Road Block

Well, my momentum hit a road block today. I have pleurisy, inherited from my dad, which basically means that I occasionally get fluid in the lining of my lungs or chest wall and this causes sharp chest pains. These pains come and go - usually a couple of days and then it goes away. It's annoying and painful, but it's not anything that I can't handle. Saturday morning before my race, I felt the familiar pains in my chest. I was annoyed but didn't think much about it. Then the 21 degrees exacerbated that and by the evening, the pain was pretty strong. It kept me awake through the night and continued Sunday and again last night. This morning, I was in so much pain with every breath that it brought me to tears, something that doesn't happen often when it comes to pain.

I decided to check into the emergency room because my breathing was so constricted and every breath was causing me substantial pain. After 5 hours in the ER, chest x-rays, an EKG, blood tests and a CAT scan, the only thing they really found (other than I am healthy!!) is fluid in my left lung, confirming the pleurisy diagnosis I'd given myself. The ER doc believes that the cold at the race made the pain worse than normal and he has put me on rest for 2 days from work and at least 4-5 days from working out! :( Can't believe I can't work out. It was physically painful not to work out today. I'm on some pretty serious painkillers (though I don't think they are doing much other than making me tired) for the next couple of days and hopefully by Friday (my birthday!!!), this pain will be gone and I will back in the game.

So, I have to find a way to relax, but not lose the momentum I've gained through this weight loss journey. I'm still going, but I temporarily am stopped at a road block.

For my pray-ers out there, I would LOVE your prayers that this knife-like pain in the left side of my chest dissipates as quickly as it arrived and I would be able to get the rest I need at night.

I know God is in control from start to finish, so I am confident that whatever happens, He's got me in the palm of His hand.