PTL! It Is Nothing

Last October during a sleep test, an EKG showed I had one incident of 33 beats when my heart was racing.

The day I found out about this, my hubby was in Brooklyn at his job there. that night he was attending Brooklyn Tabernacle's prayer meeting along with several pastors from our church. He went forward for prayer for my heart situation. The person who prayed with him, said , "So you want this to turn out to be nothing?" Yes, my husband assured him, we want the heart problem to be nothing. That is what they prayed that night.

My sleep doctor informed my primary physician, who called me. When he spoke to me about it, he said, It is probably "nothing", but we need to check it out just to make sure.

I saw a cardiologist who put me on a Beta blocker . I had an echo cardiogram, which showed "nothing". I wore a Holter monitor for 24 hours which showed "nothing". Next I had a nuclear stress test, which showed "nothing".

The cardiologist, although they had found "nothing" in all of their tests, would not take me off the Beta blocker and sent me to see an arrhythmia doctor.

This doctor wanted me to have a cardiac MRI, which I did. It showed "nothing". At this point he did take me off the Beta blocker. But he said it was troubling that they could not find the cause of the serious incident I had. So I wore a cardiac monitor for two weeks. Today I saw him for the results. Can you guess? It found "nothing". (His exact words). He says my heart is fine, my blood pressure is good (116/61). He will see me in 6 months to check in about the blood pressure and make sure all is well.

From the time the prayer was prayed in Brooklyn, I believed that God had answered and there would be "nothing" found. Each time I got test results, the word "nothing" was used as confirmation that God had handled it. I am thankful for that "nothing" prayer and answer. God is good.

Heart Monitor - Day One

I got my heart monitor via UPS yesterday morning. It looked very intimidating when I opened the box and saw all of the parts, batteries, wires and packages. I took out the instruction booklet and it said I had to follow the steps in pages 1 - 3 prior to the instructional call later in the day.

First I had to set up the monitor's charging station in my bedroom, attaching the wires through my phone and into the electrical outlet. First try I hooked it up wrong, by trying to do it too quickly. My hubby helped me slow it down, and get it wired up correctly, placing the monitor in the stand to charge before the call later in the day.

Fifteen minutes before call time, the instructions told me to open one package of adhesive leads, and to attach one on my left side, three fingers below my collar bone, one on the right side, three fingers below my collar bone, and one on the lower left side, near the bottom of my rib cage. Prior to attaching them, I was to snap the wires from the sensor onto the adhesive leads. Black was to go on upper left, white on upper right and red on lower left.

When the call came, he asked if I had attached the leads and wires, which I had. He instructed me to put the battery in the sensor and then to turn on the monitor. We went through the process of activating the monitor and then sending a base line reading in. He explained when I need to turn the monitor off, when to change the battery in the sensor, and when to change the leads. I need to wear it at all times, except when showering or swimming as it cannot get wet. He said the adhesive leads are waterproof and can be left on during a shower. At the conclusion of the call, he told me if thee was any problem when they got the baseline readings, they would call me back within 30 minutes.

Sure enough, I got a call in 30 minutes that the baseline reading came back rejected. He had me check that the color of the wires were in the correct positions. It turns out I had the black and white wires reversed. I corrected that. Then he had me lie in bed and gave my hubby the directions over the phone how to perform the baseline readings again. It worked this time.

The sensor which I wear around my neck is not a problem at all. I do not even know it is there. Remembering to take the monitor with me wherever I go is more difficult. At night the monitor charges in its cradle while I sleep, so that is easy enough.

At the gym today, I carried the monitor in a case my son gave me at Christmas to carry my cell phone to the gym. I can hang it around my neck so I won't forget to take it from machine to machine.

I am also able to wear my heart rate monitor to count calories and keep track of my heart rate during exercise, along with this monitor. I am happy about that.

When I got home from the gym and got ready to shower, I had to turn off the monitor, remove the battery from the sensor and unsnap the lead wires. Although I was told the adhesive leads were water proof, the two top ones fell off during the shower. Even though I dried them off, and they seemed like they were going to re-stick, they fell off when I snapped the leads wires back in, so I had to change them.

SO my first 24 hours with the monitor has gone well. The adhesive is not at all itchy or irritating so far. One day down, thirteen more to go.

I Can't Make This Stuff Up!

Just an update to my last blog about my heart. About 5:45 pm on Monday my arrhythmia doctor himself called me to tell me he got the results of my cardiac MRI. It showed no heart problems or disease. PTL!!! He reminded me to wear the monitor for two weeks and I would see him in 4 - 6 weeks.

I am celebrating no heart problems and being off the Beta Blocker!

Tuesday afternoon I got a call from his office saying they had been contacted by the company that provides the two week heart monitor. They told my doctor's office they cannot give me the monitor because my phone number has been disconnected. Mind you, this is the very number SHE was calling me on!!! It is unbelievable to me how many problems and issues I have to constantly deal with. Anyway, she said she would call them and try to straighten it out.

I guess they figured it out, because they did call and leave a message on Wednesday afternoon and I will be calling them back today.

On a side note, I am loving my new Shape Ups. They are so cushioned when I walk. I am sure hoping that, after losing no weight for the past month, that between being off the Beta Blocker and wearing my new shoes, I will finally lose some weight this week!

ANy Heart News?

On February 3rd I had a cardiac MRI. Almost 2 hours in the cramped MRI machine with the loud banging. They told me when it was completed that the images came out clear and that my doctors would have the results in three business days. I had requested they send the results to three of my doctors, including the one who ordered it.

This morning I had my appointment with the arrhythmia doctor who sent me for the cardiac MRI to discuss the results. He had told me at my last visit that if the results came back showing no problems, he would take me off the Beta Blocker. I want to get off the Beta Blocker as it is keeping me from being able to lose weight, as well as inhibiting my heart rate.

When I arrived at the office for my appointment, I could hear the receptionist on the phone asking someone about my MRI. When she hung up, she asked me where did I have the MRI done, because U Penn hospital had no record of me there. Probably because I had it done at Robert Wood Johnson. So she called RWJ. Neither did they had any record of me. Probably since I had it done in New Brunswick and she called Hamilton. Finally she called RWJ in New Brunswick. Yes, they had the results, but would not send them along unless they had a signed authorization from me.

This was craziness and out of control. This is the office of the doctor who ordered the test to be done. How can they refuse to give that doctor the results? If doctors cannot have access to results of tests they ask for, how can patients get treatment? But I signed the form and she faxed it on over.

My question in my own mind was , Why did they wait until I was at the office for my appointment to check on the MRI results? This should have been done last week when they called to remind me of the appointment. Hearing the results was the entire reason for my appointment today. And they had no results.

No wonder when the nurse took my BP it was 140/76. When the doctor came in, of course he did not want to take me off the Beta Blocker as we had no MRI results, although he is confident there will not be a problem in the results. He also wanted me to wear a heart monitor for two weeks. He mentioned this to me on my last visit, but I told him I really did not want to do that, as my skin is sensitive and reacts to the adhesive on the leads. When I wore monitor for just 24 hours back in November, I still have the scars from where the leads got all gooey and itchy.

He replied that they have some different leads that maybe I would not be allergic to, that I have to remove it when I shower and to call his office if I cannot tolerate the leads. He asked me to at least give it a try, as the incident of my heart racing was a serious one and they need to try and discover the cause. Then he told me I could stop taking the Beta blocker for now. IF the cardiac MRI show some kind of problem we may have to discuss this issue again. He told me they would call me when the finally get the results.

I like this doctor in that he listens to what my concerns are, he treats me with respect by explaining why he thinks I need to do what he is requesting. I asked if he could be my heart doctor instead of the first one I saw in November. He said he would be happy to see me anytime and as my heart doctor, he would begin to monitor my BP since I was going off the Beta Blocker.

Bottom line, I was hoping my visit today was going to put an end to the heart problem situation. But it didn't. There is always another test to be done. No results from the last one were available. In that respect I am feeling frustrated. But I am happy to stop taking the Beta Blocker. I believe that God has already taken care of the heart problem. I just wonder how many more hoops I have to jump through in order to get confirmation of that.

Cardiac MRI and 120

It is a blizzardy, snowy, cold day here. What better kind of day to update my blog. Christmas has come and gone. A new year has begun. The big news of the year so far is I have reached the 120 pounds lost milestone. It has been a long journey since August to get the next twenty pounds off. I am sure being on the Beta blocker has made it that much more difficult. I am working out harder and longer. I am eating less. But very little results.

When I saw the arrhythmia doctor at the end of December, I asked him why I need to take the Beta blocker. He agreed that looking at all of my test results to date there is no reason for me to be on it. But the fact that I had the one serious incident of rapid heart beat, and no cause having been found is still worrying. He ordered a cardiac MRI for me. He assured me that if this test does not find any hidden disease or problem with my heart, he will take me off the Beta blocker. But cautioned me that I may have to return to the original dosage of my other blood pressure medication.

OF course scheduling the cardiac MRI was difficult. His office could not schedule it. They could only contact my insurance, who issued an authorization number.

The doctor wanted me to have it done at U Penn hospital, but the insurance wanted me to have it done in NJ. While on the phone with me they contacted several radiology groups, but none of them do cardiac MRIs. they all informed us it is only done at certain hospitals.

We tried St Mary's but it is not done there. Next we contacted Princeton. They perform the test there, but the scheduling person was so rude to me, I cancelled the appointment there.

The other hospital the doctor recommended was Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick. My doctor faxed them the order for the test and I was told when they received it, someone would call me to schedule the procedure. 6 days went by and no call. I had no phone number, only a fax number. SO I faxed them my information and asked them to contact me. Someone called and left a message. I called back and left a message. 2 days and no return call. I finally talked to a person, who was very courteous and helpful and got the test scheduled. I will note that when I faxed them and when I made the appointment I gave them the insurance authorization number.

The day before the test, I got a frantic call from the doctor's office saying RWJ was going to cancel my test because they never got my authorization number. So I gave it again.

I arrived for the test and had to fill out paperwork at admissions first. Then I went to a cardiology waiting room for an hour.

When they took me to have the MRI done, they could not get the IV for the contrast into my veins. After trying two different places, they decided to inject me when the time came.

I was told to lie completely still for the duration of the test. They inserted ear plugs to help dull the banging noise. At intervals throughout the test, I was given instructions of how and when to breathe and hold my breath. This went for two hours. Lying still in a cramped small space, with loud banging.

The only break was for about two minutes when they took me out to inject the contrast.

I needed a Tshirt saying I survived a cardiac MRI. It was exhausting.

The only thing I was told was that the images came out clear and the doctor would have results in three business days.

My appointment is near the end of the month. But I am thinking that if a problem is detected, hopefully they would call before then. I am believing that God has already taken care of the problem.