Pacer Chick

So, I have been sucked up into the mainstream. I LOVED the book “Twilight.” I wasn’t going to read it because its a vampire book, and I don’t read those type of books. But, a lot of us girls at work figured we should read it because its so incredibly popular. I mean, there are 90 some requests for the first book alone!

I don’t think I have ever read a book, and then wanted to re-read it again and again. It is so intense! That is the best word I can use to describe it. Intense. Beyond intense. I mean, if I am reading a book and there are scenes where literally my breath is taken…its incredible. I have told my friends they may need to smack me because I am getting caught up in the hysteria. Wow…just a great book. I am waiting for the next one to come in for me, but I think I am number 20 something in line. Grrrr…

I would be a vampire if I could be with Edward Cullen. In a heart beat. It would rather weird though with a heart condition and a pacemaker. I mean…no sleep, no eating, drinking blood…all things that aren’t really high on the list of good things for a person with NCS. On the other hand, I would be the living dead so it wouldn’t matter.

Read the book even if its not your type of genre. Its amazing.

Oh my gosh…I am so completely over school!! I am sick of sitting in class and listening to people discuss things that are so ridiculous! We interpret poetry in class and some of the poems are so EXPLICIT and it is uncomfortable, and apparently its my own fault because I am not “comfortable” reading that in class. I’m sorry, I am a bit off the wall, but you know…I don’t really know these people yet.

And now they are talking about the “Twilight” book series and how its showing abuse and all this other stuff. IT’S A BOOK ABOUT VAMPIRES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR TEENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP ripping stuff apart and just let it be!!! My God, this stuff really plays on my mind and body because I hate having to come to class and listening to this crap!!

Ugh!!! Anyways…hello! I gotta vent somewhere. I am reading the book and am not looking too deeply into it. I don’t want to analyze the book, I just want to read it. UGH!!!

• prolonged standing or upright sitting, particularly when standing with legs in a locked position for long periods of time. Avoidance of long-term locking of one’s legs in the standing position is taught in the military, as well as marching band and drill team.
• stress
• any painful or unpleasant stimuli, such as
  • giving a blood donation or watching someone give one
  • watching someone experience pain
  • watching/experiencing medical procedures
  • sight of blood
  • occasions of slight discomfort, such as dental and eye examinations
• hyperthermia, a prolonged exposure to heat
• sudden onset of extreme emotions
• hunger
• nausea or vomiting
• dehydration
• urination (’micturition syncope‘) or defecation (’defecation syncope’)
• abdominal straining or ‘bearing down’ (as in defecation)
• swallowing (’swallowing syncope’) or coughing (’cough syncope’)
• random onsets due to nerve malfunctions
• pressing upon certain places on the throat, sinuses, and eyes
• high altitude
• use of certain drugs that affect blood pressure, such as amphetamine
• intense laughter^[2]

I just found this on Wikipedia. I am always interested in seeing what other people have to say about NCS. Because some of it is kinda funny. I personally have never gotten sick or passed out from laughing “intensely” thank goodness!! I would be screwed if that was the case! And pressing upon the eyes? Yes…while laying in bed, I push my thumbs into my eyes for fun…really???

Anyways…I thought those were interesting enough to share. Which ones are YOUR triggers??

So, my dear mum just informed me that she read an article in Associated Press that headphones can interfere with pacemakers…great…So let’s see, I am not safe against microwaves, iPods, rollercoasters and now headphones. They might as well just print “Macaroni and cheese and Dr. Pepper will kill you if you have a pacemaker.” Take all the joy out of life! (I am being slightly over dramatic mind you) I read the article and they said the magnets in the headphones could interupt the electric impulses the pacemaker gives off if they are held within an inch of the pacemaker. Well, considering I don’t listen to my iPod with my headphones planted against my chest, I think I will be okay.

I started that diet my dad wanted to put me on. Wow, thats been fun. You have to stick to this eating schedule, and it was really hard to follow when I had class. I almost passed out in one of my classes, not good. Oh wait…not pass out. I don’t do that much anymore, it would be puke everywhere. I would take passing out over puking in front of classmates anyday. I made it through though. I have a lost a bit of weight, not overnight like I keep imagining, but oh well.

Okay, I should go and venture out into the freezing cold again. See ya!!

The big day is tomorrow! I am excited that its finally here…why I don’t know, but I am!! I am ready for a change here in the U.S. And I am hoping its a good one.

I have been feeling much better this week. Last week was kind of rough with the death of my little cousin and having a cold on top of that, I was pretty much on auto-pilot for most of the week. But, made it through in one piece.

I hope everyone goes to the polls tomorrow and exercises their right to vote…FOR OBAMA!!!!!

I got a call from my mom last night informing me that my 3 year old cousin Ceridwen died last night. She had been sick for a long time. She was such a strong little girl and fought very hard and she was truly an inspiring little girl. They live in Oregon, so it makes it even worse because I can’t be out there with them. I just talked to her mom on Saturday and everything was fine…

Please keep her, her mom and dad, and the rest of our family in your prayers.

Yeah, yeah I know its been forever since I have written. Just haven’t had a chance to, my apologies yet again.

So…I had the pleasure of going to the Micky Dolenz concert on Saturday. (Front row center, I rule.) And…I think the words to describe my night would be “The Most Amazing Thing EVER!!!!!” I just got to live out one of my childhood dreams…Micky put the microphone down to me and I sang a verse of the song “Goin’ Down” He threw his towel at me (the one he said he was going to put on eBay…yep, I have it.) Then a bunch of girls ran on stage (me too, of course) and we got to sing and dance to “I’m a Believer.” I got to sing back-up with his sister Coco which was just…oh…AWESOME!!!!

To link this to my blog, I almost passed out on stage. That would have been just dandy. I was really hungry before the concert and I think that coupled with the excitement was just not so good. But, thank GOD I didn’t pass out. I got some pretzels and Pepsi and ate those while waiting in line to get an autograph from Micky. He signed my Monkees album, the same one Peter Tork signed….so I am oh so very cool now. Thank goodness for whoever was watching over me that I didn’t pass out on stage *whew*

Umm…other updates besides my AWESOME night. I have a cold, which sucks. Stuffy nose, scratchy throat, watering eyes, the whole works. So, I feel like I have been hit by a bus and that coupled with class is not a happy experience. It will go away though, and not like I haven’t been sicker than this before!

I went to get the pacemaker checked a month ago or so and found out that my old lead is taking a lot of energy to work. Its been in there for 11+ years so its understandable. He said that its not something to worry about right now, just going to keep an eye on it until we need to go in there and get that one out of there. It has been something that has been in the back of our minds though, but as long as its not some life threatening deal, not gonna worry too much.

Alright…going to pay attention in class now. I promise I will write more. Farewell!!

By the way…I sang with Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. HA!!

Apparently my sister thinks that by willing your heart problem away, your problem is solved. Huh…interesting. Hasn’t worked for me for 23 years, so doubt its going to work anytime soon.

I have been having problems ever since I went to the pacemaker checkup. My pacemaker has been going off and my heart has been racing like I am a long distance runner or something! So, tomorrow I am going on a little trip to Perrysburg and getting a tune up. Lovely thing to do to start off the day! Oh well, I need it taken care of because its driving me nuts.

I am enjoying school more. I have been very talkative in my classes (shocking, huh?) My first three classes are literature so we are always analyzing and talking about what we read, and that is fun. I have met some nice and interesting people as well. September has just been a month of getting used to school and work again. October on the other hand I am looking forward to VERY much!! On October 3rd, my new boyfriend Michael Cera’s movie is opening so my best friend and I are going to see it. On the 4th, going to see a Buster Keaton movie in Redford. On the 5th, going to see a Harold Lloyd movie in Ann Arbor. On the 15th, going to see Cobra Starship in Detroit, and on the 25th, seeing Micky Dolenz at the Community College. If I thought I was worn out now…just wait! But I am super excited, so who cares?!

I should be paying attention to class right now, but its boring and its hot in here and I am hungry, so I don’t really care…

Okay, I guess I should be a good student. Farewell!

Back to school for me, and man…its slowly killing me! I usually get something wrong with me when school starts. Its hard to get back into the schedule of work, school, work, school. But clearly I am surviving it because I am writing this blog.

I am pretty sure my pacemaker wasn’t messed with at my last doctor appointment, but it seems like it is super sensitive. At work it was just going BOOM BOOM for some reason. (It doesn’t really make that sound, thats just what it feels like in my chest, fun huh?) And then last night when I was sleeping, it woke me up because my heart was racing. So, I don’t know what is going on there. I hope its not like how it was before when my heart kept racing, because I had to get an ablation…and that is NOT happening again. Maybe he did mess with it because he knows he gets on my nerves. Conspiracy maybe?

I was talking to someone I work with the other day, just explaining to her a bit of my heart problem and she said something to me that I hear a lot. “You seem to have a positive attitude considering all you have been through.” I remember growing up, I wanted to be THAT kind of person. The person that stays positive and just doesn’t become totally consumed by being sick and I thought I never would be that way. And its kinda funny to think that I am that way, and I don’t even really try for it. I mean, I am used to this because I have had it all my life, so I don’t really know how else to behave. Its nice to know I am not defined by NCS, POTS, or a pacemaker…at least, I don’t think so. When I think about what makes me ME, I know I have to include the pacemaker and everything because it does make me special….but I love old movies, I love to read, I love to have fun and laugh and that should define me more than just being the girl who passes out.

I feel uplifted now. Off to school…hope your school years are going well!

How come whenever I get sick or some kind of ailment its ten times worse than it needs to be? I get a cold or the flu, and I end up in the hospital with an IV in my arm because I am dehydrated. And now, I have poison ivy taking over me! I had it just on my left ankle at first. Now its on my ankle, thigh on my left leg, my right hand, and on my neck. I have stuff to put on it, but that stuff BURNS!! I had a bad outbreak of poison ivy about seven or eight years ago and ended up having to get a steroid shot because it was all up my left side. Better not happen again!! I think I got it at Vince’s hot dog stand…grrr!!!

I had a friend who got mad at me once because she said people paid for attention to me when I was sick because I have a heart condition and no one pays attention to her when she is sick. After cracking up and what an idiotic thing that was to say, I thought about it, and I guess its true. But its not like its something to be proud of! Who knows…I am just a walking mess I suppose.

*yawn* Tired and itchy!! Ugh!!!