MVP

Nope, this isn't going to be an entry about Steve Nash or anything sports-related. MVP stands for mitral valve prolapse, which is the name of the condition that has been giving me heart palpitations for the past month. The Yahoo Health Encyclopedia defines MVP as "a disorder in which the heart's mitral valve -- which separates the left upper chamber (atrium) from the left lower chamber (ventricle) -- billows out and does not close properly." Yahoo also lists one of its alternative names as "floppy mitral valve." Having MVP doesn't bother me so much as having something... floppy. It makes me visualize bunny ears.

MVP isn't dangerous except in severe cases, so I don't have to undergo surgery or anything drastic. I'm only taking some prescription medicine to ease the palpitations, and so far they seem to be helping. The doctor says I can maintain an active lifestyle (since when have I ever led an active lifestyle?), but to avoid aggravating my MVP I should cut back on caffeine (no-ooo!!!) and stressful situations that might trigger my palpitations. I suspect my parents are feeling a wee bit guilty for possibly being the cause of some of those stressful situations (i.e. my new job). Funny, it's the first time they are feeling bad about doing something to me but I actually don't blame them for it.

In fact it occured to me today, as I was striding (according to my mom, I don't walk, I either stride briskly or stomp violently) through SM Cubao on a store visit, that I might be causing my own stress. When I really get into my work, I tend to charge into it with frenetic energy (hence the striding and stomping), but not because I'm a workaholic, though most seem to have that impression of me. Quite the opposite, really. I work like mad because I am so anxious to get the job done, so I can have enough time left over for more important things, like catching up with friends and going out with my family (wasting time on my roses =D), leisure reading, and TV-watching (to offset the brain activity from reading). In short, I am so stressed because I want to relax. Go figure.

Postscript: At the end of our round of store visits, I whiled away a lovely hour at Fully Booked Gateway (thanks to Raqs for helping me find it ;p). My fellow bookworms out there can relate to this next statement: there is not enough time in the world to spend browsing in a good bookstore (National Bookstore, with its pathetic selection, does not qualify).