Lots of things are cooking! I have been experiencing breathlessness and chest pain, so I went to the doctor to get some advice, as to how to proceed. The experience at the doctor’s office was a bit crazy, because on the one hand, I was dressed to attend a party at my sons’ school, after the appointment with the doctor, yet I was packed and ready to go to the hospital, if that’s what my doctor recommended! A girl always has to be prepared!
The EKG, done at the doctor’s office, showed no changes, over the last time I had one, which is a good thing. It may just have been esophageal spasm, which mimics the symptoms of heart attack.
Heck, I stopped some medicine inadvertently, when I was on vacation and started some new supplements, last Friday, around the time I started feeling not quite myself. I believe that resuming that medicine may improve things dramatically. And who knows if any of the supplements are the true culprit.
The new diet, that I am on, calls for plenty of apple cider vinegar, which seems highly acidic, yet people say it cures gastrointestinal reflux disease, which I do suffer from. So I, for one, would like to know what my gastroenterologist thinks about someone with GERD using apple cider vinegar on their salad. Could this be the cause of the chest pain?
The doctor recommended that I have a non-stress stress test, since I can’t do the typical running one. I will relax about all of this, if the non-stress stress test comes back clean!
I made it to the new family party at University School and had a few laughs! I got to skip the hospital entirely! So pleased to have narrowly escaped that one. So happy to be home looking after my boys instead!
You know, these issues are just that much harder to deal with when you are a single mom by choice, without any back-up! I mean heck, had it gone the other way, and the doctor thought I needed to be in the hospital, who would have looked after the boys? My octogenarian parents? The babysitter, who planned today would be her last day, since she is returning to college shortly? One of my brothers? My sister? An old nanny? Who? Who at the drop of a hat, would be available, and knows the house, the animals, the boys and our routine, such that they could ramp up and take over, without much instruction, and run my household? These are the questions that cause real stress.
What back-up plan do you have, when you are down for the count? How would you cover your obligations, if you suddenly had to be hospitalized? Who would man the fort? Have you thought about these issues, or do you prefer to bury your head in the sand, and try to pretend that day will never come? Take a minute right now and review who would carry on, if you were brought to your knees. Be specific. It is important to know who you would call.
Lisa J Lafave, PhD, MBA, ACC, BCC
The Wellness Coach at Building Better Bodies Rocks
CEO & Founder of Coaching Rocks, LLC
One Woman’s Experience Recovering From Medical Challenges
A Single Mom By Choice Raising Surrogacy Twin Boys
Written in My Little Brick in Unicersity Heights, Ohio
Leap Into Action!