2. Calm before the storm

We decided, this year, to pack up the kids and take them to Newport for spring break.  Since my Mother In Law lives there, we could not only enjoy some time away, we could also give the kids a chance to visit Grandma. I spent the week prior to vacation prepping and packing for our family of 5.  This, as some of you may know, is a HUGE task.  As the days got closer, I started feeling the stress.
Not helping circumstances was my newly acquired responsibility.  My lovely, caring, nurturing daughter found a newborn baby mouse out in the yard.  Its mother and family got destroyed and she begged and pleaded (Ya  know, the big teary eyes) for me to save it.  I knew it didn't have a chance.  A baby mouse the size of the tip of my pinky needs a mother mouse the size of my thumb to take care of it.  But, what was I going to tell her? So, I put the little guy on a heating pad and began feeding him goat's milk from the end of a tiny paint brush.  Every two hours, AROUND-THE-CLOCK!  What do you know, he thrived!  It seemed like every time I peeled back his little covers to feed him he got bigger and furrier and had more whiskers and... and... and...  life is a miracle.  I have come to love watching things grow and change.  "Stuart" was now a solid part of our life.  I would watch him grow all day. At night, I would tuck him in next to the bed to make night time feedings easier.  He was getting to the point that if I slept longer than my 2 hours he would squeak for me.  The thought of travelling to Newport with him was an added stress.  He was still only just the size of my thumb and needed his heating  pad to keep warm enough.

The day before the trip I was having some weird feelings.  I did a few Google searches and MS kept popping up at the top of my search  results.  Its similar to flipping through a medical encyclopedia though, youre convinced you have every condition in the book.  So,  I just went on with my day.
The morning of departure came.  I was completely overwhelmed.  The plan was to load the car and the kids and meet my husband at work when he got out.  I called him and told him I wasn't feeling good and didn't know if I could do all this on my own and felt pins and needles all over .......and google thinks I have MS.  He calmly let me know I was certainly having anxiety about the trip and would be home to help load up and drive with me. 
By the time he got home I was convinced I was going to have a stroke, or heart attack, or something major.  I had pins and needles in my feet and legs.  My chest  was so tight it felt almost hard to breathe.  We both agreed I should get checked by a doctor before travelling.  Off to the ER we went.  The PA that saw me did a neurological exam(at which time was normal).   He checked my electrolyte balance, which was also fine.  He told me I was too young and healthy for heart problems, so no other tests were necessary.  He gave me a clean bill of health and wished me a happy vacation, agreeing with my husband that it was probably just anxiety.
So, we went home, packed up and off we went.  Stuart took his place in a large coffee can, surrounded by hand warmers, between my feet.