Do You Feel Lucky?

Well do ya, Punk?!

Famous words from Dirty Harry.

This is a "more about me" post.

And it might not be as funny 

as you were hoping.

But it's true.

And I hope it makes you think.

It sure made me think.

I can have a pity party with the best of 'em.

Things in my life haven't gone...

well let's just say as planned. 

 But life is good.  

And sometimes we need a

"slap upside the head" to remind us.

Yesterday I had to take

Frank the Guinea Pig to the vet.

I am basically allergic to anything furry.

Including Frank.

The short story is that Frank is fine.

He got a shot in his bony little derriere.

I got a face full of Frankie fur.

And my eyes were watery and swollen up.
 One eye was swollen shut.
My husband called me
"Popeye"

I had taken the day off of work.

I was going to have a fun ME day.

I didn't get to do any of the things I was planning.

I also missed a staff party
we were having

where I work.

But,

my dearest friend and co-worker

brought me a plate of goodies

and didn't make fun of the way I looked.

The swelling had gone down but trust me

I looked like I'd been drinking for a week!

About five years ago

(or was it four? - I'm sure it wasn't three...)

this same friend suffered from

a Pulmonary Embolism.

I told her she had Pleurisy

That's the kind of swell friend I am.

Turns out she went to the ER

because the pain from breathing was too much to handle.

They put her on blood thinners and kept her a week.

The short story again is,  she is fine.

Ten months later

suffering from what I thought 

was an asthma issue

I was extremely short of breath. 

I almost passed out twice at home.

Thinking it was asthma

my daughter drove me to the ER.

Turns out, I was extremely anemic.  

They were going to give me some blood and send me home.

But, the ER Doc said, "This doesn't feel right.  Let's do one more test."

They did a CAT scan.

I had a Pulmonary Embolism.

And again, the short story is,

after blood thinners and a weeks stay

I went home.  I was fine.

The gloaming.

I read this Saturday on YAHOO:

What causes pulmonary embolism and how serious is it? Pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot lodges in the lungs, a potentially life-threatening situation. Typically the clot forms in blood vessels in the leg, pelvis, arms or heart. If the clot comes from the arms or legs, it’s described as deep venous thrombosis. The clot then floats through the bloodstream to the lungs, passing through vessels until it gets stuck in one of them, 
obstructing blood flow like a clogged pipe. According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 200,000 Americans suffer pulmonary embolism (PE) each year, 
and nearly one-third of them die.

My friend and I?

We are the two thirds.

We are the very, very lucky

two thirds.

So yeah.

I feel lucky.

Punk!