Scars

It's almost 90 here in Ohio today so my walk was very short.  Last week I walked/ran along the ocean shore every morning and it was incredible.  [Insert sacrcasm font here]  Even closing my eyes in the breeze today, I still couldn't imagine that the hum of the generators outside the office park were the ocean waves.  I also tried to start eating "right" again yesterday and was rewarded with a half pound GAIN this morning. 

"New" studies show that depression can lead to heart disease.  Duh....I think it might be that heart disease can lead to depression.  Here's some other encouraging news from the same article:

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women. Close to 43 million women in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease — a term that includes both heart disease and stroke — and every year nearly 422,000 die of it. That's more than succumb annually to all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease and stroke are also a major cause of life-altering disabilities. - Harvard Mental Health

Yes, I did wear a swimsuit on vacation and my pacemaker scar didn't scare any little kids on the beach.  I totally forgot it was even there.  I am hooked on this song by Jonny Diaz that says "we all have scars".  Some of them are on the outside, but most of them are on the inside.  People I love are going through divorce right now, another friend was in a horrific car accident (lot of visible scars I'm sure) and others are just trying to recover from emotional issues.  What are your scars?  Are they apparent or covered up?  I like the line in the song that says, "We all know how that feels".  Because, face it, none of us are immune.  If you have been in this world for more than five minutes, you have scars.  Don't hide them, because "They just strengthen our wounds and they soften our hearts
They remind us of where we have been, but not who we are.
Praise God we don’t have to hide scars".

Scars by Jonny Diaz

Don't stop exercising!

Believe me when I say that I'm talking to myself more than to you who read this blog.  Since my Carvedilol (generic for Coreg) dosage was increased recently (in order to try and get my EF up) I have felt "blah".  Very tired, sluggish, and sometimes depressed and fearful.  Blaming it on the medication is easy.  But what is truly happening is that I have not been exercising.  Yes, a short walk most days and a long walk here and there, but no jumping jacks, dancing, weight training, etc.  Getting ready for vacation, along with just normal "life" has been getting in the way of my exercise routine.  I realize that it is essential with cardiomyopathy that we MUST keep working out.  The less we move, the worse we feel, and the worse we feel, the less we move.  Vicious cycle - let's break out of it!  Here's to your health!