blog
Let’s Celebrate My Ejection Fraction!
I’m so excited to be normal! Three years ago, an echocardiogram revealed my heart ejection fraction was registered at 30%, indicating serious heart failure. Another procedure this week revealed the ejection fraction had improved to 60%, a normal percentage. I’ve never been so happy to receive a score of 60%.
Three Years to Become Normal
I had a heart attack in June of 2021, and cardiologists at Idaho Cardiology Associates at St. Luke’s diagnosed cardiomyopathy heart disease and chronic heart failure with left bundle branch block and a reduced ejection fraction of 30 percent. I had a broken heart, but I was too weak to get my affairs in order. Survival was the only option.
After two surgeries, a defibrillator was installed beneath my collarbone. Until then, I didn’t take any medical subscriptions and suddenly I had eight pill bottles in my daily routine. I changed my diet to reduce salt and sugar, joined a gym, started walking, and canceled my writing workshops and travels. In March, I started the St. Luke’s Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program and “graduated” in June.
Each participant wore an electronic monitor and three electrodes to trace heart activity on various exercise equipment and during weight-lifting assignments. 
In addition to exercise routines three times a week, the program offered nutrition advice with menus and sample meals. Each participant met with various staff members to discuss mental and physical health. The staff, under the direction of Nurse Leigh McClure, was excellent, and the results were positive. All my lab values improved: I lowered total cholesterol from 187 to 145 and decreased the chance of having diabetes. I lost eight pounds, but I’m still chubby.
The program encouraged lifestyle changes and improvements to stabilize the progression of cardiovascular disease. (I wasn’t totally gallant because I continued to enjoy red wine.)
Ejection Fraction measures the heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood. When oxygen isn’t pumped naturally throughout the body, the brain becomes confused (more than normal), climbing four steps seems like a month-long mountain excursion, and gasping for breath becomes priority. A few times, I saw my life pass before my eyes, and it wasn’t pretty. I needed to stay alive to fix a few problems.
EJECTION FRACTION
| June 2021 – 30% | June 2023 – 43% | June 2024 – 60% |
| Heart Failure | Low Function, Weak Heart | Normal |
LAB VALUES August 2023 June 2024
| *Total Cholesterol | 187 | 145 | Keep below 200 |
| Triglycerides | 136 | 127 | Fat in blood |
| HDL | 50 | 53.1 | Good cholesterol |
| *LDL | 110 | 67 | Bad cholesterol |
| HbA1c% | 6.4 | 6.2 | Diabetes is above 6.5 |
| Blood Pressure | 143/85 | 104/64 |
Friends and Family Provided Therapy
Support from family and friends was additional medicine. I received encouragement from friends on Social Media as I prepared for surgery. My patient husband provided TLC at home, and my son drove me to doctor’s appointments. I tried to follow the new realities of living with cardiomyopathy, and my heart began to heal. I was grateful for three more years.
It was difficult curtailing or deleting previous activities I had enjoyed. I canceled a writing workshop last summer due to physical exhaustion, and my lack of breath caused me to relinquish a major role I had in a play this spring with the Eagle Theatre Company. Once an avid traveler, I preferred the pleasant resort on my patio. I’ve eliminated some unhealthy foods and added more fresh vegetables, but I just can’t eat tofu. It’s nasty.
My heart beat in a steady rhythm as I wrote this message. I smiled.
Why Ventriloquists Use Different Accents for Characters
https://youtu.be/30TeVbq7epU?si=W_5zqVK9bAYkIcpE
Click the YouTube link to watch and hear six of my characters.
I have eight puppets with distinct accents. Ventriloquists use different accents to distinguish between their characters. The act wouldn’t work if the puppet had the same voice as the ventriloquist. My characters are British, Old World, grumpy old man, breathless middle aged woman, Country Western singer, and Mexican. Some ventriloquists have been accused of being racist because they use ethnic accents. That claim is usually untrue. We just want to entertain and have fun.
View ventriloquist sites on YouTube or visit Jeff Dunham for more examples of character and voice.
Are you interested in having me visit your party or event? My puppets love birthday parties for all ages, midlife humor celebrations, and business events. Find details here: GigSalad.
Cycling Without Age in Idaho
In 2017, I ordered a Triobike Trishaw from Copenhagen, Denmark, and created the first Idaho chapter of “Cycling Without Age.”
With the assistance of Eagle City Council Member Mary McFarland, we met with the Mayor of Eagle to secure permission to ride the bike on the streets and along the Greenbelt. We organized a premiere party in October and requested volunteers to be “pilots.” Several senior citizens enjoyed the rides, and the local media ran stories about the event.
Cycling Without Age is worldwide.
The Trishaw and the organization were transferred to Kalynn McLain in 2019. She collaborated with Grace Assisted Living in Meridian to create a program for the facility, and senior citizens appreciated rides around Kleiner Park. She partnered with five other facilities and soon provided hundreds of rides.
The Trishaw is retired through the winter and will undergo maintenance before activities begin in the spring.
Writing Workshop – “Writing the Wrongs: How Experiences Create our Stories”
A writing workshop titled “Writing the Wrongs: How Experiences Create Our Stories” is available on October 27 and will be repeated on November 3 in Eagle, Idaho. Bestselling author Elaine Ambrose will facilitate the morning sessions, and a panel of Idaho authors will end the workshop with a discussion and Q&A session. Participants will be encouraged to volunteer to read their works aloud to the group. The cost for the workshop is $80 and includes continental breakfast, lunch, all materials, and books. A Zoom option is available for $40.
The focus of the event is to encourage writers to recall memories of personal angst, fear, or sadness. These raw emotions can create dynamic stories to heal the wounds of past trauma and drama. The Workshop includes continental breakfast, lunch, and materials.
The event is in a private home, so the address will be emailed after receipt of a paid ticket.
AGENDA
9:00 AM – Continental Breakfast
9:15 AM
Welcome and Introductions with Elaine Ambrose
9:45 AM
“Music as Muse” Exercise and Personal Writing Prompts will inspire participants to recall latent memories to spark emotions to enhance an original story.
10:30 AM
Participants Volunteer to Read
11:00 AM
“How to Discover and Improve Your Authentic Voice” – Interactive Exercises
12:00 PM
Break for Lunch and Personal Writing
12:45 PM
“How to Find Positive Affirmation as a Writer” – Panel of Local Authors
1:45 PM
Open Discussion and Readings
2:00 PM
Adjourn Workshop
Eventbrite link with more details and registration options: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-the-wrongs-how-experiences-create-our-stories-tickets-723702753417?aff=oddtdtcreator
My Vintage Barbie and Her Handmade Wardrobe
I have a vintage, original Barbie Doll from 1959. She has managed to retain her remarkable physique while I have morphed from a chubby child to a healthy young woman back to a chubby curmudgeon. Three generations of storytelling girls have played with her: me, my daughter, and my granddaughter. The doll remains perfectly proportioned and ageless as I cope with trying to find my buried belly button.
Mattel has sold more than one billion Barbie Dolls around the world. The current hit Barbie Movie is the latest creation to capitalize on the franchise. Barbie-branded products included not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of branded goods such as books, apparel, cosmetics, video games and audiovisual content.
Because I’m a chubby curmudgeon, I have no intention of seeing the movie. It’s a box office hit, but I’d rather sit on my patio with a summer cocktail than wear a garish pink outfit and share a theatre with squealing girls wearing pink uniforms. Besides, I already have my own Ken Doll.
My maternal grandmother, Olive Curry Morrison, was an excellent seamstress, and she loved to crochet. She made outfits for my Barbie Doll, and I still have more than 40 pieces of her wardrobe. The styles were handmade and include sweaters, skirts, coats, and perky hats. My mother saved each outfit in separate plastic bags because “they were too nice to play with.” So, I still have them, and most have never been used. I also have two original Barbie outfits: a ski outfit complete with boots and a tennis outfit that includes a tennis racket.
My grandchildren no longer play with Barbie Dolls. What should I do with her precious wardrobe? Sell it? Donate it? No one would appreciate how my grandmother lovingly hand-stitched hems and sewed buttons and snaps. She spent hours with her crochet needles and antique treadle sewing machine to create lovely pieces for one reason: To please me, her granddaughter.
As the Barbie mania continues, I hope to share this vintage collection with someone who will appreciate the talent and kindness of my Grandma Morrison. My vintage Barbie Doll is not for sale. I’m saving her for my youngest granddaughter’s high school graduation. Maybe the doll will be worth enough to help with college expenses. Vintage dolls and grandmothers retain their value.
Here’s a video showing my Barbie’s wardrobe: IMG_0117
Cheers to Grandma Morrison.
[Read more…] about My Vintage Barbie and Her Handmade Wardrobe
