Snuggle with me

I have been hankering after some new bedding for quite awhile. There are two main components to my hanker: first, the bedroom is the only room we have done absolutely nothing with since we moved in 10 years ago. Every other room has, at the very least, gotten a slap of paint and at least one piece of new furniture. The bedroom has technically gotten one piece since we moved in, if you can count the valet I bought for Grant several years ago. We also put in blinds and valances, but since all the bedrooms got that, it hardly counts. Anyway, because the bedroom still has the paint and the wallpaper trim it originally sported, it is in dire need of a do-over.

So, (and this is still my first reason) I want to pick a new duvet cover and a new summer quilt and choose my wall and window dressing colours based on the new bedding. Makes sense, right? At the same time, I don't want to make too huge a colour change from what I currently have, because I have quite a few sheets in that palette and don't want to have to replace them all. Sheets are expensive! My current sheet collection features red sheets, ivory sheets, taupe sheets and dark green. The dark green sheets are nearly worn through, but I can't toss them because my husband loves them. *sigh*

I have been wanting the following set from Pottery Barn for the longest time. My husband likes this one better. I think either would be really nice and would inspire me to paint my walls a combination of slate blue and either creamy white or a warm taupe. ( I am leaning toward adding a chair rail.)

What do you guys think?

(part two to follow)

I am cold

Maybe not as cold as people in the Northeastern part of the United States, what with all that recent snow and stuff, but still too cold to be happy about it. Right now I am wearing a sweater, a pashmina stylishly looped around my neck and a crocheted shawl (not perhaps quite as stylish) around my shoulders. I am still cold. The funny thing is the temperature here has recently risen from being -20c to only -1c. (that's -4F to 30F for those of you metrically impaired!) I am still cold. Stoopid winter.

And life goes on

I am feeling much more like myself. I seem to have adapted to my medication well, although I was pretty tired for the first few days. It's hard to say if that was the result of the meds or just a reaction to the stress of my whole situation. But I am actually starting to feel a lot more energetic than I have in the last several weeks. Looking back, I suspect there might have been more going on than I realized. I thought I was sick, but since I was mainly just exhausted with minor snifflage, I honestly wonder if my heart was doing wonky things previously.

It's beating slowly and regularly now. Thanks, Rhoxal-Bisoprolol! I haven't heard from the hospital about scheduling my specialist appointment, or the echo-cardiogram or stress test. If I haven't heard by tomorrow, I will be placing a call. I want some more information, at least, information that is not proffered by Doctor Internets! Plus we have a trip planned in March to Belize, and I need to know sooner rather than later if there is any reason we can't go. (Other than the insurance issue, which is a bridge I am not quite ready to cross...)Seriously, if this stupid heart of mine interferes with our tropical 10 anniversary celebration, I will be PISSED OFF.

Thanks again for all the love and hugs. It's really nice to know I have creepy internet friends when I'm down and out!

A day when everything changed

It probably started before two days ago; in retrospect, I have had some clues that things were not quite the way they should be. I put the occasional moment of breathlessness down to my recent lack of exercise. Of course climbing the stairs might make me a bit winded, I haven't done Pilates or worked out in several months. Feeling tired is just a product of stress and work, right? And during flu season, feeling a bit light-headed is probably just a hangover from having been sick.

But on Wednesday, all of these symptoms came crashing down on me. I was too dizzy to stand and talk to a teacher. Walking the length of a hall made me feel like I was too weak to take another step. And finally, taking just a few steps made me gasp for air. My co-workers insisted I go to emergency but even then, I made excuses. Finally, I called my doctor, who, once he heard my symptoms, advised me to go straight to emergency. That was the first time I considered that my symptoms might be related to my heart, but I quickly talked myself out of that idea. It was the flu, and I would sit around the emergency ward waiting to be seen all morning. It was only the flu.

Except, when the triage nurse took my blood pressure and my pulse, she asked my husband to go do the paperwork stuff and took me straight to a room. They hooked me up to an IV and put me on oxygen. The nurse hooked me up to the monitor and it started beeping quickly and loudly. "Yes, I hear you!" she finally told the monitor irritably, and turned to me, "It's telling me that your heart rate is up, but I already KNOW that!" Tests were performed, x-rays were taken and finally, I saw the doctor.

Atrial fibrillation. The top part of my heart was not working properly and I was getting starved for oxygen, hence the light-headedness, weakness and breathlessness. The good news was my heart went back to normal on its own without any intervention (other than rest, IV fluid and oxygen), the bad news is that A-fib can cause some pretty serious side effects. Like stroke. Yikes. But everything else checked out fine, except maybe some slightly elevated thyroid. After about 3 hours, I was released to come home.

I saw my family doctor yesterday. At one point, he seemed almost angry, because I honestly don't have much in the way of risk factors for this; I am too young, I have great cholesterol, good blood pressure, I am not overweight or a smoker. Except for the thyroid issue and that I possibly have a tendency to drink a bit too often, I am not a candidate for this. I think Dr. G. was almost offended that this happened to one of his "healthy" patients. Anyway, I am going to be seeing a cardiologist, having a stress test and an echo-cardiagram. I am on meds to slow my heart, and aspirin to prevent clotting (and therfore, stroke).

I am going to be fine. But last night it really hit me; I am a person with a heart condition. And from this day forth, I will never not be that again. Everything is a little bit different.