Thursday, June 2, 2011

TEST WEEK

SOOOO, i Haven posted here since my first one. renee so kindly told me i needed another blog so here it is. I have been home for 2.5 weeks now. man does it feel so much longer than that. running by myself SUCKS! here is my week of tests...
Monday: i was in Wisconsin all weekend and my mom and i left at like noon..so i had to run when i got home. well i sat down to watch TV and PASSED out for 3 hours. so i had to run at like 5...which was better than 3 bc it was the hottest day thus far up here. well i have a 6 mile course mapped out to do. my mom bikes with me and from beginning to end it was awful. not one positive thought went through my head except when my mom said  i made almost 5 guys drive off the road bc they were looking at me instead of the road. i was fearing not making the team back at school, not being  fast, worrying about everything thats wrong with me and how much i hate running and missed soccer. to say the least, i walked twice bc i wasnt sure i was making it home. my mom witnessed my running melt down. but both times i walked, i only gave myself a block and then i ran again. so i guess i do have some will power. when i finally got home my bro dad and sis were sitting outside waiting for us with glasses of ice water. man did i down it. since i was bummed about my run and told them i was gonna do some core work. so my dad says, "we will join you" so the whole family including the dogs cram into out living room floor and we do abbs. it was super entertaining. i got a good workout in and they were def sore the next day.

Tuesday: i got up, went to the bathroom, put on my shoes, and went for a run. i knew if i put it off i most likely wouldnt get out there.it went better than the day before. i tried to go slower and only think positively.

Wednesday:tilt table study day. i couldnt eat past midnight on tuesday. when i got up wednesday my dad said i prob shouldnt run before my study bc i couldnt eat or drink anything. so i dont. we leave my house and are there about 10:10...i dont get discharged til 1:30!!!so here is how it went down. i check in and fill out some paperwork. they put two bracelets on me and i go back to the waiting room with my dad. a few minutes later Kristen (the nurse helper) comes and gets me. she takes me weight and height. she told me even tho i filled out i didnt want a pregnancy test that all girls from ages 13-65 have to get them. so i do my thing and do the dumb test. oh so let me explain this hospital wing i was in...they were all OLD people getting heart surgeries. i was the youngest in there(patient wise) by at least 50 years. the wing goes in a circle and im in room 8. there are no doors but the two to the waiting room and the bathroom. all the patient rooms just have a curtain. i didnt like that..i like my privacy. but oh well. so back to the test. i have to put the gown thingy on but im allowed to keep my shorts and shoes on. i meet Karen who will be the nurse doing the test on me. Kristen hooks me up to a bunch of machines and takes my temperature and then she is gone. Karen tells me my dad can wait for the first 40 minutes with me but then they have him leave when they are gonna make me pass out (and im glad, i wouldnt want him to see me go through it..it was very unpleasant) I tell Karen that she should put my IV in first bc my dad passes out with needles and we both dont need to pass out today. so she misses the first time and boy do those IV's hurt like none other. she gets it in on the second attempt and goes to get my dad. she explains the process to my dad. I lay flat on my back for 40 minutes while they monitor and take my heart rate and blood pressure every 2 minutes. they would then ask him to leave while they tilt me to a full standing position and after 10-15 minutes if i dont pass out they will give me this dissolving pill that will do the trick if i have whatever they were testing for. Once we start the 40 minutes i thought i was gonna fall asleep...it was so boring. my dad was watching my heart rate and a few times it went from 70ish to 118 and he wished he knew what i was thinking about. so my doctor comes in and has my dad leave. they stand me up and start taking my heart rate and blood pressure every minute. i have no change so after 15 minutes of standing there they administered me some drug. i was doing well the first 2 minutes it had it. inside my head i was chuckling to myself about how i beat their test...little did i know what was about to happen and then it went down hill (if you have never passed out..here is how it feels).(all these symptoms happened in about 30 seconds--in most people it takes longer, not me) so my head started hurting..i had been pretty cool the whole procedure but then i got all hot and sweaty...started to feel like i was gonna throw up..the room started spinning and more and more of the room turned black and BAMMM im gone. next thing i know, im flipped head down and my doctors hands are feeling my forehead and cheek. he was trying to get me to talk but i felt like crap<thanks to them>.after i was a little more alert he was like "you passed out on me" and i smiled i think. he told me he never saw anyone get quite as {pasty} as i did...how rude! so they bring my dad back in the room while i recover. the doctor is explaining everything to my dad while i chill their on the dumb gurney thing with my body leaning head first into the ground. the doctor said my heart rate when from 120 to 60 in a split second. most take a few seconds to drop that big of a gap and so when that happened they flipped my back the other way. he prescribed a steroid that i have to take and said i dont have  to wear a heart monitor now but still have to do the echo stress test thursday. blahblah that was about it for the excitement of the day.

                                                 A diagram of the tilt table test.
                                                             my bracelets

today: i have an echo stress test at 2. hopefully i turns out negative for hypertension or whatever they are looking for.
thats about all i got for now. til the next time...
<3 kalli
2 thumbs up

Monday, January 31, 2011

Giving This a Go

I started one of these blog things back in high school, but I forgot which email I used and the password along with it. Since things have been hectic over the past few weeks, I decided I should start this back up. Hopefully it will help me figure some stuff out along the journey of life.
Running has definitely taken its toll on me emotionally, physically, and mentally. I have been injured multiple times, not racing well, and frustrated with training. So many aspects of running seem unfair. I miss the days when running was run and easy. I enjoyed running so much more in high school. It never gave me such pain as it does now.
My sister sent me a text of a quote yesterday ( because she knows how much I love quotes) and it read, "Your friends don't understand what you see in running. They just see how running drags you home early from the best parties. how it kicks you to the curb the next morning before the crack of dawn. They just see the missed lunches, curious stares, and constant mind games. And if they don't see the other stuff by now, odds are the never will." So much truth is in this quote.
 Most of my friends at home understand running to a point. but they do not understand how it is running in college. My teammates/friends in college are too wrapped up in it. So I have a set a friends whom don't understand and another group of friends who see nothing but running and live their life FOR running. But where do I fit in?? I love running..(on most days). but it is not my life. My family, friends, and relationship with GOD are far more important to me than running. Sure running gives me joy, but it can not give me what my family gives me. So many people on this team don't understand that. So am I in the wrong place? Should I be running in college? I honestly can say I do not know the answer. All I can do is hope the GOD steers me in the right direction.


That's it for right now. Be back soon!!

  With love, Kalli