girl's Camp Survival Stories

My last two weeks can be summed up in two words:  "Girl's Camp."  As the Camp Cook, I have been bombarded with thoughts of food, food, food.  The challenge is to get as close to running out of food as we can, without actually doing that. 

My family and I returned home from Yellowstone on Saturday morning about 1:00 a.m.  After traveling to Provo for my niece's baby shower, it was time to get started on preparation for girl's camp.  I spent the next days planning shopping lists, shopping and cooking Café Rio pulled pork, black beans, cilantro lime dressing, barbecue pulled pork for sandwiches, and taco meat and more.. 

My sweetie pie was kind enough to smoke and cook the chicken for our Chicken Alfredo night, and prepare the 10 pounds of potatoes left over from youth conference by baking them and cubing them  for an easier prep at camp.  Incidentally, my own family lived off of leftovers and frozen meals.  They didn't complain, but I have felt a bit guilty about how that all turned out.

I took a couple  Youth Camp Leaders (YCL's) with me to get the last minute items. Lindsey H. and Aspen are fun and amazing and a huge help!

The other YCL's:  Cassidy and Melissa H. were a huge help at camp.  Melissa came home with me after and helped me unpack and pass our leftovers over to the scouts for their campouts afterward.  I am so impressed.

Funny Stories:

1)  My Zip-line adventure... not!  I have always wanted to do a zip-line - at least since it was "invented."  The idea of zipping through a remote jungle has somehow appealed to me.  So, when I heard that part of the new ropes course was a zip line, I was anxious to be a part of it.

I was even more excited when I realized our group of 8 girls was the first of the morning to do it.  Imagine my dismay as I looked up and realized that the only way to get to the zip line was to tight rope 25 feet across a cable about 20 feet up in the air.  That almost changed my mind. 

Pulling the safety harness up over my incision in my upper thigh from a tumor removal 4 weeks ago, almost caused me to back out, but the pain was almost non-existant, so I arranged it hoping it wouldn't touch that area.

Bro. Burt asked me to assist Bro. Cutler in holding the girls who were harnessed in to keep them safe.  I was his right-hand assistant.  I had to stay to his right, pick up the rope slack and keep an eye on the girl's as they moved across the cable.  They all did.  By the time it was my turn to go last, my neck, from my car accident injury, was aching and again, I was contemplating not making the attempt.

Bro. Cutler then told me that after doing this job for 6 hours the day before, he was already feeling fatigued.  He asked me to go find Anthony, a 21 year old RM, to come spell him.  This was yet another straw on my pile of reasons not to make the attempt. 

The whistle blew, indicating that it was time to change stations and the next group came.  It was at that time, that I was told it was my turn to go.  I made the climb up pretty quickly, took my first step out on the cable and my leg shook so bad from the weight of my body that I wasn't sure how I could possibly make it across the cable.  I grabbed hold of the rope and attempted to turn my body around on the cable to be in a better position to grab the ropes to go across.  In doing so, I got out of balance and to save myself from falling, I sat down on the cable.  Then I tried to pull my body back up.  My neck fatigue and lack of enough upper body strength to pull my body back up was too much.  After only a step out on the line, I was told to lean forward and they gently and slowly lowered me down to the ground. 

It wasn't too  much later that Bro. Burt came to tell me that my 12 year old daughter, McKenzi has bragging rights in our house because she made it all the way across, as did most everyone else!

That's okay, because I'm going to go find myself a zip line that doesn't require any extra effort to get to it and enjoy the ride that this 45 year old body has earned after the surgeries and car accidents!

2)  Memories come alive again:  Okay - maybe this one isn't funny, but it was worth the whole trip!

I had to make an ice run during the first night's devotional, but on day two, I was able to attend.  This event made all my sacrifices as camp cook, well worth it.  The woman who wrote a song that kept me going through my youth spoke about how the song came to be.

Walk Tall, You’re a Daughter of God

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1. Right now I have a prayer deep within my heart,

A prayer for each of you there is a special part.

That you remember who you are and Him who lives above.

Please seek for Him and live His way; you’ll feel His love.

 

Chorus:

Walk tall, you’re a daughter, a child of God.

Be strong—please remember who you are.

Try to understand, You’re part of His great plan.

He’s closer than you know—reach up, He’ll take your hand.

 

2. Long before the time you can remember,

Our Father held you in His arms so tender.

Those loving arms released you as He sent you down to earth.

He said, “My child, I love you. Don’t forget your great worth.”

 

3. This life on earth we knew would not be easy.

At times we lose our way—His plan we may not see.

But please remember always—please—that you are not alone.

He’ll take your hand. He loves you! He will guide you home.

 

Copyright © 1995, 1984 by Jackman Music Corporation, Orem Utah. Used by permission. All rights reserved. These pages may be copied for incidental, noncommercial church and home use. Arrangements in simplified, solo, and trio available from Jackman Music Corp. (Original version printed April 1979.)

 

I sang this song on the bus ride home from camp as a young girl, crying, knowing that I had never felt the Spirit so strongly before in my life, and wouldn't be feeling it back at home like that.

 

I sang it through my younger sister's terminal illness from an inoperable brain-stem tumor when I was 15 and 16.  She died a week before her 10th birthday and 3 weeks after I turned 16.

 

I sang my babies to sleep by this song.  I love it!  It was amazing to have the woman who wrote it tell us about how, even though she is not a musician, the words came to her as she was to teach a lesson to her group of Young Women.

 

3.  Rock Hard Ground to sleep on.

I didn't get much sleep before camp and even though I hoped that would change once I was no longer losing sleep worrying about forgetting something I needed to bring with us, it didn't. 

 

I was going to bring the sleeping mat I had bought for myself, but my sweet husband, got out the newer mat telling me it was better.  It was so hard, it was like sleeping on the ground.  It was also so hot the first two nights, that I took my extra blanket and folded it in half and lay on it as well.  It helped some, but not quite enough.  It wasn't until I was rolling up my mat to put it away the last day of camp, that I saw the cap I had neglected to take off to allow air to fill my "air mattress" and realized that the whole trip was over and I had been sleeping on a piece of canvas and a blanket!  Go figure!

 

It was an amazing time and I am thrilled to have experienced it with my 12 year old daughter who makes me so proud and even publicly declared that she was glad I was there with her and that I was the person she admired!!!  McKenzi, I admire you so much!  You amaze me with your sweet heart and numerous talents!  And how cool, that you found the bench that Chalyse painted and added her name to with the other Young Women who completed the service project at camp that many years ago.

 

It's great to be home with my husband and other children I missed!

 

Now I'd better get ready for my next adventure!