Hello All!

Boy, it’s been quite a while since my last update! Thank you for your continued prayers. I am so much more mobile, with increased stamina over what I had just a few months ago! Thank you, Lord!

My update entails three new changes:

1. I’ve been asked by the LVAD Team at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento to help train firefighters and paramedics (first responders) on how to assist LVAD patients in distress.

I’m their show-n-tell subject ! LOL. I caution what to do and not to do when they meet up with one of us LVAD folk in the field. We no longer have a heartbeat, and a blood pressure reading is very difficult to find. Compressions would be a logical step for a typical person; however, for an LVAD patient, such a procedure could dislodge the LVAD and cause death. So I share what to do instead. Stuff like that …

So fun! Glen tells everyone that I am now “on tour.” 

2. Can you believe it has been almost two years since my final chemo infusion?? There was that year of cancer, a year of heart failure, and a year of recovery. How time flies.

This coming August, if I continue to stay in remission, I can be assessed to see if I qualify for a heart transplant. That would entail numerous trips to the cardiac hospital at UCSF. It involves tests and questionnaires. If I’m a viable candidate, I would get added to a waiting list, and then wait for a match … quite an involved process.

Lots to consider. Not sure I’m up for another major surgery and recovery process. Prayers are appreciated as we ponder whether to go down the heart transplant road.

All testimonies are welcome, good or bad. Email or text me please!

3. I’m finally near the end of my cardiac rehab sessions. As I mentioned in an earlier post, rehab is like a regular gym but for heart patients. We place electrodes on various parts of our body so the staff can monitor our vitals as we exercise. We’re always being watched, and for good reason!

Cardiac patients range from those who have had stents put in, mitral valves replaced, bypass surgery, aortic valve surgery, etc. It is amazing to consider all of the parts of the heart, and the various treatments that are available!  

The common denominator for all of us is that we’ve been given a second chance at life. Everyone seems grateful, but many of us, understandably, deal with depression. 

A fellow patient “J” (who I must congratulate for “graduating” out of cardiac rehab) commiserated that the care for his endless health issues takes up time and effort. He put it so succinctly: “sometimes it feels like a full time job with little time for anything else”.  He’s not wrong. 

This season many of you have weathered various storms of life, deep losses of loved ones, physical and emotional challenges, and unexpected circumstances.

I wanted to include and copy an article I hope you find encouraging. It’s from the group, The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative ( https://elimindset.com ).

I’m so grateful for you as you kept me strong and grounded during my various storms. We really need one another. Your prayers, and God Himself, sustains me daily (and most times hourly).

May you experience His joy, His love, and His strength this day!

Psalm 73:26 - "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." 

So much love,

Karen

Texts: 530-848-8607

Email: karenfnielsen@gmail.com