Freestyle Friday Texas Style

Well, I admit to being awfully negligent about posting here. I am a full time student and Mom though and after this blog post, I hope you will forgive me. You see, my first day of school I noticed that it hurt to walk short distances and my legs were swollen quite a bit. I thought it was due to a medication dosage upgrade so by Friday we had discarded the medication. My legs were still swollen and I was in awful pain. I went back on the medicine which happens to be a patch. I had some chest pain that I successfully ignored. So when I went into dizziness, sweating, nausea, and shortness of breath on Monday evening I went to the ER. My EKG was abnormal so they admitted me for observation. I had tests to see if my heart was damaged and thankfully there was no sign of heart attack or damage. So they ordered a chemical stress test next. This is fun stuff. They deprive you of food and water until time. They shot me up with a radioactive isotope and finally let me have water. I was strapped to a table while this apparatus took pictures for 11 minutes. You feel warm and fuzzy but otherwise nothing big. Then I went back to my room to wait for part two. After the Doc shows up they shoot you up with a vascular dialator that makes you feel awful. Headache, nausea, shortness of breath, and the entire time they are taking EKGs I think. The only good thing is that this stuff cycles throughout your body and is out in 5 minutes. This is a godsend because they want you to eat before part three. They shoot you up and send you back to eat breakfast. 'Egg' substitute, formed turkey sausage patty over spiced for flavor (read heartburn), soggy English muffin, and decaf coffee. I took a few bites and was ill. Part 3 was back to being strapped on the table for 9 ,more minutes of pictures. The nurse brought me a nutrigrain bar and honey but cheerios which I ate dry because of the heartburn. It took until after lunch to get heartburn meds. Here is my theory on hospital food. Breakfast is so absolutely nasty strategically. By the time lunch gets there you are so hungry that you almost don't care what it is. Lunch was the best meal of the days that I was a guest. Anyway, Wednesday evening brought good news. I have no blockages in my heart. The fluid went down thanks to hydrochlorothiazide. And GERD seems to be the major cause of my chest pain. Now, I have been chastised for going to the ER rather than waiting on the referrals to go outpatient. This was my 3rd abnormal EKG, my third bout with chest pain, & my first shortness of breath episode. My father and his Father had heart disease. My Grandfather died of a heart attack and my Dad died of complications of Congestive heart failure and kidney disease exacerbated by pneumonia this past October. My best friend had several massive heart attacks which was what took his life in 1998. I am a Mom & a Step Mom to four great boys. I owed this to them to be sure that my heart was working properly. I didn't like being admitted, missing classes, or being away from my husband and boys. Sometimes you have to use your head and follow your intuition. I promise my next post will be more upbeat! Stay healthy fair readers;