Adventures, Stuff, and Status Quo

I was on the road this weekend, and it was fun to be playing the road warrior again. Its been awhile since I've had a little road trip. This past Friday after work hungry and I got in the car and headed down to St. Lawrence College in Kingston. This was where the Embroiderer's Association of Canada was holding seminar this year. I wasn't going down to attend any classes but to help out my friend Ann who moved her entire shop there on Tuesday to set up as a boutique. Boy at times we were soooo busy that you needed two hands running things. Ann and I had lots of fun, camping out in her motor home in the parking lot at night. Actually we were wayyy too tired to have fun... just sleep! I'm always happy to help out Ann, and I enjoyed myself.

Now onto "Stuff" some of my regular blog readers might remember this post from October 2008. When I got home from Kingston on Sunday I felt good and full of energy, and decided to go outside for a 10K run. It was just too nice to be indoors staring at the wall on a treadmill. Todd wasn't home and my cell phone battery was dead, I left Todd a note and went out. I had done this same run on Wednesday evening so really didn't think twice about doing it. About 20 minutes into my run I started breaking out in hives (again no big deal, I just do that form time to time, sometimes when exercising... sometimes when not. Something we've never been able to pinpoint.). I decided okay better turn around and start walking home. Not too long after this I wasn't feeling great at all, thought maybe I wasn't breathing properly, and decided to sit on some rocks at the end of a driveway (imagine gravel country road, houses aren't on top of each other). This was when I started to realize I was in trouble, I was having trouble seeing, focusing, really even just thinking. What came to my mind was my episode in October, that it was going to happen here on a back road, no one is around, and I don't have me cell phone to call for help.

I think someone must of been watching over me on Sunday, a woman happened to pull into the driveway I was stopped at, to use her cell phone. At least that's what I think remember. I know I wasn't sure if I really saw the car or not, things were bright white. I must of walked around to the driver's side of the car to ask for help to get home. Poor woman, I passed out on her, fell right to the ground! I know she got me in her car, and I was lucid enough to tell her my address and describe my house. She did get me to my house, when she pulled in the drive she asked me if this was my house. I didn't know! Everything was white, with vague shadows, I recall saying to her if its got a reddish roof and a blue car yes. Between the car and my front door I know I passed out at least two more times, maybe three. I know at one point in the driveway I used her cell phone to call Todd, my luck it went to his voicemail. My good Samaritan got me into my house but I couldn't get up the stairs, I know I passed out one more time just sitting on my bottom step. I was having trouble breathing, my lungs were wheezing with each breath. It was after this that I asked her to call me an ambulance. I had no clue when Todd would get my message, and it wasn't fair to ask this lady to get me to the hospital. I found it harder to get lucid than my first episode in October, and at this point felt like I wouldn't stop passing out.

Todd did get my message and got home shortly before the ambulance... if timing had been better I would of had him get me to the hospital. I know when they got there that my blood pressure was very low, I was given oxygen and taken to the hospital.

While at the hospital we went through the same series of questions and an ECG like last time. They did spare me the blood work this time. Once my blood pressure was back to normal and I seemed stable enough (about 10PM, this all happened sometime around 6PM) I was released. I have to say the doctor I saw in the ER was great. I left the hospital with an prescription for an Epi Pen and an inhaler, since we're not sure if the problem is an allergic reaction, or asthma related its safer to have both. Yesterday morning I took a sick day from work and I was very surprised when the phone rang and it was the ER doctor to let me know I had an appointment the next day (today) with an Internalist. Wow! I'm impressed with this doctor!

So the long and the short of it is... my October episode wasn't a fluke, something isn't right. The doctor I saw this morning (the Internalist), is looking into my heart. I was born with a mummer and apparently it can still be heard, so on Thursday I'm being hooked up to a 24-hour heart monitor, later in June I'm going for an Echo cardiogram. Also on Thursday I've got an appointment with my physician to update her on the situation. Friday morning, I've got an appointment with my allergist (I was on the phone a lot on Monday calling my health care team), he possibly suspects "exercised induced anaphalaxis" ... yup its what you think it is "allergic to exercise" google it, it does exist! So hopefully with all these doctors and specialists on my side we can figure out why this has happened to me twice, what I can do to prevent it and still remain active.

Scary eh?

Finally "Status Quo" yup that's what it was at the scale tonight. Still no change in my weight! But then my eating habits were not normal this weekend so I guess I should be happy with that.

Oh yeah, here's Blackstone Fantasy Garden as of bedtime tonight!