Blue Happy Living

My last day of school for the holiday’s was Friday December the 8th. That is always a hard week with grades, getting your room ready to shut down and all the other things that go along with ending the semester. I knew I was tired and to me I seemed more tired than normal but blew it off. On Saturday the 9th was the once a month sidewalk sale at Doc’s. Again I was so tired I didn’t really feel like being there. I pushed through and made it to the end of the day. On Sunday I did nothing, really absolutely nothing. Greg questioned it because I never just do nothing. I told him I just needed a day of rest then I’d be back to myself. Monday and Tuesday was more of the same I stayed in bed all day. On Tuesday Greg woke me up at 5pm taking my blood pressure. It was 72/50 extremely low for me. He forced me to go to the ER. I’m so glad he did I was in big big trouble.

When we got to the ER I started having chest pains. A blood test not sure what they called it was elevated and that meant a blood clot somewhere. I was rushed to get a CT scan to make sure it wasn’t in my lungs or heart. Thank you God it wasn’t in either of those places. Blood work also showed that my potassium level had dropped in to a danger zone. I was admitted to the hospital so other test could be run and they could administer shots in my stomach to thin my blood and get rid of the blog clot wherever it was in my body. By the way those shots in my stomach hurt really bad. I was monitored all night (which meant no sleep) and early Wednesday morning more test. My EKG had some irregular patterns so a stress test was ordered. I had a great heart doctors and after the stress test he ordered an IV potassium cocktail for me. I felt better pretty quick after that. The heart doctor had concerns because of the EKG but the stress test proved to be better than he thought. I killed the stress test running up hill solid for 10 minutes. He even complimented me on how well I did.

By Thursday the potassium had kicked in and I was back to my grumpy let me out of here self.  The heart doctor came in and said I’ll send you home but I need to see you back in two weeks, the potassium seems to have fixed you right up.  Although I need you to stop taking one of the meds your primary doctor has you on.  He believes that med was causing me to lose potassium.  I’ve stopped that med and I feel like a new person.  It was a med I was put on 5 years ago when I came off high blood pressure.  I should have been closely monitored while on it just for these reasons, clearly I wasn’t.

Wednesday was my two-week appointment.  I’m happy to say my potassium is up, my chest pains are under control and my EKG was perfect with not one rapid heart rate or skipped beats.  I was given instructions on how to keep my potassium up and I have to come back and see the doctor in April.  I come from a family history of heart issues.  My mom has a pace maker and my daddy passed away in his 40’s from heart failure. I also have a history of an unhealthy life style so all that makes me a bull’s eye for heart trouble.  He told me to keep up with the exercise as much and often as I want.  That made me so happy.  I ask about the Big D climb coming up in January and he said go for it.  So my goal is 70 flights of stairs in under 29 minutes! I refuse to be stopped, pulled down or even slow down.  Although I’m way behind on Blue Happy things I’m pretty Blue Happy things came out on the good side of life.