heart

When I was on the operating table, it was discovered that I had an irregular heartbeat. Oh, not another thing! This was not a nice way to enter the drug induced sleep of anesthesia. Right as the sleep was beginning to overtake me, I heard, "Did you know you have an irregular heartbeat?" "uh, ... no". Now what? There's no going back. I hoped I would wake up again. Of course I did, and everything is fine, so to speak. As I was in recovery, Dr. Carr and the anesthesiologist came by to see me. I was presented with a copy of my ECG from surgery. They didn't think it was anything to worry about, possibly it's a one-time deal, but you need to see a doctor about this. 

Another round of doctors began. Dr. Carr and my family doctor, Sheila Findlay, were literally tripping over each other to get me in to see an internist in a timely fashion. I ended up going to the office of Dr. Baillie on the 4th of December to pick up a Holter monitor. This little device would record my heart beats for 24 hours. The technician told me that most people had PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) and that it's probably nothing to worry about. Fine, consider me officially "not worried". The day came and went. Julie was visiting, so we passed a very pleasant day visiting and walking and enjoying the good weather. I dropped off the monitor the following morning with an appointment to see Dr. Baillie on the 10th. 

A very nice man, is Dr. Baillie. And he has a lovely Scottish accent to boot. Considering I am rereading my beloved "Outlander" books again, this is high up on my list of things that matter. He diagnosed me with having moderately severe PVCs, but still wasn't worried. He explained that ventricular premature beats are extra beats that cause an irregularity or abnormality in the usual rhythm of the heart. These extra beats are known as a premature ventricular complexes (PVCs). His main source of concern was to clear me of any underlying heart problems before I start chemotherapy. I did the stress test in his lab right then and there. No problems. As was hoped for, my heart returned to a proper rhythm with exercise. I asked if I should be exercising more in order to get my heart to do the right thing. "No", he said. "You don't have to run everywhere". OK, thanks. The next step was to go to the hospital for an echocardiogram to see if my heart is in fact healthy. Dr. Baillie called last night to say that my heart was just fine, peachy in fact. That's one of my favourite expressions! My valves and the muscle looked perfect. He's going to call me on Monday to discuss medication - beta blockers. This will regulate my electrical system, but will also lower my blood pressure. Since mine is already on the low side, I'm not sure I want this. We'll talk Monday.