Here we go again…..Updated 5/13

Well, here we go again. I was on vacation for the week of Thanksgiving and was sick the whole time due to asthma. I went to the doctor last Thursday for what should have been one last follow up. I got there and I’m shaking, sweating, and still not breathing well. (I’d been struggling with this all week). Well, my oxygen level was great, but my pulse was 102 (after resting a while). So, my doctor comes in and asks how I’m doing. I tell him I’m still having trouble breathing and getting light headed sometimes. He listens to me breath, says I sound good. He told me I’m just out of shape from being sick and off work. At this point I almost started to cry. I thought he was going to blow me off as worrying too much. He asked if I didn’t feel like I was getting any better. I said no.

So, he decided that we would walk around the nurses station a few times so he could see what was going on. Before we left, he took my pulse, ( he could tell how much I was shaking then), then listened to my heart, and said “Never mind. You’re getting a EKG.” 😮 Somewhere along the line I went from dealing with asthma to atrial fibrillation, which means my heart is beating erratically and way too fast. So I got more meds and went to the hospital this morning for an EKO which will give them a better idea of what is going on. I go back to the doctor this afternoon. I guess it’s just to see how I’m responding to the meds. They wont get the info from the hospital today, plus, my doctor is on vacation. Which brings me back to my first statement. I’m on vacation! 🙄 🙁

I saw the doctor today. Didn’t find out anything yet, but she did up the meds. I go back next week to get the test results and another EKG. What she did tell me was that when my doctor filled her in on me, the first thing he said was “I feel so bad. I didn’t believe her.” I told her “Good, he almost had me in tears because I knew he didn’t.” It makes me feel better that he admited that to someone. I don’t think he’ll do that to me again.

I saw a cardiologist on Wednesday (a lot sooner than I expected!). Got a lot more Info from him, some I didn’t like. Turns out its very likely that the asthma is what triggered this with my heart (lack of oxygen making it work harder). Of coarse, being overweight doesn’t help either. Plus, some of my meds for asthma are counterproductive to the ones they are giving me for my heart. Some are stimulants, others are trying to slow my heart down. 😕
So, I have to go in every week to have blood drawn to see if the med levels are where they want them to be. Then, on the 18th, I go back to the cardiologist for an EKG and to set up an appointment to get “zapped”. 😮 I thought we would be giving the meds more time to work, but he said that if it doesn’t correct it self within 48 hours, it’s not likely to. This has been over a month.

I have to say that I’m getting rather depressed about the whole thing. The procedure has about an 85% chance of working, but even if it does, that doesn’t mean it wont happen again. If asthma was the trigger, then it’s just a matter of time. This also increases the risk of blood clots. Then there’s the matter of weight……that’s an ongoing battle of it’s own. 🙄 And…..it turns out I may also have sleep apnea, which doesn’t help either. 🙁

It’s been a long time since I posted anything about this. It’s been really hectic and frustrating. Some of the meds for my heart has caused some really bad swelling in my legs and feet (and even my hands). It’s literally been a pain and has caused me to miss time at work (a week last time). I went thru 3 cardiologists before finding one that would listen to me and find alternatives. I really like the one I have now.

As for the sleep apnea, it turns out I have sever sleep apnea, which has earned me a Bi-PAP machine instead of a CPAP. The Bi-PAP helps me to exhale as well as inhale. Turns out I’m a very shallow breather. My oxygen levels were dropping as low as 59 (90’s are preferable), and I stopped breathing an average of 140 times an hour! The techs were surprised I was still functioning. The first sleep study was very stressful, I was so bad that they put me on a CPAP halfway thru the study. During the second study, with the Bi-PAP, I had a panic attack and bailed. 😳 I had to redo it last week. This time I got thru it. I get the results next week.

Now that we are getting the sleep apnea under control, I’ve got the go ahead to get the cardioversion. They are going to shock my heart to (hopefully) get it back in normal rhythm. That will be next Thursday. Wish me luck!

And if this all wasn’t enough, I’m still not sleeping well in my new bed! 🙄 At least I feel like things are finally moving in the right direction.