I have spent the entire week detoxing from my Cipro antibiotic allergic reaction. I don't think my doctor was terribly happy to add "allergic to Cipro" to my medical record when I saw her last week. She insisted I have a stress test to make sure my heart was working properly. I was pretty sure all my troubles started when I took the medication, but I agreed to get the test.
I hadn't scheduled the appointment yet when I returned to work on Monday. According to the doctors at the emergency room, I was able to return to work on Monday. How wrong they were! I attempted to go to work on Monday. I made it to lunch. Of course my schedule had me running around to 2 different clinics as well as visiting a patient in their apartment. All that running around made me dizzy and sick to my stomach. I also checked my heart rate which was running around 106 beats per minute(I usually get to 82 bpm after an hour of cardiac aerobics!). Instead of heading back to our large out patient clinic, I walked right to my van and drove myself back to the doctor's office. They agreed my heart rate was high and still insisted I get my stress test done. They also told me to switch to drinking water only, and watch my sodium intake and no chocolate(it has caffeine).  I tried to talk them into giving me a leave of absence from work for the rest of the week, but they only gave me an excused day off for Monday(big help). I made an executive decision and decided to stay home on Tuesday. Mostly I just slept on the couch, but I did manage to get up now and again and work on the computer, throw some laundry in the wash, do the dishes and scheduled my stress test for Friday. Each day I felt a little bit better but I wasn't sure what my stress test would look like if I started my exercise level with a 106 heart rate. And how cruel not to be able to eat chocolate on VAlentine's Day!

                   Actually, Tom and I celebrated VAlentine's Day on the Saturday before. I had already purchased concert tickets, so I figured I could handle just sitting listening to music and eating munchies and desserts with our neighbors who joined us for the evening. Tom did buy me a black and white photo of birch trees with our wedding anniversary date carved in the side of one of the trees which was kinda cool. I had picked him up a dozen roses. But this was the first year that I really didn't have to go all out for the kids. Allison received a few Valentine cards and candy, but did not give any out. Scott's class stopped giving out Valentines too, but he did exchange a box of chocolates with our next door neighbor's daughter(same age).  She had him over last weekend for dinner and a movie! Her live in grandmother made them both dinner, and they watched "The Mask of Zorro".  I think this was Scott's first official date! Oh no, I am not ready for this.

               So Valentine's Day was pretty low key. I did manage to make heart shaped pasta and red pepper sausage for dinner, and Tom bought cannolis with chocolate sprinkles(which I couldn't eat until after my stress test). We did break down and made chocolate chip cookies with candy hearts just for ourselves(still couldn't eat them myself because of the chocolate). But they disappeared pretty fast anyway.

                   Tom helped me out on Thursday by taking Allison to a long piano lesson so she could make up for the one she missed last Thursday when I went to the hospital. He also had Friday off, and so did Allison, but she had to work. Tom ended up taking Allison to work and I went off to a very large hospital just north of Baltimore. I was hooked up to the heart monitor and met the cardiologist who ran my test and wanted to know where I was from(he recognized my midwestern accent since he was from Chicago himself). I did not hold it against him that he did his premed at Uof M either!. They figured I had been on a tread mill before, but I never actually had. (I don't trust them, and I would rather go for a walk outside than on a moving belt-plus I don't run). So that was a first for me. They keep increasing the speed and the angle of the treadmill though so you have to hold on. I finally asked to stop when he had me jogging on an incline-only because my arms were beginning to hurt holding on and my mouth was unbelievably dry that I could no longer answer his questions. He said my heart was in great shape and that I was dehydrated. So much for just drinking water! He told me to go home and drink Gatorade. I did get my heart rate up to 170 which freaked me out. He said it was probably due to the dehyrdation. So all weekend I have been drinking Gatorade and feeling much better every day! I am still a bit dizzy and itchy, but mainly my headache is gone. So in the words of Mark Seitz "Just say No to Cipro!"

               And speaking of medical issues, I would like to thank Mom Seitz for the great newspaper articles on shingles. I did take the most recent articles into my doctor and read the part to her that says the FDA has now approved the medication for those 50 years and older. She said it must have just been changed this year as Kaiser was still following the 60 yr rule. However, I am still too young for the 50 year old cut off. She said they can't just give me the vaccination-they would get in big trouble and it could actually be worse for me. So for all of you 50 and over, I would recommend checking with your doctor to see if you can get the vaccination. Not so sure if the insurance companies and medical clinics have caught up to the new age recommendations yet though.

               I had dropped SCott off to school on Friday before I went to the doctors. Scott had an outing that day to our local original church in Olde Ellicott City. OUr church is 90 years old-the original church of St Paul. Same place where Babe Ruth was married. They were celebrating mass there and also acknowledging the elevation of our Baltimore Bishop Edwin O'Brien to Cardinal in Rome this weekend. Cardinal O'Brien will be heading back to Baltimore to maintain his residency. He is the Bishop that oversaw Allison's confirmation. Since Scott is in the choir, they got the balcony seats and sang for the mass. Scott was in school, but Allison was off for Parent Teacher Conferences. Tom took her to work and afterwards they both went to see the new Chronicles movie. They both enjoyed it(about 3 teens who develop super human powers). While they were at the movies, I had Scott at gymnastics. Not so sure I should keep taking him though cause he is still very sore from his tumble while skiing and complains of his chest muscles hurting. Plus he has swimming on SAturday mornings. Tom took him to his lesson and then they were both off to a birthday party at DAve and Busters. Turns out the kids at SCott's birthday party had such a great time, they all wanted a Dave and Buster birthday too! That's both of my boys-trend setters. So Tom had SCott and the two of them were busy playing video games, but they took a break to eat at the new Wild Wings and watched the new Ghost Riders movie. Tom thought it was so bad, he fell asleep.

        Meanwhile, Allison had her last customer service class in the morning, and then I took her home to work on her modifications to her Girl SCout Gold Award project. She turned in her proposal last summer but it was rejected. She then had to meet with the teen advisor for recommendations on modifications. She finally had some time to sit down and type up the changes. The GS Gold Award board members only meet once a month, and sadly we missed the February deadline. WE will have to wait until March now to hear if she has the approval to rebuild a handicap horseback riding ramp. She also had to contact her mentor for Shadow Day. I was hoping she would be able to spend a day during her Easter break, but the woman CEO wants to meet in two weeks. She has a busy schedule planned for Allison including several federal meetings, a tour of the Chemical company, a visit to the shipping docks and a sales pitch.  She sounded very sweet-she was on the phone with Allison for quite some time, and even called back(before she headed out to Williamsburg with her mom). Allison was just concerned about getting done in time to make her SAT class. The woman assured her that they would be done before 6pm as she had her own Spanish class to attend. Allison is looking forward to playing hooky that day for the opportunity. Then in April she will attend the gala and have to present a report on the days events. 

           Sunday we spent the day studying with the kids while they worked on their homework projects and Tom and SCott started his Science FAir project.   Cousin Eric's photos on his blog of his trip to India came in handy since Scott is studying the history of India and it's origins in Hinduism. We love the sacred cows!

             I'll be off on Monday since it is President's Day and the kids are off of school. Allison has to work and needs a ride and Scott thought he'd schedule a play date with his friend Sammy and rollerblade too. I just hope he is up to it. Tom wants me to take him to the doctor to get an xray. Meanwhile I will be heading to the dentist in the morning to remove my broken crown. It only lasted a day and a half. I am falling apart!

                 And I see some of the daffodils have started blooming-about one month too soon! Tom wanted to know if it was St Patty's day next week(his internal clock is off too!).

Kathleen and family