Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Overwhelmed

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today. I just have so much going through my mind that I'm about to FREAK OUT! I still have a huge test to take to make it legally into nursing school. I keep putting it off because I don't want to fail so instead I procrastinate. I found out last Friday that school would be 4 days a week instead of 3 and that has caused me to go insane. I thought that I would be able to work 3 days, do school 3 days, and have a day off. Nope. Not happening. Why do I want to travel 2.5 hours away to go to school. Why do I want to keep my job. Why do I pay so much for rent and then stay with Jamie so much. Where are Jamie and I even going. He doesn't want kids. I do. I mean seriously. I'm just going crazy in my mind. Mostly I am scared. I'm scared of what is to come because I want it so bad and don't want to fail. If I fail I think I will give up for good and find a new career. Maybe I will become a garbage woman. Maybe I will become a ice cream lady. I don't know. I do know that I am stressed!

I am finally getting my wisdom teeth out in August. My niece is having another brain surgery next week. It's scary knowing so much this time around compared to when I was 15. She had surgery at the end of May, but didn't get the right shunt placed so she has to have another surgery that will be much more extensive. My sister is so strong to be able to cope with this.

The obgyn called the other day to do a follow up with Dr. M. They first called and left a message and I FREAKED out. Why are they calling me. What's wrong with me. Clearly I have so issues! The appointment isn't until Sept but I'm glad they called to get everything set up.

Sorry for the rambling, but my brain is a jumbly mess!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A Little Too Much

I don't really understand my body.

I think most girl's with endo don't. I mean seriously I could be having a happy jolly day when BAM out of no where the pain hits and I don't even understand. I haven't had 10/10 pain in a while, but as of the last week it's been hitting like CRAZY.

On the 25-28th of June Jamie and I spent time in Carlsbad, CA. We enjoy that place because it's active and relaxing. We slept a lot, played tennis every day, went to the beach every day and even went paddle boarding in Mission Bay. It was very enjoyable to get out of the heat for a few days. It was almost comical because when we were driving back in to AZ we stopped to eat. I got out of the car and almost instantly when the heat hit me... so did the pain. Jamie took it as a sign that I need to move. I just took it as this is my life.

I just don't really get how sometimes my pain can feel "controlled," but then others every day it's there to the extreme. I don't even remember the last time I was at the gym and had pain until yesterday. I always get so embarrassed because I look like a complete baby! Sometimes I wish I had a blinking sign over my head that says... "I have endometriosis look it up!" Maybe I should make a shirt that says that to make myself feel better. No matter what people won't understand. JUST BECAUSE I DON'T LOOK SICK DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING! Stop staring at me like I'm crippled.

Jamie thinks I should go see a GI dr just to make sure nothing else is going on, but honestly it's just another dr to add to my list and I'm over drs. I'm over stupid tests that show me nothing. I'm over spending money on drs that can't give me answers. I'm just over everything. Excuse my bitterness, but I'm highly annoyed. Sigh... I don't know what to do. Any ideas?

Very First

On May 26, 2012 was my VERY first REAL concert. AHHH!

I wasn't sure who I was going to go with because my friends had to work and my old room mate had some things come up so she couldn't go. A few days before the concert... litterally the Thursday before I was talking about it again to my coworker who I first asked, Meg (who I went to Hawaii with) and we decided to see if she could get off that Saturday night to come with. Our awesome manager let her off the hook as long as she promised to check in after the concert to make sure the team was okay.

We saw Sugarland and I LOVED IT! I can't believe how amazing Jennifer is. We sang and danced around to all the songs. They even played my favorite song! "Take Me As I Am." My FAVORITE lines are...
"If you want it
Come and get it
If you want it, come and get it but understand
You take me as I am

I know these corners, I know these streets
The curb-side Prophet there yelling at me
He can save my soul for a drink and a dollar
Yeah, he's yelling about my tattoos
But we all live with the scars we choose
They might hurt like hell, but they all make us stronger"

I just really connect with this song and was so thrilled when they played it. I just was taking it all in! My life has just been so crazy lately and I feel like I'm finally doing the things that I've been putting off for another day.

Maybe having this Pre-C scare is what I needed to get myself in gear. I am not taking things for granted and am finally doing things I want and not depending on others to be there.

If you can recall I was very excited because Jamie said that he would go with me to these concerts because it's something I wanted and loved. Guess who was the first to say no? Yes, you are correct... him. Oh well. It's probably better that way since people were smoking and stuff and he always goes crazy about people that smoke. Besides he wouldn't have known any of the songs and Meg knew everything and we even got to sing to each other.

Life is good, life is bad, but really it's what we make of it that matters.

I had a goal of doing a bikini show this summer. Although I'm in good shape I'm not where I want or need to be for the show and won't be participating. I was kind of sad. You know the... I let myself down... AGAIN. I let another show pass me by. But to be honest I've been having so much fun doing other things that are more important to me than some silly bikini show. All the girls there have fake b..bs and some have wigs. I'm more into being all natural and earning what I deserve. Maybe I'll do a show someday, but today is not that day. This summer has started off so AMAZING and I can't wait to see what else becomes of it!



Tri On!

This was started on May 24, 2012. I've been busy!

I headed up to Utah this passed Thursday to be with my sister to do our triathlon. Friday morning I woke up earlier than I had planned on, but that's what happens when you are switching from nights to days. I read through some of my emails as I was in bed. I had recieved one from the people doing the triathlon. They had some rules to read and some othere stuff. At the bottom they listed some women of steel and what they had to go through to get there. When we signed up they asked why are you a woman of steel and what did you have to overcome to be here. When I was reading the email I realized I was one of the people that they quoted. I said, "I have had to over come the pains of endometriosis every day while training. I also have precancerous cells on my cervix that I am battling with multiple procedures while training as well. It has been difficult to do, but I'm doing it!" When I saw this I started to cry. I almost forgot what I had to go through to get to this point in time. I was also crying because someone thought I was a woman of steel and recognized my battles as being worth writing down. Later that morning, my sister and I, went on a small bike ride just to get the bikes ready and make sure we were really ready for what was in store for us Saturday morning. Friday night we picked up our packets and saw where we were to put our bikes and get everything settled. I remember being so super scared. Saturday morning I woke up earlier than I had planned, but that was okay. It gave me time to get my mind in gear before the big race. I listened to my ipod and just took things easy. My sister woke up and we got everything ready to go.

At 8 am we were huddled up with 844 other people next to the pool. It was PURE CHAOS! There were 2 seperate lines on each end of the pool and people were entering the pool every 15 seconds. There were so many people that people were walking instead of swimming because there was no possible way to pass someone. Finally it was our turn. My sister went first and I followed shortly behind her. Once we finished it we went to the transition zone. On the way to the transition we saw her husband and kids screaming and yelling for us! It was so much fun. I love them all so much! In the transition zone my sister and I were not next to each other because it was done by age. I looked up as I was changing and putting on my shoes to see her taking her bike down. I thought she still had her shoes to put on and thought I would be next to her. I was wrong. I fell behind again because my helmet had some issues when I first attempted to put it on. Finally I got out of the gate and heard my fan club cheering me on! When I got on my bike it was a crazy feeling. I made it up the first hill okay, but the second (the hill of death) was a big DUZY! People were running the hill faster than I was biking. No joke! BUT... I kept going. I kept pushing the dumb pedals. On the downhill part I really was able to pick up some time and it felt so good to fly. I started my second loop of the bike. Once again I got to the hill of death and someone said "Keep going AZ" (since I had AZ sisters dare to Tri on my shirt.) I made up the dumb hill again and then eventually flew down the last part. Oh I have to add.. While I was riding I decided I need to eat something. All I had planned to eat was this grano.la bar with pb and chocolate. BAD IDEA FOLKS! The p.b. and chocolate did not go well with my saliva and everything else going on. Do NOT ever attempt to eat that during a Tri! Anyways...

The transition to the run was easy. Basically you get off your bike and run next to it until you rehang it. The rehanging it is the hard part because your muscles feel all crazy. I made it out to do the run. I tried really hard to run and did the best I could. I ended up walk/running it. It honestly was the best I could do. As I rounded the last corner where there was 100-200 yards left I saw my sister running towards me. I was choaking back my tears which made it even more hard to breathe in that altitude with no inhaler (oops!) It was very emotional to have my sister finish with me. She came back for me after she finished just like she said she would. We finished together hand in hand! I have never been so proud in my LIFE!!!!



There was a few times when I was pretty emotional through out the course. So many things were running through my mind to keep me going such as... I'm doing this! No one else is making do this. I'm doing this all by myself! I'm actually doing this! This is real life! EFF endo! You will not beat me! You will not give me pain! I will beat you! I am doing this!

I am just so proud of myself. As I was finishing up the biking portion and was flying down that hill for the last time I was thinking about another time when I was really proud of myself and felt this same way. When I was 19 I won a pageant and it was quite a big deal to me. I remember the feeling of I did this. No one gave me this, but I earned it! That's exactly how I felt. I earned the right to say I did a triathlon!

I am so proud of my sister and myself. She finished the race 30 minutes faster than she had a previous race she had done. I finished 10 minutes behind my sister in this race. I know our times aren't that fabulous, but I'm still very proud of them. She achieved 1:39 and I was 1:49. I just can't get over the fact that we did this!

After the race was over Andrew, my sisters husband, and the kids were all there to greet us and give us hugs! They too were also proud of us. We were pretty sore, but ate some fruit they gave us and then rode the bikes the mile back to their house. The rest of the day we relaxed and then went to a lunch to celebrate how awesome we are!

I hope that I can keep up my training and do another one someday. However... I have to buy a bike. With me going back to school I'm not sure if a bike is in the budget as of right now.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Almost Time to Tri

Saturday is my triathlon. I'm nervous, but excited. I mostly can't wait to hold my niece and nephews in my arms again. Have I mentioned that I love them? I love all my nieces and nephews. Nothing brings me as much joy in my life as my family does. They are all my little angels! I wish I could see them all more! And may I just add in here that I'm VERY protective of my family. I'm like a big mean dog when it comes to my family and protecting them.

I digress... Triathlon... I don't know if I'm ready. I'm not really in a good place mentally as of late. I dunno. I think I'm getting stronger and able to deal with things in my past, but then something brings me back down. I was starting to finally feel like I have a "voice" again. I felt like I wasn't left silent anymore. I'm still working on it. It's a work in progress for sure. It's not easy to be shut up for so long and then try and break that silence and go back to being "myself." I remember who I used to be and I like her. I wish I could just snap out of this silence I am in, but being shut up for so long became the new "me." At least I am trying I suppose.

Training for this tri has taken a toll on my body for sure. I haven't had to use my hard pain meds in months, but just a few days ago after a hard run I had to take one because of how bad my endo/cramps were. It's a weird pain and sort of different than my endo pain, but still feels the same (if that makes any sense.) I do feel better mentally when I run just not always physically.

I feel like this triathlon signifies a lot more than just running a triathlon. I feel like I've been tri-ing to get my life back. It's been something to work at that is hard for me, but each and every day I feel a little stronger. I know that I've over come a lot in my life so what is one measly triathlon. It's like nothing compared to some of the things I've been through.

I fly out Thursday and can't wait!

Friday, May 11, 2012

A Special Heart

I finally got the results from my stress test on Wendesday morning. I had worked all Tuesday night and had stayed up for the appointment. Lately I've been having issues sleeping so I was EXHAUSTED. I was so tired I fell asleep in the room waiting for the Dr. to come in. I was a little embarrassed when the nurse practitioner finally walked it, but I quickly recovered and she appologized for being tardy.

She told me my heart looks beautiful. The stress test looked good and my blood pressure at is highest point was still with a normal persons resting blood pressure. She said everything was doing what is was supposed to. I asked her why I was having pain and if it was due to the murmur. She agreed that it was due to the murmur. She said the left valve has 3 little flaps that make up my heart valve. They each are connected to muscle fibers. One of the little flaps is a little late closing. They aren't all in sync with each other causing a small amout of blood to be forced back up the opposite way. When I warm up my heart I could possibly feel the pain because it's trying to get back in sync. I took months off of running because I hate it so much so when I started training again for my tri that's why it started acting up. She said that it's nothing to be concerned about and she too had the same problem and has never had any problems. I asked her about higher elevations and she said that I will have pain and palpitations because my heart is working extra hard because of lack of oxygen at higher elevations.

I have a special heart! I am glad that I finally have some answer. This is exactly what I needed to know. I am happy with the news I got and feel like it's the answer to all the questions I have had.

The 19th is my triathlon and I am scared out of my mind!!!! I'm not sure if I'm completely ready, but too bad I'm doing it anyways. It's going to be a lot of fun to do it with my sister. All I want to do is finish. I don't care about my time or place or really anything as long as I finish the silly race! I can't wait!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Back to the Books

Monday night around 1130pm I went and checked the mail because it had been a few days. I went through it and found a letter that I had been waiting for!

It was the acceptance letter into NURSING SCHOOL! Can you even believe it? I can't. I am very excited, but also quite nervous. Actually I think I'm more nervous than excited.

I had to wait FOREVER to call my Mom and Dad because it was the middle of the night and I wasn't dying so I didn't need to wake them up. Jamie happened to be over eating dinner and was very excited for me. Today, Tuesday, I started to call and text people. Everyone has been really positive and supportive.

It has been such a long ways coming with a lot of set backs. I'm so ready to move forward with my life.

I'm not looking forward to all the reading. Honestly I feel like I should start reading TODAY because I know there is gonna be so much work to do. Not only will I be going to school 3 days a week, but I will also be working 3 nights a week, oh AND I have to commute to school. That's a scary thing too. The school I will be attending is where I'm from and where my parents live. I will drive down the night before classes, stay through the classes, and return back to where I currently live and go to work. It is going to be CRAZY! Literally INSANE, but for 2 years I can do anything. It's gonna be worth it.

In other news... My endo has been taking a toll on me. I honestly don't know what the deal is. At least daily it's there reminding me that it has not gone away. I thought that I had my pain mostly under control with the B.C. pills that I'm on so I don't know what the deal is!

My stress test went fine. Of course I didn't have any pain while on the treadmill. Of course not. I did have a twinge of pain after, but they said there were no changes to my ekg when I had the pain. I just am at a point where I'm okay with not having any answers to what is going on. I figure it can't be too bad or else I would be dead by now!

That about sums up the last few days and all the excitement! August 20th here I come!