Catching Up

So in the past month a lot has been going on, it's crazy to think that it's almost November already! With the world busy outside my window, here I sit alone in my apartment. Not by choice, by demands...the doctors are saying I have come down with H1N1. Not that any of us would really know, they aren't doing any testing. I have a cough...then I got a fever, so apparently that's enough to say H1N1. What that translates down to me is, I am to remain isolated and not allowed to return to work for 7 days, or longer, depending on when my fever resolves. It's already been a long couple days and I feel myself getting restless, so I hope these books I'm trying to read can hold my attention for another 5 days.

September was a busy month, starting with the sprint triathlon that Matt and I did. I wanted to go as a team, but Matt needed to go individual before he deployed...sadly, that meant I also had to do it individual if I wanted to compete. However, this tri went quite a bit better than the one I did back in May. While it was extremely difficult and I didn't do very well, I finished. I also had my breathing and heart pain much more under control, so that was reassuring.

As most of you could guess by my previous post, the following weekend we had a family reunion for my grandparents 60th anniversary. We had a great turnout that included 4 generations =) Sadly, not everyone was able to make it so hopefully we can have another shot at it before too long. Either way it was great to see the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and all the babies!

The days between the weekends were filled with hanging out with Matt prior to his deployment - it included lots of sushi, big dinners with all the friends and tons of laughter.

Soon after I headed to Dallas, TX for a work conference. It was ok...nothing too exciting to report and Dallas didn't really offer a whole lot to encourage a return trip. My co-workers and I did venture out of the hotel to include visits to the House of Blues, Hard Rock Cafe, Gilley's (but they didn't have the mechanical bull, and that was the ONLY reason we went...), Texas State Fair (where we saw mini herefords, pig races, dog freestyle dancing and an 1,100 lb pig), and the 6th Floor Museum (where Kennedy's assassin was positioned). We kept busy but the stay seemed to be overshadowed by the attempted bombing of a gorgeous skyscraper 5 blocks from my hotel...needless to say, after that report hit the news, my sleep was a little more than restless.

September was busier than October has been, but where has October gone then? Needless to say it's included lots of meals with friends and even more football. The weeks are filled with work which has been overwhelming at times, but it's going well and the busier it is - the faster it goes. Last weekend was a huge surprise to Miah, Christina and I, as Matt was able to come home on an unexpected pass. Once again, we (not quite all as Matty had his graduation from basic the same weekend) were back together. We ate, drank, played, and laughed while we enjoyed our last time together for quite a while. The time we all shared together didn't make us sad to separate, it just made us more excited to reunite once everyone comes back home.

Now, here I am. H1N1. Home. Alone. It's been ok. Time to rest. Time to reflect. It's been a crazy past couple months. And I'm sure a few insane months will follow. I look forward to see what life will bring. Even though I'm sick, it's been a long time that I've been this happy and content. In some areas, it feels like I've hit rock bottom where it can only go up from here, which I know it will. In other areas, I'm on top of the world and no one can take that away from me.

60 Years

We gathered together
To celebrate with you
Sixty years back
When you joined as two

Look around for a moment
And look at what you’ve done
See how many love you
And how many could come

As we look through the pictures
We can see the past
It’s hard to believe those years
Have gone by so fast

For all of us
You take the blame
But we are all proud
To trace back to your name

The two of you started
Out your family
Who would have thought
Seven children there’d be

Then the numbers
Quickly grew
With fourteen grandchildren
For your family to include

The amount of members
Continues to climb
Seven great-grandchildren and counting
In your family is just fine

You taught us that love
Joined many years in the past
Can make it through much
And forever can last

Just like your relationship
Your family grew
All from a love
That started with two

Clean your Palate....

Within the past few months, a couple of my friends have been introducing me into the world of Sushi. I never used to have any desire to have sushi, but that may have come from a bad experience at China Star Buffet...never have sushi at an all you can eat buffet. It took me about a half hour to gag the thing down, just so I could say I did it - trust me, wasn't worth it.

Matt and Matty were good, they started me out slow by just getting me to go to Sushi Masa with them. I'd stick with "real food" and get their delicious Chicken Teriyaki and they'd let me taste their rolls. They weren't allowed to tell me what it was until after I tried it, so I wouldn't be too scared. There have been times were I've regretted that rule...

Now, I have graduated to only getting sushi rolls. Not yet brave enough to get an actual slab of sushi...the whole raw fish texture thing still eeks me out. I'm able to eat Special Cucumber, California, Spicy Tuna and I just tried the Spicy Salmon last night, which I actually prefer over the tuna. Grossest things they've suckered me into trying....Salmon Skin Hand Roll (I could actually feel the scales...still gives me the willies when I think about it) and some sort of eel...it's long and slimy, sick.

It's a real cute and quaint restaurant downtown. I think the staff enjoy watching and listening to me and my reactions to stuff. They come and talk to us quite a bit while we are there. I'm glad they aren't insulted. Those rolls can be too big for me to eat...so my friends aren't allowed to look at me while I'm eating one. If they did they'd laugh, then I'd start to and I'd probably choke and die. Well, that's our interpretation, so they just know not to look at me when I'm shoving some grub in my mouth. Oh and if you ever make it there - have a salad with Kaisan (not sure about the spelling) dressing. It's amazing, I could drink that stuff...

There is no room to wait if all the tables are full, so we walk around and do the sculpture walk...here are some fun pics from our strolls:

Give it a Try

Well, the results are in folks.

Basically I have gotten diagnosed with a condition that seems to be defaulted when everything else has been cleared. My heart is structurally doing everything it needs to be doing. The circulation is working as it should. And my oxygen levels are where they should be. What does that tell me? I must be crazy.

However, good ole Doc told me that there is a diagnosis for this. It's call Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. Sinus Tachycardia is where your heart rate increases with exercise or exertion. Huh, every one's does that (unless you are dead I suppose) so I find it interesting that there is actually a medical "diagnosis" for it. However, with mine being labeled as inappropriate, it means that my heart rate increases more than it needs to or it should. This seems to be due to an unknown cause but can be exacerbated by some foods and stress and stuff like that. As it came without a cause, it is supposed to go away on its own - which could take anywhere from months to years.

While every doctor seems to just want to give medication without a exact reason, my doc has been pretty good and understanding that I need a good reason to take the meds, or it just won't be happening. Maybe the other docs had reasons to push this new med on me, but hey, I want to be educated on it first...no education, no go. Apparently there is another medication, in a different family than my sloth-creation meds that is supposed to do what my first one didn't do. It's supposed to balance out my heart rate. The first medication - my body didn't respond to and just made me super tired. This new medication is supposed to not lower my heart rate overall but just keep it from getting into the 180s and 190s. If it works that'd be great. I also am ok with the fact that I won't have to be on it forever because this "condition" is supposed to go away as mysteriously as it came....and with that, it is day 1 of my trial medication...

Hopefully the last...

First, lets take a quick look at a normal doctors office...

Ok, now today, I went into a doctors office behind a locked door. It literally required a number code to get into. Ah, ok...not nervous at all. Let me start from the beginning. A week or so ago, I posted a blog about wearing the heart monitor for 24 hours. Well, the results came back basically normal, nothing to be concerned about. As my doctor and I discussed, based on the results of the heart monitor, we would look into a Tilt Table Test as a last option of what may be going on with my high heart rate and weird symptoms. Since it seems like all of the possible heart conditions have been ruled out, today I had my Tilt Table Test. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen, been a part of and really know about...I mean, after all, it was in a secured room...

What they do is monitor my heart rate and blood pressure throughout the whole thing. It was interesting at first, but got really boring really fast as I was basically just standing for a full hour. I had to lay completely flat for at least a half hour to make sure that they knew my base heart rate (55). Then they tilted the table (so I would be close to completely standing) to a 70 degree angle in a quick fluid motion. I stayed like that for an hour. The first 45 min were "natural." At the 45 minute mark they sprayed Nitroglycerin in my mouth to stimulate what may happen when I'm working out to see if I got more of a response with my heart rate...which I did - not to the 180s or 90s, but 130s still. Once the hour of "standing" there was over, the lowered me back down and made me lay there until my heart rate went back to resting. While I was laying there they also gave me an IV drip to hopefully help with the massive migraine I got during the "procedure."

(My nurse liked me asking her to take the pic of me strapped in the bed...I think it was the first time anyone has asked her to do such a thing...but it's hard to explain...if I hadn't been there, I'da thought it was some sort of torture bed...)

I don't have any results now, but they said I should have an idea by the end of the week. But if I do have something that this test would show and it was severe, I would have passed out during the test...which I didn't, so that's a good sign. Either way, I was very worn out after the test and still have hints of the migraine looming...I'm off to bed.

One Day Getaway

With some weekend plans falling through, but already having Friday approved for annual leave, I was in desperate need to have a quick getaway - for the day - for the weekend, it didn't really matter. I just needed to relax and have a change of pace. Friends come through at the best time and when you need them. Without realizing how important this trip was going to be, my friend Jenna and I decided to spur of the momently (my new word for the day) to head to Valley Fair in Minnesota for the day. The day turned out to be a much needed trip for me and my dear friend because I found out that she is most likely moving to Oregon by the end of the month. This may be the last "big" trip we take before she leaves and I'm happy I got to take this adventure with her.

Valley Fair - well we got there about an hour late because of numerous detours on the way, so we caved and took the interstate back home. But our time there was fantastic. It was a gray, cloudy, on the verge of downpour day - but contrary to what many would think, that makes a day at Valley Fair perfect. There were no lines. The longest we had to wait for a ride was about 5-10 minutes. We doubled up on rides and definitely got our money's worth, as well as our fill of fair food...mmmm gotta love Wisconsin Cheese Curds, mini donuts and "fresh" fries =) I can't wait to have some funnel cake and caramel apples at the Sioux Empire Fair coming up...

Together

Couldn't have asked for a better day...

Times get busy, for each of us. And it makes it even harder for families to get together with work and friends and each member's schedules. Last weekend, I decided that we had the opportunity for my parents and I to get together and actually have fun - instead of just going grocery shopping as one. So I called up my parents and invited/told them we were going to have a fun afternoon of hiking at Newton Hills. With hesitation due to the weekend chores and duties that would be left behind mom and dad agreed to go. After a wonderful lunch at the Garden of Eatin' we headed off to hike.