Sinus tachycardia
Being attached to a mobile ECG monitor for almost a day really feels like crap. But it’s over now so … yay!
Basically, it involved having five wires (with electrodes at the end) being attached all over my torso, and secured in place with so much surgical tape that I felt as stiff as a … piece of metal. All the wires were connected to a monitor which was kept in a pouch secured around my waist.
There was also this blue button on the monitor which I was supposed to press each time I experienced my usual symptoms, and I think I ended up punching the button a total of about ten times.
Can’t shower for a day, which was really quite unbearable for a clean freak like me.
I couldn’t sleep either. Practically squirmed the entire night because the surgical tape made my skin feel really itchy and by the time I woke up, the sensation was similar to having ants crawling all over me. Ack.
Naturally, I felt like I could hug the nurse who removed all the wires for me this morning. She’s a very nice one too, unlike the b*tchy one who attached all the wires for me yesterday. She kept me distracted by talking to me about everything under the sun because well, having tape ripped off isn’t very pleasant as well, isn’t it?
After waiting for about half an hour or so, I was called back to the clinic for a review.
And man, the graphs and whatnot that the little device managed to output was … damn bloody interesting.
Basically, it was like a graph showing the changes in my heart rate ever since 2pm yesterday (when I got the wires attached) until about 10am today (when I got the wires removed).
Plus, the doctor could even tell what time I went to bed because my heart rate started decreasing (and became really stable) at around 3-ish in the morning. It was like … ooooh! I began dozing off around this time and began to regain consciousness at around this time! How absolutely cool is that?!?
I’ll scan the graphs in when I receive them in the mail next week. Hahaha, I just found it really fascinating. (Although I’m not sure whether everyone else will think so.)
Oh, and yes - the results.
No abnormal heart rhythms, which was really good news to me because it means that it’s highly unlikely that I’ll die of cardiac arrests or faint due to missed/extra heart beats or whatnot.
My heart rate’s on the high side though, a condition termed inappropriate (persistent) sinus tachycardia (although my case seems more like the specific version, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), both of which is neither excessively serious nor dangerous, but causes discomfort (due to heart palpitations) and potential fainting spells.
Again, no medications. I just have to live with it because it’s correlated with my chronic low blood pressure as well. So, it seems like this period of consistent giddy/fainting spells is not going to see its end yet. :(
The doctor told me to gradually start exercising again though, because it might help me recover. (I completely stopped my usual walking habits and all strenuous activity since mid-June when the symptoms started.) So … I guess I’d start by slowly increasing my walking distance (providing I don’t start feeling faint) and perhaps move on to roller blading and cycling again and see how it goes. If there’s improvement, then good. Otherwise, I think I’m screwed.
(MITHI - WE CAN GO TO SOUTHERN RIDGES TO EXPLORE SOON!)
Like, finally.
C O M M E N T S (3)
Whoa, that sounds kind of scary. At least you have no abnormal heart rhythms! But exercise is good for you. I’ve heard time and again that exercise helps slow your heart rate. My dad is a big exercise-r and he has a seriously low heart rate (like 33 beats per minute or something). So yes. Ease yourself into it and get back to exercising!
… Which I probably should be doing too. I haven’t tried running in three weeks. Bad.
Brenda’s reply: Would love to ease myself back into exercise-mode again although it isn’t as easy at it seems. :( My maximum recorded heart rate was 130 bpm (in a non-active condition) and blood pressure is around 90ish-100ish, so I get fainting spells as long as I walk fer more than ten minutes which … hinders my progress by a lot. Will keep on trying, though! (: Thanks for the encouragement!
wtf, sounds uncomfortable indeed but did it hurt or something? normally when i think of someone being attached to wires, i associate it with pain because well, you know what happened to my g’ma right?
anyway take care! love!
Brenda’s reply: Love you too, dearie - but we really ought to meet more often now. I’m beginning to forget you exist. :( Anyway, nope - completely painless. Just uncomfortable.
D: That is really really bad. I hope they manage to find out what you have. *keeps fingers crossed for Brenda* Then again, all these all-night-ers that you mention (granted I did a few in uni as well) certainly don’t help.
Get well soon :(
Brenda’s reply: Thank you, Vera! I’ve been turning in a lot earlier recently already. :P