Gee...THAT was fun

NOT! This weekend we had plans to go to a costume party remember? Yeah, well, didn't happen! What I did not mention in my blog Saturday morning was that Thursday night I had a little "episode". Have I ever told you I'm a complete hypochondriac? Well, I am and I excuse it as hereditary. Thank you Maude! I can't help it it's in my genes... Truly, I don't think I'm a hypochondriac so much as a worry wort. I build mountains out of molehills. Which is neither here nor there right now. Thursday night I felt kinda yucky, so I went to bed at 8pm. That didn't last long, because laying down made me feel a whole lot worse. I was having these shooting pains from my heart. I poo-poo'd it at first. Then it got bad enough that I got nauseous and broke out in a sweat. I started getting short of breath and just a touch scared. Scared enough that I got up and went out to the couch with Jon and Sam in the living room...NOT scared enough to get the kids out of bed and go to the emergency room, possibly missing work Friday. I DO realize that sounds ridiculous now, but at the time it seemed totally rational I promise. I mean really, I work ONE day a week, if I cannot make it to work ONE DAY in a week what is the point of keeping me on? So I felt like I HAD to go to work Friday...then of course all you mom's out there know the only thing worse than taking the kids with you to the emergency room when YOU'RE sick is getting them out of a sound sleep to do so. SO...I suffered silently. Jon knew I didn't feel good and asked several times if we needed to go to the ER. I just kept putting on my brave face and saying "No, I'm fine." I was SURE Friday when I got up I'd feel just FINE!
Friday, I got up and went to work like everything was hunky dory. Everyone at work could tell I wasn't feeling well, but I was darned if I'd leave early and besides...the kids had trick or treat that night and Mom and James were coming into town. Mind you Friday was better than Thursday night. The shooting pains were gone. My chest just felt really tight and I was freaked out about the prior evenings event. So, again I suffered silently. I, of course, never even told Jon that I didn't feel well. I pulled my typical "I'm fine". I made it uneventfully through Friday, but by the time I went to bed that night I was completely paranoid that I'd had a mild heart attack. Unfortunately, I'm also paranoid about being a hypochondriac...so I REALLY didn't want to tell anyone I thought there was something wrong with my heart!!!! Anyway, I went to bed Friday night thinking SURELY when I woke up Saturday I'd feel FINE DARNIT!!
Well, by about 10am Saturday, my back felt tight too. I finally told Katie all about it and then Mom, who said "Call your Doctor and ask her what she wants you to do". So I did and of course my Doctor wanted me to go to the ER because I have high blood pressure (mild) and she said we weren't going to mess around with it.
So, I went. I could make a REALLY long story just long at this point but I won't. We dropped the kids off at Bobby's house and boy when you say "chest pains" St. Annes Hospital does not PLAY!! They ran an ekg on me in about ten minutes flat. That looked ok, but they weren't done. They put me on a bunch of monitors for my heart, my blood pressure, my pulse...and oh Yeah! Let's not forget my favorite...THE IV. I've had many IV's in my life, because I've had many kids...this was far and away the most uncomfortable IV I've ever had. It was just barely under the surface of my arm and literally you could see the needle under my skin. I felt the whole time like that sucker was going to pop out the other end or just rip my arm right open. The funny part was when we told the nurse (Big, loud, funny black woman) that Jon had to leave while she did it. She laughed and said "scared of needles huh?" Then she looked at his hands and said" Wow, you got GREAT veins. You want me to stick you too?" She was practically salivating at the idea of poking Jon with an IV needle. It as hysterical!
So before long they informed me that with my permission they wanted to keep me on the heart monitor overnight and check my blood every 6 hours. So, Jon left and picked up the kids and brought them back to see me. I smiled and said "I'm fine" and when they left as soon as they were out of sight I bawled like a baby. They did stop at the store and bring me some contraband candy and a Bible to read (thanks hon). Thank the Lord for the candy because they fed me a cardiac unit dinner. UGH! NO SALT AT ALL! It was disgusting, I realize that I do go a bit heavy on the salt but I'm SURE God never intended using none!!! They did give me cranberry juice though which I love and rarely buy because it's expensive. So that was a little treat/blessing! Another blessing was that Katie and Johnny came by to see me. That really lifted my spirits and I'll be eternally grateful that God gifted me with a friend like Katie. I don't deserve her!
I had a terrible time trying to get to sleep with that stupid IV in my arm, so the nurse gave me a sleeping pill around 11:30pm. Then at 4am they woke me up to take blood for the third time, but not the last! I slept fitfully after that until around 7am. Then I ate my cardiac unit breakfast (did I mention UGH) and met with their staff cardiologist. He told me that he'd seen all my stuff (my terminology not his) and he was certain it was not a heart attack. Good news right? I thought so. He said Thursday night's episode sounded very much like I possibly had some swelling of the membrane that surrounds the heart, which is not serious or uncommon. The best thing to do if that happens again is take an aspirin and don't worry about it. Wow, I wonder if that's easy to say. "Oh...your heart hurts? AW, just take an aspirin and don't worry, be happy!!" He thought the chest and back tightness were completely separate issues and were probably only related to Thursday night by anxiety. He also told me that my blood work indicated that my potassium levels were "alarmingly low". Which is why since I started taking my blood pressure medicine I've had muscle soreness. I thought it was just dehydrating me. I'd noticed it but just kept ignoring that too (because I know everyone thinks I'm a hypochondriac). So, now I have to take a potassium supplement everyday. But, my heart is just fine.
So, today, they released me and we went to the grocery store. Then we came home and I put the groceries away, straightened the kitchen, took the Halloween decorations down to the basement and ran Liam's football gear over tothe rental unit to return it. Obviously, I'm feeling fine now. Just tired.
If I didn't call and tell you I was going to the hospital and you're upset with me please forgive me. I didn't even want to go much less alarm people about it. I was hoping it would be nothing and it was. I love you all!!