Blog on the Lillypad
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
 | Visit to the hospital
For the last several weeks, I've sporadically suffered from a feeling that my throat was closing. this has been accompanied by a racing heart or pounding heart (or both), going stark white, struggling to breathe, and having my blood pressure shoot up. On Tuesday morning it started to happen and would not stop. So I was taken by ambulance to the hospital in the small town where I work. Final prognosis was an upper respiratory virus causing drainage down my throat that was triggering throat spasms. Ultimate diagnoses: Stress. |
At first I had refused a mild sedative, but after the attacks continued even in the emergency room, I consented. They did an EKG on me which showed a gloriously healthy heart. And they did two chest x-rays and two throat/neck x-rays. All was well. And I had blood panels done.Two different doctors worked on me, and they came to the same conclusion: Though the viral problem was real, the underlying reasons for the spasms in my throat was stress, possibly aggravated by coffee.
| But the second doctor let me know that the x-ray had depicted my scoliosis. I told him that I had learn of this recently, with my back troubles, and I told him I am a fourth degree black belt, and I'm afraid I'll never work out in martial arts again. He jumped into a detailed explanation of scoliosis, explained how severe mine is (not extremely severe), and told me to get back into martial arts right away, as it obviously is how I've handled stress all my life. His college-aged son is a first degree black belt in tae kwon do, and so this doctor has seen the kicks and the motions. He urged me to start training as soon as possible and make that a high priority. (It is!) They prescribed an anti-histamine to lessen the swelling in my throat and three days of a decongestant. And I have to see a general practioner doctor for stress management care. But, they said, if I don' want anti-anxiety medicine, I must exercise frequently and whole heartedly. OK guys!. |  |
But as part of my own reorganization, I am cutting back on futile things, like addressing the Fighting Fundamentalist Forums on the same topics over and over again. And I deep-sixed the next Liz Shaw story in favor of a Doctor Who story. In fact, I've pushed forward some projects that truly give me joy and pleasure. I have an audio project planned for five of Coyote's Tales from the Temple Even at work, where I am putting in 10 and 11 hour days, I decided to go at a slower, easier, pace. Not more breaks, but just moving more slowly and concentrating on full breaths and pauses. And I have sworn off coffee. Today I did ten sets of front kick-side kick, then ten sets of front kick-round-kick-double punch, then ten down blocks with reverse punches. I worked on slow round kicks, just getting he feel of keeping the leg tucked tight until the release. Pretty light workout, really, but it tired me out. And I feel much, much, better.
