Good to see you again, Mayo!

Well...after another visit to the ER last weekend with excruciating pain, I decided it was time to go back to the mayo clinic. The ER doc at Memorial was so so sweet, but she said, "these are kinds of illnesses we read about in medical school. We really don't have the tools here to help you with one, much less two rare diseases." That did it. Mom booked a flight Sunday night and at 5:30 Monday morning we were on our way to Minnesota! Tuesday morning we started off with zero appointments. My scheduled appointments were for March, so I was at least able to say I had them. If you have an appointment and want to try for an earlier slot (whether it is weeks ahead or just hours ahead of your scheduled time) you can be a "checker". They give you a beeper and if you get lucky, yours goes off and you get in. God was really looking out for me. What was originally a week of no appointments, turned into the GI doctor, POTS doctor, 4 different lab appointments, chest X-ray, abdominal X-ray, abdominal ultrasound, stress test, tilt table test (again!) sweat test, endocrine test, cortisol stimulation test, electrocardiograph, and a 24 hour heart holter and blood pressure monitor. Whew! What a week. All of those tests would have taken all year in Greenville   One doctor has to refer you to another and there's a waiting list...yada yada yada. Not here! And boy, did I have a guardian angel. I was a "checker" at every single one of those tests. I expected to wait all day with my book and iPad, but my beeper would go off within 20 minutes at every place! I felt so blessed. 

Sure, it really stinks being here and constantly being sick, but you have to focus on the positives. 

We have met some really nice people. Almost everyone asks where we are from with our accent. I say yes mam and yes sir to all of the doctors and nurses and they look at me like "what did you say!?!" My mom has been amazing as always. She is my advocate for my health, my wheel chair pusher, and the most fun roomie! I couldn't do it without her. We have gone to some really good educational classes on managing POTS and they have given us tons of pamphlets, DVDs, and CDs. They even gave us extra copies for when I see doctors at home. We have a much greater understanding about daily life style changes, diet changes, and exercise. Honestly, I didn't take the diagnosis very seriously at home because I have lived with Ehlers-Danlos for so long that it just seemed like one more thing. But after a good kick in the booty, I am definitely going to have to make some changes now that I know how serious it is. You don't mess with your heart! I need that ticker to keep ticking :) Mom and I are still here and we miss David, Dad, Langdon and the animals so much. They have some more tests to run because they leave no stone unturned. There are often other illnesses that go hand in hand with POTS, so they want to be thorough.

I just finished my 24 hour monitor and I am SOO glad. I have been wearing the heart monitor and the blood pressure cuff which squeezes my arm every 10 minutes. Yes, even at night. All. Night. Long. And during the day when it would run I would have to stop and stand still while it read my BP. Did I mention how happy I was to shake this thing? Haha 

Please pray for strength this week as I start more tests and appointments. It is physically and emotionally exhausting for both me and Mom.

Love you all!