A NURSE THAT ROCKS!

This September I will be 60 years old. Just saying that out loud and typing it out, it doesn’t seem possible or real. I surely don’t feel 60 and I guess that is a good thing. I am a 20-year-old trapped in a 60-year-old body!! However, my body is showing signs that it is reaching 60 years old. I have never abused my body with drugs, smoking, or excessive alcohol use. But I have damaged it with food over the years, not eating healthy or just eating too much, along with other factors like a sedentary lifestyle for the most part have plugged my heart arteries.

So this past March for the second time in my life I had heart issues and had another stent put in at the St. Cloud Hospital. I thank God for modern technology and medicine, it is amazing what they can do.

 And again after the stent was put in, I have had to go through cardiac rehab at the Madison Hospital. It’s something I really don’t want to do or take the time to do, but know that it is necessary to do to be healthy. Three years ago when I got my first stent I quit cardiac rehab.

So this time my cardiac rehab nurse Marissa Stahl of the Madison Health Care Services and I have spent the last three months together in the rehab room, three times a week strengthening my heart and getting in shape and talking about how to be healthy. I must admit I really didn’t want to do this, and after the first couple of sessions wanted to quit. I wanted to quit because I didn’t want to take the time out of my schedule to do this. I’m too busy, I had more important things to do, I didn’t see the importance of it, I thought it a waste of time. Excuses excuses!

But I thank Marissa for encouraging me, and working with me and really just giving me an ear to listen to my struggles when it comes to trying to lose weight and exercising. Most of you know me pretty well and I like to talk and during walking on the treadmill, or riding the (hated) bike or the elliptical seated bike I just talked her ear off, I think she needs a medal for just listening to me.

But each day I walked into the rehab room she always had a smile and a happy greeting for me. She made the hour or so with me interesting and fun, we would always watch the tv show The Chew, which I had never seen before cardiac rehab, it’s a show about food and cooking of all things, but it was fun to watch. As the days went along I always felt better walking out the door and I felt good about myself about what I was accomplishing.

When I finished my last session, Marissa had a small graduation ceremony for me, presenting me with a cardiac rehab t shirt, and a certificate of completion, but the best part was she took my picture, and I get it put up on the cardiac rehab graduation board with the others that graduated too. I might be the youngest one up on the board, youngest being just about 60!

I take that back, the best part of my graduation ceremony was getting a hug from Marissa and telling me that I did a great job! She’s a nurse that rocks!

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