Thanking God for the Little Things

For years I've had slight palpitations in my chest (yes, some of it had to do with laying eyes on my handsome hubby), but most of them were just these weird feelings like my heart was going to stop. After several tests and one pregnancy, they finally diagnosed what it was during my pregnancy with Austin - a heart murmur. FINALLY I had a name for what I was feeling! Well, I love working out and I've taken to running recently so I decided that I wanted to give myself a goal - to run a half marathon. When I approached Bryan with it, he told me that he wanted me to go to a doctor first and get checked out so I don't die on the track (with only him to be the father of our two boys - nothing about really missing me dearly...j/k). I agreed, halfheartedly, and put it on hold (of course) because I really didn't want to pay $15 to go have them tell me what I thought I already knew.

During the next couple months, Bryan was gone a couple weeks, my Papa passed away, and I was going through some anxiety about all kinds of things. Well, that didn't make my heart feel great, so I started getting more irregular palpitations, along with the feeling that maybe I was just having anxiety attacks or something. Well, the doctor recommended I go see a heart doctor and get a stress/treadmill test.

Wow. That is an experience, let me tell you. They first make you take your whole top section of clothing off (I was actually debating on whether to wear a sports bra or a regular one...I guess it didn't matter) and use this scratchy sponge to get off "lotion or other oils" so they can adhere the electronic pads. You get to put a gown on, thank goodness. Then you have an ultrasound of your heart (where they saw my murmur again) and then you get on the treadmill. Ok - I run on a treadmill pretty much 4 days a week, but THIS thing was a killer. Not only did I have no support (you women are cringing right now), but the treadmill was set to an elevation that rivaled Mt. Everest. They take you slow, then fast, then faster and you're RUNNING on this incline with wires coming out of you and sweating like a pig. Ya. Then they stop it, and immediately do another ultrasound...the sweat acting like the gel that's needed to glide the camera around. UGH. All I can say is I hope they REALLY wash those gowns.

All that and the heart doc told me that I did better than most women my age and YOUNGER, my heart was in good shape except for the murmur and what's called a PVC (early heartbeat) which I guess is sort of common, (it's just that I notice it) and he ok'd me to do whatever I wanted to do. This whole thing reminded me that yes, I AM human and I'm not going to last forever, but what do I want to worry about and do with my time while I'm on this earth? With all my loved ones that have passed away in the last 2 years and those that have come down with horrible diseases, I have continuously been reminded about the important things in life... a good relationship with the Lord, my family and friends. I have been so blessed with good health unlike so many others out there. Sometimes it takes a little jump in my heart to get it through to me. I can be stubborn like that.

Ethan took this picture today. He did a good job, huh?