Relieved.

Today I met with my cardiologist.

(Disclaimer: This is probably all boring to you three people who read this, but I want to document everything so that I can remember it for the future.)

A few weeks ago I had an echocardiogram and I wore a 24 hour holter heart monitor. I was supposed to get my results from the tests last week, but I came down with a nasty cold so I rescheduled to today. Bonus: Mike got to go with me, which made me instantly more relaxed and at ease. My last appointment I went by myself and fought back tears in the waiting room because I was so nervous. They told me that my BP certainly reflected my anxiety from one appointment to the next.

We waited all of five minutes to be seen. The doctor told me that the results of the echo came back perfectly normal. I waited for him to say "But..." however, he did not. He looked at his notes and mentioned a few times that I had complained about rapid heart beat or chest pain during the monitoring. He said at 10 pm when I had recorded I was reading a book in bed, my heart beat went up to 156 bpm! Holy smokes - but I remembered that happening. He said he understood what I was feeling, and that really validated it that I am not making this up - there is something going on.

Basically he said I have arrhythmia, and since that was the only instance of it showing up in that 24 hour period, he is not concerned - especially considering it only last 19 heartbeats. He said if I start having episodes that last longer than that, we will need to be concerned - but as of right now, he does not want to put me on any medication because the risks outweigh the benefits considering my pregnancy.

He said he would consult with my OB about shots they can administer during delivery should my heart rate spike. When I told him I am having a planned C-section, he looked visibly relieved and said that will be much much safer for me.

He said he would like to see me for a follow-up after the baby is born, and that was that. I told him that I was stopping myself from hugging him, and he laughed. It was so nice to get good news - especially where my heart is concerned considering my family history.

So that is that. Feeling thankful tonight!!


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