Oh Happy Day

Today I had my one month post-op checkup with the doc. He says I should be good to go, and he told me to come back and see him once a year. Oh, and he said I will probably experience tachycardia again in my life and I will eventually get used to the attacks. If it gets progressively worse, we can try medication. But the fact that they could not stimulate my heart into an episode during the procedure is a good sign that my future episodes will be few and far between. He also said of all the rarest cases I am rare in where I have an open pathway in my heart (the W.P.W. problem) but in his experience, the location of the pathway has never caused anyone a problem. So my issues with W.P.W. could be over but now I have acquired a certain recurrence of tachycardia, meaning more unexpected trips to the hospital. But when is anybody's guess. So until then I will just have to live my life (the recurrent theme) and I will make it my personal goal to avoid any "triggers".

The rest of the time we just talked vacation destinations and what actions to tell any doctors/hospitals to take should this happen if we are out of town. I asked him if I should just get a medical bracelet and he told me it would have to be one with lots of room for engraving on. So I guess we will just play this thing by ear, likening my heart to a volcano that could erupt at any given moment, and looking forward to the day when I can conquer yet another episode with minimal drama. All in all, I feel good that I have had a thorough investigation of my heart and now we know what to expect. Do I wish it were completely fixed? Yes. But like the doc says, some things are better left just managed. So I am okay with this- I am at peace. And lately people have been telling me I look good, as if the stress of the past couple of months were transparent on my face. Hopefully our troubles are behind us (for awhile at least).

On the even brighter side of my day, I recieved my early Valentine's day gift from my fantastic husband who has no idea what a Coach purse means to a girl, but reluctantly agreed to "give" one to me. And by "give" I mean...well, its complicated. I picked it out online after a friend of mine told me about the sister of a co-worker at her school who is a wholesaler/distributor for Coach (or some high end retailer of some sort). My friend (love ya!) paid her co-worker's sister for my purse (she bought two cute purses as well), and now Bryan is doing my friend's brakes on her car and paying for some of the parts in return. Isn't he sweet? Everytime I say anything about my new purse, he just rolls his eyes. When I first told him about the gift he was giving me, he replied via text message "happy day" (insert sarcasm).

The best part is the purse cost a very low, low amount (between $50-100) which saves him an extreme amount of money in the long run. I was not expecting a Coach purse anytime soon and I know he was thinking of getting me one to shut me up, so I saved him hundreds by following up on this deal. I would have been very upset if he had paid full retail price (the retail markup is ridiculous!) and would have probably made him take it back. So now I finally have the purse to match my eyeglasses and Coach case, as well as the Coach cardholder I recieved as a Bridesmaid gift at Gillian's wedding. In a stupid sort of way I feel as if my life is complete, though all it really is is a stupid purse that is some sort of status symbol of the "elite" and I just fell into their trap... but it feels so good!

In our married life, Bryan and I have really lucked out on good deals. We have been blessed with many freebies, including a computer and desk, a leather sectional couch, a futon, a refridgerator, a washer and dryer, at one point a car (!!!), a dining room table, bedroom furniture, etc., as well as low/discounted items (like our new digital camera for example) While we took an economic downturn last year (along with the rest of America) we are still fortunate to have as much as we do with as little as we have paid. One of my resolutions this year is to give back to others as much as we can in retribution for all we have recieved. However, at many times in my career, I get frustrated with how little I make. But then sweet, unexpected deals come out of nowhere and we end up being okay. So what does all this mean? Is God telling me to have a little faith and make do with what I have? Or is it okay to pursue a higher paying job so I can give more back to others?

After finding out today that I will probably experience more heart problems in the future, its hard to fathom experiencing those episodes anywhere other than at the school I am at now, with a staff who knows my history and will pray alongside me. This is a decision I will have to pray about and make in the next few months...