quick update on the heart

Quick update - I followed up with my cardiologist yesterday & still very good news that my heart is healthy and good blood pressure, etc. However, still in a-fib so my heart is beating irregularly despite the medication.

So.... his recommendation is to increase the dosage on the meds and do another cardioversion next week. This one will be a smudge easier and they will not have to stick a probe down my throat to make sure there are no clots or blockages in my heart - did I leave that detail out last time? Yep that was fun! Actually it was not that bad as I was already out so - really have no recollection of it. Anyway - they can forego that step this time around as we know my heart is healthy.

So increasing the dosage on my meds and another cardioversion - if that does not work, we will move forward to the next procedure. But I am hopeful that this works!

He also gave me the go ahead to start working out regularly - no running yet but - I can at least get on the elliptical regularly - yay! OK little secret, I started working out this past week anyway. I just feel less stressed out & more "myself" when I get a few cardio sessions in during the week. Exercise really is the best therapy for me. Plus I went through all my workout gear and organized it and came to the conclusion.... I have a shit ton of workout clothes! Note to self.... do not buy another pair of running leggings ;) I guess I need to cancel my Fabletics subscription haha!

Me after my first workout in months.... trust, I am smiling on the inside here! I'm just staying in character with my Smiths t-shirt ;)

OK I am off to tidy up the house - I have 2 girlfriends coming in from ATL for Mardi Gras this weekend.... will be a different experience for me this year as I am not really drinking much these days outside of a random glass of red wine here or there. Looking forward to spending some time with my girlfriends! Laissez bon temps rouler & I will update next week post procedure!

Stress Test - heart update!

So the good news is that my heart is healthy....the bad news is that I am back in A-fib again :( 

This means that although the cardioversion did work temporarily, my heart has gone back to beating irregularly on it's own. Again. Joy.

I had a nuclear stress test done on Monday which is where they hook me up to wires and electrodes and do an EKG while I am at rest and while I am on the treadmill walking and then walking FAST. Oh and they inject something (gee i should probably know what this IS) into my IV while I am on the treadmill and tell me to go as fast as I can for 3 minutes. And wow.... those 3 minutes sucked. My heart rate got up to 227 - yikes! I have not been exercising or running at all since my knee injury and, since my Afib I have not been active at all. It was so frustrating to me to think that 6 months ago I was running 6, 7, 8 miles and feeling awesome. Now.... 3 minutes, not 3 miles, and I am ready to die. Poor choice of words :)

After the treadmill, I got to lay down for about an hour while they took photos of my heart to see how the exercise - aka stress - impacted it. That was the best part ever. The nurses said I may feel claustrophobic from the machine used to take the photos but honestly, I was so damn tired I just shut my eyes and slept.

So this whole process took about 4 hours - I then promptly came home and slept on the couch after eating 2 huge ass bowls of golden grahams and a brownie. Stress test = stress eating.

Great news though - my cardiologist called me yesterday and let me know that the stress test results were very good. My heart is healthy and normal, no blockages or other bad things. They just cannot figure out why - since all my other blood work checks out - this a-fib is happening to me. And they may never figure out why.

So.... from this point, I will continue to take meds to see if they can control it - I am currently on 3 meds for this that I take 2x per day. I told my husband I need a pill box to keep up. Here is what my morning meds are looking like these days....

there is a sprinkling of vitamin c, multi vitamins, probiotics, synthroid, etc in there but DAMN.... that is way too many pills.

I told my cardiologist from the beginning of this ordeal that I want to avoid having to take any serious meds unless this is the absolute last resort. I don't want to have to deal with nasty side-effects and it just seems weird to have to take 6 pills a day for my heart at 41. And what are the long term effects of taking medication for the next 40 years?? 

Plus - I don't think the meds are working as I am still getting winded, feeling dizzy and have an elevated heart rate just walking from my car into my office and up 2 flights of stairs everyday. I guess I should take the elevator but...I am stubborn. 

Wow I am starting to sound like the grumpy ass old men that were there for stress tests the same day as me. These guys were bitching and complaining all morning. I had to laugh.

So - what is next? I have a follow up with my cardiologist in 2 weeks. I feel confident that he is going to recommend a cardiac ablation where they use a catheter to go through a vein and to my heart. The catheter has some type of electrode that creates heat and destroys the heart tissue that is causing the a-fib. This sounds so complicated and scary but - it is actually a very safe and minimally invasive procedure. I will only have to be in the hospital a day and will likely only need a week of downtime to fully recover. And that is mainly due to the catheter, not my heart.

I am not 100% this is what the doctor will recommend but, he has mentioned the procedure to me and wanted me to research it and - given my frustration and lack of responsiveness to the current meds - I am thinking this is the next best option.

Honestly, I am feeling frustrated and just wanting to get back to feeling normal. I want to run and exercise again. But - trying to keep perspective and not whine and feel sorry for myself - it could be so much worse!

I will continue to update on here as it is easier to direct everyone here for updates versus having the same text/convo 10 times. Although i am very appreciative of everyone that is checking up on me - thank you XO! Maybe I will start to blog about more light hearted topics again. Ha - see what I did there?!?

Still a nerd at heart. lol.