My day in the Emergency Room

Well, I had quite the eventful Friday.

I woke up feeling fine - nothing out of the ordinary. Exhausted, as usual, but ready to get the day at work over so I could enjoy the weekend. However, after about an hour or so at work, my jaw started hurting. This was strange and random, but didn't seem to be anything besides a toothache. I kept wondering about it though, and at the same time started feeling a little funny. I decided that getting some water might help so got up and headed to the office kitchen. On the way there all of a sudden my heart started racing, I started feeling really faint and dizzy, short of breath, chilly but sweaty, and had to sit down as soon as I got to the kitchen so that I wouldn't faint. I was skaky afterwards and didn't quite know if I should be concerned at all. For about 15 minutes or so my heart kept beating fast, I was shaking and freezing but sweating, but was sitting at my desk thinking "I'm ok. This is nothing." Then my heart started racing again - so I called the office manager on my phone and she decided to take me somewhere to get checked out.

On the way we ended up getting a fire truck to pull over and check me out. They did an EKG, took my blood pressure and checked my blood sugar level. All seemed to be pretty normal (and of course, by this time my heart had started beating at a normal speed and I was feeling less shaky). So we drove back to the office and I was left to decide what I should do. So, since I have no idea when something might be serious and I hate to be one to overreact, I called my cardiologist. The doctor was out but a nurse was in, and after she consulted with a doctor, told me I should go to the ER to get it checked out because an EKG wouldn't necessarily pick up on anything going wrong. And she went ahead and made an appointment for me on Monday morning.

I called Kyle and he met me at the hospital. By the time I got there I was feeling mostly normal, just a little shaky still and a bit freaked out. I forget sometimes how bad it felt until I remember driving around in the car, praying to God to keep me safe and alive. I really felt that bad and that scared. Kyle got there and it was all I could do to hold back my tears from being scared and by myself - and he sat there with me for the couple of hours while they took blood and x-rays until we got a room. Once I got into a room they made me put on a hospital gown, hooked me up to oxygen, hooked me up to a heart rate monitor, and gave me a couple of blankets because I was freezing. We sat there for awhile watching TLC on the TV and just chatting. Kyle was such a good sport - even though I know it wasn't his idea of the perfect Friday afternoon. We watched my heart rate, but the more I laid there and relaxed, the more normal and consistent my heart rate became. The doctor came in and told me they believe it was a certain kind of palpitation that can often cause those symptoms and seem really scary - many people do faint, because they get really freaked out with what is happening. They sent me home with instructions of what to do if it happens again, told me to come back if it happened again and lasted longer than 15 minutes, and gave me a 24-hour heart monitor to wear:




Now, all I have to do is wait and see what the cardiologist says. I know it will be something along the lines of "well, everything seems fine now. If it happens again, let us know." It's good to hear that - and yet frustrating, because you know that the heart palpitations will never be recorded - they will be over before I would be able to get to any EKG monitor. And it's good to hear that - but also frustrating because of how SCARY what happened felt. If that is something that is just going to happen, isn't dangerous, and I just have to live with it - how will I ever know if I'm actually having some kind of cardiac arrest rather than just these palpitations? I'll just have to not worry about it.

The only thing I can think that caused this would be all the stress I have put myself under lately. I decided to take Saturday off and relax - which I did, for the most part, except for studying 4 hours because I simply could not take the day off of studying. And then today was back in the full swing of things - I've been going nonstop all day, getting things done I had to do. I don't know how to relax right now - it's just not possible. I just need prayer - and right now, I really pray the cardiologist can tell me something more.

On a very random note - my sister and her husband spent Friday afternoon in the exact same ER as Kyle and I did - and we never knew it. They got there probably right around the time we were moving to my own room, and by the time we left they had moved to a private room. My brother-in-law was really sick, and my sister was taking care of him. (You can read her account here) I had called her on my way to the hospital, but she didn't pick up, and when she called back they were already taking my blood at the hospital. So I decided not to worry her since I knew Kyle was on his way, and I would just call her if it was something serious. Now I wish I had - they were probably only a few feet away from us for several hours! Not a good day for our family... but praise God we are all OK!

It's been awhile...

I'm definitely in the middle of busy season for my life. Each day I make a To Do list, and I'm happy if I can cross out half of it. I need to somehow take a deep breath, quit stressing over how much I have to do, and ENJOY it.

This past weekend was Easter - what a great holiday. I had the chance to drive down to my parents house Friday night, spend some good time with best friends and my parents, and then down to Kyle's parent's house and spend time with his family.

At the risk of sounding corny, it's amazing how much more you grow to appreciate and enjoy time spent with your family as you get older. I was able to go to the park with my mom, walk around with her, and just enjoy the beautiful weather with the woman I admire more than anyone else. It was 4 years ago at this time of year when she had her stroke and had to spend several weeks at Warm Springs recovering and learning to walk again. I never want to relive that spring again, but I will never forget that Easter - we visited her and went to the Easter service at the chapel on the premises. Until then, I never fully appreciated preachers who spend time at small chapels like that - where there isn't a consistent congregation, but there are people who need that refreshment more than anyone else. We spent time outside - it was another Easter with beautiful weather - and cherished the life God had continued to gift us with more than any other Easter. What better time is there to celebrate life than on the day we are celebrating Jesus' resurrection. And praise God that now, four years later, we can still enjoy that life together.

"Christ the Lord is risen today - Hallelujah!"

Study study

I have been so busy lately, I can barely keep up with everything. All of my days are filled to the brim with studying, working, working out, and buying a house. I'm studying before work, during work, after work, and I must say it has been the toughest to study for this test than either of the two before.

For those of you who don't know about the actuarial exam process - here's a quick overview. I am working to become a certified FCAS, a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society. There are two actuary societies, but my job is in the Property & Casualty field, so that is the path I am on. I have a total of 9 tests to take, of which I have passed the first two already - both on the first try, with good scores. The third test is split into two parts and I decided to only concentrate on one of the parts this May, because I knew I'd be so busy with the other huge life-changing events in my life. The portion I'm studying for is a 2 hour test and covers Financial Economics. Each test requires hours and hours and hours of studying (I'm not kidding here - at least an hour for each minute of the test), and the only way I can accomplish it is to set up a study schedule plan and stick to it. Luckily with my new job I receive paid study time. For example, this week I'm going to leave work two hours early on Wed. and Thurs. to study. I haven't had this before, but it is helping me a lot.

So this current test is only a 2 hour test, the shortest one I'll ever take. Why am I having such a hard time studying for it? It's not one of the most challenging. It's just that my mind is in a million different places. I'm typically pretty good at focusing, but not right now. It has become a real challenge. But hey - I don't doubt my ability to plan a wedding, buy a house, train for a 10k, AND pass a test. But by the time our honeymoon rolls around and I am done with all of those milestones - I will be enjoying MUCH needed rest as I lounge by the beach. Only 122 more days... well, 123 more till the honeymoon.

And on that note - off to bed I go. I must wake up at 5:45 so I can study for an hour and a half before work. Yes, that is the life of an actuarial student. Anyone want to join me???

House Hunters

In honor of one of my current favorite TV shows to watch, HGTV's House Hunters, here is our very own version. We looked at houses all day last Saturday, and went back to our favorite three on Wed. night. Which one will we choose??? Here they are, in the order we very first saw them last Saturday:

House #1:









PROS: Renovated kitchen. Slightly bigger rooms than the other houses. Nice curb appeal. Separate laundry room (although it still needs to be finished). Deck out back.

CONS: Bathroom has been renovated, but it's ugly. Wood paneled walls. Really small living space. Many little details need to be fixed and changed.



HOUSE #2:









PROS: Great character. Entryway into house. Vaulted ceilings. Gorgeous fireplace with gas logs. Best pricetag. Perfect bathroom - big for houses of this size. Larger living area. Good size kitchen

CONS: Older kitchen. Steep driveway. Less curb appeal. No laundry room.


HOUSE 3:









PROS: Garage. Extra half bath in master. Large living area. Good curb appeal. New appliances in kitchen. Laundry room (except that it is in what used to be coat closet). Deck out back.

CONS: Not much character. Steep driveway. Kitchen needs updating. Full bath needs updating (and is very small).



Which one will it be???

I'll tell you after we make an offer and its accepted... until, I'm not going to jinx it!

Congratulations Erin and Chuck!

One of my best friends and a pseudo-sister of mine got married this past weekend. Erin and Chuck were married on Feb. 29, Leap Day 2008 :) They are both in the Air Force, and Erin is being deployed this summer (also meaning she will not be able to be at my wedding... huge bummer) so they decided to get married before she left. They are both stationed in Alaska and had the ceremony up there, so the only people that made it were their parents and Air Force friends up there. I'm really sad to have missed it, but they will be having a ceremony and celebration next year after she returns - and we will all get to be involved! Here are a couple of pictures from their wedding:


The happy couple - and I will note that, while I didn't get to participate in this wedding or help her shop or plan, I WAS there when she bought the shoes she wore. I helped convince her they were really cute and I bought a pair myself in a different color. I know you can't see the shoes in this picture, but it made me feel as if I was able to participate somehow in the wedding... I'm strange, I know.


Here we are at the wedding - a picture really isn't good enough though :( But we were there in spirit and in prayer!

WE LOVE YOU ERIN! And welcome to the family, Chuck :)

another running milestone

2.25 miles this morning. AND I woke up at 8:00 am on a Saturday morning just to run before my busy Saturday gets going. More than a third of the way to 6.2 miles...

Now if I could just get rid of this sickness that keeps coming and going. I still have a sore throat and a cough and my head starts to hurt now and then. I'm ready to be 100% healthy again!