Monday, April 29, 2019

ageing is not for sissies


Tomorrow (Tuesday) is my birthday. I'll be 69, the last year of my 7th decade. The husband asked me a few weeks ago how I felt about that and my reply was, I don't know. It took me years to come to terms with starting this decade and getting there was what the year of the selfie was all about, 2014 when I took a selfie every Friday and posted it. Tomorrow we're going to the movie to see Avenger's End Game which is 3 hours and 1 minute long! (Marc read an article that identified 10 places during the movie where you could get up and go to the bathroom and not miss anything) but last night my daughter and son came out and took the husband and I out to dinner. No spouses, no grandkids, just our little core family. Been a long time since just the four of us spent time together and it was nice. Did I take a picture? No.

The long term monitor arrived late Friday delivered by UPS. Before they sent it I got a call asking if there was any reason I wouldn't be able to start the monitor right away and I told them no but then that was before it arrived late Friday and I had plans for the weekend. And it was not the wireless two patch electrode system with battery pack and phone that would send out the data. I didn't open the package until about 11 PM when I started feeling guilty about not opening the package when it arrived which had a label on it that said 'open immediately'. It's sort of a miniature version of the bulky 24 hour monitor with 5 electrode patches and wires dangling from my chest to the battery pack/doodad that sends the data out. I was pissed, this is not what I agreed to, and stomped around all weekend...I'm not doing this, having wires dangling from my chest for 3 freaking weeks, and I have to change out the electrode patches every three days. I'm calling the doctor's office first thing Monday and complaining. By this morning I had resigned myself and wired myself up and activated the monitor. It is, after all, a much smaller and way less intrusive set-up. But I still don't like having wires dangling from my chest for three freaking weeks. I guess we'll see how it goes tonight because I couldn't sleep at all with the 24 hour monitor.





19 comments:

  1. When you get tired enough, you'll sleep! I guess you know that, anyway. Effing pain in the chest or butt it may be, if the little two wired monster gives your cardiologist a clue, we'll all be as happy as you and your cardiologist. So, in the meantime, and inbetweentime, have a good birthday tomorrow. As nice as the early celebration with the kids. We don't even need a picture to feel how fine that was.

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  2. Ugh. Sounds crummy, but please hang in there and let them gather data on you, knowledge is good. I know that I would also hate this, but am informed by my husband's experience over the last year. So sorry that you have to do this, but just get it the hell over with.

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  3. I have this image of you stomping around with tiny clenched fists and a tight lipped look of defiance. I am having my own little stomp fest, and seeing myself through your experience made me laugh.
    I guess we should both just do the thing we don’t want to do and let the chips fall where they may. I will be 59 in a week, and am looking at 60 like it is the enemy. Thanks for showing me the symmetry and similarities of our life experiences a decade apart.

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    1. I've always said we were twins born a decade apart.

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  4. The most electrodes I had on a 30 day holter was 3. Five will be better, more data. If removing the adhesive pads from your chest gets painful, stand in the shower and work hair conditioner under the edges and gradually pull them away from your skin. I had to do that daily, didn't know about the conditioner the first time, and the second time my skin (using the conditioner) was much happier.

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  5. Getting older is a gift but what we have to do getting there isn’t always pleasant. The monitor is a PIA but necessary. You will get through it.

    Happy Birthday to you.

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  6. Happy birthday, Ellen! And you are exactly right- aging is NOT for sissies. It's full of fucking problems and heartbreaks and difficulties. Sounds like that monitor is a major problem and difficulty.
    But I suppose everyone here is right- do it and get it over with and let's see what they find.
    I sure am glad that I've gotten to know you here in the way that we do in this blogiverse. The rose you sent me is still blooming gloriously and every time I look at it (which is multiple times a day) I smile and think, "Ellen."
    Are you going to have a cake?
    I hope you enjoy the movie. My brother saw it and loved it. Three hours is a long time to sit so it better be worth it is what I'm thinking.
    I celebrate you!
    Now enjoy the best you can with wires dangling. Hopefully you will get used to them and they will not hinder you.

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    1. thanks Mary. I feel like we're kindred spirits. enjoy the rose, it will bloom all year and can turn into a beautiful monster if you let it grow unrestrained. I have one I prune every year and one I just let grow.
      no cake. I haven't had a cake in so many birthdays I can't remember but that's OK.
      I made it through yoga class with wires, now we'll see if I can make it through a day of gardening!

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  7. I didn't get to read this post until this morning. The change in humidity got to me early yesterday. So I hope you see this. Happy Birthday, darlin. I know your pain. My monitor goes back to my cardiologist tomorrow morning and I'm not so sad about missing it either. I just hope all the tests are over with.

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  8. If only we could claim the age we think we are. I'd probably be perpetually 40, as that was my best decade. I'm in total denial in this one. FIVE wires? Jesus. I would not be happy about that, either. Let's hope that it's worth the trouble and I am very glad to hear that you made it through yoga while wired up. Happy belated birthday!

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  9. Oh, man. That is not the best birthday present. I hope it turns out to be not as intrusive as you fear. (Meanwhile, happy birthday!)

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  10. Happy birthday to you! I've always believed that birthdays should have a season, like Christmas or Easter. I figure you've got a couple more weeks left to celebrate some more -- and here's hoping that by the time you get to unplug all those wires, you're really celebrating. I've never had to do anything like that, thank goodness, but I can imagine what an absolute pain it is. I'm glad you got through yoga -- and maybe some gardening, too? If it was blowing there like it was here today, you may have decided against the gardening.

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    1. sounds good to me! haven't done the gardening yet as we went to see Avengers End Game today.

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  11. Happy Birthday, Ellen! You made it through your yoga class with the monitor! Yaaayyyyy! (Your birthday is the same day as my mother's birthday)

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  12. Happy birthday, ellen! We were both in the same week, and the same decade, you and I. My mother said it often, "getting old is not for sissies," and now I know what she meant. It is stunning really, to watch the changes come in, the softer skin, the new lines practically every day, the neck in any lighting that isn't just so. But then I consider the alternative and do that Taurus thing of keeping on keeping on. We're not sissies! I hope your day was wonderful!

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    1. happy birthday to you!

      the crepey skin is my least favorite. but yeah, don't care for the alternative.

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  13. Happy birthday Ellen, what's a sissie anyway, and who cares. Take it as it comes. There's always something new.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.