Spring Cleaning

Spring is in the air, and I'm working feverishly to CLEAN IT OUT!!! The entire Schmandrea household has been SICK, and so has the rest of the world apparently! YUCK! I swear that the phrase "spring cleaning" was coined by a mother of four infectious little toddlers who needed to open the windows and sanitize the hell out of every single item in her house, lest the cycle of sickies start anew in the mild temperatures.

In the spirit of Spring cleaning, I have a few follow-ups from previous blog posts:

1) I GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL! I just hope the government doesn't tank in the next two years, because, as it turns out...

2) Education is still expensive;

3) Apparently I'm not having heart palpitations. The cardiologist said that on the "two week" monitor (which I wore for only 5 days because that's when the sensors started to create blisters on my skin) showed no significant anything. What I felt was nothing. This concept is hard to wrap my head around, the "something is nothing" nihilist mantra, mostly when it's applied to something I actually feel in my body. But, I'm going to take it and run with it.

4) Mondays are still untrustable, and so am I when it comes to being strict to goals I decide to start achieving on Mondays. I am no closer to losing any weight, but I'm having fun trying new classes. I've decided to mix it up, and relax my demands on my body a bit. I don't HAVE to run or lose weight (I am at a healthy weight, just not one that any of my clothes fit in). I can get in shape and have fun doing exercises INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO running. For anyone who knows me, you know this is a big step for me to cut myself some slack. So, that's going well. And, well, I can always start my goal again on Monday. Surely there's one of those coming up again soon. ;-)

Other than that, today - also in the spirit of spring cleaning - I'm going to buy some organization tools for my "pantry," so things don't fall on my head when I open the door. Anymore. And I want to buy a key rack for the back entrance of the house. I think I'm going to head to Pier 1 Imports and Target for said items. Wish me luck!

Monday, Monday.

Can't trust that day.

Well, the cardiologist didn't have anything to tell me this week other than I should get a two week event monitor because the echocardiogram and the stress test were "normal" and the Holter monitor was "essentially normal". I have the automatic kind, which transmits a constant stream of heart data to a cell phone that I have to keep within 10 feet of my body. The phone transmits to a center somewhere the entire time I wear it. So, nothing is required of me other than putting it on properly, and mailing it back when I'm done. No fuss, no muss.

So, since the echo and stress tests came back a-okay, I'm allowed to exercise again! Hallelujah! I was almost through the entire Couch to 5K running program I started, so I intend to back track a bunch of weeks and get back on the wagon. Starting Monday.

I have never done well with things that "start on Monday." I do less well with New Year's resolutions, and this tied into my NYR for 2011 - to lose 11 pounds by June 22nd, the day my youngest - and last - daughter turns one. I think I still have, oh, about 11 pounds to go on that one. So, I better get to it. Starting Monday.

Hopefully the only reason you'll find me crying is from the pain in my legs from running.

Heart of hearts

Since Valentine's Day tomorrow, why not talk about hearts. Well, A heart. My heart.

In June 2010, I had my second baby and I've been having heart palpitations very lately, which might or might not be a medical "big deal" but are really unnerving. After I had my first child in September 2008, I developed a condition called postpartum thyroiditis. It apparently can cause palpitations. After two "normal" EKG's, the doctor treated me with beta blockers to control the palpitations until the thyroid condition fixed itself and sent me on my way. Over the course of a few months, I seemed to get better and I weaned myself off of the meds and that was that.

A few months ago, I had a ginormous panic attack and started getting heart palpitations again. I went to the doctor and was prescribed an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication, which made me NUTS-O, and had an EKG that came back with a "non-specific" abnormality. They also took blood to test my thyroid and other stuff, which all came back "normal". So, not postpartum thyroiditis again. Because of the abnormal EKG, I was sent to a cardiologist.

At the initial appointment I had another EKG, which came back normal. She decided to send me to get a stress test, an echocardiogram and to wear a 24-hour Holter monitor. And, now I wait for answers or for "peace of mind," to use the cardiologist's words. I think that given my history, that will be hard to come by. (Yes, I know you aren't supposed to end a sentence with a preposition, but I HAVE to. Nothing else fits).

I'll try to make a long story short and say, my dad died from "sudden cardiac syndrome" when he was 36 and my brother and I were 12 and 10, respectively. And, so, I get palpitations and it scares the bajeezus out of me. I have two babies for whom I need to live (!). I am not sure how I will get peace of mind out of these test results, because there will always be the "what if xy or z" factor. I can Google myself silly and I can hyperlink the hell out of you, but that doesn't change the fact that this horrible event in my life impacted me so severely that I now not only have heart palpitations, but have an undying paranoia about dropping dead.

I hope I get something out of the follow-up appointment I have this week. I hope I have something that showed up on one of the tests that she can point her finger at and say, "that's not going to hurt you." And, while she's at it, I hope her crystal ball is shiny enough to tell me I'll be around long enough that I'll complain that I'll never be able to pay off my daughters' weddings and student loans. Or my own student loans, because I'll have those for a long-ass time as well.