August Threw Me a Curveball
My August included a two-week stay in the hospital. I was having trouble breathing when I walked, although I was fine when sitting still. I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. High blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs, which makes the right side of the heart work harder. It is related to my COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. Interstitial lung disease contributes as well, and lupus contributes to the ILD.
It came on slowly over a couple of weeks, but I just thought I was tired and needed more sleep. Then one day, I could barely make it to the kitchen and had a hypoxic anxiety attack.
During that same time, I was slowly losing my appetite. Prescription side effects were causing several gastrointestinal issues, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Between the loss of appetite and the GI problems, I became underweight and malnourished. It was further complicated by the specific dietary requirements I have because of a previous Roux-en-Y surgery to control the acid reflux that was damaging my lungs.
The doctors wanted to feed me through an NG tube. After three days of monitoring my food intake, though, I convinced the nutritionist that I could maintain a healthy diet at home on my own. I was released on August 24—the very day the procedure was scheduled! 🙏🙏🙏
Creating with ChatGPT… From a Hospital Bed
While hospitalized, I worked on the materials for The Creative Gathering. All I had was my phone. I used ChatGPT to create the banner, invitations, countdown images, album covers, and inspirational quotes. It did a great job overall, but apparently some of my instructions were lacking! 😂
I asked for watercolor splatter effects, and it gave me little flower shapes. In fact, on the banner, even the oil paint looks like little flowers—I never mentioned flowers! For the countdown and albums, I asked it to keep the same design and change only the number. But the backgrounds in the countdown images ended up completely different. It was even more noticeable in the album covers. As I went along, the colors became darker and muddier, and the images became more pixelated and “piecey.”
Creating all 31 album covers was very time-consuming. It actually would have been quicker for me to do them in Photoshop. Once I have a design worked out, changing the numbers and saving each album cover takes about ten minutes.
Still, I am very grateful I had the option to get the materials completed. I even started the countdown on time! 🤣😆🙏
Where the Gathering Took Me
For the challenge itself, I decided abstract art would be a good place to start. I thought it would take some of the stress out of creating something every day. I began with watercolor. As always, I veered off in other directions. My graphics background definitely showed up in about half of my pieces.
Digital collage and digital art continue to draw me in. So often, I start a mixed-media piece with something particular in mind. But I have absolutely no idea how to make it work. I have to experiment and research—and how do you research something when you don’t even know what it’s called? 🤣😆
It often takes several tries before I finally get a piece to work the way I want. But each one teaches me something new, and that makes the struggle exciting and fulfilling. I think that is true for most artists.
I was really surprised to discover that I like just about every piece I created this month. Half of them made it onto my favorites list! I don’t think that has ever happened before. I can honestly say that even the “duds” have at least one redeeming quality. 😆
And Now… My Challenge Is to Eat
My “job” has been to eat and gain weight. I gained a little at the end of August. I’ve been eating every two hours or so—three meals & three snacks a day. I’m even getting up early enough to have a snack before breakfast. (And I am a night owl!)
I’m now just three pounds away from my former base weight. I won’t mind gaining a little more, either. Having a cushion would be a good thing. Just in case I have to be admitted to the hospital again.
This month, I’ll be catching up on some much-needed rest. I had a dozen appointments last month—some of them home visits, along with PT and wellness checks. A few were in Phoenix (An hour and a half away). Those are all-day events, and especially tiring.
Whew! Hello, October! 😆
