Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Sommer Leigh wrote:In my head I know it's too soon to worry, but I'm worried! I mean, it's my heart. You only get one of them, you know? I promise I'm not throwing my personal pity party with balloons and cupcakes (well, maybe cupcakes). I just needed to vent. This is the place for venting right?

Oh, Sommer, I'm really sorry to hear that! That's hard. I've been there, kindasorta... early on in university I started noticing I was getting more out of breath climbing stairs than I remembered being, and while others initially wrote it off as nothing or asthma, eventually it was diagnosed as tissue growth in my trachea, and in the end I had to have that section of my trachea removed. I was totally like you are when the first diagnosis was made - scared about what it could be, and what might need to be done. I had a borderline-phobia about surgery, which I'd never had done before. And it was such a vital part of my anatomy they were going to be messing with. And yet, everyone in the hospital was super nice, knowledgable. The procedure was harder on my parents and family than it was on me (I was asleep! then drugged up on morphine!). And after it all, I felt a hundred times better. My airway had closed to 40% of normal (4mm or 1/8" - normal is about 10mm); I couldn't even walk and talk at the same time without becoming winded. Left untreated, presumably it'd keep growing in till I had a heart attack or something. But after, I could run! And just that amazing, wonderful feeling of being able to breath again - of being alive! - made it all worth it.

Anyway, I really hope it doesn't come to anything as serious as that for you, because it does truly suck to be sick. I hope it's nothing, or nothing serious, something they can easily treat with medication or something, and I hope you're back to your old self soon. It's good you went to get checked out, though! The earlier problems are caught, the easier they are to fix. I'll have my fingers crossed for good news for you on Friday.

You'll get cupcakes no matter what! We promise.

Sommer Leigh wrote:Ok, so I've been feeling sick most of the summer. Not sick like, I have the flu sick, but sick like I just don't feel WELL. I've been sleeping a ton and despite the fact I hit the gym 4-5 days a week and eat healthy, I haven't lost any weight. My concentration has been crappy and I constantly feel tired.

Friday afternoon my father-in-law had emergency quintuple bypass surgery. He's fine, or will be soon, but it kind of got me freaked out enough to go to my doctor on tuesday. He'd been putting off warning signs and I thought maybe I was too.

As it turns out, I wasn't being paranoid. I found out there might be something structurally wrong with my heart. I'm having an echocardiogram on friday to find out. THAT is freaking me out like you have no idea.

I don't even know how to wrap my head around the concept that my heart might be broken, and not in the cool poetic way that has you writing sweeping poetry of passion and destruction at two o'clock in the morning. In my head I know it's too soon to worry, but I'm worried! I mean, it's my heart. You only get one of them, you know? I promise I'm not throwing my personal pity party with balloons and cupcakes (well, maybe cupcakes). I just needed to vent. This is the place for venting right?

Rough. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Like you said, when the cardiologist says something can wait 'till Friday, it's usually a good sign . Anywho, thank goodness you've been taking care of yourself!

Sommer,

Keep your head up. You will do this and you will be fine, got it? Take care of you and yours.

Sheesh! I don't check in for a few days...

Not knowing is always the worst. Trixie is right. Knowledge is power, and after Friday - come what may - it will be better than the waiting and not knowing. I will be thinking of you and sending positive thoughts, mojo and virtual cupcakes your way!

Good for you Sommer for taking the initiative and getting yourself checked. Many times, that is the hardest part. Now that you have this additional test on Friday, you'll know how to proceed from here, and you'll only be stronger for it. I'm sure we'll all be thinking about you tomorrow.

I love you all so much! Every time I start feeling freaked out I've been coming back to re-read all your comments. Thank you

OK, I need some distraction today. So let me have it - what are everyone's weekend plans? Good things? Bad things? Writing things? Reading things?

For those of you who read YA - have you noticed how many amazing books are scheduled to come out on or very close to September 18th?

I am going to be so broke this month.

Sommer Leigh wrote:Reading things?

I got Redshirts by John Scalzi from the library yesterday and I am stoked to start reading it. Growing up on Star Trek, the thought of a bunch of redshirts realizing what happens to them and revolting - I AM SO THERE!!

Sommer Leigh wrote:For those of you who read YA - have you noticed how many amazing books are scheduled to come out on or very close to September 18th?

The only one I'm aware of is Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys. What else is coming out then?

Well let's see...

Homework, homework, homework! Yeah, my life is fascinating right now.

I guess I did start to plan/write my French project again.

Sanderling wrote:

Sommer Leigh wrote:For those of you who read YA - have you noticed how many amazing books are scheduled to come out on or very close to September 18th?

The only one I'm aware of is Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys. What else is coming out then?

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan - September 11
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - September 18
The Diviners by Libba Bray - September 18
What's Left of Me: The Hybrid Chronicles, Book One by Kat Zhang - September 18
The Crown of Embers (Girl of Fire and Thorns) by Rae Carson - September 18
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian - September 18

And don't get me started on the number of books coming out 2 weeks later on October 2nd, then October 23, and November 13. It's going to be a bookalicious winter.

That's funny, because instead of books, I've got a lot of excellent music CDs coming out around that date!

Sommer Leigh wrote:The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan - September 11
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - September 18
The Diviners by Libba Bray - September 18
What's Left of Me: The Hybrid Chronicles, Book One by Kat Zhang - September 18
The Crown of Embers (Girl of Fire and Thorns) by Rae Carson - September 18
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian - September 18

And don't get me started on the number of books coming out 2 weeks later on October 2nd, then October 23, and November 13. It's going to be a bookalicious winter.

Ah, I know most of those, too; just didn't realize they were coming out soon. Since I get all my books through the library (far too poor to buy anything but known I-can't-stop-thinking-about-this favourites), and the library typically takes a while to get a new release onto its shelves, release dates get a bit blurry for me.

Well, the cardiologist said my heart is perfect and healthy and beautiful. ("Well of course!" I told him. "I'm awesome.")

Of course that means we're back to the drawing board. CT Scan next week. This is going to be a very long weekend.

Sommer Leigh wrote:Well, the cardiologist said my heart is perfect and healthy and beautiful. ("Well of course!" I told him. "I'm awesome.")

Of course that means we're back to the drawing board. CT Scan next week. This is going to be a very long weekend.

So glad the test was positive, Sommer! Not so fun about the extra tests. CT scans are nice easy ones, though; just have to lie there.