2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

Back to the ER...I am not a huge fan of the ER but I am even less of a fan of the Hospital. I have decided that I would much rather spend hours in the ER be told I am fine and go home then spend more time in the Hospital. Well last Thursday I went for what I felt was a much needed jog. Let me preface this with saying that I went for a hilly 3 mile run on Monday, Spin class on Tuesday, rested Wednesday and then went for a run at 2pm on Thursday. The only notable difference about Thurs. was the increased temperature. It was probably high 80s - low 90s, this must have been what did me in. I have been running in this heat just not for a couple of weeks, because as most fellow Californians know we have been experiencing June gloom. Well I went for this run and felt good until about 1.75 - 2 miles in (this is a 2.5 mile run)...my heart rate that hovered at 186 took a jump up to 190 - 193. It was right around 191 that I started to struggle. I was having trouble getting it to drop...I would slow down my pace but it wouldn't help. Finally at about 2.2 miles I had to start working because I really wasn't feeling right. I let my heart rate drop back down to 150 and then I started up again...only to have my HR quickly spike back up to 192. I forced myself to finish the rest of the jog, which I can immediately admit was not one of my better ideas. By the time I came back inside I knew this was a poor decision. my chest was tight and it felt as if the air just wasn't getting there or the HR wasn't going to fall...I cannot put my finger on the pain. I can say that I was over heated and in a sense over exerted. I guess over exertion is the word...but how is a 2.5 mile run at a 9-10min mile pace over exerting myself!! This is where a bit of my anger kicks in...I need to find a way around this.
Well after the run I drove home...the drive was not fun. I felt my throat tightening up and I wanted to dry heave...but I didn't know if I could. By the time I got home I was thrilled, I went straight for the floor and lied down. At this point I was still having trouble cooling down, but I felt a bit pale. I ended up taking a swim in a rather chilly pool, which helped to cool me down, but after about 15-20 minutes, I started having trouble breathing...so I was done swimming (or floating rather). I made it through the rest of the day until that night. At about 10pm I started realizing that my chest was tightening up. My husband was listening to my heart and was having trouble catching my S1 or the initiating of my heart beat....anyway, it eventually came back strong and then I went back to the pre-heart attack pain I had experienced but 4 months prior. I felt as if I had swallowed an egg, that it was stuck in my chest and I was feeling pain in my chest and back. We waited it out a bit but after about 25-30 minutes we called my mom and drove my son over to her place. I decided that if the pain had died by the time I got there we would just stay the night there...well once I put my son down and sat back down my chest really started to hurt. This is when the pain turned into a feeling of really tight plastic wrap and rubber bands that were wrapped really tight around my heart. Then we decided to make our way to the ER. The Hospital saved my life but I really didn't want to go back.
This time what took 8 hours to accomplish the first time I went to the hospital I had done in 1 hour...insane how much different the experience was this time. I must mention that I didn't have the heart attack pain just all of the bad signs that led up to it. Unfortunately the only real advice I have been given is that with persistent chest pain lasting over 5 minutes I need to call 911...so I went to the hospital. Well thankfully most everything ended checking out okay (mind you I was there from 11:30 - 3-4pm Friday. They were going to keep me until Saturday until I saw my cardiologist, assured him I hadn't had a heart attack and that I would be undergoing the most conclusive cardiac test and blood work on Monday at Cedars...finally I got to go HOME!!
I will preface the next entry by saying that I had my tests run...needless to say I am exhausted and do not want to see another needle for a long time. Too many all week long, but the tests are done. Some of the results are back but not all of them, so I will just have to wait. I am pretty sure that nothing will show up (I like being pessimistic so that I can only be pleasantly surprised). I just hope that there might be something that helps to explain my discomfort and new found lack of energy and exercise capacity...

Moving Forward

Insurance approval has finally come. What an exciting moment! Dealing with the doctors, administrative assistants and the insurance company has been a pain but I am finally moving forward. I will get to have my Cardiac MR, blood work and hopefully Hotler monitor (this is still another ongoing insurance struggle). As I had explained previously, I am still experiencing a lot of unwanted pains so I am really looking forward to having these tests done. Some friends expressed how awful tests are, but I only partially agree with this. I would much rather have the tests run to start ruling out potential problems and hopefully to help narrow in on a real answer. I don't mind tests so long as they don't confuse the doctor even more...

RUNNING

I got to run for about 3 miles yesterday. I did this run a couple of months back and I am happy to say that it felt a lot better this time around (I think it helped that it was probably 20 deg. cooler this time). The exercise keeps me sane. Before the run I was having a lot of chest pain but I knew I needed to get out, so I went running anyway and the pain only lessened. I am still having trouble recovering - I seem to have some trouble cooling down and my heart rate doesn't rest the way I am used to - but it still felt good. On another note...I am so tired. Where did my energy go. This is one simple joy of life that I miss dearly. I look forward to a day when I get 8 hours of sleep and feel refreshed. Instead I get 9.5 hours of sleep and I am exhausted, my son just doesn't understand and it hardly seems fair:(. I am confident that one day my energy will return!!

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is always a little more difficult when it comes to dealing with your own health or the health of a loved one. I am learning that unless you are in the hospital undergoing tests, the only thing you can count on is waiting. Thankfully I am still getting around and working out without any significant problems, but I am getting more anxious to have more tests run. My biggest problems since the heart attack are the constant confusion, random sharp chest pains and my inability to enjoy a deep breath. The later is really annoying. I will be lying down and it feels as if I am trying to breath under a blanket, this is when I have to sit up and take several breaths while opening up my back to actually get in a deep breath of air. I really dislike this! Nothing feels better than having air fill my lungs...sad I never thought I would think like this. Anyways, as a result of these feelings I have been getting a little more anxious to have the auxiliary tests run, but between the hospital and my insurance it is turning into a long road! Hopefully I will be able to have them done soon.
I have had a lot more down time from the exercise lately as work has been crazy. I did run for almost 3 miles yesterday. The one thought that I always try to keep in the forefront of my mind is that 2 weeks is all it takes to lose the progress made. I enjoy the workouts, but I am also running a little low on energy. I need to start finding a new source of energy...I liked having energy!