OK, so all I know is we don't know anything...

Went to my doctor yesterday after work to see if we could figure out what's wrong with me. After my ER escapade, I'm more than a little afraid of going through that again, so I'd really like to know what's going on.

I told him all my symptoms and I pretty much baffled him. We've ruled out an iron deficiency because I had blood work done a while ago and it came back clean. So much for that theory. We're also working on the premises that my two episodes are related because I had the same symptoms. That of course could be wrong but nothing else makes sense.

So, he's making an appointment with a specialist (what kind I have no idea) and we'll go from there. The only issue I'm having right now is that I've used up almost all of my sick days and I only 2 1/2 days left and then I'd have to start using the remainder of my vacation days so that I still get paid. But I guess we'll deal with that bridge when we get to it.

But today, I'm not going to worry about. I'm going to go out and get some fresh air but take it easy because I still don't feel all that strong.

Does someone know where my silver linings have gotten too? Because this optimist is struggling.

Can I just have a normal uneventful week?

You'd think that going on vacation would give me a chance to de-stress and not worry about things but that doesn't seem to be the case with me.

First off, Calgary was great. Couldn't for the life of us find a car-rental company that had a car available for rent but we really enjoyed ourselves.So instead of going to Banff and Lake Louise like planned, we just hung around Calgary. Spent 6 great and very hot and sunny hours at the Calgary Zoo on Saturday and spent a couple of hours at Fish Creek Provincial Park on Sunday. I basically had a fabulous time, got some great photography and soaked up the sun (perhaps a little more than I should have-I'm about 3 shades darker than I was the weekend before).

Things seem to be going somewhere with our house. Our landlord has brought a second contractor to look at our place because it seems the first one can't do it soon enough. That seems like good progress to me. At least he's concerned with getting it done soon.

But the best part of this week so far has to be hands down my visit to the emergency room at St.Paul's Hospital. Late yesterday morning I started getting really dizzy and my vision went all spotty, just like when I had the stomach flu. But despite my stomach feeling a little nauseous, I didn't have any normal flu symptoms. After getting a hold of Ryan, I had a co-worker drive me to the hospital. My body felt like a dead weight and my feet and hands were all tingle and cold as if I had no circulation. Not to mention that I couldn't walk in a straight line.

I waited about 10 minutes to see the triage nurse who then took my vitals while we waited for them to admit me. At this point I'm sitting in a chair right in the middle of where all the paramedics are coming and going. It was so busy that they couldn't get me a bed and I spent the rest of the five hour visit on a gurney in the hallway next to Emerg. Admitting. They ran a battery of tests including bloodwork and an ECG (very interesting experience I must say). The nurses were great considering the circumstances. They did their best to give me some privacy as the hooked me up to the ECG machine (I had all the patches on my body- very sticky and difficult to remove. After ruling out something wrong with my brain, the doctor treating me (who had the best bedside manners of most doctors I've ever met) got me started on an IV right away in hopes that hydrating me would help. They also added Gravol which knocked me out pretty quickly.

Oh and some other fun... I learned I have IV veins in my left arm. 2 Burst as the nurse (coincidentally named Lindsay, too)tried to get me hooked up. I have some lovely instant bruising which surprised her. So, basically, I was just a mess. Yay for me...

Felt so much better this morning. Sleeping in probably helped since I took today off. But I was starting to feel dizzy again before dinner but I'm feeling better now that I've eaten. My Mom suggested it might be Anemia. Something wrong with my iron makes sense for a lot of reasons and also could be fairly simple to fix.

But I just need to know what's wrong with me. This is the second time with these symptoms and it's really freaking me out. I really don't want to do the hospital thing again. To that effect, I have a doctor's appointment with my GP in hopes to figure this out. I'm planning to go to work tomorrow as long as I keep feeling better.

So we'll see...

Ah, never a dull moment with me, eh?

Gotta love vacation!!!!

Well, I am here in sunny (well, cloudy at the moment) and warm Calgary, Alberta. I'm staying with one of my oldest friends and we're having a great time. A little dissapointed that we couldn't find a single car rental company that had a car available, but we've figured out alternative plans. We were supposed to go to Banff and Lake Louise so I could do some photography there but since we can't, my friend is taking me to the Calgary Zoo and a place called Fish Creek which she says is a lot like Banff (without the mountains). So I'd better go, breakfast is calling me.

Later...

My stairs tried to eat me!

I'm not sure what it is about me that makes it that way, but I am guaranteed to live a constantly melodramatic life. I seem to attract bizarre circumstances. In a way, it's like living in the middle of some twisted soap opera. But that being said, my life is never dull and I wouldn't change a thing.

DAY 13: I have now been living in my new place for almost two weeks. I have decided to lovingly give it a nickname... "My death trap". See, one of the steps on the outside stairs gave way underneath me and one leg fell all the way through. I was so lucky that only half the step broke, because otherwise I would have fallen about 15 feet all the while bouncing off of various hard objects... paints an interesting image, doesn't it?

But as a friend reminded me, staying positive is the only way to make the situation work. Hence the lovely nickname. It's really the only way I can laugh at the situation, because otherwise, I'd cry.

So just one more thing for my landlord to fix...

On a happy note, I am planning to go back to school to be an art therapist. I think I'll first take some night classes while I'm able, so I can still work full time. Later I'll get a part-time job and take 3 classes. I'm going to start at Langara College first (which is very handy as it is so close to home) and then I'll transfer to UBC. I am so excited about this. And Ryan is being extremely supportive.

Now we just have to make the logistics work...

Oooo, and I think our first piece of furniture is finished being put together. Ryan kindly put together our dresser so we can unpack some of clothes, seeing as we are still living in boxes...

Ah, the joys...

:)

I don't believe this...

It is now one week since we moved in and our roof is still not fixed. The problem... it's raining... we're leaking again...

I want to scream but until the roof contractor finishes his other job, we have to wait.

Ryan and I are planning to talk to someone at the Residential Tenancy Board (which happens to be a block from my work) to find out if there is anything we can do about our situation.

For now, we're sleeping in the spare room and really can't unpack too much.

Can I cry yet?


I can't wait to go to Calgary! Only 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!