Sometimes, life hands you an opportunity that is so perfect, you would be crazy to pass it by.
I have been handed an opportunity to go to a place for a full month, where I can sit and focus on writing a book about Nicole's accident and our family's journey. That place just happens to be in a beach house in Maine. And the month is May. As in NEXT MONTH.
How am I going to make this happen, when our finances are tighter than they've ever been in our 30 years of marriage?
Well, I just believe so much that this story needs to be told, and the book needs to be written. And, just as when I got on that plane to New York on August 31, 2008, not knowing really what we'd find or how long we'd be there, or how in the world we'd ever afford it, I had faith that all would be OK. And it was. We were provided for. Nicole recovered. And even now, over two and a half years later, we may not have the disposable income we once had, but we certainly aren't starving. (Except for the self-imposed diet, which we are getting used to and is already making a difference!)
So I'm running on faith that the work I'm doing this month will pay off. I need enough money to cover the expenses I typically cover in our household, enough money to finish paying off Joe's tuition for this semester, and enough money to get me to Maine and back, and to be there for the month of May. Each day I just wake up and get right to work. It's the only thing I know to do!
And wouldn't you know, there's already been a hiccup in the plans. A big hiccup. After feeling rotten all weekend, I went to see the doctor, and he was freaking-out concerned. My ekg was "disturbing," and my symptoms were a real head-scratcher. A blood test revealed I had "critically low" levels of potassium--which perfectly explained my symptoms, including the disturbing ekg. Six huge horse pills a day for five days should do the trick. Best bad news I had heard all day.
Until the phone rang early yesterday morning.
Another blood test, taken later the day before, came back. Called a "D-Dimer" test, it can tell if you have a blood clot. My test came back positive.
I was told to high-tail it to the Madison Radiological Group for "stat" testing. "Right after I jump in the shower," I said. "NO. NOW," I was instructed. Scary.
They did a Doppler test on the veins/arteries in my legs. No clot there.
So they decided to do a CT scan. An IV with dye in it that made my body feel like it was on fire for about a minute...then four minutes of wondering if I really peed, or if it just felt that way (it just felt that way!).
All that to get some really good news: no clot!
But, the tightness in my chest and lack of energy has my ever-vigilent doctor concerned. Enough so that it seems I've bought myself another round of tests to make sure my heart is OK, including a stress test on a treadmill at Madison Heart Clinic tomorrow morning. Nothing to eat or drink past midnight.
While this is all certainly a bump in the road in many ways (lack of energy = not getting done all the things I need/want to do...plus the fact that our medical insurance deductible could buy a small island), I'm determined not to let it steer away from my plans to go to Maine.
And really, I look at it all as a blessing. Because I'm on a journey of my own towards better health and an active lifestyle going forward, and this is a little reminder of what eating bad foods and not dealing with stress in a healthy way can do to you. This little episode will make it much easier to resist tempting sweets and high-fat dishes, and much easier to hop on that treadmill each day!
Don't forget...I've got great gifts for graduation, Professional Assistant's Day (4/26), birthday, wedding, new babies, housewarming and more! Order your Scentsy products direct from my website and my profit will go straight to the Joe Marquez College Tuition Fund! I sure do appreciate it! Log on to http://www.susanmarquez.scentsy.us/. Tell your friends!!! :-)
Blessings to all who read this!
Susan
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