first of all, thanks so much for the caring comments/emails/texts/wwf messages! it's almost like you'd miss me if something happened. :)
background:
for a week+ (maybe two weeks at this point) i've been having a "racing heart" (i call them "episodes") at bed time and/or in the middle of the night. usually my pulse is somewhat normal, but it feels like my heart is racing. sometimes my pulse is actually fast. usually i feel like i have to catch my breath. i do not wake up sweaty; i do not remember any dreams. the only medication i take is allegra and vitamins (b6, primrose oil, inositol).
friday (6/3) - easy, hour-long morning run. allergy shots day. had a few adult beverages and didn't go to bed until 3:30am (slept til 9:30). one of those beverages was an 'orange bomb' which had monster energy drink in it. perhaps the extra caffeine had a delayed effect? no mid-night episodes, though maybe i was too inebriated to notice.
saturday (6/4) - mid-morning run on a trail (aka slow), 1 adult beverage at the wedding, bed time around 12:30? again, no mid-night episodes.
sunday (6/5) - evening mile repeats. felt a normal amount of discomfort during run. episodes before bed and in the middle of the night.
monday:
i texted my mom (a former nurse) for advice. she has had thyroid issues in the past and i thought this might be related. she suggested i go to a doctor. my mom rarely thinks an ailment needs to be checked out by a doctor... (and thankfully i've never had a serious problem prior to this).
had some episodes at work in the afternoon along with a heartburn-like feeling and general "pressure" (hard to explain). google racing heart + heartburn and learn that angina often feels like heartburn. not comforting.
woke up numerous times from 11pm-3am with more episodes and shortness of breath.
tuesday:
skipped my morning coffee (in case the caffeine is having an effect). for the record i only drink 1 travel-sized mug of coffee 5-days a week, i am not constantly visiting the coffee pot at work like most people. one of my co-workers tells me it's the caffeine from eating too many m&m's, but i've laid off those
for the most part since going dairy-free.
after waking up, i just didn't feel normal. i'd like to assume it was because i was thinking too much about what is going on. i tried calling around for an appointment with an internist but only found a noon slot with my general practitioner (who i really didn't want to see because he is your typical doctor - short appointments/little talking, happy to scribble on his prescription pad to fill his quota with pfizer).
i went to tell my boss what was going on and that i'd be gone for a little bit later in the day. he offered to take me to the emergency room because if it was him, he'd go, just to be safe.
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| waiting for my expensive bag of spinach |
honestly, i was getting scared. knowing my gp would be worthless (a blood test would have to be sent out to a lab anyway) i decided to play it safe. josh took me to the er around 9am and i was released back into the wild around 4pm. my blood pressure was checked a bajillion times, ekg was monitored for almost 7 hours, blood work came back mostly normal and i was administered one bag of magnesium (mine came in at 1.7mEq/L, a "normal low" is 2.0). i had to pee but i did not want to have to use a bedpan so i held it.
part of the blood tests were on my thyroid levels (normal) as well as to check for heart disease/issues. i didn't know you could test the blood to see if there was muscle damage to the heart, that's pretty cool. the doc ruled out the "bad stuff" and set me up with a cardiologist for further testing (appointment next tuesday). i asked if i needed to take it easy and he said i could do my "normal activity". i assume that includes running...
but, i haven't run since sunday. i was going to try a short, easy run wednesday evening but a thunderstorm popped up so i watched more netflix movies instead. i think i may reach the end of netflix soon.
so... that's where i am. it's not a very exciting story since i walked myself in the emergency room but i am totally fine with a 'boring' story.
