My heart has decided to do it's own 'thing' today. Before I suddenly crashed into the chronically ill life I now live I never gave heart health a real thought.The most exciting time I bothered to think about it was when creating a transgenic fish expressing the TBX20 gene and even then it was all about the zebrafish's heart and not my own. Yet today I have woken up remembering just how wonderful it was to never ever have given a second thought to the workings of my heart.
Even as I type this I am feeling the constant reminder within my chest. Back in the day my resting heart rate ran in the mid 60s to low 70s. I never once questioned it until the day everything went to health hell. One of the strangest changes was my heart rate. Just resting it has become normal to run in the high 80s to mid-90s. When I have to go in to an unfamiliar doctor they will sometimes comment on it being 'a bit high.' I just say, 'actually, my heart's feeling pretty great today!' I've gotten so used to it, my body sees laying in bed doing nothing, with a heart rate of 94, as feeling a-okay.
Then I get hit with days like today. I woke up with my heart beating fast. Throughout the day it started beating faster and faster and at the moment is stuck on a speed worthy of feeling like it wants to sprint free from my chest and go bouncing around on its own. Meaning just getting out of bed and accomplishing a shower (which I did quite successfully) is like you running a marathon. I literally need to rest simply from getting up and doing what I used to take for granted. On days where my heart rate is outrageously high I have to use my walker just to be safe inside my own home.
The reason I am not 'safe' is because my blood pressure has it's own ideas of what should be happening with me. Back in the day I believed a high heart rate went with high blood pressure. Looking it at it logically: if the heart is beating hard then the pressure in the blood's arteries should be high. Well, logic no longer applies to me. My heart is going super fast but my blood pressure remains low. Sometimes the heart rate gets far to high to fast and the blood pressure gets low or lower and then it becomes to much. I have a bit of a 'not again!' before the heart rate drops suddenly and I keel over. So using a walker means less work on me and keeps my heart rate from going to high to fast. Not exactly my choice but I could not leave the hospital without them getting me one and the cardiologist was all for it. So being myself I found the amusement and checked out the walker I would truly love. If you would like to know you can uncover the right walker for you here: http://www.squidoo.com/choosing-the-perfect-walker.
For many people out there today might seem like a total failure. I, however, am proud of my accomplishments. With a heart going marathon speed I have taken a shower, eaten two meals, crawled up the stairs, and written a blog post. Plus I have high hopes for a slower heart tomorrow and a happy holiday celebration.
Fyi. If you would like to know more about my happy and not so happy heart then please read my work on living with a heart murmur. Again, you will have to visit via the squidoo link here: http://www.squidoo.com/a-personal-guide-to-living-with-a-heart-murmur
Heart Health Made Easy! How to Lower Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
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