March-2024 Cooperative Living-SEC - 34

RURAL LIVING
Birthday Probes,
Long Drives and
Glowing in the Dark
Further adventures in the medical vortex
by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Columnist
F
irst of all,
thank you to
all those who
sent cards, letters
and emails hoping
for my health. Your
wishes and prayers
are appreciated.
And, I still need them.
Turns out, I must have two heart
operations. The prospect of one was
bad enough; now, two? Bah!
These are unfortunately split out
between one hospital, which I like,
and know my way around, and can
even drive to myself - and another,
in the scary, unknown land of
Charlottesville, which is 100 miles
each way. I just don't have it in me to
drive 100 miles, go through a lot of
medical hoops, and then hop in the
car and drive 100 miles home.
So, I must find friends who will
drive me. At first, this was easy.
A close friend who goes to Charlottesville
all the time offered. But, after trip #2,
he suddenly had other things to do that
were more pressing. And fun. I really
can't blame him; he was great to do it
twice. I'm very grateful for that.
On my next appointment there,
another close friend will drive. It seems
both hospitals are ordering a lot of
oddball tests and taking their time.
I believe that the longer they are taking,
the less dire my problems may be.
As I learned with a malignant melanoma,
the sooner they want to whisk you into
the operating room, the worse it is.
I drove myself to the closer hospital
last week for what I was told was a
stress test. Several nurses told me that:
" stress test. " Seems they left out the most
important word in front: " nuclear. " I
won't go into the details, which included
being shot up with radioactive isotopes
several times. I had a bad reaction to the
last one and was afraid I was paralyzed
for a short while. But, another shot from
another radiology tech had me feeling
better in 10 minutes.
Believe me: If a nurse says you
need a stress test, ask up front if it's
nuclear. The nurses were great, but
the other stuff? Not so much. It's a
wonder I'm not glowing in the dark.
The next thing I need is an
MRI, and to meet the cardiac surgeon.
True to the sardonic nature of things,
it was scheduled for my birthday. Bah!
Could there be a worse way to
" celebrate " one's birthday? I think not!
I'll have to wait until some later date to
try to do that.
This situation is rather depressing.
I am filled with anxiety much of the time.
People tell me, " don't worry, " but really,
wouldn't you? Fortunately, every couple of
days, I get a colorful envelope in the mail
with an encouraging letter from a reader.
One even sent me a felted butterfly to
cheer me up. Thanks! I also heard again
from my old writing pal, Mable Simmons.
It's always cheering to hear from Mable.
Several writers had heart-horror tales to
tell of their own. It made me feel that
I am perhaps better off than I might think.
So, here's how I've decided to approach
it: Don't worry so much. Everything will
be done - scary while it's happening, but
curative in the end. I will try to be positive.
I will focus on being out there tramping
along the lane, looking for wildlife, by the
time spring gets here. I will get through it!
I am determined! 
To order a copy of Margo's " A Party of One, "
call 540-468-2147 Mon.-Wed., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,
or email therecorderoffice@gmail.com.
CL WHEREZ IT?
Curiosity keeps
leading us down
new paths.
- Walt Disney
32 ● Cooperative Living ●
March 2024
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of this issue of Cooperative Living. Submit the page
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Living, P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340 or
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March-2024 Cooperative Living-SEC

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