So there I am at Lowes, enjoying working with all of the customers, and especially the employees there. Besides Nelma, who worked for Lowes proper, I also worked with two other vendors. I was quickly "promoted" to their supervisor (no extra pay -- just the title) and they were great to work with. First there was Mario -- a wonderful 20 year old young man who, if I could choose to pick my 6th kid (am I crazy??) would be him. He has a great love for his mom, tho mixed with a bit of bitterness....he has an EXCELLENT work ethic and always went the extra mile whether with a customer or helping me or Krista or Nelma out. And very artistic, with a heart of gold. Don't get me wrong -- there were a few times I had to call him to see if he planned on joining us at work for the day (course he was also working learning to be a sous chef every night til midnight) but working with him was a joy. The same goes for Krista -- who is a beautiful strong woman who doesn't realize her worth.....she is bright but doesn't give herself credit. Hopefully she will grow out of it. Anyway -- I LOVED going to work - even during the 100+ degree days we had for over a month in a row. But something changed the first part of July. I'd wake up and NOT want to go to work. I'd drag in and sometimes get heart palpitations and just feel tired and achey. Something was wrong -- but I didn't know what. Was this heat stroke or sun stroke?
On July 10th I woke up with a toothache -- except it was where I didn't have a tooth! My jaw hurt under my bridge -- maybe I need a root canal after all? I made an appointment with the dentist and headed to work. After I pulled up, I sat in the truck and just felt "weird" - more so than normal. I called Joe and asked what he thought -- Dr Newman was out of town, so I could go to a clinic (trying to save money here cause we have a high deductible insurance). He said just go to Kadlec Hospital instead - so I did. In I walk, the emergency room filled with people, thinking great -- this is gonna be a long day. I went to the receptionist, told her what was going on and before I could sit down was whisked away into the hospital! Hmm - must be cause I'm the oldest here?? Turned out, apparently I presented 7 different signs of a woman having a heart attack. The jaw hurting, the tenseness in my back, the general achiness and fatigue and who knows what else. They immediately gave me nitroglycerin and started an EKG. By this time I had called Joe and said they are freaking me out - get here ASAP. Then they did an ECHO and when Joe got there they decided to admit me. The EKG's and blood tests continued through the night and the next day I was put through a Nuclear Stress Test. The findings? My heart is PERFECT. I have no plaque buildup -- I'm in great shape! $20,000+ later and still no answers. I still feel icky...am I turning into a hypochondriac or what?!?
They released me to go home and to follow up with my doctor and a cardiologist.
Work slowed WAY DOWN, so I chose to be the one laid off since the other two needed the funds -- plus I was still tired all the time. Plus now I was able to volunteer along with Joe to work at CreationFest for the second year in a row. If you haven't heard of CreationFest before -- look it up online. It's a HUGE Christian gathering that happens once a year -- on both the west coast and the east coast. Tri Cities was fortunate enough to be the site last year and this year -- and will also be next year. Lots of speakers, tons of well known and obscure bands both, colleges and vendors galore. As a matter of fact -- something awesome happened there (God is SO amazing how He sets things up!) -- but THAT'S another story.
Still feeling bad and trying not to complain, we were getting a little baffled. Finally, a friend of Joe's who we do business with and is in his BNI group, suggested that our doctor check me for a hernia (he knew I had been lifting heavy plants) or check my gall bladder. I made an appointment with Dr Newman since I was supposed to follow up regarding the heart stuff -- and asked her at the same time to check for the other 2 things. She REALLY wanted me to go to a cardiologist at TRIOS hospital instead -- just in case Kadlec missed something. I promised I would by the end of the year, but I would like to be checked for a hernia and gall bladder. "Well -- only if you have pain in your back on the right side." Normally the pain is on my left side -- but at that particular moment -- lo and behold -- YES -- it was on my right side! OK -- we will do the tests. After several days, we got scheduled for the sonograms at TRIOS. We asked if the girl could see anything unusual, and she said she's not qualified to say. I told her my doctor said she'd call me only if there was an issue -- and the girl said you'd probably be hearing from your doctor on Monday. To me -- this was code for there is something there -- I am NOT crazy! Sure enough -- I got a call from Dr Newman, and my gall bladder is enlarged -- I need to meet with a surgeon. Dr Bruce Ayres to be exact.
UNABASHED, UNSOLICITED PLUG: The friend that suggested I be checked for gall bladder is actually Dr Benson Lee of Lee Alternative Health Clinic in Kennewick WA. He is officially a chiropractor but also a Naturopathic doctor. I had gone to him previously after I had a car wreck and he got me back into ship shape and relieved the pain I had been feeling. I highly recommend him for your chiropractic issues and also any food issues you may have. Plus -- he knew what was wrong with me, when Kadlec didn't!
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