Baby, Baby, Can You Feel My Heartbeat?

Tuesday I saw the cardiologist for the first time. I admit, I felt nervous, wondering what he would find.

I had filled out all of the paperwork I was sent. I brought copies of the sleep test EKG, recent blood work and list of my medications and supplements.

First stop was in a room with a nurse. She filled out some information on the computer, then hooked me up to do an EKG. It surprised me how quickly it was done. When she left, she said the doctor would be in. My usual experience is that it is at least 15 minutes or more before the doctor shows up, so I came prepared with my ipod. I had barely got the earphones in, when the doctor came in.

He asked me what medical issues I have, asked about family history of heart problems/disease, and how do I feel in general. He looked over a thick file my primary doctor had sent to him, especially wanting to know about my granumolotus (SP?) disease - he asked several times during the appointment if I have (Or had) diabetes or tuberculosis, of if I have ever smoked. He went over the EKG and told me that I had 33 heartbeats that were too fast. He said because of that he wants me to see a heart specialist - an arrhythmia doctor.

He said although I do not have a lot of risk factors for heart disease, the ones I have are big ones - good cholesterol too low, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and granumolotus disease.

He asked if I could walk on a treadmill for a stress test. I assured him, as long as I can hold on, I walk on a treadmill at least five times a week.

He said there could be many causes of the heart issue of not beating properly. With granulomotus, the growths from the scarring which I have on other organs could also be found in my heart. With sleep apnea, the stopping breathing can cause heart rate difficulties.

I asked him what about me continuing to exercise. He said I could walk. I told him I cannot walk far because of my back. He then conceded that I could go on the treadmill to walk, but no faster than 3 miles per hour. But I can do nothing to stress my heart until we get the results of all of my tests.

After he was finished, he showed me to the desk of a scheduling person. I met with her for about 20 minutes to set up all of the tests. I was confused because he instead of a treadmill stress test, he ordered a nuclear stress test for me, which takes 3 or 4 hours. I have to have an echo cardiogram of my heart to see if it is healthy. I have to wear a heart monitor for a 24 hour period. I have to see him again after all of the tests and she also made my appointment with the heart specialist for the end of December. IN addition, he prescribed a beta blocker for me to take to slow my heart down. ( I was not aware it was too fast). Finally he sent me for (more) blood work, to see my magnesium level and do and ACE panel. My arm is still bruised from when I had blood drawn last Thursday, but at least she knew what spot she could find a vein.

When I went to the appointment, I was not feeling too bad. After hearing all of the possibilities, scheduling all the tests, having to see a specialist, getting an additional medication (I have been hoping to get off some of my meds, not add more) and being told to cut back on my exercise, I am extremely nervous.

I know I need to be careful until all the information is in, but I have been exercising for many months now. I am not willing to back off and lose all of the good I have gained. I am going to continue doing what I have been doing at the gym, just not as much or as intense.

I took the beta blocker this morning. I do not know if it was the effect of that, but I noticed at the gym while walking on the treadmill, I could not get my heart rate up like I usually do - and it took a lot longer for it to increase. I also noticed it kept at a steady rate for longer periods, instead of hopping around like it does sometimes. (I wear a heart rate monitor when I go to the gym every time - I do not rely on the machines to monitor my rate)

I thank you for your prayers and ask that you continue to pray and believe with me. My tests should be completed by the end of November and I see the regular cardiologist the second week in December to discuss results.

The Good News (for a change)

I saw the sleep/pulmonary doctor yesterday. The purpose of the appointment was to go over test results. Again, she spent a lot of time with me - over 30 minutes.

First she went over in great detail the results of the breathing test. As she was showing me the numbers, she wondered aloud why she has wanted me to have this done. I reminded her about the two CT scans of my chest. She turned to the reports and reviewed them affirming that is indeed what prompted her to ask me to have this test.

The results of my breathing (pulmonary function) were all great. My lungs are functioning excellently. On one of the tests that determines the function of the smallest tubes in the lungs, the result was 85. They repeated this after having me inhale some medication. Now 85 is an excellent reading of functionality. After inhaling the medication, it increased to 98. Also excellent. She said it shows there may be congestion in the airway, but that it did not impair breathing or function.

Her conclusion was that if at some point I require surgery to remove the nodule in my lung, the lungs are healthy and functioning perfectly to withstand surgery.

Next we looked at the results of my sleep test. Again, she showed me the graphs and numbers and explained it all in great detail. I wonder if she is this thorough with all of her patients. I wonder if this approach is because she is part of a teaching hospital. Or perhaps it is just because I am such an excellent complier using my machine 100% of the time that she is so thorough.

During the period I slept without the machine, I did not not ever get into deep sleep. I had about 24 apneas per hour. My oxygen level never dropped below 88%, but did hover there while I had no machine. This is a huge difference from my original test, where I stopped breathing 100 times per hour and my oxygen levels dropped to the heart attack zone.

For the portion of the night where I slept with the machine, I also had about 25 apneas per hour. I did get into the deep sleep three times, twice on my side and once on my back. My apneas were no more frequent on my back than on my side ( this is a positive). They kept me at a steady pressure of 8, with no exhale help, the entire time. My oxygen levels stayed high.

Her conclusion is that I have a mild case of sleep apnea now. Although she does not guarantee losing additional weight will completely cure it, she says there are skinny people who have sleep apnea too, she thinks my chances are good, in the amount of improvement I have shown so far.

Another issue was I had a certain amount of leg movement, which cased me to wake up. She said it is not a lot, and could be caused by low iron, low B12, so she sent me for blood work to check my levels.

There was a lab in the next building, so I went right from her office to have the blood drawn.

Unfortunately, she did not have the results of the CT scan of my chest which was done on Monday. She said if I do not hear from her by the middle of next week to call the office so they can follow up on getting the results.

All in all I felt happy with this appointment. The news was all good for a change. The health issues discussed were all improving, which is one of my main goals on this healthy lifestyle journey I am on. As long as I can see some light at the end of this long tunnel, I can continue on with determination. Thank you all for your support and prayers.