Surviving Health Issues

Last Wednesday I woke up around 2am with really bad chest pains. I felt like an anaconda was squeezing my heart. I seriously thought I was dying. I woke Simon up and he asked me if I wanted to go to the ER and I said no because I don't currently have health insurance (I now will have it starting June 1st). I told him I would rather die than pay thousands of dollars in medical bills. Ha. I know a bit dramatic. I decided to wait it out till the morning and then go to urgent care. I finally fell asleep around 4:30am.

When I wake up the next morning my chest still hurts, but it is more of a dull ache rather than an overwhelming squeezing pain. I shower and we head to urgent care. I should also back track and mention I have been having ear problems for the past few months and could not hear out of my left ear. I know I should probably go to the doctor's when I have issues.

We get to urgent care and I am describing my symptoms to the doctor. He checks my heart and does a few simple tests and then proceeds to tell me I have acid reflux... technically known as gastroesophageal reflux. What the heck!?!?! I thought I was dying and I only had acid reflux??? Needless, to say I was extremely relieved. Turns out the symptoms are very similar for acid reflux and a woman having a heart attack... go figure. He also had a nurse clean out my ears and told me I have a weird shaped ear canal which causes problems in proper drainage. No infection though... or so he thought (more on this in a minute). There are 5 foods I am not allowed to eat for the next two weeks due to the acid reflux, they are:

• Anything tomato based like tomato sauce or paste
• Onions
• Soda or acidic drinks like orange juice or lemonade
• Spicy foods like Mexican or Indian
• Chocolate

After two weeks he said I could eat these things, but only in moderation of course. I have been pretty good about it so far. I blame England for this. I didn't eat anything acidic or spicy while I was there and I think it ruined me.

Ok part 2 of my health issues. Saturday Simon and I drive to Boise so we can pack the stuff at my parent's house to move back to UT. That evening my right ear starts bothering me, which is weird because I just saw the doctor. Well it progressively starts to get worse and when we were driving back to UT yesterday it was pretty bad. I go to sleep Monday night and wake up in the middle of the night and can't hear out of my right ear and it hurts like crazy. It hurt to open my mouth and it felt like my ear and jaw were swollen. Back to the doctor I go and it turns out I have a crazy ear infection. More medicine for me. He said I should start feeling better in a few days. Terrible timing because I start my new job tomorrow. Wish me luck. I still can't hear out of my right ear. 

Here are all the drugs I am currently taking. I expect to feel like a new woman by the end of the week.

I will definitely be throwing back that Excedrin at work tomorrow. I have also been a cranky beast the last two weeks. Poor Simon. Hope everyone else out there is doing better on the health front. I realized how much I take my health for granted and need to be more grateful for being healthy!