Update today- While I have a computer!

This morning, I'm exhuasted to put it lightly! Zach's still sleeping in, thank goodness and Malachi and Logan are still with Brady and Jarin in KC. I didn't sleep worth a darn with the steriods I was on but the pain medicine tried to kick in and override the stimulating effects of the steriods, so I felt jittery, but sleepy all night. I finally woke up at 4:15 and decided enough was enough. I tried to get up to go to the restroom, but started to have shortness of breathe again just from the tiny walk there! URGH!

As a bit of unimportant, boring history. . . I've had trouble breathing for a few weeks now. It mainly gets worse when I walk or exercise (in some sort- no I don't have time for regular "exercise"). I noticed it for sure when I was out Christmas shopping with Shawn a few weeks ago. I felt like I was constantly having to yawn to be able to breathe enough air. The shallow breaths were just not getting me by without feeling dizzy or light-headed. So, as I worked and walked down the hallways, I would notice how short of breath I was. So, I knew that over Christmas break I'd be tweaking some meds and figuring out what to do about it all. I was just hoping to start all that next week rather than immediately after I got home last night.

Shawn called my doctor yesterday. He was concerned and just wanted peace of mind. We did just get our nice life insurance policies and he told me, "As much as the money would be wonderful, I don't want a single bit of it- I'd rather wake up tomorrow morning with you." (Ah. . . so sweet, huh!?) :) So, the dr. told Shawn that I needed to head into the hospital for a variety of tests and some meds. I got home and told him that it wasn't as urgent as he thought, and I'd just wait (stubborn as I am). I kept having trouble breathing, with just as little as walking across my house or even our kitchen (which seriously are NOT huge at all). So, I called my dr. to see if I could just make an appt. for a few days to come in and figure it out. I thought I'd rest easier knowing I had an appt coming up sooner. But, he again stressed my need to go into the hospital, so reluctantly I did. I kinda figured it was a good time anyway since Brady already had Logan and Malachi and so Zachary would be fine with Shawn and I.

So, we went in. I was immediately put in a trauma room and started on tests. It was a whirlwind of stuff, but they did rule out asthma, a pulmonary embolism (blood clot), and pneumonia. My blood results came back abnormal, so they gave me a lot of potassium (yuck- made me sick) and also some prednisone (again, YUCK!!!) and something else I can't think of. They also ruled out heart burn (the cocktail to test that was awful too). They did throw out some other things that it could be and I'm a little skeptical about them, but right now I just don't care so much what it is, I just want to be able to breathe again and keep up with my kids!

I'm wearing the Holter monitor today for my heart. It will show a 24 hour heart rates and I have to chart everything I'm doing. I have a dr appointment this afternoon and Thursday morning. Hopefully this weather will hold off until after that. Right now, I'm just exhausted, sore, tired, and ready to have energy and "life" again! I'm very thankful I'm on vacation now and have the time to do these dr appointments. I am kinda kicking myself for not keeping all my follow-up's with my cardio-pulmonary dr. because I didn't want to take any more time off work. So. . . I guess its all catching back up with me now!

My boys should return home tonight. Logan has been keeping me laughing with his funny sayings that my brother's texted me. I miss my cuddles from Malachi. It sounds like the boys are having fun and my sister and brother and brother-in-law are enjoying them! :)