road trip chronicles

  Grrrrrrrr. Another day with no pictures. Actually, there are some, but since I am blogging from the cardiac care unit in an Orlando hospital, I'm not even going to bother.

I haven't been feeling well for a few days. Last night Punk and Kooka flew in, today was our big day at Magic Kingdom. Well, it was supposed to be. We hadn't been there 20 minutes (2 quick rides on the haunted mansion) before I needed to make a stop at the first aid station. I can't even remember everything that happened, but I do know that high blood pressure, shortness of breath and chest pain bought me one last ride at Disney World - a ride with the Reedy Creek ambulance crew to an Orlando hospital.

I've been here since 11am. I missed Nika seeing Disney for the first time. Missed Space Mountain with Punk and Buzz Lightyear with K. Disney, for their part, was wonderful. Meeting Rico at first aid, offering rides, replacing our tickets, etc. the hospital is another story.

It's 9pm. I just now got a bed. For the first 90 minutes I was parked in the hallway of the ER with about six other patients in various forms of distress. My initial EKG was OK, my lung cat scan was good, but the pain is intense and won't stop, so here I am. I want out. I want to snuggle with Rico and laugh with my kids. I want to kiss them goodnight and watch fireworks with them. But it hurts too much to leave, so here I am, waiting for my echocardiogram and stress test. it seems a bit intense for heart palpitations, but they are breath-stopping, so I guess I should be patient. It is just me and one nurse in this whole ward. It is lonely and it is dark, and it is not the way this was supposed to happen.