Update on my cardiologist appointment

I apologize for the lateness of this post.  I have had several people, call, corner or text me to make sure things went well at the doctors office since I updated a post the day before heading to the doctor but haven't updated anyone with information after I got back.

Last Thursday my cardiologist appointment wasn't suppose to be until 2:30pm.  I had it all set up that Roger would come home to watch little Anna and pick Paul up from school so I could head to the doctor.  WEll, at about 9:30am I got a call from the nurse asking if I could come in as soon as possible because there was suppose to be some major snow heading to the area and my Doctor didn't want me traveling right smack dab in the middle of a snow storm. Have I mentioned how AWESOME my cardiologist is?

It just so happened that Roger had a very important meeting at 11am that he couldn't get out of so Anna ended up heading to the Cardiologist with me.  I was a tad bit nervous about taking her because I had some major tests and I knew that the appointment would take at least 3 hours, not to mention the fact that it was right in the middle of her lunch and nap time that all of this stuff would be taking place.

I took plenty of snacks, her favorite book and the nurse offered to let her watch Dora The Explorer (SCORE!!) while I was have my echocardiogram done (ultra sound on the heart).

While I was having the structure of my heart examined I started having all kinds of those crazy episodes that I have been telling you all about.  I looked at the screen that I was hooked up to and noticed how every time my heart felt REALLY funny it would either flat line or go all OVER the place, then jump right back into rhythm.  yes, it kinda creeped me out. I mentioned it to the nurse and she said they are palpitations.  Surprise!  Surprise!   That's the whole reason I have a pacemaker and I take 2 different types of heart meds.  My heart has arrhythmia problems.  I thought the meds and the pacer was suppose to help with that?  They have for over 12 years.  Why all of a sudden am I feeling all of these palpations again?

The Doctor didn't seem surprised at all by these episodes.  He said the structure of my heart looks GREAT!  They always check to make sure I don't have an aortic aneurism since I am at high risk for that and they always check to make sure I don't have any narrowing of the passageways since at 15 I had some major narrowing and had a stint placed.  Structurally all looked good but I still FEEL like crap off and on.

He said the dizzy spells that I have been feeling are more than likely my blood pressure dropping.  It is already REALLY low because of the medicine that I am taking for the arrhythmia and it is probably dipping pretty low throughout certain times of the day.  Hence the reason why I keep blacking out when I stand up.  If he increases the amount of meds to help the arrhythmia my blood pressure would reach a dangerous low so we can't really do that.  He has some other medicine that I will eventually go on to help relax my heart muscle so that more blood can flow through it but that is a LAST OPTION kind of medicine that I will be on for the rest of my life so he doesn't want to start that until I REALLY REALLY REALLY need it and I eventually will.

With all that said he has ordered me to take another Stress Test to see how my heart is doing during exercise. He wants me to be able to be as active as I want to be.  He actually gets REALLY excited about telling people that he has a patient born with Transposition Of the Great Vessel that is as active as I am and has given birth to two children !!   It makes me really HAPPY that my cardiologist is so excited about how well my heart is doing!

3 hours later Anna and I headed home completely EXHAUSTED.  By the time we made it to our car the snow was pouring from the sky but hadn't yet had a chance to stick to the ground, we had a 40 min drive ahead of us and we were both STARVING.  We decided to have a mommy/Anna Chick-Fil-a date since she was so stinking GOOD at the doctors office with me!    We both got a kids meal.

Now I just have the stress of having a Stress Test to take, I hate those things, hanging over me.  They make you run, with all of these machines hooked up to you, until you are nearing the passing out point. It is AWEFUL.  Then they put you on a table to cool off and catch your breath, at which point you want to cry, and often times do, because you feel like you are NEVER going to catch your breath.  Then you start feeling like you are going to vomit.  It is such a traumatizing experience.  I have had LOTS of them.