Hypochondria

Hi, my name is Page and I'm a hypochondriac.  No, really.  Something about all of the minor changes occurring in my life (getting married, buying a house, etc...you know minor things) has set off a major case of hypochondria.  Now, I admit, I'm slightly prone to it in normal times, too.  You know, my cheek hurts and I think I have mouth cancer, my spine twinges and I think I have meningitis...those types of things.  But usually, I have a quick flash of hypochondria and it goes away.  But recently, I think my body has been internalizing stress.  And since I don't feel "normal", I'm convinced something is wrong.  And not something minor (like stress, or the flu), but major things.  A few weeks ago, I started seeing floaters in one eye.

**A quick aside: The internet is the worse thing ever created for hypochondriacs.  Some of the descriptions are like "PVCs are usually harmless.  Unless they are due to congenital heart failure.  In which case they could be fatal."  Yeah.  Watch out for those internet health sites.  You will be convinced you are going to die.**

So, I made the mistake of googling them.  "Floaters are generally harmless.  Unless they are due to a retinal tear.  In which case, you should see your eye care professional."  What?  So, of course, I'm convinced my retina is torn.  My eye doc passed away in May, so I had to get an emergency appointment with another one.  He checked me out, all was fine.  He did say, though, that if I saw flashing lights, I should come back.  Lo and behold, while at my wedding dress fitting, I saw flashing lights.  And again the next morning.  So like an obedient little patient, I headed back into the eye doc.  Nothing wrong.  He told me if the flashing lights "increased" I should come back.  What does that mean?

Then, last weekend, I had a headache.  Unlike one I had ever had before.  Only on one side.  As I started to "think" about it, it started to seem like the left side of my face was numb.  And I started to imagine tingling in my left hand.  Can you see where this is headed??  Yep, I thought I was having a stroke.  Ridiculous.  Thankfully, my future brother-in-law is an ER doc, and talked me off the ledge and convinced me it was very unlikely I was having a stroke.  Whew!

Today, I went into slight panic mode again today when I thought I saw more flashing lights.   Maybe I did, but it was a slight flashing light, not like the "all over" ones.  Then, I talked myself off the ledge.

I think I need a vacation...

Back from Feeling Dead...

Pardon my absence, I was recovering from a nasty stomach bug that hit me Tuesday morning. Last weekend was fun spending time with my parents, friends, and J. The Navy Game was a fun tailgate, but the game was super-rainy. The Brahms Concert went ok...at least the audience seemed to enjoy it! Our Brahms after-party was a success. My Sunday 16 mile run was fun as well. I started to get a little sniffly during the run, which I attribute to allergies.

After being a bit stuffy on Monday, I woke up Tuesday feeling a bit feverish. My first thought- I have the flu! So I panicked. Once I calmed down, I decided to not go into the office and go to the doctor. Not the flu, but the fever was going up and I was feeling much worse. When I got home from the Dr.'s office, I realized it was a stomach virus. Yuck!

I slept most of Tuesday and on into Tuesday night. Yesterday, I felt better, but still couldn't be far from a convenient bathroom. So, I watched tv, movies, my iPod, read magazines...and tried to do a little bit around the house. But I was BORED!

So, I'm happy to be back in the office working today, for once. This weekend I have a "stay-in" date with J on Friday, a run Saturday morning, Navy tailgate and game in the afternoon (with rain predicted AGAIN!), and then a 17 mile run scheduled for Sunday. If the rain goes away, we'll be doing a "scenic monument run" in DC. I'm looking forward to that...I've always wanted to do a long run in DC since I live so close, but have never had the chance. Logistically it might be tough to get water/gatorade, but we're hoping there will be enough street vendors and convenience stores to replenish our handheld water bottles.

Hope everyone out there stays away from the stomach virus I had this week!