Monday, September 24, 2018

ER

ER

Now onto the next story!
After wallowing for about two weeks and trying to track my BP and maintain some schedule of the meds I'm on. The beta blocker (BB), blood thinner (BT) and the BP meds. So I chunked it out to one of the BP in the morning with the BT and then the other BP/BT in the evening. It kind of worked for the most part. I definitely felt an immediate impact as I was trying to do my normal activities and definitely running was extremely hard as the BB kept me from pushing my HR higher. The meds were definitely doing their job as well as really holding me back which they were supposed to.
So fast forward to the morning of July 17th and this is where the story unfolds. I got to work at my usual time and of course I car pool so I had my SUV. I'm at work checking emails and I'm texting with one of the work wives. We were chatting and as I was also responding to emails I was feeling a bit off. My HR rate dipped down to around the 30s. Keep in mind that I'm a person who rarely takes medication so the side effects were huge to me! 😵 Dizziness and light headed are on the top of the list. I mentioned to her that I felt light headed and of course her momming me meant a call home. Of course Kiera goes call the pharmacist, pharmacist said hmm sounds like your BB is giving you problems. Keep in mind the BB was only half a tablet so half dose once a day. He then directs me to call my GP. My GP was too busy so the nurse takes my call and says what your describing sounds like you are having heart issues similar to that of a cardiac arrest. OK 😧 now I call back the wife and basically she tells me to head to the ER but what do I do? Yep you guessed it I drove home. Yes in retrospect probably not the brightest idea even after telling my boss he recommended if it got worse to pull over and call 911. BUT I made it home and we went to the QCH ER.
If you haven't been to their ER well it was under construction so it was a tad confusing to start. You had to check in with your health card then you sat while you waited to be called to the triage room. I was told to sit in the blue chair and not the other colour chair. I don't really know what that means, but I guess it meant that I would be called sooner? No clue.
I wasn't long in that room before I got called in and they took my vitals.
From what I can read on my ER report temp 36.5 and my HR was around 46. I told the nurse or rather she saw my meds and the blood thinner I was on she goes to me..."Do you have Atrial Fibrillation?" I'm like whoa you got that from all four of my meds. She goes "It's the Eliquus, that's the giveaway." hmm. obviously it must be used a lot around there. I had those taken and then got sent back out to the waiting room. However, I wasn't there long before I made it to a bed where they can connect me up with every tab for the heart machine.


Well there you go full disclosure and my vitals in full technicolor! After that episode I was instructed by the ER doc after consultation with the QCH cardiologist that I was to stop taking the BB. After two hours of monitoring and instructions to check my HR/pulse and since I was still full of the BB even the ER doc couldn't find it as it was so faint. 
Four meds down to three and I'm still sucking wind trying to find fitness and stay healthy and fit. It is definitely a struggle.
That's this chapter done. Thanks for reading.

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