My Heart Stutters
The Tale of My Arrhythmia Part 2
It’s been some time since I published part one of this, and truth be told that was because I had a lot of waiting around to do.
The hospital appointment took eight months for me to get. It was on 7th November 2021. And as you can imagine I was very anxious in that period of time. When I got the appointment my anxiety spiked, I couldn’t get a lift to Bristol so I would be relying on trains and taxis, far too expensive for someone who was on ESA at the time. I missed my bus to the hospital and had to taxi it again. The stress was piling up which I had been trying to avoid .It was already dark by the time I arrived at the hospital, the days already markedly shorter at that point in the year. I hated the thought of walking around the city alone once all was said and done.
To be honest the appointment wasn’t what I expected, the cardiology unit was dead, no patient other than I was to be seen, yet somehow they were still an hour late in seeing me. When they did call me through, it was to weigh me and do another ECG. And then I was back in the waiting room. More time passed before I was eventually called through again. This time I was shown to a consultation room. The cardiologist immediately asked me questions about my medical history, my family history and my general lifestyle. He then informed me that my GP had told him that the original ECG was an error and I was fine. I was miffed. I hadn’t been told this. I hadn’t been contacted. But I still felt like there was something wrong. So I told the cardiologist about my episodes, my palpitations and chest pains. And credit where credit is due he listened to me. I’ve had specialists not listen to me in the past. So he offered me a place on the waiting list for a two week heart monitor, where I was to press the button when something felt off with my heart. I went home a little disheartened.
More waiting, though not so long this time. The heart monitor and its instructions arrived in the post. It stung like a bitch to shave and clean the area with alcohol but sticking on the monitor was relatively easy. I made jokes about going on the swings in the nearby park or going on fairground rides to trigger an episode. I didn’t do those things, I’m not stupid enough to put myself in danger to force a result. The two weeks went by slowly it seemed. Maybe because the adhesive caused me to break out in a rash because of course I gained an allergy to adhesives, thank you EDS. In that time I pressed the button about twice if I remember correctly. I was worried it wouldn’t be enough to get conclusive results. Then the time came to send the monitor off and have it data analysed. I wouldn’t know the results until December 2022.
The next hospital visit came on 8th April 2022 now over a year since I had seen the GP with my concerns. It was to be an ultrasound on my heart. Luckily enough it was early in the day so I could ask my mother to accompany me. We made a day of it. I had recently started my job in care at this point so I actually had some spending money. When the time came we got the bus from the city centre to the hospital with relative ease, it was just a little overcrowded. Once at the hospital, things went quicker than previously. My mother and I went through to the ultrasound room and my mum helped me to tie up the robe thingy I had to wear. I had to wear it backwards so the specialist could do their job unobstructed. Once all was said and done, I was told my rhythm and heart shape were fine.
In May I got a letter saying I would be getting another consultation appointment. It didn’t say when. As the months went by I was worried it was never going to happen. In this period Britain had experienced its hottest day on record, and I had collapsed in the local pub after taking the 5 minute walk there. I got a phone call in mid November, asking me for my availability. I got an appointment for the 3rd December.
This time I got a lift from my partner’s parents. They bought me a hot chocolate as I waited for my appointment. Again I was called through to have my weight checked and an ECG done. Then back to the waiting room. It wasn’t as dead this time so I was somewhat worried about how long I’d be sat there for. If my memory serves correct, I sat there for half an hour or so. When I was finally called through, the cardiologist had some news. The monitor had found something.
My heart stops. Randomly.
And in the period they had recorded, for roughly three seconds although that isn’t a solid number, because they estimated longer when I had my blackouts. They said for all intents and purposes my heart was perfectly healthy, there shouldn’t be anything wrong other than low blood-pressure. But there is and they didn’t understand it well enough to confidently put a name to it. That there hadn’t been enough study into what I was presenting. So I was right, my heart was stopping, sure there was no name but now it was confirmed. That’s what mattered to me then and there. I was told I would not be put on medication, the side effects far outweighed the benefits in my situation. All I could do was what I was already doing; avoiding stress, not getting too hot or cold, avoiding known triggers, stay hydrated, riding my bike to keep my heart fit etc… but I was also told to increase my salt intake, advice a cardiologist normally gives the opposite of.
I came away from it oddly happy. Plans on managing this were forming in my head. My mother was a little upset, understandably so, when I told her. I just kept moving forward though. I bought a cheap smart watch to monitor my heart during the Christmas sales. Then I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy watch for its heart rate alerts. I haven’t had many issues since other than temperatures, it’s hard to maintain that when it is so cold outside and I have circulation issues. I even managed to accidentally run my bath too hot a couple days ago and had to lay down, but I was comforted by the slow steady beat I could feel with my arm under my head.
