The second time however they sent me to get a Tilt Table test. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I will say that this event was what baptized me into the "I don't care who see's me naked club." They couldn't get the Iv in and for some reason every tech on the cardiac floor felt the need to come help, the whole time I might add my hospital gown was wide open because they were also trying to get my EKG. It's okay, I have nice boobs. ...just kidding. Sort of.
ANYWAY. Within four min my blood pressure went to something like 28/35. I was clueless to what it meant so it wasn't until I got home and told my brother who's pre med that I realized that's not so good. I went to my Cardio, he told me I had Nerocardiogenic syncope, told me to take salt pills every day and drink lots of Gatorade and sent me on my merry little way.
That was at the first of June. I only remember bits and pieces of July until April of the next year. I apparently started having events that looked like seizures although a stent in the hospital for an overnight EEG didn't come up with anything. During that time I was sent to a Nero who didn't know anything, didn't do anything but blood work and sent me to a million other doctors. He was such an idiot at one point my parents both started freaking out on him one day, he faked a phone call and ran out. I was sent to a second cardiologist who ended up thinking I was faking it. He humored me though and made me wear heart monitor after heart monitor. I apparently flat-lined or came close several times while i was wearing them, but the techs "Just thought I unplugged it." Because the heart drop was so fast.
Then I was then sent to a muscle doctor who told me it was in my head (sound familiar?) and sent me to Cardiac Rehab just so that I could "gain confidence in my body again." When did I ever lose it?
I was a good girl and went any ways. I went three times actually and my heart rate plummeted each time. In fact I'd walk in get my blood pressure taken, run for a while take it again, then bike and take it again. All three times my blood and pulse would stay the exact same no matter how hard I ran or biked. In fact if anything it dropped. Then like clock work at the end of my workout when I was almost done or at the cool down i'd end up on the floor with all the old people staring at me terrified I just died.
It's one thing if people in general are scared you're dead on the floor, but I got to tell ya it's just awkward when a bunch of old men who have diapers under their jogging shorts start crossing themselves and praying to God for my safety.
So after each event we walked to my first cardiologists office and showed him the reports on what just happened.
That's when I officially became one of my Cardiologists youngest patients. In the waiting room it was usually me and 70 something year olds. It smelled. Just sayin.
In the last week of Feb of '09 My doctor decided to put in a permanent heart monitor. It was the size and shape of a pack of gum, metal and thin like a pacemaker and was placed exactly where the pacemaker is placed. I named it Stanley. I only had it in for a few weeks but had a hard time getting my events transfered over the computer. When we finally got it figured out it only took two events when I got an urgent call to come in and get a pacemaker.
On April 15th I got Howard, My pacemaker.
