I don't even know where to start.

The last few weeks have been a test. Right now, I feel like I am failing.

Last Friday my niece Averie passed out twice and had two seizures. Seemingly out of no where. My sister rushed her to the doctor who ordered lab work, an MRI and an EEG. She had the MRI Friday afternoon and they were supposed to call with the results Friday evening. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the results so we had to wait out the three day weekend for the results. I got to Lake Charles around 5:00 or so. I had planned on going in for Averie’s first and last gymnastics meet, but this put a rush in my plans. Her doctor said he didn’t see why she shouldn’t participate since there’s no telling when or if she’ll ever pass out again, or have another seizure. She did her gymnastics thing Saturday afternoon and the girls and I headed back to TX when we got done with that.

They swam their hearts out Saturday and Sunday-Cameron left Sunday evening and Averie decided she wanted to stay another night so she got to swim some more Monday. My sister called the doctor’s office several times to get the results of the MRI but couldn’t get anyone to call her back. Frustrating much? Averie got home from school and went straight to the couch to take a nap. She’d had a low grade fever Monday night, so Cameron, being the fantastic big sister she is, took Averie’s temperature under her arm and it was 102*. When the BIL got home, he took it again and it was 103* so he took her to the doctor’s office. Candi met them there and they finally got the results of the MRI and determined that Averie had some kind of upper respiratory infection.

The results from the MRI are that Averie has Chiari Type I Malformation. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chiari/detail_chiari.htm

She had the EEG yesterday morning but won’t know the results, or have a treatment plan for the CMI until June 8th, when she goes in to see the neurologist.

My mom wasn't feeling well the week before Mother's Day so she went to see our internist, who also happens to be a close family friend(We call him by his first name, Roger, not Dr. Willette). He orders chest x-rays on her pretty much every time she goes to see him because he knows she is a heavy smoker. I was in Lake Charles that Friday and my sister and I got the following email-“When I went to see Roger this week, because I was feeling so bad, he thought I should have an X-ray and gave me three different prescriptions. He got the results of my chest X-ray. It showed my lungs being overinflated, but he said that could be caused by all the congestion I have. However he found was he called a Nodule, whatever that is. He said it could just be scar tissue, but it could also be a small tumor, so I have to get a Cat Scan next week. He is going to schedule it for me. Keep your fingers crossed. I just did not want either of you to hear this from someone else. Love, Mom”
As you can imagine, we were on pins and needles that weekend, and the following week. She had the Cat Scan which did not show any tumors, but did show significant CAD (coronary artery disease). Roger referred her to a cardiologist, who she saw this past Tuesday. Apparently, he was not at all happy with what he saw on the Cat Scan and told her he wanted to perform an angiogram Wednesday morning. She tried to put him off for a week but he wouldn’t budge. When she said she couldn’t do it this week because it’s the last week of the month (she’s an escrow officer-everyone tries to close before the end of the month so it’s a crazy hectic time), he stared her down and simply said, “This is your life”.

She had the procedure done yesterday and ended up having to have a stint put in (it was late when I talked to her nurse and I can’t for the life of me remember which vessel). She was kept in the Assessment Area until close to 9:00 last night and they finally transferred her to CVICU (which is in the new Heart Tower and CLR and it kicks ass!). They’re apparently strict on visiting hours which ended at 9:00, but her nurse didn’t kick me out until close to 10:00 when they determined they could remove the sheath. It typically would have been removed much earlier, but her smoker’s cough kept causing a hematoma to form at the site, and her counts were too high which meant she could have bled to death from her femoral artery in minutes.

Visiting hours this morning were from 8:30-9:30 am. I walked out of the house at 8:00 to a flat freaking tire. I was *THIS* close to walking back inside, putting on pj’s and climbing into bed with the covers and a pillow over my head. But I didn’t. I got the spare tire, the jack and the lug wrench out and tried half heartedly to loosen a lug nut. Half hearted because I have road side assistance-why not use it. Turns out it would take them at least 35 minutes to get to my house and I knew I could have the tire changed and be almost to the hospital in that time. My dad didn’t raise a sissy (not the word I used when I called and thanked him ;-) ) and I am thankful for all the time I’ve spent with him in a garage. Got the tire changed and was on my way to the hospital within 15 minutes.

Now, I just have to hope the tire can be plugged and won’t have to be replaced.

I also had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday with THE doctor. He’s changing my OC because I’m getting too old to continue taking the high dose OC I’ve been on for the last 1.5-2 years. I’m scared about switching because the last time I did I wound up having to have a lap done two months later because the pain was so intense. I also have to go in for a mammogram. He says he’s not worried about finding anything, but that he’d like to have a baseline done early since I have a family history of breast cancer. I’m really scared about having my boobs squished!

So, I ask that you please pray for Averie and my mom. I hope that THIS will be the smack upside the head for mom that it is time for some SERIOUS lifestyle changes. She drinks too much, smokes too much (smoking ANY is too much), and doesn’t eat enough. I want her to be around when/IF I get married, and when I have a child/children, but it seems like she thinks she’s invincible.