Hi Ellie:

don't worry about me and anxiety, I have xanax for that and I don't even take that except at night to go to sleep. It's the only thing I can afford and I just take one 0.5 or sometimes one and one half and in about 40 minutes I doze off. Relaxes my whole body.

This time of year is particularly stressful for me because I have no family to speak of (since they found out my son is mentally ill, forget about family rallying around and being there for you, they havent' asked about my son once in 5 years). Kind of sad don't you think?

But Christmas time (when I was younger, was family time) and I kind of thought that when my son was grown, there would be sunday dinners, grandchildren, etc. But there will be none of that. And that hurts.

I mean, we really do the best we can to cope but with all the holiday songs and if I hear "I'll be home for christmas" one more time, I think I'll scream.

Actually, I feel perfectly fine. It was just that I put the stethoscope to my chest (never did that before) so I never heart my own heartbeat.

My next appointment is December 18 and he'll give a listen. Of course if I get a scare of something, I'll be at his office in five minutes. But I know me, Sometimes a little knowledge is not good for me. I go on the internet, read stuff and then I go, "oh, so that's what I might have". Really stupid to do that I know.

I will check on the inositol thing. Thanks hon.

Melody

P.S. You will never guess what I just found out when I googled Mitral Valve prolapse. An article came up and here's a bit of the paragraph:
"People with MVPS have a higher incidence of: the following: Altitude sickness, Endometriosis , Fibromyalgia , Fibrocystic breast disorder , Infertility , PMS Premenstrual syndrome, Scoliosis , Seasickness , Tinnitus , and "temporomandibular joint dysfunction" TMJ symdrome. "

NOW ASK ME WHAT I HAVE FROM THIS LIST.
Scoliosis, Seasickness, and TMJ.
isn't that a hoot??? what the heck does valves have to do with tmj and seasickness and scoliosis???

Oh Mel, we "all" do that! Every time I tell one of my doctors, "well I was doing some research on the internet" I get the "rolling of the eyes". My Neurologist told me, well, when you're on the internet you don't know if you've got a brain surgeon telling you how to assemble a car, or a mechanic telling you how to assemble a brain, either way, you don't know what you're getting! They all have that "I'm the only one you should trust" complex... so I just don't "mention" I learned it on the internet. It's like saying well, my Aunt's friend Mabel told me that her son the chiropractor said "blah blah blah" they immediately think we're a bunch of goofy old ladies who can't read a book or learn on our own.

Well Melanie, if you think you need to tell us about your "not a ba-boom" and how it scares you, we are all eyes! Hey, we are a lot cheaper that a doctors visit! (Even if you only have to pay a co-pay!) We like to hear about it! (at least I do) If you don't mind, It makes me feel not so silly when I get all anxious and Oh-My-God- eeee late at night when I think maybe I've got cancer, or a brain tumor, or just the other day, when I got all tired just cleaning my room... and I had to take a three hour nap! Like a little baby! I don't have a mom around, or a sister, or even a crazy old aunt Mabel that I can ask questions to. That's why I'm here. So I can ask you all questions to drive my doctors crazy! Hey, we have to make them earn all that money somehow! Believe me, I'm not going to see them because they are cute! They sure don't have the McDreamy factor going for them. Not even the Georgie factor!

Hang in there Mel, and keep that BaBoom going!

Terri

Want to hear something interesting? Alan's doctor, Dr. Fred could be Dr. McDreamy!!! He has the build of Arnold Schwartznegger and the face of an adonis. NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS MAN!!!! A real cutie patootie!!!
And so nice....... He saved Alan's life by finding the blockage in his arteries so we will forever be grateful to him. And when Alan goes to the gym on Sundays, guess who he bumps into? Dr. Fred.

You took a 3 hour nap??? That must have been a beaut!!!!

I have never gotten that tired in all my life.

If I didn't take something to sleep at night, forget it. I'd be walking the floors. Never was a sleeper. Even as a kid. When I was 18 months old (my mother told me this funny story), I never slept. NEVER!! I would drive them crazy. So some doctor told them to give me a teaspoon of wine before bedtime. I slept something like 13 hours straight. Straight through the next morning. They were elated. That night my mother said "we gave you a tablespoon of wine AND YOU DANCED ALL NIGHT!!!"

I never laughed so hard at that story.

melody

No kidding. I was browsing the net earlier myself to find out all of the medical lingo my Epileptologist threw at me today. It seems everything fits into place, which is so bizarre.

Honestly, I ignored my irregular heart rate. As a matter of fact, I can't recall the last time I even told a doctor I had MVP. I assumed since my seizures are from my brain, everything else is.

I'm still rather confused, as I am simply not savvy with hearts or anything pertaining to.

I'll try to explain in hopes it makes sense, I will probably mess up words (it's my 'thing'). I had a 4 1/2 day VEEG done to try and pinpoint my starting and finishing points of my seizures.

The results I was given today basically blamed everything on my heart (!!!). She said she's not positive, so I have to get some weird test on the 13th, but she feels confident.

Basically, this is how she broke it down. A total of 52 episodes (she used another name).

My blood pressure was around 70/40 - at that point, I would run a low grade fever, and within minutes my heart rate would go from ~90 up to 150. At that time, my seizure activity would begin.

So she is assuming some dysautonomic syncope and peripheral neuropathy (I guess they are linked together?).

Honestly, I don't get it. I am confused, but still bonding with my Google results in hope of some self-teaching. I found matches on some things, but not on others - so I think I'm hanging somewhere in between.

It's still bizarre how the heart can relate to so many random things.

I try to only read up on things that relate to me but not too deep. Mainly because I don't want to get into a self-diagnosis phase because I know how doctors are. You give them a suggestion, they think you are crazy or dramatic - or even worse, they laugh/roll eyes.

This is rather interesting to read about, though.

About sleeping/anxiety - I wish I weren't afraid to take pills (I have some weird paranoia about being addicted to pills, I'm just weird). I would love to have a good sound sleep.

I will never forget the first time my doctor prescribed Ambien for me. Since at that time, my insurance co-pay for this pill was low, I decided to try it.
This must have been 9 years ago.

I will never forget it as long as I live. I took an ambien at 10:30p.m. and by 11:00 I was nodding off and my son came in and turned off the television and said "mom, be at peace, you're going to sleep". (I'll never forget his words). And I slept till about 7;30 the next morning. I woke up just fine. No saggy awful drowsy feeling. I remember telling people "this is a gift", "you have no idea what it is like not to sleep and somebody gives you a gift".

Believe me if I could afford ambien I'd take it in a minute. My doctor (about 4 months ago) gave me samples of lunesta. Worked for 3 days then nothing.
I'll never use them again because they did nothing but give me a bad taste in my mouth.

But oh those Ambien days!!!!

melody

P.S. Ellie, I forgot to mention that I have an Aunt Sallie who is now 83 and lives in Florida. She is just fine but she has had a seizure disorder all her life. She would just fall and hit her face and be all black and blue. She has had every single test under the sun. They found nothing wrong with her brain, or anyplace else. They have no clue. She was on neurontin, and dilantin for a long time. (I have no idea if she is on anything now).
But she is having a ball in Florida. She joined up with a bunch of older ladies and they call themselves the crazy hat club (or something like that). Once a month they all put on the same color hats and go out to dinner and to a show. She's having the best golden years of anybody I know.
Should happen to us.
mel