PS: #HealthUpdate – #Clarification & #ThankYou

/ Marcia Meara

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments about my health news yesterday! I should have clarified a bit more about why it took so long to discover my heart damage. Lest you think poorly of my previous cardiologist, let me assure you he had been very carefully monitoring my heart for over twenty years. I’d had carotid artery surgery way back then, and he saw me annually and did imaging of both my carotid (to be sure it remained open, which it has) and my heart, to be sure no problems were developing there. (They weren’t.)

Unfortunately, when Mark’s job disappeared and he had to retire, we were told our insurance would remain in effect through June, so I had my last cardio imaging done at that time, along with some other exams. THEN, we found out they had stopped the insurance as of May 30, and I suddenly lost all of my doctors at once! Blam!

Somewhere in the shuffle, the last image of my heart went astray and only resurfaced when it was requested by my new cardio doctor, who immediately saw the damage. Until THAT image, which was only taken a couple of months ago, mid-LC, there had never been any visible damage to my heart at all. So that’s why my new doctor believes the damage to be the direct result of LongCovid.

Since there is no medication available at present with which to treat LongCovid, yet all my miserable symptoms disappeared as soon as I started on the heart meds, I firmly believe LC is gone and probably has been for some time. Of course, it made sure to leave me a souvenir of its visit, via the damage to my heart, but happily, that IS being monitored and treated. And so far, the results have been good.

Again, please if you have LongCovid, be sure your doctors are monitoring you for any possible organ damage, so it can be treated early on! It could make a huge difference in your overall health and your quality of life! 

30 thoughts on “PS: #HealthUpdate – #Clarification & #ThankYou”

    • I think the worst IS over, Michael, as long as my doctor and I can manage the heart damage. (And I feel like we CAN.) Thanks for your well wishes! Now to get back to doing all the things I love! 😀 ❤

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    • I really do hope it will help some folks, Trish. Sure wish I’d known some of this MONTHS ago! But I feel like we’re getting a handle on it now, anyway, and things will smooth out a good bit going forward.

      Thanks so much for all your well wishes and your steadfast friendship! Please stay healthy and SAFE, my friend! 🤗❤️🤗

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  3. No wonder your energy levels have been so long in returning, Marcia. I’m glad to hear the news about the heart meds and that they’re making a difference. I just came down with covid after avoiding it since the beginning. Ugh. A mild case that I hope I’m over with in a reasonable time. Take care, my friend, and thanks for the update. Huge hugs. Wishing you the very best. ❤ ❤ ❤

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    • Thanks, Jeanne! And it’s also great to be getting some answers to what has been going on. Will be discussing this in more detail when I revisit my cardiologist, of course, but I think it’s all making sense now. 😀 ❤

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  6. Glad to hear you’re doing so much better, Marcia. We get frustrated around here because it takes forever to see a specialist. When my mom was still living, she had to wait six months to see a cardiologist. One of my good friends was just admitted to the hospital a couple of days ago. He had been waiting to see a cardiologist for nine months. As he said, “I could be dead by then.”

    By the way, I read and reviewed “A Boy Named Rabbit” a few weeks ago. Now I know what the fuss was about—a terrific read.

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    • Thank you, Pete! I’m definitely doing better each day!

      So sorry to hear about such long delays in seeing the doctors you need, WHEN you need to see them! (Six months to see a cardiologist is awful!) I’m hoping that type of thing doesn’t become a problem around here one of these days.

      I saw your fabulous review of A Boy Named Rabbit and decided it would make a lovely promo post. So if you don’t mind, I’ll be sharing it at some point, when I have time and energy to put together a sale, or maybe just to encourage some new readers. It really made me happy to know you enjoyed it so much, and I thank you for your kind words! Rabbit seems to have a way of touching people’s hearts. (And to think he came to me in a dream one night, right down to his name!)

      Thanks so much for stopping by! 😀

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      • Of course, I don’t mind. You had us hooked immediately, given Rabbit’s circumstances and kind heart. While reading it, I kept thinking of a particular student I taught whose diction was just like his.

        “Did you finish your homework, Larry?”
        “I done did it.”

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        • 😁 Rabbit definitely has a mountain twang and since he’s never been to school, he knows nothing about diction or grammar. But as you read the rest of the books, you’ll see he cares about learning, even if it “don’t feel natural” to speak differently. Compromises must be made! 😀

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  7. Hi Maricia,
    I knew about your Long Covid but not this. Thank goodness you had a good doctor who made this diagnosis and prescribed the right medications to get you back on the right track. I hope you are feeling better soon, and my thoughts and prayers are with you!

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    • Thanks, Valerie! I’m afraid we STILL haven’t learned everything we need to know to deal with either COVID or LONGCOVID properly. Here we’d been told LongCOVID was not a virus, no way to treat it, but that the annoying bouts of symptoms would go away at some point. Nothing to worry about except the intermittent inconvenience and discomfort. And then, I started seeing very low-profile articles saying it can cause all sorts of damage to your internal organs. You’d think that would make BIG headlines, but nope. I had to research to learn more.

      Happily, my new cardiologist was well informed about this and already treating cases where LC had done significant heart damage. I was very lucky to see him when I did, as my problems were getting worse daily. But, so far, his treatment plan is working great and I feel much, much better.

      Thanks for stopping by, and hope you’re having a super weekend! 😀

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  8. Gosh, I’m so happy you are feeling better, Marcia. What a medical journey you’ve endured! It sounds like your doctor is not only knowledgeable but also someone you can trust. This, in itself, is a huge help to wellness. You are much loved, and we are all relieved the worst is past. ❤️

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    • Thanks so much for those kind words, Gwen. I do hope the worst is over, and that I will continue to feel well enough to write again. And BLOG! I’m already missing all my regular features, but I’m committed to taking it easier through year’s end, when I hope to resume the bloggy things I love, especially guest visits.

      And yep, I trusted this doctor the minute he came into the room and started talking to me. For one thing, he LISTENED and took notes on what I’d been going through, etc. And now that his recommended medication is helping me so much, I trust him even more. I really think I’ll come through this okay, and life will feel good again. (I not only miss my writing, I miss my twice-monthly wildlife talks, too. Hopeful I can start those up again in January, as well.)

      Thanks so much for stopping by today, my friend, and offering your kind encouragement! It’s very much appreciated, believe me! 😀 ❤

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  9. I am glad to hear that Long COVID is hopefully finally behind you. It sounds like you’ve got a good doctor who is on point with everything and will be looking out for you, especially now that the heart damage has been diagnosed. So glad it is being treated and you are on the mend. Hugs and prayers, my Penderpal! 🤗 ♥️💗

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    • Thanks so much, Mae. I’m pretty glad about all those things, too, and really looking forward to the day when I can get back to life as normal around here. Blogging, writing, gardening, nature talks, and other things that I haven’t been able to keep up with too well.

      So far, I’m still feeling VASTLY improved, and am looking forward to my recheck with the doctor. Hope he’ll be happy, too!

      And thanks for the hugs and prayers, as well, my Penderpal! I appreciate every one of them! 😀 ❤

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    • Thanks! I’m 99% sure it’s gone, Kass, and that makes me happy, even though I’m left to deal with the damage it did to my heart. But if it remained, it would continue doing more damage, so having it go away is a great thing! And with my doctor’s help, I think we’ll be able to manage my heart issue pretty well. Can’t wait to confirm this with him on my recheck!

      In the meantime, please stay healthy and SAFE, my friend! 😀 ❤

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