Virus + X = Ambulance Ride to Cardiac Unit

In the above equation "X" equals "not taking care of oneself" and the theorem was proved Friday morning.

I had been sick since Sunday. I took two days off. I went back to work on Wednesday and struggled through it for the next two days. Friday, around 3AM, everything came crashing down. I woke up with terrible sweats. I could barely hear out of my left ear. My going-on-five-day headache was raging. My back hurt. My neck hurt. My shoulders hurt. And my new symptom? My chest hurt. I was even having trouble breathing.

I willed through it, settled down, and managed to get a few more hours of sleep. I already had a doctor appointment scheduled for 1:45PM and my plan was to take another day off from work and try and get an earlier appointment.

The morning was a bit of a blur. I took out the dogs and fed them. I said goodbye to Kelsey. I fed the cats. I took Will to school. I wished my wife a good day at school. I moved my appointment to 10AM and I tried to get some rest on the couch. But I couldn't. The chest pain was real. And I couldn't seem to catch my breath. I could take deep, long breaths - but I couldn't get the air to go where it needed to go.

I thought about calling 911. I should have, looking back on it.

I struggled to drive to the doctor's office. I wobbled into the building. I was close to blacking out by the point I got to the check-in desk. Things were very weird and I had an overwhelming feeling. Two nurses were suddenly on either side of me and I was being stripped and thrown onto a table. Things got really scary. I kept apologizing for causing a fuss and kept telling them that I was really scared. My favorite nurse, "The Sniper" (she removes the finger of her latex glove when she takes blood), tended to me while things settled down. But she was replaced by the office manager and that scared me all over again. I didn't want to die in a small exam room without a single loved one around (and this reality finally became clear as a possibility to me - which scared me all over again).

An ambulance was called. IVs were inserted. I was rolled into the hospital. Progressive Cardiac Unit. Nitro was administered. Top-scalp headache blasted my cranium. Chest pains diminished. Julie showed up. Parents showed up. Hell, even Eddie showed up :)

That all happened Friday morning. It's Monday morning now. The weekend was filled with a lot of doing nothing and laying around (and House marathons - goddam I love marathon television programming). Doctor Quaye says that the virus was able to inflame the lining around my heart because I didn't rest enough and take it down (before it attempted to take me down). I told people that is probably the best news anyone on this floor is going to get.

So everyone - and future self - please do what the doctor says when you have a virus. Rest. Drink fluids. Take it easy. Don't rush and go back to work. Everyone keeps telling me this: "Your health is more important than anything else." And they are right. Mostly. Tacos are a little more important. And cashews. And maybe Star Wars.

Virus!

You know how much I hate computer viruses? If you've read my blog in the last year you know the answer to that. You know what I hate more than computer viruses? Viruses of the biological variety. And boy oh boy, have I had a nasty one since Sunday. It's been kicking my arse. It feels like the flu and it suuuuuuuuuucks (yep, "ten U's" sucks).

I have had a headache for nearly 4 days. I'm sick of this.

Brett is Back

'nuff said. Vikings are going to the Super Bowl this year!

Fantasy Football Draft Results - L'ville Hotspurs (smorty71)

I had my first LIVE draft last night in my regular Fantasy Football League - smorty71. The 2010-2011 L'ville Hotspurs are...

QB - Eli Manning
RB - Adrian Peterson
RB - Cadillac Williams
WR - Sidney Rice
WR - Pierre Garcon
WR - Mario Manningham
TE - Ben Watson
K - Nate Kaeding
DEF - Minnesota

Bench - David Garrard (QB), Kevin Smith (RB), Brandon Jackson (RB), Mike Williams (WR), Joey Galloway (WR), and the Redskins (DEF). I have to play stingy this year, since we've gone from a 12-team format to an 18-team format and the extra talent is simply not going to be lying around.

I am participating in my boss' league and I will also be taking part of Genscape's FFL. It's going to be a good year. Go 'spurs!

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World

The kids and I saw this on Friday. And wow. I mean...

WOW!!!

I can't put into words how awesome this movie was. I will say these two things...

1. I felt like the movie was made for me. Just me. Tailor made to fit me like a glove.

2. As soon as it was over, I wanted to watch it again.

Go see it. It's so much fun!

Such a small world

The odds of this happening just astound me. So check this out...

My wife's friend and hairdresser, Michelle, was visiting her friend in the Nashville area. She was at her home admiring a piece of artwork on the wall. The style seemed familiar to her and she actually thought it was one of mine. Michelle asked her friend if the artist's name was Eric Brinley. The friend said that she didn't know and wasn't about to be bothered to take it down and check the back. Michelle looked for a name on the piece and quickly found "Brinley" signed at the bottom. She asked her where and when she got the piece and the friend replied that she bid on it at the Julep Ball this past Derby.

Holy crap! That was my "First Saturday" piece I painted for the 2010 Julep Ball!!!

Check it out:

First Saturday

Now, if I only could find that piece that auctioned for Go Red for Women in 2007... :)

Kelsey turned 17

Wow, it seems so odd to me to think that I am raising a 17-year old. Hells bells, sometimes I still *feel* like I'm seventeen (well, okay, not that often). But Kelsey turned 17 yesterday and that little chick-a-dee is growing into a chick. And to think, in 5 or so years she could conceivably be a mama hen! And what will that make me? You guessed it - a grandpappy! Yeesh!!!

Anyway, I wrote her a little poem yesterday and made a card from it. It went along with a little stuffed lion cub that Jooj and I picked up from the zoo. Here it is...

For Kelsey

With each year you are getting older
Growing up and growing bolder
You have a job, you have a car
We all know that you'll go far

You'll always be her little girl
In your mother's eyes and world
As for me, I am so proud
To hear you roar, so sure and loud

You aren't grown up all the way just yet
But a few more years is all we get
Before you're off and on your own
You'll be a big girl and then all grown

So we want to remind you of younger days
When all you wanted was to play
To dress up in your dress-up clothes
And in your hair, an umrbrella bow

A toy is what we bought, to try
And remind you of those days gone by
Not too soft, but not too scruffy
So give it a hug ‘cause...

... IT'S SO FLUFFY

Love you Kels. I hope to celebrate many more birfdays with you - more than I can count :)