A Second Chance

Wow, what a week. I will try to give you the condensed version. It started on Tuesday with car problems so we had to take one car into the shop and I also rec'd my fasting lab work from my Dr. and they said I had high cholesterol, which I have never had before. On Wednesday, Mark was busy prepping for a colonoscopy - no fun, but he did alot better than expected. On Thursday morning, I took him to have the procedure. The procedure itself went well, everything looked normal, but they did take a biopsy to check the tissue lining. The day prior I had been having a racing pulse and some periods of shortness of breath. It went away that evening, so I really thought it was just anxiety related. After I got done with Mark's procedure, I went to work and as soon as I got there, I started having the racing pulse symptoms again. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the symptoms kept getting progressively worse to the point I was having extreme difficulty breathing, racing pulse and chest pain when I breathed in. I did not know what to do as I had our only family vehicle with me at work and Mark was not able to drive all day due to the procedure and the sedation he received. I did not want to drive and even thought I was going to have to call an ambulance. I called my dear aunt who left work early to come and take me to Southdale ER. In the meantime, one of my co-workers insisted on bringing me in as it was getting worse. I was so scared and, although I was trying to remain as calm as possible, I really thought I was having a heart attack and that I was going to die, especially considering that my cholesterol was high. I felt completely out of control and helpless. I made a promise to God and myself when I was sitting in the hospital bed that if I survived, I would continue to make healthy changes in my diet/life, only I would get more serious. After all, it was becoming more and more apparent that my life depended on it. They ran tests and found my heart was healthy (PRAISE GOD!) and then thought I had a blood clot in my lungs...after more tests that, too, was ruled out (PRAISE GOD AGAIN!) They are still trying to determine what the racing pulse is from, but because my life was no longer in danger, they sent me home and asked me to come back the next day to get hooked up to a halter monitor that monitors my heart rate for 48 hours. So, right now I have about 7 wires coming out of my chest that lead to a box I carry on my hip. How did I get here? Why did I do this to myself? Why didn't I take care of myself sooner?
I'm not sure I have all the answers to those questions. What I do know now is that IT IS NEVER TOO LATE to start again. I want to live a long, HEALTHY, life for myself, my husband, my kids, God, my family, my friends, etc. In order to do that, I need to answer this wake up call. How many more calls do I need? One doctor told me that if I don't get this weight off, he will refer me to gastric bypass surgery. The other nurse told me that maybe I am one of those people who just needs be on cholesterol meds for the rest of my life (I think NOT)! Then, I have, what felt like, a near death experience. The time is NOW. I have been doing well with my diet and exercise, however, it is time to step up my game.....my life depends on it.

Thankful to be alive. Thankful for another chance at good health.