Crazy Days

Monday started out just like any other school day.  We did our weekend writing, did making words to practice building words using silent e, and then continued with our study of fairy tales.  Little Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite tales, so I decided to spend the first couple of days this week comparing and contrasting different versions.  Today we did a story map based on Tricia Schart Hyman's beautiful version.

                                          
After lunch and recess our first graders go to their specials classes-music, PE or art- at 12:30.  After I walked my class to PE, I came back to the office to check my mailbox and stop by the clinic.  My cardiologist had asked me to monitor my blood pressure last week, so I stopped by to have the nurse check it.  I had been checking it at home all weekend, and although it was a bit higher than normal, it was much better than what was measured in his office on Thursday.

Our nurse took my pressure, and then asked how I was feeling.  I said I felt fine,  Then she told me how high it was.  I sat for awhile and took it again.  When the second reading was just as high, she suggested calling my doctor or heading to the ER.  What?!!! I felt fine so how could it be that high?  Anyway, since it was lunch time, I couldn't get right through to my doctor, so I decided to head to the ER.  The nurse wouldn't let me drive so our assistant principal drove me.  At this point, I am still not worried.  I figure they'll give me some blood pressure meds and send me on my way.

Nope!  My pressure continued to climb, top number was now over 200.  After blood work, the ER doctor suspected a blood clot in my lungs.  Tests for that were inconclusive.  I needed another test but due to an iodine allergy I would need to be pre-medicated.  I was admitted and moved to a room.  The internal medicine doctor who admitted me wasn't as convinced it was a clot, so he ran some more tests to rule out too much thyroid hormone.  In the meantime, my cardiologist weighed in.  He thought my leaky aortic valve may have worsened so he ordered an echocardiogram.  He suspected it might be time to have the valve replaced which would have meant another open heart surgery- good grief!

The echocardiogram was done early Tuesday morning.  Many hours later,  the cardiologist filling in for my regular doctor finally looked at the echo results and could see no worsening of the leak.  At around 7:00PM, I was discharged with a prescription for blood pressure medicine and no real answers as to why my pressure went so high!

I'm home today because a sub had already been called.  I'm glad cause the new medicine is making me a little tired.  But I am so anxious to get back to my babies tomorrow!  My wonderful teammates stepped right in and took care of everything when I left Monday. The assistant principal stayed with me in the ER until my daughter arrived.  The nurse and her aide couldn't have been more supportive. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful team and work with such fabulous people!