Give it a Try

Well, the results are in folks.

Basically I have gotten diagnosed with a condition that seems to be defaulted when everything else has been cleared. My heart is structurally doing everything it needs to be doing. The circulation is working as it should. And my oxygen levels are where they should be. What does that tell me? I must be crazy.

However, good ole Doc told me that there is a diagnosis for this. It's call Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. Sinus Tachycardia is where your heart rate increases with exercise or exertion. Huh, every one's does that (unless you are dead I suppose) so I find it interesting that there is actually a medical "diagnosis" for it. However, with mine being labeled as inappropriate, it means that my heart rate increases more than it needs to or it should. This seems to be due to an unknown cause but can be exacerbated by some foods and stress and stuff like that. As it came without a cause, it is supposed to go away on its own - which could take anywhere from months to years.

While every doctor seems to just want to give medication without a exact reason, my doc has been pretty good and understanding that I need a good reason to take the meds, or it just won't be happening. Maybe the other docs had reasons to push this new med on me, but hey, I want to be educated on it first...no education, no go. Apparently there is another medication, in a different family than my sloth-creation meds that is supposed to do what my first one didn't do. It's supposed to balance out my heart rate. The first medication - my body didn't respond to and just made me super tired. This new medication is supposed to not lower my heart rate overall but just keep it from getting into the 180s and 190s. If it works that'd be great. I also am ok with the fact that I won't have to be on it forever because this "condition" is supposed to go away as mysteriously as it came....and with that, it is day 1 of my trial medication...

Hopefully the last...

First, lets take a quick look at a normal doctors office...

Ok, now today, I went into a doctors office behind a locked door. It literally required a number code to get into. Ah, ok...not nervous at all. Let me start from the beginning. A week or so ago, I posted a blog about wearing the heart monitor for 24 hours. Well, the results came back basically normal, nothing to be concerned about. As my doctor and I discussed, based on the results of the heart monitor, we would look into a Tilt Table Test as a last option of what may be going on with my high heart rate and weird symptoms. Since it seems like all of the possible heart conditions have been ruled out, today I had my Tilt Table Test. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen, been a part of and really know about...I mean, after all, it was in a secured room...

What they do is monitor my heart rate and blood pressure throughout the whole thing. It was interesting at first, but got really boring really fast as I was basically just standing for a full hour. I had to lay completely flat for at least a half hour to make sure that they knew my base heart rate (55). Then they tilted the table (so I would be close to completely standing) to a 70 degree angle in a quick fluid motion. I stayed like that for an hour. The first 45 min were "natural." At the 45 minute mark they sprayed Nitroglycerin in my mouth to stimulate what may happen when I'm working out to see if I got more of a response with my heart rate...which I did - not to the 180s or 90s, but 130s still. Once the hour of "standing" there was over, the lowered me back down and made me lay there until my heart rate went back to resting. While I was laying there they also gave me an IV drip to hopefully help with the massive migraine I got during the "procedure."

(My nurse liked me asking her to take the pic of me strapped in the bed...I think it was the first time anyone has asked her to do such a thing...but it's hard to explain...if I hadn't been there, I'da thought it was some sort of torture bed...)

I don't have any results now, but they said I should have an idea by the end of the week. But if I do have something that this test would show and it was severe, I would have passed out during the test...which I didn't, so that's a good sign. Either way, I was very worn out after the test and still have hints of the migraine looming...I'm off to bed.

One Day Getaway

With some weekend plans falling through, but already having Friday approved for annual leave, I was in desperate need to have a quick getaway - for the day - for the weekend, it didn't really matter. I just needed to relax and have a change of pace. Friends come through at the best time and when you need them. Without realizing how important this trip was going to be, my friend Jenna and I decided to spur of the momently (my new word for the day) to head to Valley Fair in Minnesota for the day. The day turned out to be a much needed trip for me and my dear friend because I found out that she is most likely moving to Oregon by the end of the month. This may be the last "big" trip we take before she leaves and I'm happy I got to take this adventure with her.

Valley Fair - well we got there about an hour late because of numerous detours on the way, so we caved and took the interstate back home. But our time there was fantastic. It was a gray, cloudy, on the verge of downpour day - but contrary to what many would think, that makes a day at Valley Fair perfect. There were no lines. The longest we had to wait for a ride was about 5-10 minutes. We doubled up on rides and definitely got our money's worth, as well as our fill of fair food...mmmm gotta love Wisconsin Cheese Curds, mini donuts and "fresh" fries =) I can't wait to have some funnel cake and caramel apples at the Sioux Empire Fair coming up...

Together

Couldn't have asked for a better day...

Times get busy, for each of us. And it makes it even harder for families to get together with work and friends and each member's schedules. Last weekend, I decided that we had the opportunity for my parents and I to get together and actually have fun - instead of just going grocery shopping as one. So I called up my parents and invited/told them we were going to have a fun afternoon of hiking at Newton Hills. With hesitation due to the weekend chores and duties that would be left behind mom and dad agreed to go. After a wonderful lunch at the Garden of Eatin' we headed off to hike.