Well, I did it again - called an ambulance and raced off to hospital.
It's over two weeks since the heart procedure that was supposed to stop my (infrequent but very serious) bouts of VT. While recovering I've been feeling tired and knocked-around. Several days ago, I started feeling a bit fluttery in the chest, and it didn't feel right. I saw the GP, and one of my specialists (who got on the phone to the other specialist) and they all agreed I should take it easy, and they'd like more information. I was booked in for a few tests on Friday, but late on Thursday night I woke up feeling worse than ever.
Obviously we save up ambulance rides for crises, but it's hard to tell when it's a crisis, so we called 000. They were there in minutes, and the two paramedics hooked me up and got an ECG right there in the lounge room. Cool use of technology! It showed enough odd stuff that I "won a trip to hospital" as they said. But it wasn't the dreaded VT, just a bunch of funny beats that were worth investigating.
It settled right down in the ambulance. Natch. By the time I arrived I was well enough to go home, but there's no escaping it once they've opened a file. I shuffled down the importance list, and both paramedics hovered, keeping an eye on me. We chatted about eBay, Lego, chess, and other stuff. One of them told me how to jump the queue at the emergency department. Just examine your left hand, and wiggle the fingers, looking puzzled, as if you are wondering why it hurts. All smart Emergency medicine people are looking for behaviour like that. OK, I promise never to use the trick, but it's good to know that non-technological methods are used so effectively.
Soon I had a spot (Resus 1). Two nurses started sticking sticky dots all over me (more sticky dots, I should say) to hook me up to the heavy duty monitor. It was cold, and being handled started the flutters again. What followed was many hours of lying in bed, looking at my monitor, seeing it beep whenever something bad enough happened to justify a beep. I played a quick word game on the iPod, and when the novelty of being in hospital wore off, asked them to lower the back of the bed so I could sleep. Didn't sleep more than a few minutes, of course (all the observations). The monitor beeps when you heart rate goes below 60, which is actually quite normal when you are juuust about asleep, so that helps heaps.
I had Skippy cornflakes for breakfast. Not my favourite cereal, but hey. Also stewed pears.
When the sun came up and all normal people were at work, they got my specialist on the phone (the one who was expecting me at 11 that morning anyway). He still wanted to see me, so I had to call Jeff, get him to oversee the kids going to school; drop Thomas at a Chess tournament; get my clothes; and, just quickly, drive me to the city. Oh, and not go to work.
We got to the specialist's office just a few minutes before we were expected, and I looked lovingly at the cafe next door. Jeff said it was smarter to check in with the receptionist straight away. She was expecting us, and said "Ah, yes, he wants to see you - take a seat". We worked out he was busy with a patient for a few minutes, but we could sneak a coffee, and she'd call us when we were needed.
Jeff had a big hunk of Hedgehog - not as nice as home made, but very acceptable. My coffee was yummy. Yes, I was allowed, I checked.
So, a quick echo cardiogram, and a visit to the good doctor, and he tells me that what is happening is normal enough that it definitely won't cause me to drop dead (well, that's my handy summary), and if I feel yucky I should have some serious rest. I'm on a new tablet, which has the job of just helping me feel better (it doesn't "fix" anything, but with any luck it's stop me being such a drama queen). It seems to work. We compare notes again next week.
That photo is an ECG from the hospital stay. Cool, huh? Anyway, I'm fine, and I guess there's some chance of more work being done to me, but it's also quite possible that I'm just "settling down".
It was a lovely day in Melbourne today, and Jeff took me out to a fete (see the next post!).
How to make something pink look very pink:
I took my Prismacolor pencils to stamp club on the weekend, and made this (well, finished it at home, since I have been in the habit of forgetting to take any card stock at all to stamp club for months now). I used the colourless blender pencil, which I've praised before - it's nice, and a cheap and fun addition to the collection. The owl stamp is by Pipedreamink of Tasmania. They promise they've made some of their small designs in bigger sizes just lately, and we'll get to see them at Paperific, the big papercraft show coming up in Melbourne.
(I've been eBay shopping...). Sharon pointed out that the letters would fit in the frames (well spotted, that girl there), and I decided to mask them. Yay for masking!
He comes in. That's conditioning!
I got this cake tin from an op shop - well, of course. It's a Tupperware silicon one (they are 'spensive, so I pounced). This is the first time the cake's actually come out - my first try was a mess. But - how to show off the snowmanniness in the best light? Thomas suggested a thin drizzle of runny white icing, and I think I agree now. The dusting just doesn't do it.
r four trays. Also put newspaper on the table.
One of my favourite things to collect is old cookbooks. Not so much the "proper" books, but the booklets from magazines, or from shops, or manufacturers. 
Here's one, from Crofts Stores in Melbourne, picked up at a garage sale. It's from 1935. Crofts prided themselves in having over 100 grocery stores around Melbourne and the country areas, all with personal service. Here's a cool page - they promise that, when you send your child to do some shopping, they will send the change home in a sealed envelope. Now that's service! Why get dressed, indeed?
"Argh, a sunbeam ... oh no, I've gone unconscious again!".
But here's something different - the same stamp, stamped in Raisin Adirondack dye based ink. That ink will "run" when it gets wet, and I've used it deliberately. I let the image dry a bit, then got out a fine water brush (works just as well with a fine paintbrush dipped in water) and "coloured it in" by drawing the colour from the lines into the areas I wanted coloured. Gosh that looks ... awesome!
Also a great Anchor Hocking plate, the one that goes with the famous peach glaze mugs. You know, these ones. This may end up on eBay (there just isn't room in the house for all the pretties I collect) but I will be enjoying it for a few days at least.
A wonderful garage sale purchase on the weekend (the box was still sealed) which we turned into a very, very classy dinner.
chicken frills. Why do we use them? Do they have special significance? Apart from the frightening fact that they are still on sale at all good catering suppliers, I have nothing to add. For some reason, I associate them with Samantha from "Bewitched" - I think that's about the time period when home cooks would use chicken frills. Anyway, there you go, a bit of culture you probably didn't expect. The roast pumpkin was excellent, and there's some left over for a Roast Pumpkin Pizza. Mmmm.
Leave a sketchbook open on the table, have a conversation with three kids about sushi rolls, and you know what'll happen...
Here's something I know you haven't seen before - it's the Moxie Book. I made it from the box from some Moxie brand (shh, quietly now) tampons. These useful items come packed in two really, really cute tins, and the two tins are in a cute box with a window in the front. Well, it goes without saying that the tins are not getting thrown away; but I had a hard time putting the box into the recycling. So the Moxie Book was born.
