A day of napping...how enjoyable?!?

I guess, if you consider forced napping fun.

Mark drove me to the hospital this morning at 6:45am, had the procedure (don't remember anything at all) and was back home and in bed by 9:30am. Slept til noon and then ate 2 pieces of toast and could barely keep my head up so I got back into bed and slept until 3:15pm. Found myself starving when I woke up so I had some soup and rice and amazingly, getting back into bed for the rest of the night actually sounds kinda good :) What a waste of a day.

Stay tuned for the results from the biopsies when I get them.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Some people perfer to use alternative terms such as an upper endoscopy, gastroscopy, or EGD.

Honestly, who the hell wants to have a procedure performed on them that looks remotely close to that word? I sure as hell don't, but unfortunately I don't have much of a choice as that's what's on the docket for 7am tomorrow morning for Miss Erin!!!

Upon doing a little research about this ridiuclous test, I found out the following:

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is an examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum with a small camera (flexible endoscope) which is inserted down the throat. You will be given a sedative and an analgesic. A local anesthetic will be sprayed into your mouth to suppress the need to cough or gag when the endoscope is inserted. A mouth guard will be inserted to protect your teeth and the endoscope. Dentures must be removed. In most cases, an intravenous line will be inserted into your arm to administer medications during the procedure. You will be instructed to lie on your left side. After the gag reflex has been suppressed by the anesthetic, the endoscope will be advanced through the esophagus to the stomach and duodenum. Air will be introduced through the endoscope to enhance viewing. The lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum is examined, and biopsies can be obtained through the endoscope. Biopsies are tissue samples that are reviewed under the microscope. After the test is completed, food and liquids will be restricted until your gag reflex returns. The local anesthetic makes swallowing difficult. This wears off shortly after the procedure. The endoscope may stimulate some gagging in the back of the throat. There may be a sensation of gas, and the movement of the scope may be felt in the abdomen. Biopsies cannot be felt. Because of the intravenous sedation, you may not feel any discomfort and may have no memory of the test.

How incredibly unappealing does that sound?!?! What have I gotten myself into? I think the only good part about it is that I get to come home and sleep ALL day...WHOOAA :)

Wish me luck!

Holy Crap...I DID IT!!!!

Not too many people have been aware of the ridiculous problems with swimming I have been having the past couple months so in order to comprehend my excitement of swimming 2K yesterday evening you'll have to understand a few things.

Since the first week of December, I have been experiencing extreme nausea every time I get in the pool. Yes, I did have the flu at first, and yes, I probably shouldn't have been trying to swim through it, but...you know how it goes. Anyway, even though my stomach problems persisted (and still are...stay tuned for my crazy stomach surgery on Tuesday) I have tried numerous times to get back in the water, only to find myself getting even more nauseous, incredibly frustrated, and quite upset. I was creating this giant mental block and psychologically making myself afraid to swim...why? I HAVE NO IDEA!!!

As of yesterday, I had not swam more than 200 meters in about 9 weeks and was seriously about ready to lose it. I worked so hard this summer to improve my swim when I had a stress fracture in my hip and could not run and I felt like everything I had done was totally gone. It took an amazing and motivational talk from a great friend during our long trainer ride inside for me to finally break the funk I was in and get back in the water. Susanne is one of the most understanding people I know and made me feel so good about myself, even though this whole experience has really put a damper on me.

To check out more on Susanne and her tremendous story as a wife, mommy of two and top notch athlete visit her site below!!!

www.triathletemom.com

Okay, it can stop snowing and being cold Boulder!

After an amazing evening of playing Euchre with friends and getting served a delicious array of goodness by Pete and Brad, I hit the pillow not only very hard, but incredibly satisfied!


However, this morning when I woke up, the first thing I see is another white blanket of snow covering the trees and sidewalk outside my window...grrr!

So on that note, my long bike ride must be completed inside on the trainer for 3 hours...UGH. Luckily I am able to listen to whatever music I desire (even though I have to keep it somewhat turned down so my neighbor doesn't come over and yell at me again...oops) and play Nintendo 64 the entire time!!!

New Computer...WHOOOAAA!

My new laptop finally arrived yesterday and I can now resume working from home as well as access my email on a regular basis!!!

Isn't it funny how a new computer is sooooo exciting?!?! I love it!

Fun with the fam!!!

So it's obviously been a while since I have updated this thing and it's because I was having way too much fun hanging out with mom and pop over the past week! Mom flew out Tuesday night and tagged along to see what her little girl does on a daily basis with work, training, etc and dad flew in Thursday night, just in time to have an amazing dinner at the new restaurant! Mmmm...was it good :)

We spent the weekend in a cabin at Snow Mountain Ranch and did a little of everything - skate skiing, downhill skiing at Winter Park, running in the snow, chillin', relaxin', playin' Euchre with Brad and Pete, and just had a great time! It was unfortunate that their weekend had to end with a 4 hour plane delay back home to Michigan on Sunday evening...eventually getting them back home at 5:30am...just in time for dad to shower and head to work on absolutely no sleep...poor guy!
At any rate, it was a fabulous weekend and so nice to see my family and have them experience a little of what I do on a daily basis out here in Colorado! LOVE YA!!!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr....COLD

Boulder is experiencing yet another crazy effect of this abnormally insane winter - below zero degree temps! Not that 2 more snow dumps this weekend was enough, we also need to have -5 degree weather...ridiculous.

Hopefully it warms up a bit for my momma tomorrow. She definitely won't like coming on vacation to extreme cold :) I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Let's Go Red Wings, LET'S GO!!!

So for any hockey fans out there, I'm sure are aware of the long standing rivalry between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings. Being a native of Michigan, I am without a doubt, a HUGE Wings fan...always have been. On Tuesday evening, my two friends from Michigan (Brad and Pete) and I headed down to the Pepsi Center to watch the game.

As we were walking from the parking lot into the building, I couldn't help but notice all the Red Wing jerseys people (including myself) were wearing...it was almost like we were back in Detroit. When we got to our seats, it was even more amazing how many Detroit fans were there. From the third deck, we could pretty much see the entire arena and it was COVERED in red!

At any rate, the game was pretty much the best game were could have ever gone to. Tied 1-1 after the first period, 2-2 after the second, 3-3 after the third and still tied after overtime. Although the Wings were out shooting the Avs 48-24, it was still an exhilarating game to watch and the shootout couldn't have been any more suspenseful. Each team gets 3 shots and it actually came down to the very last shot and the Wings scored to take the much deserved victory! WHAT A GAME!!!

The three of us will definitely be back next year :)

My dad is so right...

This is the email I got from him yesterday morning!!!

'Hi Hon, Is it safe to come to Colorado???? Blizzards, avalanches, high wind warnings, what's next???
Love Dad'

I mean seriously...the entire country is experiencing a complete heat wave, and Colorado is having the most outrageous and random weather EVER...craziness

Still sick...

... another Dr. appointment tomorrow.

Is there anyone in Boulder who is not sick as hell and vomiting uncontrollably??? Geez, I swear the nastiest flu bug is floating around this city and EVERYONE has it!