Category: Diary

CHF Recovery: Day 30

How has it already been 30 days since I started working on rebuilding my heart function? Looking back, I have done pretty well overall. My weight has stayed pretty consistent and I have been good about getting exercise, with the exception of a few days after I got home from New York. I’ve been eating pretty well too (again with a vacation exception). In general I think I am okay. I will keep working.

Sean had to use my shower this morning due to the hole in his ceiling. I was sort of already awake at that point, drifting in and out of the fuzzy well I could get up now I suppose haze. So I went ahead and got up.

  • Got up at around 8 and dressed in workout clothes
  • Drank protein shake and took morning meds
  • Poked around online

It was pretty chilly outside when I got up so I sort of wanted to wait until it warmed up to go on my walk. I have probably waited long enough now.

(The Rogue One trailer came out this morning and I may have gotten just a wee bit excited. Just a tad.)

I waited so long that I could not have gone any later. The walk was fine; it was sunny and clear and there was a nice coolness under the trees. My knees and ankles were complaining last night so I didn’t jog at all today. They felt fine after the walk.

  • Took shower and got dressed
  • Bolted down some yogurt and trail mix
  • Went out for a facial and a massage

I have a membership at a massage chain because I went there one time and they talked me into it while I was in happy massage afterglow. This month I had three services built up from not going for three months, so I used two and a half of them in one shot.

The facial was interesting. Some of the treatments burned my face a bit. I liked having my face massaged, and my hands, forearms, and shoulders. But I’m not sure I really want to do it again. The esthetician said she thought she had removed 10 years from my face, but I really do not see a difference.

The massage was great. I asked for whatever the masseuse recommended for someone who had just started walking and jogging and had sore legs, along with occasional pain in the knees and ankles. I also asked for a neck and shoulder massage, since I cannot get enough of those. It was all wonderful. She massaged my feet and it felt so great. The leg massage was great too.

I was a little dazed when I finally left, after two and a half hours!

The plumber arrived almost as soon as I got home. It was a different plumber from yesterday. He kept running back and forth from the upstairs neighbors’ apartment to ours. It was Very Exciting. ;) Eventually he left to get a different truck. I was heading out to pick up groceries for dinner when he got back, so I rolled down my car window and told him he could still get into the apartment, as Sean was now home.

  • Went to Kroger and got groceries for two dinners

Rush hour traffic was absolutely stupid coming home. At one big intersection, cars turning left across my lane kept blocking everything so that we were all stuck and missed the green light. After a couple turns of this, a bunch of cars just swung out to the left and went all the way around the obstructing cars. Since I was in the middle of these cars, I went with the flow rather than be an obstruction myself. It was crazy.

When I got back, the water had been turned off, so I settled in at my computer to wait for the plumbers to be finished. (The original plumber was here, and so was his little brother, with his own van.) They finished up sometime after 6 so I started on dinner then. I asked Sean if he wanted steak or chicken and he chose steak.

  • Seasoned the steak with pepper and salt substitute
  • Peeled and sliced a russet potato and put it on the stove to boil
  • Started a pot of mixed vegetables on another burner
  • Put the steak on the George Foreman grill
  • Watched everything, flipping the steak when necessary
  • Plated our dinner

Sean cleaned his plate and brought it to my office to show me :D “What?” I asked. “It was good,” he said.

I am really impressed with how low my sodium count is today. Only 662 milligrams. This doesn’t even seem possible, but I’ve logged everything. So that’s pretty awesome. (All I had for lunch was yogurt and trail mix, so that probably helped!)

  • Went to bed at 10pm

CHF Recovery: Day 29

  • Got up at 8:30
  • Drank protein shake and took morning meds
  • Messed around online
  • Took a 37-minute walk with two brief periods of jogging: one for a minute and a half at the beginning and one for five minutes at the end

The jogging was interesting. I was frustrated with myself for not going walking at all since I’ve been back, and the air was cool and crisp, and the sun felt nice, and the trees are changing color, so I just felt energetic. After five minutes of walking at a brisk pace, I jogged around a flat parking area, down a hill, back up the hill, and around a corner. That took about a minute and a half, and then I was gasping for air and feeling like I wanted to die. So, I stopped jogging and walked kind of slowly for the next 20 minutes or so, up the hill leading away from our area of the apartment complex and then across the bridges.

When I hit the 30 minute mark of the walk I felt like jogging again—I was heading downhill this time—so I did, and then I kept jogging even up the next hill, around the corner, around that flat parking area again, and down behind my building. Finally as I came back around I couldn’t jog anymore, so I slowed to a walk, and Runkeeper told me I was at 35 minutes a couple seconds later. So the second jog was about five minutes! And I didn’t feel nearly as bad after that one as I did after the first.

I am going to eat as well as I can today. I need to finish off some leftovers, but I’m going to track them properly and make sure I don’t get too much sodium.

There was another good thing about yesterday that I forgot to mention. My lab results from Monday came back, and my creatinine is back to normal. This means that my kidneys are doing okay. In the hospital my kidney function was quite low, and at my first doctor’s visit after the hospital it was still low, so we were concerned. I have focused on drinking water since then, and that seems to have gotten things back where they need to be. My labs also showed that my potassium level is good, which is good for my heart.

  • Chatted online and poked at some story ideas
  • Took shower and got dressed
  • Went to the salon for a wax (I’ve been doing this for eleven years damn)
  • Came home and ate lunch
  • Went to the doctor

My doctor upped my dose of lisinopril as expected, and we came up with a plan for my return to work. I asked her about anti-stress medication and she said to discuss that with my PCP, so I will make an appointment for that.

  • Came home and managed a ton of paperwork for my leave of absence/disability claim

At about this point Sean came home. He was pretty tired from work so he got into PJs and cocooned himself on the couch. Then a plumber came to check on the leak in his shower. He was like, “I need to cut open your wall. Maintenance will patch it up tomorrow. Or we could schedule me to do this right before they come?” but I was like “Eh, go ahead.” So there is a huge hole in the ceiling now. He looked at the pipes and then went upstairs and looked at our neighbor’s shower, then said someone would come to finish fixing things tomorrow. During all this excitement I:

  • Called to order sushi and went to pick it up

Later in the evening our neighbor took a shower, and water poured out of our ceiling. I took a video.

Sean and I ate the sushi and watched last week’s episode of Designated Survivor and honestly I cannot recommend this show enough, it is so interesting. Then we wrapped up with an episode of 30 Rock, and Sean went to sleep. I poked and prodded at some stories again for a little bit, then also went to bed, at around 11:30.

There’s someone I love who I am worried about right now. I think she is doing what she needs to do and will be okay, but in the meantime things are hard for her. That’s about all I’ll say for the sake of privacy, but I wanted to have a record of it.

CHF Recovery: Day 28

I am doing terribly with my diet and exercise since returning from New York. Actually I started messing up while I was there, and have simply continued here at home.

I started the day out all right, with a protein shake, but then various things happened and I got annoyed and I ended up getting more for lunch than I should have, and dinner wound up being fried chicken tenders with fries :P Here’s the rundown:

  • Woke up at 6am for some reason; went to the bathroom
  • Went back to sleep at 7am
  • Alarm went off at 9am; hit snooze until 9:30
  • Forewent a shower; got dressed
  • Drank protein shake and had morning meds
  • Continued reading very long story until time to leave for therapy
  • Went to individual therapy, discussed various things, got kind of upset

My therapist wants me to learn how to have a presence/power in person, not just online. She thinks this will help me pursue happiness in relationships and life goals instead of collapsing into myself. She says normally she can get a handle on a person right away, from the way they project themselves, but that I do not do this; I am “wispy”. We talked about how I have few local friends and spend most of my time online. And we talked about other stuff. And ultimately I feel overwhelmed and not confident but I’m hopeful she can help me find my way. I don’t know.

  • Headed back to my side of town; went to run errands before going home
  • Picked up prescriptions
  • Had my eyebrows threaded
  • Picked up protein shakes from Costco
  • Got myself some Starbucks

This is where I indulged. I had intended to do a Tall Chai Tea Latte with a Protein Bistro Box, but I got a Venti chai instead (which is enormous). I also got a pumpkin scone, which was not in the plan at all.

  • Came home and ate while finishing up reading the very long story (intermittently chatting and reading other things)
  • Spent some time with Sean when he got home
  • Messed around online some more
  • Went to pick up dinner, which, as I said above, was chicken fingers, sigh
  • Ate dinner and took evening meds
  • Continued messing around online, reading and chatting

Kathryn also had a bad day today, which sucked.

There was one good thing about today, and that was this video:

CHF Recovery: Day 27

  • Got up at 8:30 after a somewhat fitful sleep
  • Weighed myself
  • Had protein shake and morning meds
  • Set my computer back up in my office (I’d just stayed on my little laptop in bed yesterday)
  • Wrote a political post on Facebook (I know, I know)
  • Took shower and got dressed
  • Met up with Sean at J. Christopher for lunch; had eggs, bacon, fruit, and an English muffin
  • Picked up some prescription refills
  • Went to the doctor’s to have blood drawn in advance of this week’s appointment
  • Gassed up my car
  • Poked around online; started reading a very long story
  • Picked up dinner (a burger, fries, and a shake, sue me)
  • Ate and took evening meds while continuing to read the very long story
  • Continued reading the very long story, but got tired
  • Went to bed at midnight

CHF Recovery: Day 26

I totally slept in today. It was great.

  • Got up around 10
  • Weighed myself (I’d been doing it at the Airbnb but the scale seemed different? But I’m where I should be, fluids-wise)
  • Had protein shake and morning meds
  • Went through all the mail Sean had left on the kitchen counter
  • Cleaned the kitchen
  • Threw out my dead “get well soon” flowers
  • Started a load of laundry once Sean was out of the shower
  • Ran the dishwasher
  • Did another load of laundry
  • Wrote a short story
  • Went to couples therapy
  • Went to dinner at Benihana
  • Poked around online a bit
  • Spent some time with Sean
  • Went to bed at 11:30pm

CHF Recovery: Day 25

I was busy on October 8 so here’s the stuff from that day. It was time to leave New York so I was focused on wrap-up activities.

  • Got up, had protein shake, took meds
  • Had shower and got dressed
  • Met Kathryn at the same cafe as the day before to have breakfast

Breakfast was good (I tried blintzes for the first time) but also sad, since it was the absolute end of our time together. The restaurant was busy and various emotions were happening and it was hard. But it was good, too.

  • Walked Kathryn back to her apartment
  • Took my bowls over to UPS to have them shipped home
  • Strolled as slowly as I have ever strolled in my life back to the Airbnb, stopping to get myself a chai tea latte at Starbucks
  • Drank my chai and messed around online and wrote some stuff
  • Packed my things
  • Got a cab to LaGuardia
  • Checked my bag and got through security in like two seconds (it was so dead!)
  • Got a sandwich and a yogurt and piddled around at my gate until time to board

LaGuardia felt really small compared to Atlanta, but I was at a specific terminal, and it seems like every terminal has its own baggage check/claim and security area and food court, making them pretty self-contained. I guess there were several more terminals that were the same way, each with their own gates, so the impression was deceptive.

There were high tops all over the place with tablet computers at each seat that allowed you to order food, play games, check the status of your flight, charge your device, and more. Really cool. If I had known I could just order food right there I might have done that instead of searching through the food court. What I ended up doing was going back out to the entrance (like I said, the terminal is really small) and finding the sandwich and yogurt (and some peanut butter M&Ms), then taking forever to realize that I had to walk down toward the gates to check out. I had looked at the restaurants, but one of them was very fancy and expensive (the seafood dish was $75!), one of them didn’t have anything I could eat, and I couldn’t tell how much the stuff was at the third. The food court had stuff like deli sandwiches, pizza, and burgers, none of which would have really worked for me.

I was in Zone 3 so I sat around when boarding started, and right at the last minute I went to the bathroom, and then suddenly they were making an announcement like “All passengers going to Atlanta come to Gate 10 now!” I went back out there and there was still a line to board, but it was short. Perfect timing, I suppose.

I was seated way in the back, and all the overhead bins were looking full, so I slipped into my window seat carrying both my laptop bag and my camera bag and hoped for the best. Miraculously, both of them fit under the seat in front of me, and that meant I was able to use my little laptop to do some writing during the flight! I also had my traditional hot tea and Biscoff cookies, and ate my peanut butter M&Ms, and took pictures out the window, and set the TV on the back of the chair in front of me to Japanese mode for fun. All in all, it was a good flight. Takeoff was kind of rough; there was a bunch of turbulence before we got to cruising altitude. And then landing was also rough! But the flight itself was smooth.

My plane arrived in Atlanta at around 9pm and it took about half an hour to take the Plane Train to baggage claim. Right on time. I met up with Sean and hugged him a lot. Then we went home.

  • Unpacked all my stuff
  • Left the computer to set up the next day, but set up my little laptop on the bed and messed around online a bit before finally going to sleep

CHF Recovery: Days 23 and 24

Whoops, I forgot to log anything yesterday. I was busy!

October 6

  • Got up, had protein shake and meds
  • Met Kathryn for breakfast at Gracie Mews Diner on the recommendation of my Airbnb host; it was lovely
  • Took a solo jaunt up to the Cloisters, first by taking the bus to Broadway and 86th and then hopping on the A train up to 190th Street

This trip involved taking the bus! I finally successfully rode a bus.

  • Wandered around the garden and park for hours
  • Actually got to the Cloisters itself; it was closed but I took photos of the outside
  • Walked back to the front of the park

This doesn’t look like much but it was so much walking! The garden—which is called Heather Garden, by the way—was utterly gorgeous, and I took about a bazillion photos. The rest of the park is huge, with trails everywhere, and there are some really steep inclines and a lot of stairs. The park is the site of a former fort, Fort Tryon, and you can wander around overlooks made of stone, and it’s beautiful. The Cloisters building itself is also lovely.

  • Ate dinner at New Leaf, a restaurant on the park grounds

Dinner was great; I asked them to make it without salt and they did! It was half a chicken, roasted, with carrot and asparagus couscous. For dessert I had three scoops of ice cream: chocolate, lemon, and basil. So good. At the end I thankfully remembered to take my meds. The sun had long since set by the time I finished eating, and it had gotten fairly chilly; I was happy to get back down to the climate-controlled subway.

By the way, the subway stop in front of Fort Tryon Park is so cool! The building looks so neat, with a big wood door and metal gates and such, and you have to ride a huge elevator way down to get to the trains.

  • Rode the subway back into town, this time to 59th Street
  • Took a different bus across Central Park to stop by and say goodnight to Kathryn
  • Walked back to the Airbnb, stopping along the way for some mint Milano cookies
  • Ate cookies and drank hot tea
  • Took supplements and went to bed

October 7

  • Got up around 8am, had protein shake, took meds
  • Showered and got dressed
  • Met Kathryn at Cafe Luka; she had a burger and I had a chicken sandwich

They gave me enough chicken for three people. I cut off what I wanted to eat and put that inside the seven-grain bread with one slice of tomato and some of the massive lettuce leaf, and left the rest on my plate. We shared my fries, which were good.

  • Took the train with Kathryn down to Grand Central
  • Took photos of the main terminal area that everyone takes pictures of
  • Went to the Transit Museum Annex and saw the etiquette sign exhibit

This was so fun. In addition to New York signage, there were signs from around the world. There was also a loop of TV ads running, including a bizarre and hilarious and morbid one from Australia, Dumb Ways to Die. The gift shop had a ton of subway-themed stuff, but I didn’t find anything I really, really wanted, so we left with no purchases. (I was drawn to a collection of old subway tokens, but I’m not sure where I would put them.) Next door there was a store selling unique gifts, so we went in there and looked around too. Kathryn got herself some cute Alice in Wonderland stickers :)

While we were in the area we walked over to the UPS distribution center to pick up a package I had sent to Kathryn, only to discover that it was on the truck being delivered. Argh. Lots of walking for nothing. However, we did see a few New York City Comic Con cosplayers, at least.

We were both quite tired at this point so we went back to our respective apartments.

  • Poked around online
  • Met up with Kathryn again at our usual sushi place
  • Remembered to take my meds!
  • Walked over to a little bakery with Kathryn and had cute little cakes
  • Back to the Airbnb whee
  • Went to bed at 12:30am

CHF Recovery: Day 22

Really not feelin’ it today. (Where “it” is “anything.”)

  • Got up at 7
  • Had protein shake and morning meds
  • Sat around grumpily for hours
  • Ate the protein bistro box I bought yesterday
  • Finally got off my ass and went out; walked a few blocks to the subway stop on 77th and rode downtown

I had intended to go to Chinatown and walk around taking pictures, but when the train got to the Astor Place stop I spontaneously got out, deciding to go to Cha An again. While walking toward Cha An I realized that entire street is lined with Japanese restaurants and other businesses, including a store. I picked a sushi restaurant and went there first for some protein.

  • Had a late lunch (3:15) of delicious sushi at Sharaku
  • Went to Sunrise Mart

This place was great! You take a laboriously slow elevator to get to it, which reminded me of older department stores and such in Japan. The store is filled with groceries and beauty products and video rentals, and in the very back corner…dishes!!!! I was so excited! (My mood had already picked up quite a bit thanks to the sushi but this pushed me over the edge.) I ended up buying four rice bowls, each with a different beautiful pattern. Then it was time for Cha An!

  • Went to Cha An

I ordered the matcha and the dessert sampler, and they were both awesome. The matcha is served in a large, beautiful cup (not a traditional pottery-style cup, but a porcelain one, but it was gorgeous) with red bean and mochi confections on the side. It was the perfect balance. The menu had said the matcha was sweet, which concerned me, but it had not been sweetened; it was just the right kind of bitter.

The dessert sampler included five items: mochi with what I believe was chestnut filling, black sesame creme brulee, lemon cake with jam and whipped cream, red bean ice cream with a black sesame cracker for contrast, and two cookies, one green tea flavored and one that I think had the flavor of roasted rice. They were all amazing; I think I liked the creme brulee best, followed by the red bean ice cream and the mochi.

I forgot to take my mealtime medicine while I was at Cha An, so I stopped in at a bakery and bought a bottle of water…and a gift box of macarons, because macarons.

After taking my meds, I headed back uptown. I’d thought about continuing down to Chinatown, but I had a bag full of bowls and macarons at this point and I didn’t feel like lugging it around.

  • Rode the train to 86th
  • Walked a few blocks back to Airbnb
  • Settled in and did some reading
  • Got peckish so went up the street and bought a slice of pizza

Yes. Pizza. >_< White bread and salty and greasy and unhealthy. My sodium count must be through the roof. I don’t even know. I don’t know how much sodium was in all those desserts, either.

Today was a cheat day ;P I’ll be good again tomorrow.

(It was real New York pizza. I had never had it before. You gotta have real New York pizza in New York, man.)

  • Changed into pajamas
  • Did a bit more reading

Now all that’s left is:

  • Take evening supplements
  • Go to bed

CHF Recovery: Day 21

It is so difficult to maintain a low-sodium diet. I hate it.

Today the plan was to go to Cha An for lunch, then check out Chinatown. We did both of these things, but at first there was some confusion about whether or not I could actually eat anything at Cha An.

Cha An is a cool Japanese restaurant that focuses on tea and dessert but also has appetizers, side dishes, and a couple of meal options. I was looking at the menu before heading out to meet Kathryn and it seemed like it wouldn’t work out. This was really upsetting, because I had really been looking forward to this place. I grumped around for some time, then decided I could probably have the “salmon toast”, so we met up and went there as planned.

I ended up ordering the appetizer sampler, which came with six different items in very small portions. The fish items didn’t seem to have heavy sauces, and nothing tasted particularly salty, so I was hopeful I’d be safe. We shared a seasonal parfait at the end of the meal, which consisted of assam tea jelly, chestnut ice cream, and sweet potato custard, with toppings of mochi, chestnuts, and a matcha (green tea) Rice Krispies treat bar. It was amazing.

Later, when I attempted to tally the nutrition information for these items, I learned that one of my appetizers, the seaweed salad, has a ton of sodium. I was not expecting that at all.

Dinner happened at a diner we passed while walking back to Kathryn’s apartment, and it wasn’t very good. I did find something I could eat: grilled chicken with steamed vegetables and a baked potato. The portion size was ludicrous. I received two full chicken breasts and enough vegetables for four people. I got tired of eating it after awhile, so I stopped eating even though I was still hungry.

The highlight of the day was Chinatown. Kathryn took me to a three-level grocery and home goods store. The top level had beauty products, home office supplies, and some cute decorative items. The middle level was the grocery store, with a wide variety of food, including tons of snacks. The bottom level, Kathryn had kept as a surprise: it was filled with dishes!

I spent ages there, going through the aisles again and again, looking at bowls and plates and cups and teapots. It was so wonderful. I haven’t had a place to shop for Japanese dishes since Hibari Market in Lexington shut down, years ago. There were so many different designs! So much blue and white! I ended up getting two medium-sized bowls in a traditional Japanese pottery style and two small bowls with a pink sakura pattern. (Here’s hoping I can pack them properly for the trip home…)

So, while my heart failure tried to ruin the day, it ultimately failed.

  • Got up, had protein shake and morning meds
  • Goofed off online and wrote a very tiny bit
  • Took a shower
  • Met up with Kathryn and went to Cha An
  • Went to Chinatown and it was awesome
  • Went back to Kathryn’s apartment, stopping at a diner on the way; took mealtime meds
  • Hung out at Kathryn’s apartment for awhile
  • Came back to the Airbnb; at this point I was grumpy
  • My host made me some eggs and toast for a snack
  • Ate the snack and then got back on my computer for awhile
  • Grumpily ate a piece of baklava
  • Took evening supplements

My mood was not great at the end of the day—I actually started crying a couple times on the walk home—but I think it was due to the day being long and tiring. I’m going to bed now, and hopefully I’ll get some good rest tonight.

CHF Recovery: Days 18, 19, and 20

So, I’m on vacation, and that means my normal routine is disrupted. I had planned and booked a trip to New York City before my heart decided to fail, and everything was nonrefundable, and I am at least able to walk around, so I came. And I’m having a great time! Here are my status updates for the first three days.

October 1

  • Got up around 9:15am
  • Had my protein shake and morning meds
  • Piddled around online
  • Had second breakfast with my Airbnb host (eggs and toast, yum!)
  • Continued piddling around online until something like 3:30pm
  • Walked from my Airbnb to Central Park
  • Wandered around Central Park a bit
  • Walked from Central Park all the way down to Times Square; it was nighttime so I got to see it all lit up
  • Went from there to Starbucks to get a chai while I waited for Kathryn
  • Met up with Kathryn and went to a diner for dinner; I had a salad and she had some sort of delicious-looking Eggs Benedict thing
  • Went back to the Airbnb and realized I had forgotten to take my evening meds with dinner
  • Ate yogurt and took meds
  • Wrote a short story
  • Went to bed at 1am

October 2

  • Got up around 9:30
  • Had protein shake and morning meds
  • Goofed off online
  • Showered and got dressed
  • Met up with Kathryn for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant
  • Had steamed cod (recommended by the American Heart Association!) and it was delicious
  • Went around the block to a coffee shop and sat with Kathryn while she had her favorite flavored coffee
  • Went back to the Airbnb and had a couple cookies and some tea while playing around online (I tried to think of something to write but was unsuccessful)
  • Got dressed for dinner in a skirt that didn’t fit me when I first got it! I looked really cute
  • Met Kathryn at our favorite (e.g., the only one we’ve ever really tried) sushi restaurant
  • Had a deluxe sushi plate, half of which I had to take back to the Airbnb
  • Also had a scoop of vanilla ice cream that was AMAZING
  • Walked back to the Airbnb

Let me just interject here that I love walking around Manhattan? It’s just so full of energy and interesting things to look at! I’ve noticed this time that everyone is doing sushi now. There is almost a sushi restaurant on every block. But what really took the cake for me? A bagel shop with the sign, “Now serving sushi!” What is happening? :D

  • Ate my leftovers while reading online and chatting
  • Went to bed at midnight

October 3

  • Slept until 10am! This seemed dramatic until I just looked at the other times I got up this week
  • Had protein shake and morning meds
  • Made myself two eggs and a piece of toast
  • Hung out with my Airbnb host for awhile
  • Went back to my room and goofed off online some more
  • Asked my Airbnb host if he had any chocolate and he DID and he GAVE IT ALL TO ME
  • I ate it all
  • Wrote 2310 words on a story and I’m not sure where it’s going or how much longer it will be!
  • Finally showered at like 5pm and put on my octopus skirt
  • Met up with Kathryn for dinner at a Greek restaurant

Let me just mention here that the walk was GREAT and it made me feel so good, because the weather was perfect! It was nighttime and dark, but not cold at all. And it wasn’t hot. It was my favorite temperature, really. Somewhere around 68-70. Ahhh it was just so comfortable. I had a spring in my step!

  • Kathryn had souvlaki with lamb and I had a gyros with rotisserie chicken and they both were made with French fries inside them and it was fascinating and delicious
  • Took my mealtime meds
  • Then we went to a froyo place
  • I had strawberry with strawberries and banana and white chocolate chips and Nilla Wafers
  • Kathryn had birthday cupcake batter with a bunch of different candies and it looked awesome
  • Neither of us could quite finish
  • Walked back to my Airbnb; it had gotten slightly chilly but not bad at all
  • Goofed off online, as is my wont
  • Couldn’t really focus on what to write next, so didn’t write anymore
  • Took evening supplements and went to bed at 11:30pm

CHF Recovery: Day 17

Today I am traveling! So I did my morning routine a bit out of order.

  • Got up and dressed in workout clothes
  • Put whites in the washer
  • Went on a 34-minute walk (I was so anxious to finish! Also it was really chilly out so I wore a hoodie. Fall is finally here)
  • Put whites in the dryer
  • Drank protein shake and took morning meds
  • Got started packing
  • Went out for Thai food with Sean
  • Finished packing
  • Went to the airport
  • Got through security only to discover my flight was delayed
  • Purchased and leisurely ate a salad
  • Finally got on flight
  • Ate Biscoff cookies because they are my favorite part of flying Delta
  • Arrived at LaGuardia, grabbed luggage, got a cab to my Airbnb
  • My host graciously carried my suitcase up all the stairs
  • Unpacked (the room is so nice, it has a computer desk AND a roomy wardrobe)
  • Went to BED at like 2:30am

CHF Recovery: Day 16

Woke up at around 8:30 from a bizarre dream in which I was hired without submitting a resume or portfolio by FedEx. “What will I be doing?” I asked, concerned that they would make me a driver, as I do not know how to drive the trucks. “What have you done in the past?” the lady rejoined. “Content management, writing, and design.” “You can work on my new web initiative!” the lady said.

Later in the dream I was naked, but it wasn’t your stereotypical nudity dream. I was perfectly comfortable, walking around and talking with people at my new job site. Most people didn’t see it as a big deal. One man looked me over and said, “Whoa!” “Yes,” I replied, slightly sardonically, “I’m naked.” I belatedly made to cover my genital area, but it was out of annoyance at the man’s reaction, not shame. He didn’t deserve to see my scars, I thought, to read my life history on my body.

The man laughed and said, “You know, we really don’t have a nudist policy!” And I was somewhat relieved, as I hadn’t even thought there might be a problem with being naked at work.

  • Had protein shake and morning meds
  • Spent basically the entire day in my PJs, reading
  • It was great
  • At around 4pm I took a shower and got dressed
  • Went to Shane’s and Otter’s to get chicken strips for dinner (Sean likes Otter’s fried chicken strips because, he says, they are like Wife Saver’s)
  • Watched the currently available two episodes of Designated Survivor with Sean while eating dinner (it is a fantastic show so far!)
  • Ate my evening meds
  • Took a few hours to finish editing my story and then finally posted it
  • Took bedtime supplements and somehow managed not to stay up all night waiting for comments on my story

I was in a really good mood all day. I was relaxed and comfortable and happy with the story I had written. It was so great.

CHF Recovery: Day 15

Woke up twice in the night, once around 3:30 and once around 6, due to various body pains that need not be discussed (not heart-related). Then I snoozed until 8 and lounged around in bed a bit before getting up.

  • Got up, had protein shake, took morning meds
  • Dawdled online until it was too late to have a walk before therapy
  • Showered and dressed; my nice jeans fit again!
  • Went to therapy and had a very nice session
  • Came home and messed around online some more
  • Had a lunch of yogurt and trail mix
  • Walked a 5k! (I could have done a shorter loop but I felt like going farther, and the trail is flat so it wasn’t difficult)
  • Showered again; I was sooooo sweaty
  • Ate the leftover peas, about 1 cup

Sean came home while I was eating the peas and said, “Wanna do sushi?” Of course I did. “When?” I asked. “Now?” But alas, it was a little after 4pm, and they don’t open until 5:30. So I called and made a reservation for then, and finished my peas.

  • Started editing the story I wrote yesterday
  • Went to dinner and had sashimi

At Sushi Huku the sashimi platter is a combo that comes with miso soup and salad; I couldn’t eat either of these because the soup and salad dressing both had a ton of sodium. Sean ate the miso and I took a couple bites of lettuce. The sashimi was fantastic, though.

A beautifully styled platter of sashimi, featuring a large shrimp head

At the end of the meal they gave us little bowls of flan, and I did eat that! It was a nice palette cleanser, and if MyFitnessPal is right, there wasn’t an exorbitant amount of sodium in it.

  • Came home and ate a brownie while continuing to edit my story
  • Put my story into Google Docs and invited a couple people to comment
  • Went to bed at around 12:30am

CHF Recovery: Day 14

  • Got up, had protein shake, and took meds
  • Dressed in workout clothes
  • Went on a 35-minute walk (I think maybe the last 2 minutes can count as a cooldown)
  • Took shower and dressed in shorts and T-shirt

When I got changed I tried on a skirt that Mom got me from Modcloth as a birthday present. When I first received it back in May or June or whatever, I couldn’t zip it all the way up. Today I could! And it looks pretty cute. I think I will take it on my upcoming New York trip.

  • Wrote ~700 words on a short story
  • Got a chai latte and protein bistro box for lunch
  • Continued writing for hours
  • Ate the leftover half of that Mediterranean salad for dinner
  • Ran an errand to Kroger and got a sweet tea to increase my Writing Energy

Note 7:35pm: As of right now, the story is at 3297 words, which is incredible for me to have written in one day. Then again, I haven’t written anything in weeks. I’m going to try to write more.

  • Wrote until 11:30, finishing at over 6000 words
  • Took bedtime supplements and went to sleep

CHF Recovery: Day 13

It’s September 26, day 13 since I started trying to eat less sodium and take walks every day. I haven’t managed every single day but I’ve done a lot of walking. I haven’t walked yet today because I had a doctor’s appointment at 10:30; I will go a little later, I think.

My period is over; it ended yesterday and I am very relieved.

  • Got up, showered, and dressed in normal clothes
  • Had protein shake and morning meds
  • Went to the doctor

The doctor visit was just to catch my PCP up on all the Happenings™. And also one little tiny kinda gross thing that doesn’t need to be mentioned. It went fine and I am home again.

  • Ate half the salad I bought last night, so as to not destroy my sodium count for the day
  • Read stuff online until Sean got home
  • Cooked a dinner of grilled chicken, boiled peas, and mashed potatoes, all with no salt
  • Ate dinner and took meds
  • Purposefully avoided watching the presidential debate
  • Went to bed around 11:30pm

I did not go on my walk. I thought I’d go after I cooked dinner, but in retrospect that plan made no sense.