Friday, February 17, 2012

5 on Friday......




1. I have gone to Bootcamp now for 2 weeks today! I am fluctuating on the scale, but I have lost
several inches and RJ said he can't believe how different my waist looks already! I can't wait
to go tonight!
2. Valentines Day went great! RJ was supposed to have 2 fillings put in his teeth that morning
but he had a seizure so Dr. Booth wants to wait a couple months until he is doing better.
While he was waiting for me to come and pick him up he went next door to the Flower shop and got me some beautiful flowers! We gave the girls each a giant pink (fake) diamond from
Hobby Lobby. Then I got them some body paint for the bathtub and each a cute dress that
was on sale ($5 each). RJ got us a heart shaped pizza for dinner that night, it was delicious!

3. Thursday was the girls' last day at daycare with Nicolle Muzney. She is awesome, but we just
can't afford for them to do there while RJ is off work. They will end up going back to her one
day a week like normal when RJ ends up back at work! The girls love her sooo much and so
do we! They will miss her!
4. We found out last night that RJ got approved for short term disability again! Thank god, now
just to see if they will allow him to go back to work at the end of this 6 weeks. We can only
hope. He is wearing a heart monitor right now for 6 weeks, so far he has had 4 seizures since
he got the monitor. Hopefully the medication he is on can start kicking in soon.
5. I have become a HUGE fan of the Kelly Clarkson song "What doesn't kill you makes you
stronger". It's awesome and I listen to it all the time, lol. RJ has found a new "theme" song
for us "Picture of us" from our favorite show "Parenthood". If you don't watch it you should
it is he best show ever.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Basket ball tournaments......



Alex has had numerous tournaments this year and most of them we have gotten a babysitter for he girls. It's hard to keep a 2 & 3 years old entertained while sitting on the bleachers ALL DAY LONG, plus we miss a lot of the games by chasing after them. This past weekend we took them with us to Gilbert. It went quite well. Alex's team lost their first game which was at 8am, so their next game wasn't until 12:15, so we went home for a couple of hours. It's only 15-20 minutes away so it worked out great. They won their second game so they didn't play again until Sunday morning. Grandma Beth came over and watched them for an hour or so, they lost their first game that was at 8:45 so they were out of the tournament.



Lucie loves to climb up and down the bleacher over and over again.........

Friday, February 10, 2012

5 on Friday......

1.

I started a Bootcamp class Monday night. It goes Monday, Wednesday, Friday 6-7pm for 5
weeks. It's really kicking my butt into shape. The first day was brutal for me, but I think I
am starting to like it!

2.

Wednesday we went and got RJ fitted for his "King of Hearts" heart monitor. He has to wear
it for a month. If in that time nothing happens (we are hoping nothing does, that means the
medicine is working) then he will get to go back to work with no restrictions and get his
liscense back!

3.

Lucie has had no accidents in 3 days with potty training. This includes taking naps! At night
we are still putting a nighttime pull-up on her but she is doing fantastic!

4.

We had to give our daycare provider that watches the girls on Thursday our 2 week notice
last week. Since RJ will be off work for the next 6 weeks there is no point in having them at
daycare, and it saves us money. She was sad, but is holding our spot for when RJ goes back
to work!

5.

We got our taxes done on Wednesday. Much to our relief it wasn't that bad. We didn't know
if our "Deid in Leiu of Forclosure" would effect our taxes and it didn't!!! We both had
adjusted our withholdings last year, especially with RJ off work for most of it, but we are still
getting a little back.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Bootcamp....... need I say more....

Tonight was the first night of Bootcamp. I got a little emotional just introducing myself. I was very nervous. We started off warming up and I was already out of breath. I honestly didn't think it was going to be so hard. I had to rest several times during our circuts and I skipped one all together because I couldn't catch my breath. I was breathing so hard I couldn't even take a drink of water. I ended up getting so dizzy I thought I was going to pass out, seriously. I made it through the second circut ok, but it was soo hard for me. I totally underestimated the class. Or I should say I didn't think I was going to have such a hard time, I thought I was in better shape than I am. As soon as the class was over, I got into my car and cried, sobbed actually. I was so overwhelmed. I got home and I was talking to my sister and crying on the phone so hard that I made myself throw up. Then I came into the house (still crying) and took a shower.

I guess I just feel like I let myself down so much by getting so out of shape and heavy again. But I am not going to quit. That is how I got like this, I am going to wipe away my tears and go back on Wednesday. Most likely I will cry again, but it's ok. I will get through it.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

A new diagnosis....

We met with another Neurologist Monday morning and after a long appointment they believe they know what is causing RJ's seizures. They believe that he might have P.O.T.S . This stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. This is also linked to NMS or Neurally Mediated Syncope. The general definition of this syndrome is:

Upright posture is a fundamental human activity requiring rapid and effective circulatory and neurologic compensations in order to maintain blood pressure and consciousness. The orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a disabling disease state described at least since 1940 and is the most common reason for referral for chronic orthostatic intolerance. Patients are often unable to hold jobs or attend schools. Yet, our understanding of its pathophysiology remains incomplete. An operational definition of the syndrome (often denoted by the acronym POTS for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) includes symptoms of orthostatic intolerance associated with an increase in heart rate from the supine to upright position of more than 30 beats per minute or to a heart rate greater than 120 beats per minute within 10 minutes of head-up tilt (HUT). An exaggerated increase in heart rate, often accompanied by hypotension in association with dizziness, nausea, palpitations, heat and fatigue in the upright position has been described under other names including the hyperadrenergic syndrome of Streeten, idiopathic hypovolemia of Fouad et al, and most recently the postural orthostatic syndrome of Low et al. POTS is common, affecting an undisclosed number of patients mostly in the age range of 12 to 50 years, mostly female (approximately 80%), often with onset following a viral infection or other inflammatory condition. There is an as yet undetermined but increasing apparent prevalence in children and adolescents. Resting tachycardia is common. Symptoms of anxiety may proliferate and appear to be autonomically mediated in many cases; there is also overlap with anxiety/panic disorder.

Is there any treatment?
Therapies for POTS are targeted at relieving low blood volume or regulating circulatory problems that could be causing the disorder. No single treatment has been found to be effect for all. A number of drugs seem to be effective in the short term. Whether they help in long term is uncertain. Simple interventions such as adding extra salt to the diet and attention to adequate fluid intake are often effective. The drugs fludrocortisone (for those on a high salt diet) and midodrine in low doses are often used to increase blood volume and narrow blood vessels. Drinking 16 ounces of water (2 glassfuls) before getting up can also help raise blood pressure. Some individuals are helped by beta receptor blocking agents. There is some evidence that an exercise program can gradually improve orthostatic tolerance.
What is the prognosis?
POTS may follow a relapsing-remitting course, in which symptoms come and go, for years. In most cases (approximately 80 percent), an individual with POTS improves and becomes functional, although some residual symptoms are common.

The way to determine for sure that this is what RJ has is to do a Tilt Table Test.
What is a tilt table test?
The tilt table is done to see if standing up provokes a sudden fall in blood pressure (neurally mediated hypotension), an excessive increase in pulse rate (Postural tachycardia syndrome) or fainting (neurally mediated syncope). The patient lies on a stretcher-like support. Straps like seatbelts are attached around the abdomen and legs and the patient is tilted upright at an angle. The exact angle varies and may be from 60 to 90 degrees. The tilting goes on for up to 45 minutes. The patient is gradually tilted to an upright position until systolic blood pressure drops to 70 mm Hg or the appearance of orthostatic symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness or faintness. The purpose is to hopefully reproduce the patient’s problem in a controlled laboratory setting. It may not be performed on all patients, such as patients with a persistent fall in blood pressure each time they stand up (orthostatic hypotension) because the blood pressure will fall progressively beginning as soon as the tilting starts.

We are meeting with the neurologist right after the test this morning. We will have the results right away. I am nervous. Right now I am waiting in the waiting room while they are administering the test. Wish us luck.....