on 2*22*06

my guy (well, he's not "my" guy) was gonna come over last nite, but I forgot it was his best friend's birthday yesterday.  he said he go there for about an hour, then if he was okay to drive, he'd come over.  I didn't hear from him.  I hope he made the smart choice and went home. 

ugh.  today I go to the doctor.  I get my 24 hour monitor.  not looking forward to it.  I mean, I suppose I complained enough and that's why I'm getting it.  but, I have to figure out how to function with it.  I know.  that's stupid.  how will I work with it on?  how do I sleep with it on?  I mean, I know the doctor will explain what I can or can't do. 

my interview yesterday went quite well.  better than I expected, in fact.  supposedly they really like me.  my sister and her friend said they talked about me a lot.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

then, on 2*23*06

Okay.  I haven't died yet.  I had the monitor hooked up Wednesday morning, which consisted of a little brown box with 7 wires coming out of it.  Those 7 wires were hooked up to 7 round stickers that were attached to my sensitive skin on uncomfortable parts of my chest and stomach.  Then those 7 long wires were taped down to that same sensitive skin. 

When the nurse hooked up my monitor, at first it didn't work... it gave her an error message.  She joked that my heart had no beat.  Then she checked all the connections and it worked.  It does this trial test scan thing, showing my heart rate on the screen.  And every once in a while, it would go "wacko".  Kinda shocked her... but I couldn't feel a thing.  so I wonder, everything I have been feeling... what would those look like??

If I felt any heart flutters or pain, I was supposed to push the black button on the front, then write down on a piece of paper what I was doing at that moment.  I never pushed the button the whole day (I don't think)  I spent the whole day hoping I wouldn't accidentally bump the button, or lean on the button.  As the day wore on, I got used to the little brown box.  It felt more like a walk-man attached to my waist... not bad, I can handle this-- I thought.  About 4 hours later... I was losing my mind.  Every one of those 7 stickers was itching... I kept telling myself, it'll stop it'll stop... but it didn't.

Then that night, I lay in bed, on my back staring at the ceiling until I could no longer stand to stare... so I lay on my back, eyes closed, hoping and praying that the Sand-Man would find me and put me out of my misery...  He found me, but he had to make several trips to get me through the night. 

By 4:30 AM, I realized that no sleep was coming and I lay there, cold, staring at the ceiling once again.  8:00 AM came around ((finally)) and I sat up to attempt to slide out of bed.  At that moment I realized that the 3 pieces of tape, holding those 7 wires, were permanently (& painfully) attached to my skin.  I held on tight... grit my teeth... and climbed out of bed carefully.  I made the long 30 foot trek across the yard, to the house, to the bathroom and attempted to pull off the tape without pulling off my skin. 

I couldn't be happier when I got to the doctor's office.  I patiently waited my turn, so they could get the spider-like contraption off of me!!  Those 7 circles felt like that were permanently glued to my skin but I was so happy to get them off.  Then I went upstairs to the cardiologist... another wait in the waiting room, filling out forms, reading magazines... then it was my turn again.  I undressed (I'm starting to get used to being top-less around those nurses) & lay down on the bed-thing.  The she puts on 3 new round stickers... 3 new wires attached.  She put the ultrasound "wand" on my stomach  ((okay, isn't that supposed to be higher up??))  She told me to lie completely still and breathe normally.  So I did, she moved it around.  Then she says "There.  Okay."  What?  Was my heart missing?? 

Then she moves the wand to the top of my chest and asks me to breath in, hold it
...............................................................................................
okay, let go.  Then I turn on my side and she puts the wand in the middle of my chest and gets some readings... that was when it got weird.  A normal heart rate is anywhere from 60 bpm - 110 bpm.  My heart rate averages around 67-72 bmp.  But it doesn't stay there.  It fluctuates a lot... sometimes going to 84, then back down to 65, then up to 82 again, then down again, then up to 93, then down again to 64.  She asked if I could feel it... no.  ((I wonder.  When I do feel it, how high is that??)) She moved the wand to my left side, on my rib cage... she takes another reading, the same as before.  She said it's not cause for alarm since I still stay within the healthy range.  The doc will analyze that info and if anything more is needed they will let me know.

So I'm waiting for the MD to tell me the results of my Holter Monitor...
And I'm waiting for the cardiologist for the results of my echocardiogram...

Oh!  And my cardiologist?  He's the same guy my dad went to when I was in high school...15 years ago...

then on 2*26*06

So, my parents are gone ((yippee!)) 

Friday, after work... my guy and I were gonna get a hotel/motel room so we could spend time together without the bother of each other's families.  Neither know that we've been spending time together so it would break the calm and peace to explain it all.  He called me 2:30.  I called him 3:00.  He said to call back.  I called 3:30.  He asked about the hotel room idea, and I agreed.  He said he'd call at 6/7/8/9. 

I called him 8:30 when I got off work and left him a message that I was off already.  Then I called again at 9:15 that I hadn't gone home yet.  ((See, I knew my parents were already there and once I walked in the door, it would be very difficult to leave again... especially since I wouldn't be coming back until morning.))  He called me back about 6 minutes later that he had to work 4 am so he couldn't get the room.  =(  

So I went home...  I was up until midnight talking to my mom & dad since I haven't seen them since Christmas... a whole 2 months ago.  My brother and his family, and my other sister and her son came over on Saturday.  Plus I'd been up at 8 that morning for a hair cut after going to bed so late so I was worn out! 

Then my dad woke me at 9 this morning, pounding on my door.  I got up and dressed for church in about 20 minutes.   I think I didn't wake up until about 15 minutes after wegot home from mass... Now my parents are FINALLY gone.  Once they were out of the neighborhood, I took a 2 hour nap.  All that family-togetherness had me all worn out.