The past two weeks...not in El Salvador--March 10-26

Let me see...how to catch up?
It has been an unexpected past two weeks...certainly not a serendipity, which is a happy surprise.
   Our previous two posts tell about Jen & Jerry coming to visit us from Friday, February 28 to March 7.  We had a wonderful time.

On Friday, February 28th, we had been at our apartment with the Brewer family just an hour when Walt and Jerry were talking in the kitchen.
Jen was getting the kids settled in and organizing the suitcases.
I was scurrying around the kitchen getting the homemade stew heated up.

Jerry said: "How beautiful the  temple is and how nice this temple president's apartment is."

"Yes, the Church takes very good care of us," Walt replied, adding "We thank you and Jen and all the...." and he couldn't get the word out he wanted. 

He later said "I was trying to say "tithepayers" (of the Church whose donations help build these beautiful temples and temple president's homes and apartments) but the word would not come out.

Jerry said "He kinda stuttered and couldn't say the word."

When Walt was able to talk again in a few minutes, he and Dr. Brewer realized he had just had a TIA (transient ischemic attack, also known as a minor stroke).
"A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is like a stroke, producing similar symptoms, but usually lasting only a few minutes and causing no permanent damage. Often called a mini stroke, a transient ischemic attack may be a warning. About 1 in 3 people who have a transient ischemic attack eventually has a stroke, with about half occurring within a year after the transient ischemic attack.
A transient ischemic attack can serve as both a warning and an opportunity — a warning of an impending stroke and an opportunity to take steps to prevent it."

Within 5-10 minutes Walt was over this, but it took him about 30 minutes to feel normal again.

Walt called his cardiologist right away, who said he should come in Monday for an Echocardiogram to see if this had been caused by a blood clot somewhere.
"We're going to be at the Copan Honduras Ruins with our family Monday and Tuesday," Walt explained, adding "And Wednesday and Thursday we will be at the beach."

So the cardiologist had Walt come in the next day--Saturday, March 1 after our 4:00 to 11:30 a.m. shift at the temple.  The Echo did not show a blood clot but it did show an enlarged aortic root.

     (...I need to help Walt...will be back to finish this post.)
Since I didn't get back to this on Wednesday, March 26, I'll continue in our Sunday, March 30, post.