Listen to Your Heart

On July 28th I wrote a post about a little heart scare that I had, and my preliminary diagnoses from the doctor. Yesterday, FINALLY, I went in for my stress test. I have to say I was a little nervous. I'm in fair shape, but I've never had one of these before. I had visions of passing out or not being able to do it at all, or, the worst of all, what if I had to run? YIKES!!! I jokingly tell people I don't run unless some one's chasing me. But early yesterday morning I made my way to the Cardio Vascular Specialists and got all hooked up and started on the treadmill. If you've never had a stress test, a little explanation. You are exercising so that your heart rate will elevate. I was told that they needed to get my heart rate over 145. A normal resting heart rate is somewhere between 60 and 100. The reason they need to raise your heart rate is to see how your heart tolerates exercise. You start out easy at a slow rate and gradually they raise the incline and increase the speed. As soon as you reach your target rate you have to quickly lie down on a bed and they take ultrasound pictures of your heart. The first two stages, not too bad. The third was close to jogging, and it was becoming a little harder to breath normally. Luckily I reached my target pretty close into Phase 3, and I got to stop. The doctor looked at the pictures, and I was told that everything looked good. My heart tolerates exercise well, and that there was no sign of heart attack or any active blockage. Excellent news! So what was the jaw pain back in July? Not sure. The good news is it wasn't a heart attack or a warning sign of anything else heart related. Maybe it was just the aches and pains of getting older. The important thing is that I got it checked out. We have to listen and pay attention to our own bodies, and, unfortunately, sometimes we have to push to make sure the doctors are doing everything they are supposed to be doing, and they are not becoming the DISMISSERS. In the past few years, I have had 2 friends who were diagnosed with cancer, but both had to push further for treatment because they knew something was wrong, something wasn't normal. My generation tends to just accept whatever we are told about our medical condition. I think, well he's the doctor. He should know. But there are incompetent doctors just like there are incompetent teachers, plumbers, lawyers, and the list goes on and on. Think Frank Burns from M*A*S*H. So, listen to your heart or your stomach or your breast or your brain. Because nobody knows your body better than you do.

Aww...That's Nothing?

I have never been one to be cryptic. I always lay my cards on the table! And since I am a firm believer in prayer and positive support from friends, I want to share. Earlier today I posted on Facebook that I was anxious about a doctor's appointment. Lately little things have been happening, physically, that I have dismissed. I'm a big dismisser! I tell myself, "That pain is just indigestion." or "That can't be what I think it is. It'll go away soon." And it does, and I keep going. I jokingly say that I don't have the time or the money to be sick. A little over a week ago I climbed 2 flights of stairs. When I reached the top I was a little winded. I thought that a little odd because I have probably been exercising regularly for about 2 months, walking about a mile a day. The shortness of breath wasn't really what concerned me. Accompanying that was this radiating pain in my lower jaw, and it lasted for about 5 minutes. Then it went away, and, guess what! I dismissed it. Although this dismissal nagged at the back of my mind as I have read places and even seen on television that jaw pain can be the sign of a heart attack. If you've read this blog before or you know me, I am a firm believer in signs. This past Friday I was participating in a workshop through my office an STRESS. Our keynote speaker was a cardiologist. She talked about heart disease briefly and she described, almost verbatim, what happened to me on the stairs. When she was finished, and we had a break, I pulled her aside and described what had happened. She said that that concerned her a little bit, and she felt I needed to see my doctor just to make sure nothing was going on. I also have family history of heart disease on both sides. And stress has been through the roof for me lately because of finances as I just lost $500 a month in income when child support stopped for my youngest. I was struggling before that loss, so you can imagine. Add to that not getting any sleep trying to open a show in a week, and it was just like a NEON sign flashing. I made an appointment Friday afternoon for this morning, Monday. I have just returned from that appointment, and there was some good news. My EKG was normal. Yay! That means my heart isn't damaged in any way. My blood pressure and pulse were great. Heart rhythm was sound, and lungs were clear. All great things! However, because the jaw pain was a concern for my doctor as well, I have been referred to a cardiologist, and I will probably be having a stress test. In the meantime, I'm still exercising and taking 1 Baby Aspirin per day. I am definitely glad to know that my heart is not damaged. Ask my children, I tend to go straight to worst case scenarios. I know I have read things where people have a mild heart attack, and don't have it diagnosed until a big one hits, and then they are told that they had had one earlier that they probably dismissed. So...I'm paying attention to things, and I am trying very hard not to be THE DISMISSER. Maybe that should be my superhero name. I would appreciate prayers,  good vibes, and good thoughts to accompany me on this medical journey. I also share in case anyone reading has the "dismisser's" disease. Better safe than sorry. I will update here as I know more.