Home from the ER

So yesterday I passed out while getting dressed and hit my head on the bathroom wall.

I think I was only out for a few minutes.  After coming to, I was still very nauseous, jittery and just didn't feel right.  I laid on the floor in my bedroom for a few minutes then went to try to eat something to see if that would help.  My friend Gina was kind enough to take me to the ER.

We spent 8 hours at the ER.  Upon arrival they made me put on a neck brace.

It was extremely uncomfortable and I had to wear it until all my exams/x-rays were done.  They preformed a chest x-ray, CT scan of my head and neck, EKG and made me provide a urine sample (not easy with a neck brace and limited mobility!)  After all of that, all they could tell me was I am not pregnant (Wow, really?  The deployed husband didn't give that one away?), my x-rays show nothing and they have no idea why I fainted.

One thing they did discover is I have a MVP: Mitral Valve Prolapse.  Which explains why I have heart palpitations every so often.  "Mitral valve prolapse (also known as "click murmur syndrome" and "Barlow's syndrome") is the most common heart valve abnormality, affecting five to ten percent of the world population.  Most people with mitral valve prolapse have no symptoms, however, those who do commonly complain of symptoms such as fatigue, palpitations, chest pain, anxiety, and migraine headaches."  Thank you MedicineNet.com and Google!

Since they did not do any blood work, I have no real answers.  They gave me an IV for fluids and to administer meds to make the nausea go away and then gave me meds for my headache.  I have to go see my primary care doctor next week and hope he can find out what is going on.  Until then I have been left with the instructions to call 911 if I pass out again or start throwing up.

While I did not get any answers to my problem, Gina and I were greatly entertained by all we saw and heard in the ER.  People really should pay attention to the fact that only a curtain separates the rooms and if you do not wish for every one to know your business, learn to whisper!  Also, I think the staff really enjoyed our company, since we were the only people NOT complaining or being difficult.  So they made sure we had things to keep us occupied:

Saline "water gun"  Please excuse how horrible I look, I am in the ER after all!

Book Burnout

I haven't been doing a lot of reading lately.  I have been trying, but I just can't do it.  First of all, things have been very hectic around here and then Josh came down with pneumonia so I just haven't had time.  But the big problem is the books have just not been good.

I've been reading a lot of books provided by authors for reviews.  Don't get me wrong, some have been really good.  But lately, most have just not been great or just not my taste.  I was really worried I was on the verge of burnout.  I dreaded reading and that scared me.  What would I do if I don't read?  Reading is a huge part of my life.

So, after finishing this last book, which I really did not enjoy, I decided to take a break and read something I wanted to read.  I've had Lothaire by Kresley Cole sitting on my nightstand for awhile now.  I love her Immortals After Dark series.  Last night I picked up Lothaire and began to read.  WOW!  Now I know what is wrong with me. I am not on the verge of burnout.  I don't hate reading!  I hate reading sub par work!  Reading Lothaire was like a breathe of fresh air!

It is so nice to read a book that flows smoothly and enables you to see the scene clearly in your mind.  I did not have to keep stopping and re-reading sentences/paragraphs to understand what the author was trying to say.  Words weren't missing, spelled wrong or used incorrectly.  Identities were assigned and quotation marks were actually used in conversations! Yes, I read a whole book this past week where I never had a clue who was speaking because no names/identities were ever used with the conversation and the author never used quotation marks!

Example:      -What's up?

                     -I'll tell you later.

                     -All done!

                     -Shall we go?

                     -Let's roll!

                     The five of them headed out to the car.

I kid you not, that is how the conversations were written.  How the hell I am supposed to know who is speaking?  I am just so tired of trying to weed my way through bad books.  In all honesty, I can't solely blame the authors.  Where the hell are the editors?!  Is our education system so bad now that this is the future of writing?   It's not just books either.  Have you tried to read the newspaper lately?  The writing is laughable!

I will end this with a big thank you to authors who truly care enough about their work to spend the time to write properly and hire editors who are competent. Thank you!!  It makes reading so much more enjoyable.