Skunk Cabbage, May 8th, 2006

Wild Turkey, Late April, 2006

Saturday, May 6th, 2006

What a week! I taught the past two weekends and was more than tired last Sunday night but stopped at my son's house anyway for a gourmet dinner prepared by him. I just couldn't seem to fight the tiredness, so I asked for some green tea shortly after I arrived and again before leaving. I was concerned about the long drive home...

I was off the next two days (Monday and Tuesday) and mainly took it easy. When I returned to work on Wednesday, an odd thing happened a couple of hours into the morning. I began to feel very light-headed; almost felt as if I might pass out... my stomach was a bit queasy. At one point I put my head down. I decided to phone my doctor (cardiologist). I've been treated for high BP for years but it's been under control until recently, but with the doubling of a med I was on recently, I felt encouraged... until this happened. They put the nurse on and she suggested I go to the school nurse (I work at a college). I asked Jim, a guy I work with, to take me over there. It's in another building. At that point I thought my BP might be low since I was, after all, on double the medicine I'd been on until a few weeks earlier... but when I got there and she took my BP it was quite high! She phoned the nurse at the cardiologist's office as had been requested, and relayed the information. She took my BP again, but it was still just as high. The cardiologist's nurse said I should stop by on my way home, --maybe not stay at work the whole day-- and have her take my BP again, which I did.

It was still high. She consulted with the doctor's assistant (the doctor was at the hospital), who suggested putting me on a second drug because my heart rate was high. They also gave me a supply of an earlier medication I'd been on (my insurance company didn't want to pay for that so they'd substituted what I'd been switched to). Anyway, the nurse then sent me on my way, but not until she brought me a glass of water and one of the new pills and had me take it right then and there.

I stayed home the next day to give myself time to see how the new medicine would work, but feeling encouraged that NOW things were most likely under control, I went to work the next day (Friday). The nurse had told me that I should take the second pill (the one to lower my heart rate) only if I need it, if I felt light-headed. I felt OK at first, but after a little while the light-headedness was back. I didn't want to tell Jim. He's not usually in on Fridays but he had come in, he said, to finish some stuff up... but I wondered if he'd showed up because he either wasn't sure I'd be in or because he wanted to be see if I was OK when I came in... He stopped by and leaned against my office door jam and talked with me. I was feeling light-headed enough that I decided I should take one of the new pills they'd said to take only if I really needed it, but I didn't want to worry him. He said it was a warm, sunny day, perfect for painting his bathroom which he was going to go home and do! When he finally left, I felt around in my purse for the box, took one of the new pills out and swallowed it with some water.

An hour or so later I was feeling OK again, so I returned to my usual activities. I talked with a student for a long while as I looked at his graphic design portfolio. He'd just had his final review of the year and he's a Senior so it was his very final review! After talking with him for a while I began to feel lightheaded yet again! This was discouraging to say the least! I usually only work a half-day on Fridays and I had a mammography appointment scheduled for that afternoon, so I left around my usual time and went on to that appointment. I was feeling a little "off" but not too bad. However, by the time I'd finished there I was feeling quite light-headed again so I called my cardiologist's office again. They put the nurse on. She said I should definitely stop by their office; that she might want to put a heart monitor on me for 24 hours and she'd tell me more when I got there.

When I got to the office, I had to wait a while. Both receptionists were busy, --one on the phone; the other setting up an appointment for another patient. As I stood there I seemed to get more and more light-headed! Finally someone asked me what she could do for me and I explained why I was there. She said she'd tell the nurse and that she would be with me shortly. I went and sat down but sitting didn't seem to lessen my symptoms.

Finally, the nurse came out and got me. We went into a large room (for an examining room) and she took my BP with an electronic device like those they use in hospitals unstead of the usual cuff and stethoscope. It was high. She phoned the doctor at the hospital who told her to have me lie down for several minutes and take my BP. After that she was to have me stand and take it again. It was high again, --both times. She had another conversation with the doctor. She said she would call in a prescription for a different drug; that I shoudn't take the other heart rate lowering drug; and to start this new one the following morning; that it worked differently. Then she pulled out the heart monitor and attached it to me, --several (5 I think) sensors all over my chest which she then taped in place. It is a gadget about the size of a PDA with various wires coming out of it that go to the sensors she placed on my chest, and a strap so I could put it over my shoulder if I wanted to. The device itself was in a black fitted pouch and velcroed shut. It took two AA batteries. The nurse told me she would set it to start and that in 24 hours I should remove the batteries to shut it down; and unattach the sensors from my chest, but in the meantime I should record in a little log every time I felt light-headed or dizzy or had any other symptom that I thought I should report.

So... you see I've had a rough past week! I've taken the heart monitor off and I'm feeling a bit light-headed this evening as I type this. I should be getting to bed soon I expect. I wish I knew just what this was and whether they're going to be able to control it!

The photos I posted today also were all taken recently. The wild turkey photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. On one of my regular walks to the river I saw a bunch of them... maybe 4 or 5... and tried to photograph them but couldn't get too close. The dandylions and violets were something I saw on today's short walk. It's spring! Wish I were enjoying it a bit more...

Dandylions, May 6th, 2006

Violet, Saturday, May 6th, 2006