December Doldrums · 9:10pm January 6th
Hey, all. Sorry for the silence through December, but unfortunately, right after Thanksgiving, my father started suffering from cardiac issues. He tried to hold out for a few days, but eventually my uncle and I convinced him to go to the hospital. Our instincts were right: he had intense tachycardia due to atrial fibrillation (when the atrium of the heart is not beating in rhythm with the rest of the heart). Dad had to spend ten days in the hospital until they gave him a cardiac conversion that got his whole heart back in rhythm, and fortunately that conversion is still holding two weeks later. Unfortunately, my father also has interstitial lung disease, and the whole episode with his heart has reduced his (already diminishing) lung capacity. He’s now on oxygen 24/7, albeit in low amounts, but it’s a major change from when he just needed oxygen when he was walking around.
So as you can guess, I didn’t really focus on any pony writing that much this month. The first half of the month was basically me preparing for the worst and trying to figure out how to proceed should my father pass away during his cardiac troubles. I really couldn’t bring myself to write while all these concerns were filling my head, and it was honestly only my deep devotion to Jinglemas that even let me whip up a story by Christmas Eve. I probably should’ve just asked Shakespearicles to put a Breezie on the story, but I guess I was equal parts stubborn and equal parts needing something to keep my mind on other than my father’s health problems. Fortunately, I’m happy with the end result (as were many readers as well) and can feel good that something beneficial came out of this month’s madness.
I’m going to do another Goals and Update post later talking about my plans for the year, but I just wanted to let you guys know what was happening and why the relative radio silence this past month.
I’m sorry to hear that your father was having medical issues. I know that can really weigh on a person, especially this time of year. Just remember you have friends here to talk to and who support you. Take care of yourself and please keep us posted.
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Thank you!