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| Female impala at the Crocodile River. |
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
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| Note how the kudus chew from side to side. Cute. |
In the latter part of January, we took a drive to the Crocodile River to search for wildlife and visited Kruger National Park. I can’t believe how time has flown and that so much has transpired.
Life can change on a dime, and ours certainly has over the past few months. We haven’t dined on the veranda in almost two weeks when I was still recovering from the bypass surgery when Tom had to push the chair in for me. Now, I am not allowed to go onto the veranda since its too far a walk from the sofa or the bedroom.
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| Saddle-billed stork at the river’s edge. |
At that time, I hadn’t come to a point when I could sit at the big table for hours watching our wildlife friends stop by to see what was on the menu. It was too uncomfortable at the time.
But, now, other than my painful legs still on the mend and the fact I always have to have my feet up, I could easily sit at that table for hours, driven to the Crocodile River many times, and spent a day driving in Kruger National Park.
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| An Egyptian goose in the sand with a waterbuck in the background. |
At times, I think the diversion of my legs healing took the focus off the rest of my body, and suddenly I have no pain other than in my legs and an occasional twinge in my chest when moving too abruptly, wearing a seatbelt or twisting in an awkward position.
If it weren’t for wearing this VAC device on my left leg, I’d have no trouble sleeping on my side once again, as opposed to on my back which is necessary at this time in an attempt to keep my feet above the level of my heart.
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| Certainly, giraffes may tire of standing on those long legs all day, and a short rest is appropriate. |
And my heart? It continues to beat evenly and consistently leaving me free of stress or worry that “something is wrong.” Occasionally, bypass patients have many trips to an emergency room when their heartbeats irregularly or pulse becomes seriously fast.
It’s hard not to become frightened when such situations occur after bypass surgery which may transpire for many months or even years after this major surgery. II hope has surpassed those aftereffects that frequently occurred during the eight days I spent in ICU.
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| Impalas are beautiful with the symmetry of their markings. |
My heart is strong and healthy. It’s my arteries that are bad, not only those that were bypassed but many of the vital veins that flow through the chest cavity sending oxygen to my entire body.
How I made it through the first almost 71 years of my life without a single cardiac event, considering the awful state of my arteries, is fantastic to the doctors and me. In my case, the heredity factors are everything. There’s nothing I can do to change this situation.
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| A rare visit from male impalas in the garden. |
On March 29, the cardiac, thoracic surgeon explained to both Tom and me that the bypass surgery was a temporary “fix.” The disease continues. In as little as two years, I could be facing the same outcome as of late.
Worry about this or not? I choose not. I can become obsessed with diet and massive amounts of exercise but there is nothing that I can do that will change these facts…the heredity factor is stronger than any potential lifestyle changes.
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| Little’s Friend…his tusks are tinier than Little’s. |
I already consume a healthy diet, and usually, I’m very active. I don’t smoke, drink in excess or have a lot of stress in my day to day life. Well, not until most recently, worrying about the insurance company not paying the hospital bill. We still await an answer.
Our dear friend Kathy arrived in Marloth Park yesterday and stopped by for a delightful visit this morning. It was such fun to chat with her as its been with Lynne and Uschi who’ve also visited this week. Such good friends. We are blessed in many ways.
Hopefully, before we depart Marloth Park in 33 days, we’ll have an opportunity to drive to the Crocodile River, throughout the park and even take one last trip into Kruger. We’ll see how it goes.
May your day and new week feel blessed and fulfilling.
Photo from one year ago today, April 8, 2018:
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| We put an egg on the ground, but she showed no interest when the lizard hurried past it. It appears they were trying to determine if it was worth tackling the bird feeder for a treat. For more photos, please click here. |