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Immediately after my heart cath, last Wednesday I experienced a few moments of shimmery vision and we attributed it to the dye or lack of sleep.  I didn't think about it again until Monday evening when it happened again.

I had a thirty minute issue with vision.  I was seeing a c shaped rope like thing.  I couldn't look at it directly as it was in my left peripheral vision.  It appeared to be like a checkerboard pattern that rotated.  It is very hard to explain.  I called my mom and googled it and came up with a visual migraine.  I did have a slight headache when my vision cleared, but it only lasted ten minutes or so.

Tuesday afternoon the vision thing started again.  This time I felt not well about five minutes into it and I got a bit scared.  I had to lay down and called my mom again.  This time it turned into a horrific headache that lasted from just after 7pm until 2am.  A real migraine.   Oh.    My.   Goodness.  I have never felt so incapacitated.   Nausea and sensitivity to light, wow!

I hope that was my one and only migraine.  I feel so terrible for people who suffer these on a regular basis.  I am hoping mine was because I had been without my CPAP  machine for a few days. This adorable dog ate my mask.  Then he ate the $40 used replacement mask I lucked into.  Insurance won't pay for another $300 mask for many months and a new replacement part is $70.

My mom bought me another used mask today.  She is a lifesaver.  I napped a bit earlier and can't wait till tonight to sleep a full night again with the CPAP.    We will be having a dog funeral if he finds this one I have hidden in my dresser drawer.

 Ozzfest is selling tickets to the Hartford CT show for $10 dollars today only and Nico can't understand why I won't buy them and drive 14 hours away to take him. He says, "The Monica from the 80s would have done it!"

Well, I survived! The procedure was not as bad as I anticipated. They did find a coronary artery anomoly. But, it was in such a difficult place that they were unable to access it to discover the origination point. The doc that did the cath wants to confer with the other doc and review all the scans before they tell me what they think. Soo, I know more than I did.

I figure I will know the full information in a week or two.

I feel mildly sore at the entry site, but that is all. I have to avoid bending or lifting for a few days.

Thanks so much for the encouragement and kind thoughts!!

In six hours I will leave to have my heart cath done.  I should be asleep right now, but can't.  I am worried.  All day long people have been assuring me.  "Everything will be alright", they have said.  And in all likelihood, they are right.  I am just worried about that small margin of what if.  Worry is normal and I am trying to just acknowledge it for what it is and move on.

Tonight was not an easy night.  My sons are worried too and were not being kind to each other.  One of my children has been having a rough time of it lately and was really being defiant tonight.  I tried to have a calm discussion with him to get to the root of the problem  Hormones, puberty, what??  He calmly stated that his main issue is that he just doesn't like me.

Ouch.

He and I have butted heads for years, our personalities are very different and we struggle with that.  I told him that I didn't like my mom either for many of my teen years.  He says he has never liked me and mostly likely never will.

I wish they could fix that kind of broken heart tomorrow.

I hope to be back here posting that all is well tomorrow night, but if I am not, don't panic.  They might keep me overnight or more.

Thanks for all the well wishes.

My friend, Emily will be getting married this Saturday. She is finally getting the nerves. Her and her man are doing all the work themselves and on a strict budget, but I am so excited at all that have managed to accomplish. My mom is doing their flowers as her gift to them and we all know how great my mom's arrangements are. She is also doing Emily's hair and the trial run was great. I am doing the photography. I have done some decent stuff in the past but never a wedding. I am researching and planning. I want to give them the best I can. I don't have a great camera so I am using Emily's. I so wish a fantastic high dollar camera would fall in my lap before the wedding, but I think I can do well with what we have. Wish me luck.

On the heart front, my heart catheterization has finally been scheduled. I will be going in next Wednesday at 6am and was told to prepare for a looong day. My mom will be posting updates on facebook, so if you would like to follow along please send me a friend request (Monica Fountain Berrios) and we will link up!

If they find a problem such as a blockage (which we are not looking for or expecting) they can fix it right there and I will have to stay overnight. If they do find that I have a misrouted artery, I am not sure if they will haul my butt into surgery or schedule it for later. It depends on how big of a threat it is, if they should find it. The idea of open heart surgery is terrifying. I am not sure how to prepare for that.

I am off to finish my pedicure so I have pretty feet for the wedding!

But.....I am confidant that Jack is daytime potty trained.  He has been in underwear for 5 days and completely accident free for 3.  After resisting  any attempts at potty training for months, he just got it.  I had no idea that my speech about only buying night time diapers would be so powerful.  I am a super lucky mom that he turned out so easy.


Great Job Jack!!

Yesterday, I told Jack at the store.

"Jack, I am not buying anymore day time diapers.  Only sleep diapers."
Jack said to me, "ok Mommy, I use the potty"

This morning the score is
Floor=1
Potty=.5

It is going to be a long day.

Yesterday, I saw the cardiologist again.  He says the next step will be either a cardiac MRI or a heart catheterization.  I mentioned that I had had an MRI about four years ago and had many issues with the size of the tube.  Can you say panic attack?  I am not normally claustrophobic, but man that tube is small!

He is looking into the open MRI, but said that he thinks we are most likely going to have to go with the heart cath.  I know it is very invasive, but I am ok with it.  I just want to know what is going on in there so I can deal with it and get back to living.

On the good side of life, it is almost SUMMER BREAK!!!

We are sooo ready.

Dang it.  I went today for the CTA scan.  I got prepped and IV'ed and dosed with Lopressor.  They took me back when my heart rate was 79.  Heart rate must be 60 or below to make the 3D images viewable.  After three more IV doses of Lopressor, my heart rate sat stubbornly at 75.

My betas refused to be blocked.

I could not have the test.  I have to call the cardiologist in the  morning to find out what the next step will be.  I am seriously disappointed.  I figured I would know the mysteries of my chest pain with in days because of this awesome test.

No such luck.

I will keep you posted.