My Heart

As I sit here typing, I am wearing a holter monitor.  My heart doctor put me in one to monitor me for the next 24 hours.  My heart rate gave me a bit of a scare this past Sunday and has acted up Monday and Tuesday as well. 

Sunday morning I got Rocco and me ready for church.  By the time I put on my boots, put Rocco in his car seat, and walked around to my side of the car I was out of breath.  I measured my heart rate and found it to be 128.  Fifteen minutes later after riding in the car, it was still in the 120's.  I sat in Sunday School and finally got up to leave the last 10 minutes of class. I had called a retired nurse friend of mine, Sue, and she said to go lie down in a quiet room.  So, the rest of church I laid in Jason's office.  My heart rate came down and I was fine.

Monday at school I found that my heart rate was going up again.  It didn't take much either to get it that way.  Walking from my car to my classroom caused me to have some difficulty breathing.  And my chest just felt so tired and heavy.  By the mid afternoon I was better.  Once I got home I just relaxed.  Jason has been really good cooking for us and helping out with Rocco.

Tuesday was about the same as the previous two days.  High heart rate.  Trouble catching my breath at times.  I finally called Janna, my friend and nurse.  Once she talked to the doctors, they decided I needed to be monitored at the Labor and Delivery Triage.  I thought this was a little drastic, but since it was my heart I went.  Jason met me at the hospital.  While he went to get me a wheelchair I tried to catch the shuttle.  While standing there at the shuttle stop, the bus drove right past me.  Two old men just waved.  I laughed and just sat my big self on the curb. 

Two hours after being monitored, the nurses told me I could go home. My hemoglobin was 10, alright but not really high.  BP was 113/70.  Heart rate came down to 102.  And baby Nitro was just kicking up a storm.  Thankfully all was well, but they wanted me to see my heart doctor ASAP.

That puts me to today.  I went to see my cardiologist.  As a precaution, he's ordered an ECHO and did some blood work just to check on my heart function and regurgitation.  I'm also wearing a heart monitor.  He really just thinks it is a high heart rate due to pregnancy and doesn't think it will ever go above 130.  Three options 1) Go on bedrest the next 9 weeks 2) Get back on my beta blocker 3) Just live with it.  We'll see what the monitor and echo show.