Saturday, March 26, 2005

Last night I spent about 5 1/2 hours in the emergency room at St. Agnes Hospital with some kind of heart pounding. As I laid in the bed I listened to all the sounds of sick people around me. I really felt fine...except for that 150 pulse I was experiencing, the light headed-ness, and the shaking I couldn't seem to get my body to stop doing. But other than that, according to the sounds of the sick around me, I was in pretty good shape.

"What were you doing when the palpatations started?" asked the Dr.

"Watching Duke lose to Michigan St in the basketball finals", I answered.

"Oh...you from the East Coast?" he asked politely.

"No...I just seem to like Duke."

"Why Duke?"

"They win more than they lose."

"So, baseball fan?" he continued this polite conversation.

"yeah...Yankees...same reason" I answered with a smile.

"I guess this means you used to be a 49er fan also?"

"Used to be..." I answered "not any more".

He left...said they were going to run tests to figure out what caused my palpatations.

My sweet husband, after many hours of just sitting and waiting, finally scooted his chair as close to my bed as he could and laid his head down on my legs. He leaves our house at 4:30 every morning for work and also works a second job on the weekends. Since we were now looking at midnight on the clock, he was exhausted. While he quietly rested, again I took in all the noises...the sounds. I thought how interesting it would be if our spiritual health could be read by the noises we make like our physical health is.

You know...the groaning, the creaking and popping, the crying and even sometimes screaming. But it's not. We usually keep that very quiet, don't we? We don't like to reveal our spiritual illnesses. They may not threaten our daily health, but what about our eternal health?

After many hours, a chest x-ray, enough blood drawn to build another human, and an EKG, they hooked me up to a 24 hour portable heart monitor and discharged me. They discovered my potassium levels were dangerously low which can effect your heart...(which I didn't know until last night).

So, their prescription was to eat a banana a day.

By the way, sweet Ashley has called and is having a wonderful time in New York. Just finished seeing Phantom of the Opera and was headed to a Deli for dinner. She says New York pizza really is better than California pizza. She's safe and happy. Thanks for your prayers.

O.K. So, after hundreds of dollars in tests, and 5 1/2 hours in this place, you send me away with "eat a banana a day"? "Yes" responds the Dr. "and stay away from decongestants, caffeine, and especially chocolate."

Hhmmm...I thought as I walked away so very happy to be going home to my bed...should I mention I was eating dark chocolate and drinking a diet coke while watching Duke lose?

Naahhh...that Dr. doesn't need to know everything.

Have a blessed Easter weekend celebrating the resurrection of our Lord!



1 comment:

Thurman8er said...

A. You are a frontrunner. No two ways about it.

B. I love you. I am SO glad there was nothing more to that whole episode than low potassium.

C. It would be interesting to "hear" the sounds of spiritual sickness. I wonder if it wouldn't be overwhelmingly awful.

D. Today's service and party for James were awesome. Thank you so much for all you do.

E. I love you. I know I said that. I just really wanted to get to E.

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