My ER Adventure…

Yesterday started out like any other day. I woke up, had my coffee, got the boys off to school, and went on about my business as usual. I really did feel fine. I had had a headache for about a day that I just couldn’t get rid of but it didn’t strike me as odd as it really wasn’t a BAD headache….just a dull one.

About  1:30 or so I was walking from my Laundry room to my Living room with a basket of laundry and got REALLY dizzy and nauseated and then everything went black. We’re talking llights went out and nobody was home and I hit the floor like a ton of bricks. I have no idea how long I was out, but I came to on the floor half on top of the laundry basket(yeah I’m gonna need a new one of those now.) and half on the floor. My heart was RACING so fast I literally thought I was dying. I couldn’t see straight because my vision was flipping like a TV that had lost it’s horizontal hold, and I literally had NO strength to move myself off of the basket. My whole body had this weird pins and needles sensation, and felt confused and spacy. I was literally scared to death. I knew something was VERY wrong.

Thankfully, I carry my cell phone with me at all times. Mainly because of my twitter and facebook obsession, but also because I just like to have it with me. You never know what can happen and I’m so glad I do that now.

After a few moments I realized I could move my arms and reached into the basket I was on top of for my cell phone, rolled myself off of the basket flat onto the floor, and punched a button on the phone to activate the screen. This is where I realized that I still couldn’t see well enough to actually dial the phone, and my hands were shaking so bad I was close to dropping it. Then I remembered I had last called my husband and all I had to do to call him again was push the talk button twice. I knew where that button was and punched it twice.

When he answered I said to him..” You need to come home right now” but it came out more like garbled gibberish. He asked me what was wrong…more garbled slurred gibberish and he said he was on his way and to stay put. ( yeah I don’t think that was going to be an issue.)

It seemed like an eternity before he came busting through the door. Somehow between our phone call and him arriving I  managed to crawl/drag myself onto the sofa which was where he found me. By this time my heart had slowed down some but I still felt super dizzy and nauseated and my vision was STILL not cooperating with me, and my motor skills were like that of a 6 month old.  He KNEW as soon as he saw me that I needed to get checked out, but stupid me I wanted to argue.

“Nah, it’ll pass and I’ll be fine in a few minutes” Yeah right…

He got me up and helped me to the truck and we headed to the ER.

There were several thoughts that went through my head on the way there..I won’t share them all with you just the funniest, because even in all of what was going on at least I didn’t lose my sense of humour.

“Thank God I have on clean underwear today.”
“Shit! Isn’t tonight LOST night?” (It wasn’t it was a rerun..)

Once we got to the ER I was already feeling somewhat better. Heart rate had slowed down some, I could form complete sentences, and some of my motor skills were returning. I still had that strange pins and needles feeling and was very shaky, and dizzy and nauseated and generally felt like shit but at least at that point I wasn’t feeling so “on the verge of death”.

They said my heart rate was elevated as was my blood pressure. Not SCARY elevated but definitely not in the “normal” range. Blood sugar was also slightly elevated. EKG was fairly normal, but there were some “odd” spikes that indicated Premature Ventricular Contractions. Blood work was fairly normal. Cardiac Enzyme test was slightly elevated which indicated that there had definitely been a “Cardiac Event.”

Cat scan of my brain was normal. (Yes there was one in there!! I had always wondered..) They were concerned that I had had another TIA though. I had one several months ago and once you’ve had one there’s always a risk of more to follow. (For those of you who don’t know TIA is Transient Ischemic Attack which is basically a mini- stroke.) There wasn’t any real evidence of this on the Cat scan but all of the symptoms fit.

After 4 hours in the ER having all of those tests done I really felt totally normal and everything had stabilized so they had no choice but to send me on home.

I was instructed to follow up with a Cardiologist as well as a Neurologist. I was also told NOT to drive a car or exercise until I had done so.

I’m not sure which one of those orders I’m more pissed about.

Now Bart has to take off work early every day to get the kids from school until I’m cleared to drive a car again. AND I can’t exercise!!

I’ll gladly follow doctors orders though. I certainly wouldn’t want to have another one of these spells behind the wheel of an automobile at all. Especially not with the kids in the vehicle with me.

They also told me that if ANYTHING like this happens again instead of calling Bart I need to call 911. ( I really WOULD have called 911 if I could have seen the buttons or worked the phone properly it just wasn’t possible.)The main reason for this is they would have had a cardiac monitor on me MUCH sooner and probably caught more of the “event” as it happened. Also they could have documented more of the symptoms sooner and maybe had a clearer diagnosis.

The doctor told me that if you push as many buttons as you can on your cell phone at once it will automatically dial 911. I never knew this. Might be good information for you guys to have. I haven’t tried it yet as I really don’t want an ambulance showing up here unless I need it.

Today I’m trying to just hang out and not do much. I have noticed that any time I get the tiniest bit anxious I get flutters so I’m trying to stay calm.

I have to call the Cardiologist to schedule some more testing today. They want me to have an Echocardiogram, Holter Monitoring, and a Stress Test done ASAP.  At some point I’ll need to follow up with Neurology and get an MRI but with no insurance I’m definitely going to focus more on the whole cardiology thing first. I don’t even want to think about how much all of these tests are going to cost right now.

So- There’s my adventure….

Thank you to everyone who sent me tweets, direct messages and emails, and left me comments of concern. It made me feel a little less “alone” going through all of that.

I’ll keep everyone updated as to what I find out. I’m off to the sofa. I think I can finish season 3 of Battlestar Galactica today if I try really hard..

Monday Schmunday…

Daylight savings time is KILLING me. Ok not literally but it sure has made me realize exactly how important an hour can be.

I had a hard time waking up this morning, and my energy levels have SUCKED all day.  Despite all of this I STILL managed to get  a workout in.

I did Power 90 Sculpt today, with a little bit of Kettlebell movements, and then did a circuit with pull ups(more on that later), more push ups, and walking lunges.

I bought one of those Iron Gym door pull up bar thingys. I got it this weekend at Wal-Mart for like 29 bucks. It was easy to assemble and fit perfectly in the doorway in my gym.  I used it the first day without any pain or issues. Granted I did assisted pull-ups on the first day by using a tall box step in the doorway and using my legs to push part of my body weight up. I made it a goal to go from ZERO unassisted Pull-ups to 10 in 30 days.

Today I decided to try to do an unassisted pull-up. Not a good idea at all. I grabbed the bar, allowed my arms to go straight and let my body weight hang from the bar and my right shoulder POPPED and then I got a searing pain.  It took awhile but I can now move my arm in almost full range of motion. For a little while I was really scared I had dislocated it. (Leave it to me to dislocate a shoulder trying a pull-up. Trust me if it can be done I can do it.)

I don’t think I’ll be attempting any more pull-ups until the pain is completely gone. I’m not even sure I can do my kettlebell circuits anymore. Which sucks because I LOVE my Kettlebells.

Anyways, Tomorrow is a new day and I have some High Intensity Interval training planned onthe Dreadmill, and maybe I’ll do some brisk walking around the property.

My eating has been pretty good today.

Oh, In case you were wondering. DON’T buy any product made by Walden Farms. They make these Calorie Free products. I bought some of the Calorie Free Peanut Butter Spread and immediately threw it in the garbage as soon as I tasted it. Bleh!!!! Talk about NASTY! It didn’t even taste REMOTELY like peanut butter at all.  I am of the firm belief that sometimes things SHOULD have calories, fat and flavor. It’s the spice of life baby!!

Starting Fresh..

Yeah, sure, you’ve heard that one before right?

So where have I been?

Let’s see. About a month ago my son Austin fell and broke his arm in our driveway. It was an ugly affair, that resulted in surgery on the arm to insert two rods and 8 screws to put it all back together. We just went today to have the stitches out and get the “real” cast. He will stay in that for about 4-6 weeks and then we’ll see how it’s healing.

About a week ago I got a wicked bladder and kidney infection. Stupid me, I waited too long to go to the doctor(as usual, because, you know, that’s what happens when you have kids and you have no insurance.) By the time I finally went to the doctor they told me that if I had waited another day I would have ended up in the hospital. During the visit I had a lovely ultrasound on my right kidney as it was causing me GREAT discomfort. Lo and behold; there were two tiny kidney stones floating around in there causing all kinds of trouble.  I was placed on massive doses of  Cipro, told to drink a gallon of water a day and a half a gallon of cranberry juice and sent home to pee into a coffee filter contraption and  suffer. It took about 3-4 days but I finally passed both of the kidney stones. That was an experience I NEVER want to endure again. Ever.

Needless to say with all the sickness, drama and doctor appointments my eating has not been the best nor has my exercise program.

Now that I’m finally feeling better again I plan to start fresh on Monday.   I’ll do a Power 90 Sculpting Routine Monday followed by HIIT on Tuesday and repeat that routine for about 2 weeks with Sundays off to just take a leisurely walk.

After two weeks I plan on starting the Chalean Extreme program that has been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for the past month.

To be quite honest, I can’t WAIT to get back to my good eating again. Fortunately I’ve not gained much weight(about 5#) during my hiatus but I sure feel a lot fluffier than I want to. Where did my abs go? Biceps anyone?

I actually MISS doing my training. There is something so powerful about lifting weights. For me it gave me strength in areas where I least expected it. Not to mention a whole lot of self confidence. It’s going to feel so good to get back on the wagon.

Summer isn’t far away! Gotta get ready for that bathing suit!

I Swear I’m Still Alive…

And Kicking… I pulled out some of my Turbo Jam DVD’s this week and “attempted” to do them. Anyone who knows me knows that I have two left feet. Last time I attempted step aerobics I seriously sprained an ankle. I am NOT graceful. This is why I stick to mainly weight lifting, and running on a Dreadmill. Low risk of idiot injury, and you don’t necesarrily have to be graceful.

It was pretty funny when I was up there “trying” to do Turbo Jam because I almost kicked the screen out of the TV, and broke a lamp…ugh.

I’m still eating good. 11 days in and weight is not budging since I weighed last week. Doing 3 quarts of water a day, and moving my body every day.

I’m contemplating buying a BodyBugg this month. I’ve wanted one ever since I first watched The Biggest Loser. This month is a good month for me money wise and 24 hour fitness has them for 249 with the digital display, and a 6 month subscription to the web program that it runs on. Sounds like a really good deal to me. I think it would be a great tool to get a good picture of how many calories i’m burning each day and compare it with how much I’m eating to create a more efficient calorie deficit. Not to mention the fact that I’m a TOTAL NERD and LOVE Gadgets.

Anyways…so things are good, life is good, and I’ve just been to busy/happy/active to post…

I’ll try to keep up!!

Blah Blah Blah….

Well..it’s Saturday.

Today is day 6 of my new program, and I can’t say that it’s been miraculous, inspiring, or even a happy time for me.

The title of this post describes quite well how I’ve felt ALL WEEK.

The nutritional aspects have been PERFECT. I have eaten like a champion for 6 days now, and that part comes pretty easily to me. Some days are harder than others, and some days are like autopilot eating of chicken, brown rice, veggies, and fruit…

On the workout side of it, things have not been so great. I used to LOVE lifting weights. Now it seems that my upper body is utterly retarded, expecially for doing shoulder work. I just don’t have the stamina I used to have for the HIIT, and the constant soreness is really wearing on me. It’s hard to put a smile on your face when you have a major challenge just getting up and down out of a chair or raising your arms over your head to fix your hair…

Don’t get me wrong…it’s not that I don’t WANT this to work out…it’s just that I think since I’m just beginning again I need to back off of the heavy weights and HIIT and SLOWLY work my way back up to it again….Rome wasn’t built in a day…

Next week I’m going to do start with the Turbulence Training Introductory Level workouts. (Stability Ball Leg Curls YAY!!) If you remember, before when I attempted Turbulence Training I stupidly SKIPPED the introductory level workouts and went straight to the intermediate…..STUPID STUPID ME… After the first round of stability ball leg curls my legs refused to walk for 3 days. It really wasn’t pretty at all. Immediately decided that TT wasn’t for me, when I should have just started back with the Intro workouts and worked up from there..

So- That’s what I’m planning on doing starting Monday.

The thing I LOVE about TT is that you only Work Out Formally 3 days per week instead of 6. The other 4 days you are only required 30 minutes of light activity such as a walk on the dreadmill or ride a bike…  I think for me it would be a nice break from the 6 days of high intensity workouts I’ve been doing….a really nice break.

So- Here’s my week 1 stats:

Weight lost: 5 pounds

Inches lost: 3 inches over my whole body.

Nothing to sneeze at for sure…Let’s hope the magic starts in week 2!!

Day 4 of 84: Modify Where Modification Is Due…

When I did my last Body For Life Challenge I was very strict with my eating, and the exercise. I was also not a good friend to myself and when I messed up I berated myself for it. Badly. This led to bitterness towards myself, and lots of feeling like a failure. I’m working really hard on not doing that to myself this time.

I made a decision yesterday that I am going to modify this challenge. Why you ask? Well…because with all of the health stuff going on with my son Aaron who has Epilepsy the BFL Exercise plan is not doable right now. It’s just not. Aaron has been having a LOT of issues lately with seizures and the stuff that comes after that and going to an actual GYM is just not happening. SO- I’ve been working out at home..using DVD’s. Or doing Turbulence Training Circuits in place of my BFL Strength workouts.  Or doing Kettlebell workouts with my Kettlebells.

Some BFL Purists would consider this failure of some sort. I however; do not. This is still success for me because I’m still moving my body daily, and eating healthy as possible, and drinking my water.  As a matter of fact…I’ve already lost FOUR POUNDS since Monday. That is HARDLY failure…

I think that the key for me to all of this health and fitness stuff is Flexibility. It’s certainly not the end of the world if I have to substitute one type of workout for another, or if I miss a workout all together because of something more important coming up.

I’m still following the Body for Life principles of Strength training 3 times a week and doing Cardio 3 times a week it’s just not exactly to the letter.  I don’t have an issue with that and neither should anyone else…I hope.

When Life hands you lemons….either stick em’ in your bra…or add tequila..LOL. That’s my motto..

Day 2 of 84…

There won’t be a real post today..

I’m actually posting this from my crackberry..

My son Aaron had a wicked bad seizure last night and I’ve been mother henning him all day today.

I have been eating right today but have not found time for cardio yet.I’m going to try to hop on the treadmill after the boys go to bed…

I sure hope tomorrow is better..

Day 1 of 84: A Fresh Start….

Today is day 1 of Challenge 2 for me.  So far so good.

I’ve gotten my workout in, had two out of 6 of my meals, and slugged enough water and green tea to float a battleship.

I haven’t had a smoke since about 8:30 last night and so far nobody in my house has died yet….nor have I…but I am kinda climbing the walls.  VERY Anxious…pacing the room, chewing extra sugar-free gum like it’s going out of style…  But it’s OK. I KNOW that once I get through the first few days without smoking I’ll be fine…it’s the first week that’s a doozy…especially when you go Cold Turkey.

This morning during my workout I was thinking about how good it felt to be lifting weights again. Granted, I’m not lifting NEAR the amount of weight I was at the end of last challenge, but in a few weeks I’ll be right back to the heavier weights, and better running intervals. And I just KNOW it’s going to feel SO GOOD.

I pulled a book off of my bookshelf last night that I bought right around New Years LAST year entitled “This Year I Will..” (Amazon Link.) In the book the Author talks about how every bad habit that you are trying to change you created because it served a purpose for you at the time. I thought about how it applied to my eating habits, and my smoking, and it’s so true! I overeat because I use food to relieve stress, and I smoke for the same reason.  SO- I’ve started to incorporate some stress relief techniques into my day, such as breathing exercises,  and short visualizations and so far so good!!  If you’ve ever made resolutions and struggled to keep them this book could really help you. I’ll write a full review after I actually finish the book.

SO- That’s it for today!! I’ll be back tomorrow with more updates and thoughts.

All Geared Up and Ready To Go…

I’ve done my grocery shopping and planned my workouts for next week.

I’ve stocked up on Aleve and Advil for the DOMS(Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) that will ensue after my workouts.

Tomorrow I will precook and package my chicken and brown rice, and chop my veggies.

Today I will go into my gym and dust and vacuum. (it’s sad that I actually have to DUST my dumbells.)

Tomorrow I will weigh myself, take my measurements, and beginning shots. (and post them..aaaaah!!)

I’m filled with this sense of anxiety, excitement, and dread all at once. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just I’m ALWAYS resistant to change, change in my routine, change in eating habits, and certainly change in my activity level.

However, at the same time I’m really excited about these changes. Body for life worked so well for me last time I did a challenge that I don’t see any way to fail this time.

There is no way that fat will not just run away from my body if I’m eating clean, and lifting weights with high intensity, and doing my High Intensity Interval Training.

I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to take my free days on Sunday or not. Last challenge most of my free days became free weekend binge fests of carbs, fat and sugar. I’m fairly certain it had a negative impact on my final results. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to my first Sunday. I’m thinking I may approach it as more of ONE free meal, instead of a Free Day.

If you’re interested in what my eating plan looks like there’s a link to the right entitled What I Eat.  I’ll be sticking to this plan pretty rigorously for the next twelve weeks. It averages 1250-1500 calories a day evenly distributed over the course of the day. It is perfectly balanced in Fat, Carbs, and  Proteins. The last time I followed this eating plan I lost 27 pounds in 12 weeks. (If you are a male you will need to adjust the portions accordingly for your calorie needs.)

That’s all folks! I’m off to dust my dumbells and get my gym cleaned up and ready for the ensuing chaos that will occur in it.

A New Year..A New Challenge..

First off…Happy New Year!!

Tomorrow night at midnight we will begin a brand spanking new year. New Years is always a time for new beginnings, fresh starts, new goals, plans, and hopes. It’s exhilirating I think.

This year is no different for me. 2008 was a LONG and stressful year, but still very productive for me. On the health and fitness front I completed a BFL Challenge between June 30 and September 21. I lost 27 pounds and 4 pants sizes.

Unfortunately during the time since September 21st I have gained back at least 15 pounds. I’m not terribly worried though. I am all fired up and ready to go for Challenge 1 of 2009, and have planned to do back to back challenges throughout the year with two week breaks between each of them.

I’m not really sure why I stopped doing BFL after I finished the last Challenge. I t hink it had a lot to do with stress, and there being so much going on in my life with my kids and family, but one thing I’ve noticed is that since I stopped BFL my mood has been crappy to say the least. There was really something to all of that clean eating and working out.

Tomorrow night I will be in Austin TX with my husband celebrating New Years and starting on Monday January 5th I am beginning a new Challenge. I’ll be back to posting regularly here about my workouts and thoughts and progress so be sure to stay tuned!!

I’ll be taking a new set of pics, and measurements Sunday evening and I’ll get them posted as soon as I’ve done them.

Happy New Year to all my readers and here’s to making 2009 the best year EVER!!