Thank you all for the health vibes you sent after my last post. They were much needed and much appreciated.
I guess it's time I filled you all in on what's been happening at my end. Five years ago, when I was in the midst of moving from the East Coast back to California, I began having episodes where my heart rate would go berserk. It would soar uncontrollably. By the time I could see medical personnel ("Sign in and take a seat") it would be back to normal, giving us no clues as to why this had happened. Thankfully, it was very sporadic. I saw a cardiologist and had the standard EKG and stress (treadmill) test. The cardiologist could find nothing wrong.
Last spring it got worse. We did a 48-hour Holter monitor, which indicated atrial fibrillation (Afib), an irregular heartbeat. But it was still so sporadic that only monitoring was called for. During the last few weeks I've been having new and frightening symptoms. We stepped up the testing and scheduled a consultation with a new cardiologist. Last Tuesday night I'd just gone to bed when my heart rate soared. I could get it to come down--I usually can--but it'd jump back up again. I couldn't control it. That resulted in a 911 call and my first ride in an ambulance. I spent the morning at St John's Hospital, hanging out with the ghosts of Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson. It came down on its own while I was there.
I am still recovering from Tuesday night's incident. Tachycardia (elevated heart rate) is exhausting. Your heart is running a marathon while the rest of you is just being a couch potato. But I'm on the mend and starting to feel like myself again.
More testing and consultations during the coming weeks. Hopefully, no more incidents like the last two. I'm sure you'll all understand if I'm here less than usual. I'll check in when I can.
