update

Thanks to everyone for asking about/praying for my mom.  She is now out of the hospital and back home.  The diagnosis is that she did in fact have a TIA on Monday.  

After all the tests, the doctor explained that this happened as the result of a group of her arteries supplying her brain with blood are small.  Not blocked with plaque or any other junk, but just small.  He thinks she was born with them this way and she is just now seeing effects of that.  They found a couple other things that they aren't too focused on as well.  From what she told me, angioplasty is not in the plan-he said it would not correct this. She will just have to keep a better eye on herself, RELAX, continue taking her blood presure meds, and add a daily aspirin to her regimen.  Most importantly, she will need to come to the ER at the first sign of this happening again.  I'm a little peeved because when I talked to her, they hadn't given her any education on a stroke.  Hopefully they did at discharge, but I'll be sure to go over it in more detail :).

waiting on answers

I got a call on Monday evening from Matt telling me that my mom was in the hospital.  I was at work, and I guess my brother had been trying to call me but Matt finally got a hold of me at work.  I was super busy and answered the phone with, "Hey, I'm really busy, is it important?".  Well, yeah it is.

Matt told me the doctors were thinking she had a "mini stroke" (TIA-transient ischemic attack).  My immediate thought was her blood pressure.  It's been high and she's been admitted before for crazy high pressures.  I guess she was at work when she lost vision in one eye, got tingling in one arm, and couldn't get out what she was trying to say (this is called aphasia).  CLASSIC stroke symptoms.  

So long story short, it took her awhile to actually get to the ER (I won't tell you all the steps it took to get her there because it upsets me that it took so long).  She got there and they sent her back for a CAT scan.  The doctors were deciding between a TIA or a migraine.  The hospital in Lafayette was full so they were going to send her down here (I was praying they would), but a bed opened up at 9:30 pm and she went up.

I drove up there after work on Monday and sat with her as she got admitted to the floor.  It is so hard to be a nurse and have a loved one in the hospital.  I am way too critical of everyone taking care of her (I KNOW I shouldn't be because I hate it when people are like that in the NICU but I can't help it).  She had a full day of tests and bloodwork yesterday and we thought they'd send her home.  

She has now had multiple MRIs, CAT scan, bloodwork for cardiac markers (questioning heart attack), echocardiograms, and a carotid artery scan.  They found an aneurysm on her carotid artery which the doctor isn't so worried about for some reason. The main worry is that a vessel supplying blood and oxygen to her brain is very narrowed, which they are thinking is what caused the TIA.  The doctor then told her she is at "great risk" for a stroke.  The last I heard they are running a few more tests, but possibly needing to do an angioplasty on those vessels in the brain.  

Hopefully, we will find out more tomorrow.  I told her she needs to get a second opinion (down here preferably) on this whole thing before she goes on with the angioplasty.  Now we are just waiting for answers. Love you Mom!

An "Us" Weekend

Matt and I have both been working a ton, so we haven't been seeing as much of each other.  I always make it a point to try and stay up at night until he gets home...and then I suffer at work the next day because I am so sleepy. 

Yesterday, I went up to Lafayette for Ashley's baby shower.  She is so close to having her baby girl! She is the cutest little pregnant girl ever and the shower was awesome.  I asked my friend Leann to make some things for Baby Hill, she is so talented.  I decided on a pink and green tutu, pink onesie with green embroidery with her initials, bloomers with her initials and little green bows, and a huge adorable pink and green bow! My mom also made her a cute hoodie blanket. I can't wait to see her all decked out in all the girly gear :).

Matt was busy all day Saturday and then we went out for a sushi dinner and Naked Tchopstix at about 9:30.  He had told me to plan something for dinner, so I did.  I was craving Mexican so I wanted to go to El Rodeo.  Well, he didn't.  So, sushi it was :).  It's almost embarrassing how much food we get when we go get sushi.  We normally get 5 rolls (if it's dinner) and edamame.  After dinner, we drove and looked at a house we have saved on our list since we were pretty close to it.  It was completely dark, but we went anyways.  On the car ride home, I think we both got a little slap-happy.  We rolled down the windows, blared anything that came on the radio, and danced obnoxiously - Jock Jams, Lady Gaga, Mambo #5.  I love that guy.

Today, the plan is to just spend the day together.  He wants to clean our the cars...not my idea of fun, but oh well. We are also going to go to the gym and I am going to practice my first teaching of BodyPump. We are going to set the video camera up and run through the class like I am filming to practice.  I told him he can't laugh, because then I will laugh and we will never get through the hour. 

hiding

I feel like I have been hiding from blogging! I haven't meant to of course, I just haven't had a chance to actually SIT and blog.

We have been slammed at work.  We have 70-some babies right now.  That is a lot of babies.  Our acuity is also pretty high...lots of tiny, sick babes. A lot of babies= nurses working overtime.  I have picked up at least one extra 12 hour shift every week for about a month now so I have been doing 4 shifts instead of the normal 3.  I think I need to cool it for a week or two...it is really starting to wear me out. BUT we are still in need of extra nurses, so it looks like I will be working overtime for at least the next 3 weeks (I am already on the schedule for those extra days).  If our census stays the way it is now it is going to be a busy, busy spring/summer.

This is totally random, but I can't stop thinking about this.  Jax loves those rawhide bones.  I mean LOVES them.  This dog can lay and chew on one of those for hours.  Tonight, I noticed him chewing on something and went over to see.  I had about 3 seconds to see it was a piece of his bone, and then 2 seconds later it was gone.  He swallowed that whole piece.  Now my mind goes into panic mode.  Is he going to have a bowel obstruction?  It makes matters worse when I called Matt freaking out and he says, "You know those things swell in his stomach right?".  I don't know if that's true or if he was just messing with me; either way, I am panicking. I googled signs and symptoms and here's a piece of advice-if this happens to you and your dog DO NOT google "bowel obstruction rawhide bone".   If you had any question that it will happen, after reading these websites I am on full-alert.  I know I am being neurotic. I am too obsessed with this dog.

Update on BodyPump-I can officially start my team teaching after May 14th.  That is when my gym launches the new release that I was trained on. Every 3 months, Les Mills has a new release that comes out with new music and choreography that you learn and then "launch"it to your gym.  It's a pretty big deal...no one is allowed to do any songs from the new release until it is launched (hence why I can't team teach until after it's launched).  I've sent my schedule to the manager and I am just waiting on scheduling my days.  The next step is filming.  I have to teach a class on my own and videotape it, send it in, and then get critiqued on like a million little things to see if I pass. You should see the checklist of stuff we have to do during teaching in order to pass...it's intense.  My film is due by July 3rd, but I plan on getting it done ASAP.  

What else do we have going on?

House hunting, pre-approval getting, etc, etc...

Never a dull moment! :)

Jax loves Spring

I am loving this weather! So is the pup...

worn out...

Ok I am ready to go back out now :)

beautiful day for a birthday!

Sunday was my birthday and we were blessed by the most beautiful weather! 85, sunny, breezy...perfect day for a birthday celebration.

My dad was in town for some of the morning and we got to spend some time with him.  Then, Matt and I took Jax on a walk. I wanted to be doing anything possible outside.  We mapped out a plan of action and then hopped on the motorcycle.  It was an amazing day for ride.  We rode to a couple neighborhoods to check out some houses we have been looking at and then spent the rest of day just riding around Indy.  

On the way home, we stopped at Marsh to grab some food to make for dinner.  Matt had made us reservations at Cooper's Hawk for that evening, but after beng outside all day all I could think about was grilling out.  We picked up the fixings for some awesome kabobs, potato salad, and baked beans.  We made Jax a little bed on the patio and we 3 spent the evening outside.  It was aboslutely perfect.

My boys

The grillmaster

Amazing kabobs!

Jax's front row seat

Sorry, I know food pictures are sometimes weird, but this looks delicious!

Then, I fell alseep to a movie. Like always.

jump it!

On Saturday, I drove up to Lafayette to join my family at my niece's 5th birthday party at Jump It!  It's basically a huge place full of inflatables.  Slides and obstacle courses galore.  I thought it'd just be her playing, but before I knew it I had my shoes off/socks on and my 31 year-old brother and I were right in there with her.

Her bday-April 7th
My bday- April 10th