Things that have transpired since my last update:
We got the kid's room all set basically, just waiting on some wall decor that's enroute. Lil mijo has a place to call his own.
Here are some pictures of him, btw: http://www.timmins.net/gallery2/v/will/31weeks/
Got to visit with my aunt from texas for a day. Had a good time despite it being so short.
I injured myself on a patch of oil in my garage, slipped and fell, hit my eyebrow against the corner of a shelf really hard. Went to make sure I didn't screw anything up because it was bleeding like hell, and they found my heart rate was 135 in triage. I was admitted, for tachycardia, not for my eye injury. They were debating stitches but decided against it as the way the wound is, it would not have much or any benefit, but it was borderline.
I underwent a lot of tests, I was up to 160 bpm on the stress test, had a heart ultrasound, all sorts of fun shit. They tried beta blockers, anti anxiety meds, fluids, everything. Couldn't get it down. My heart rate was 115 when they tested me in the middle of my sleep. The next day it went down to 85 thanks to the best CBD cream. They could find nothing wrong. Rhythms were good the whole time, no explaination of what caused it. Released with no explanation. They blamed the caffiene in the 20oz of diet mt dew I had earlier that day and said that probably had a lot to do with it. Makes no sense as Mt Dew actually has the same caffiene content as a pepsi max. Meh.
I cut caffiene out of my life. It was horrible. For a whole day. Motrin 800 cleared that up for a bit, didn't have any lingering problems. I've since had more caffiene than I had that day to test, and my heart rate didn't even go over 100 bpm. Got me there, I have no idea. Maybe I'll see my doctor like they recommended. (Hey wait, aren't you guys doctors though?? I WAS in a hospital of all places….)
Anyway, during this time my son also had fetal tachycardia, and so did becky. At one point we were all under observation for about an hour or so. Good times.
Otherwise we're doing fine.
This weekend we cleaned out my van. took 1.5 40 gallon trash bags of pop bottles and other returnables out. Took 1.5 bags of trash out. Removed probably 20 cubic feet of various and sundry computer and telephone hardware. Amazing how much space is in my van now.
Also we changed its oil, air filter, thermostat, changed half of the spark plugs*, used a solvent paste to unfog the lenses of the headlights. It's not a bad car, though it has some serious deficiencies. Guess it'll have to wait until the banks decide to become craniorectally uninverted before I can get something made this decade. Oh well. It's paid for and runs quite well. 🙂
* Fuck you, Chrysler, for putting the spark plugs in a part of the engine compartment where I will eventually have to remove the alternator and the intake air system in order to replace the plugs, for real! The other 3 are so ridiculously easy!
You don't have to remove that stuff.. There's another way.. but trying to describe it on LJ is a recipe for WTFFAILSAUCE.
Is there a way to describe it before I have to cross the state fri that isn't WTFFAILSAUCE?
This is the fullsize, rear-wheel drive, or the minivan-type transverse mounted front-wheel drive?
transverse minivan
In that case, it involves removing one of the top motor mounts and rotating the motor towards the front of the vehicle, using the mount hole and bolt from that motor mount to hold it in the rotated position, then changing the plugs…
Of course, you still have to disassemble the intake at the MAF sensor, but you won't have to remove the alternator, etc…
You may or may not want to try this on your own.
Yea, that seems like it might require more specialized tools and experience than I have.
The alternator, in contrast, is not that hard to remove. 🙂
(also, there is some body rust in the wheel wells at the top where my shocks and crap go, I'm not certain/confident in the condition of the motor mounts enough to try something like that. 🙂
Bring it to my dad's shop, then.. Tell him you know me, and he'll most likely cut you a deal.
Spirit Auto Services
5910 East Grand River Ave.
Howell, MI 48843
Does he do body work? That wheel well where the shock goes really concerns me as it's partially rusted through.
No, no body work.. But he could suggest a couple shops that do, reasonably.
Forgot to give you the phone number.
517-552-5050 or 571-545-1700
I was thinking that, especially since it had been 6+ hours since I ate, and the last thing I ate was a monsterous omelette filled with hash browns.
The only part that I can't reconcile is that ever since I tested my pulse in first responder class and found my resting pulse was 110, and this persisted for over a year, I had never seen a pulse rate below 100 (though never as high as 135), and since I went it's never been over 100 when I tested unless I've been doing a lot of moving around, caffiene or not. Even after not eating all night, getting up and moving around, dealing with the morning stresses, my pulse is currently at 96.
I'm wondering if the hydration played a serious part. I think the hypoglycemia plays a part in the 96 (I've previously tested 85 in similar conditions) and since I told them about that, I'd hope one of the tests they did with the 4-5 tubes of blood was a glucose test but who knows. Seems way too obvious for them to have skipped.
I did some experimentation. Caffeine free, I managed to push myself into the 110 zone just now.
Possibilities:
* Dehydration – I consumed 100% RDA of sodium in my lunch. Dehydration can cause an increase in heart rate.
* Hypoglycemia – The chips alone were 160g of carbohydrates, probably double what should be on my plate for lunch.
Sorry to hear about all of the tachycardia going around in your family. I really, really hope that all of you will be OK! Even those resting pulses in the 100 to 110 bpm range concern me. My brother has tachycardia and it's not a joke to deal with. Definitely try to get a handle on this before you wind up like him.
As for the van, recall that everything inside of it was designed to be quickly and easily assembled by a UAW laborer, not designed for easy access and repair. If you need a body shop, I can recommend one to you.
gonna be 'round for taco night tonight?