Heart Matters

Part three is coming soonish.  It is getting delayed because it is long, and I spent about two days this week here..

Hooked up to this guy... Among many other things...

 At least this time it was in my home town so I got a visit from the awesome Jeanly.  She would of come during my brain surgery but being a awesome Mommy of three young boys makes an almost two hour trip very hard.

Monday when I saw my doctor for my stuttering to get a referral my pulse rate was 123.  A normal adult heart rate is 60-100, resting heart rate should really be no high then 80, so 123 is high.  They were concerned and told me to take it at home and call in the results on Friday.  Wednesday rolls around and I am still needing script called in, my pulse has also never dropped below 100.  The night before I had started to have chest tightness and pain but I summed it up to my asthma and was doing at home asthma treatments.  This however did not fly with the doctors office and I was told that I needed to take myself to the ER immediately.  The nurse even went so far to say that if she called and I was not their within 30 min she would send police and an ambulance to my place to get me to the hospital.  

I really did not think anything was wrong, I even told the person who was taking me to the hospital that I really think its my asthma but I am just listing to the doctor.  We got to the ER and once I explained things to them they brought me back immediately and hooked me up to machines.  My pulse was 140.  The ER doctor came in right away and asked some questions.  He ordered blood work an EKG, a chest x-ray, a chest CT and for an IV to be put in immediately.  It occurred to me at that moment they were thinking that I was, or since my chest pain started the night before had a heart attack.  I however was still like thinking I would be out in two hours, because what 26 year old has heart issues.  

I was also giving many different IV meds an an oral Beta Blocker in hopes to bring my pulse down.  All test were coming back fine, and the Beta Blocker brought my pulse down into the 90-100, but the ER doctor not listening to other doctors and going against the grain decided to admit me for more testing.  I owe that man a big thank you for him and what to fallow truly show how God works to show His glory.  Upon getting upstairs I learned that my doctor was a doctor I had when I was in college.  He worked at the hospital every few months for a week at a time.  He only took on a certain amount of patients of the floor.  He remembered me as his past patient.  He is also familiar with my other rare heart issues I have.  The biggest blessing in all of this was when I woke up at 4am with chest pain again and said that "My chest hurts again, but it's not anxiety, that a different kind of pain."  He knew I was telling the truth and they were able to treat it and order more tests.

The test that finally got somewhere was the ECHO, which is an ultrasound of your heart and how it works.  Several hours later the results came back and showed that I have two things going on. Two things that no blood test, EKG or anything else would show.  The first is Mitral Valve Prolapse.  This is where instead of closing each time it opens the Mitral Valve is floppy.  This can cause blood back up in the heart.  Since I am so young I was most likely born with it.  Most cases end up not being serious, or need any treatment.  The second thing I have is Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease. This one is can and most likely is the more serious of the two.  It is a congenital and very rare heart disease effecting 2% of the population. This is were my Aortic valve only has two Leafleats instead of three. This causes a lot more stress on the heart and puts me at higher risk for stenosis, heart infection and other issues.  About 80% of people with this end up having to have open heart surgery and once symptoms become present surgery is most likely in your future.  The symptoms are:

• Fatigue and weakness, especially when you increase your activity level
• Shortness of breath with exertion or when you lie flat
• Chest pain (angina), discomfort or tightness, often increasing during exercise
• Fainting
• Irregular pulse (arrhythmia)
• Heart murmur
• Heart palpitations — sensations of a rapid, fluttering heartbeat
• Swollen ankles and feet (edema)

On Thursday I see my regular doctor (for insurance reason) and from their I will be referred to a heart specialist who will know more.  It is hard right now to say for sure that another serious surgery is in my future but right now it seems to be a yes.  However with medication I could be regulated at not need anything for another several years.  While this new is not good I am grateful for an ER doctor who fallowed what he believed.  It lead to knowing what was going on in a two days time instead if having to go through the dreaded mouth wait and anxiety. Right now I am on meds that are keeping my pulse down but it still climbs into the over 90 range daily.  Time will tell like with everything and as always I know I am in good hands.