Hypo versus Heart Monitor in the wee small hours!

Starting to ignore some more minor heart flip-flops through the day as I don't want to run out of diary or look like a hypochondriac if this this turns out to be "normal" arrhythmia I'll just need to put up with!

Documenting most of them, though.

Boy, these attached electrodes are pretty heavy duty! Woke at 3.45am bathed in sweat, rigid, jerky, disorientated. My PJs were visibly saturated with hypoglycemic fight-or-flight sweat. I'd already had a little sugar and carbohydrate to raise a borderline 3.9 BG before bed to stay safe. It was then up to 8.8 so not entirely happy it did one of it's periodic plummets just a few hours later. A BG test winked an alarming 1.5 in the dead of the night. Not so alarming to me, after all these decades. I imagine professionals would have me whipped into hospital or at least have paramedics at hand if they saw the same, going by the book.

I had more jelly babies (instant sugar fix kept handy wherever I am.) Then crawled down for a couple of plain digestives (20g carb). I was so wet from hypo sweating I was totally amazed the heart monitor electrodes were still attached so firmly and not washed away in the drenching! By then I had gone from sweating to shivering, sore and even more trembly and jerky. That's when I'm "normal" with M.E.! I remember being most concerned not to let the heart monitor drop when trying to manage the emergency drill. I suppose that's why the NHS is right to put faith and funds into a piece of equipment which can cost £1,900 according to this site: BMA Medical supplies LifeCard CF Holter Monitor !

Slept a little, exhausted, by dawn and now feel like death minimally warmed up. I do think it's perhaps the best thing that could have happened, though, on sober reflection, as my heart flip-flops its way through the morning. These palpitation symptoms, along with the accompanying odd, faint, nauseous feelings at times, were relatively unnoticed apart from maybe imperceptible racing during the worst of the hypo. My chest only resumed giving its little flops and "electric" tickles in the aftermath.

At least with the Holter monitor in place, it may actually be possible to get to the bottom of these problems.
It goes back tomorrow to the local Cardio department, so need to rest up properly after all that lonely early hours drama. Need to save up some energy "spoons" to be able to get through that plus a diabetic eye screening tomorrow afternoon. One return bus journey only for the both, so still think that's another fortunate turn.

Maybe at the end of all this, we'll actually have a Cardio/Diabetic/ M.E. understanding vibe going on. Or maybe the light-headedness has made me even more stupidly optimistic than usual!

Have a heart! Yes, I do!

Well, I definitely DO have a heart. It's official!

Had my echocardiogram this morning at hospital, followed by being fitted with electrodes and the 48 hour ambulatory heart monitor (Holter tape).

With M.E., just making the bus journey at a fairly crowded, early time of day was more stressful than the whole hour long visit to the quiet, restful Cardiology suite! I was shivering cold on the journey in, sickened as usual by the motion, noise and light, my body struggling to regulate its temperature. But the journey is only ten minutes, so I'm very thankful for that! As usual, my mum stayed over to make the trip with me, helping by carrying bag, stick, coat and cardigan when needed! She really is such an angel in every awkward health situation. (Not to mention saving the taxpayer endless money in Carer's Allowance/DLA as she appears when most needed and asks nothing but love!)

On arrival at Cardio reception we were shown into the waiting area. Only two male patients waiting to be seen before me, so managed to spend the time resting and recovering with my eyes closed mostly.

Only about ten minutes after my appointment time, I was called in for the Echo. The lass operating the equipment got me to strip off above the waist while she got ready with another young woman at a computer screen outside the curtained-off couch and echo machine. Sporting my fetching hospital gown, (soon unlaced again to allow access to all areas!), I was to lie on my left side on the couch, right hand resting on my legs, left supporting my head.

By now, to be honest, my head was spinning a bit. The most difficult thing was probably maintaining that slightly uncomfortable positon without giving the impression my unsteady discomfort was in any way attributable to the very capable and efficient echocardiographer! I managed a few jokey comments along the way, but spent most of the time with my eyes half closed trying to put all my energy into maintaining my position and keeping still and quiet for the scan (i.e. without twitching or keeling over!)

This was the standard Transthoracic echocardiogram. It was a cold autumn day for icy gel to be applied, so a good connection would be made between the hand-held transducer and my hot little chest!  My muscles are so sore with the M.E. that the first contact with the business end of the transducer was rather painful. I was honest about it when the operator asked, but assured her it was me being tender, not her being heavy handed! The high frequency ultrasound waves pinged through my upper chest before the transducer was moved to underneath my left breast in several positions to view the heart from different angles. These sound waves bounced off the hidden corners of my heart. The glugs and roars audible from time to time convinced me it was still beating!

Then I hauled myself back over onto my back and the transducer moved to the top of my stomach/between my breasts and finally onto my neck with raised chin. These last few places are the ones where my current palpitations are most often felt. I must have had 3-4 heart "skips" during the whole process. No idea if these showed up or not till I see the consultant again.

Then this part was over and I cleaned up the copious amounts of jelly from my torso. Only need some custard to go with it, I joked feebly. I found the bit I'd missed near my throat when I put my jumper back on. I could see the missed gel seeping through then, as if I'd dropped my breakfast down me!

Back into the waiting area where my mum was sitting like a pack horse under a mound of my cast off belongings and outer clothes necessary for a cold draughty bus ride. She was talking to the wife of another patient, similarly burdened by her husband's outer garments while awaiting his return from the land of mysterious beeps.

 A few minutes and I was called into another side room for the fitting of the 48-hour heart monitor. You can see the equipment used, if you haven't had the joy of this procedure before, in the accompanying photos in this blogpost.

The lovely nurse who called me through fitted the electrodes while another younger nurse helped to explain and do the paperwork. They were very helpful indeed. Although the department normally asks for the monitor to be disconnected and returned to Cardio Reception between 8.30am-9.30am on the third day, because I have a diabetic ophthalmology appointment on Wednesday afternoon, they were more than happy to let me drop the monitor off later when I'm in the hospital for that. This was such a blessing and relief, as it means two sickening, exhausting bus journeys saved in the same day which would have probably knocked me out for the rest of the week.

I've got a spare set of electrodes in case the originals get wet or detached. I've an A4 sheet ruled as a diary to record date/time/activity/symptoms. Whenever I feel the palpitations, or any breathlessness, dizziness/faintness or chest discomfort, I simply record the time and symptom in the diary, also pressing either the yellow or green buttons on the monitor to make it easier for those analysing the tape to spot the relevant moments recorded. All simple. Even the electrodes are colour coded in order of placement on the body - like traffic lights. Red on the left lower chest side, yellow on the upper right chest and green on the right side of lower chest. Even having trouble with telling your right from your left, the diagrams should keep you ticking over!

The actual monitor itself is as light and small as a mobile phone and clips easily onto the waistband of trousers, skirt etc. The wires tuck away discreetly and the electrodes itch from time to time but are hardly noticeable.

I'm completely frazzled now. Hardly surprising! All this and a phone call on my return, from a good friend not seen since I was working full time as a minister on the South Coast has left me struggling to put one finger and thought in front of the other. There'll not be many "activities" on my diary page for the rest of the day, I reckon!

I'll keep you posted! They'll book me a follow-up session with the cardiologist after the monitor's returned on Wednesday. Hope this'll help reassure anybody going through similar.

Clockwork no batteries

Got my Cardiology appointments through the post this morning:

Echocardiogram (Cardiac Ultrasound) at 9.20am Monday 14th November. Poss 30 minutes @ Cardiology Suite, Level A.


48-Hour Monitor (Holter tape) 10.00am Monday 14th November. Poss 30 minutes - technician to apply electrodes/wires.


Requested to return so recorder can be removed 48 hours later. 


That should be the morning of Wednesday 16th November. Which just happens to be the same day as a longer standing appointment for my yearly diabetic eye screening. That's scheduled for 2.30pm (eye tests) for 3pm (appointment with ophthalmologist).


Looks like a daunting amount of exhausting stuff in a two day period, with little chance for pacing along the way. At the same time, I'm looking at it as a saving of spoons on the Wednesday. It means only one bus journey there and back to hospital, if I can co-ordinate the third floor cardio visit to be just before the ground floor opthalmology. It also means my poor long-suffering mum will only have to be shuttling back and forth on various unreliable buses to support and accompany me on the two days instead of three or four that week! 

Maybe I can find somewhere to rest in between? Maybe not - it IS a hospital after all! Lights are sickeningly bright and recent "improvements" have reduced comfy seating in some waiting areas and presented us with "convenient" touch screens to book yourself in etc that mean even more stress, co-ordination and balancing than before. 

Not sure any of the specialists I'll be seeing that week understand M.E. really; they count me as a diabetic on these occasions, and you're only allowed to be looked at as one illness at a time, in my long experience! They do their best. So shall I!


Last few weeks have hardly slept until after 5am. Alternately shivery and soaked in perspiration. Chest and arms, neck and legs hurting so much and hands all pins and needles in mornings. When I do walk, its noticeably slower that ever, like when I was first up from completely bedbound.

 
 Blood sugar in double figures much of time this last week, as if fighting virus. Some sneezing, but not much. Neck glands sore, voice very weak and tiring/painful in chest muscles to speak. Making so many mistakes when writing longhand, forgetting things, words especially when speaking.

Last weekend saw second massive unannounced hypo of the month that took me completely out. Something is changing in my hypo patterns and awareness during the hypo itself, like being awake in a nightmare, losing whole segments of consciousness while not appearing comatose to others. Possibly now I've turned 50 the oestrogen isn't oiling the wheels any more. Or more likely my liver just has no more glucagon to "dump" when my BG plummets without as much as a "here we go!"

Updates to follow, but right now, please excuse me as I get properly horizontal again in a darkened room!

My heart starts missing a beat...every time

In case you think the title sounds like a spot of hypochondria, it's OK, it's just a line from "Heart" by the Pet Shop Boys!


But it does. Start missing a beat, that is.


Tonight it keeps skipping, dropping, squelching, thumping, fluttering more than ever. Not more than a couple of beats at a time, but more often than normal. My heart's been doing this through the day but this evening it's doing overtime. It happens through the night and I keep waking up, when I get to sleep for half an hour, in a sweat.

My guess, for what very little it's worth, is this may just be one of those "ectopic" heartbeat thingummies that turns out to be benign. Hoping so. 

Maybe it's debility from the M.E.? I'm certainly at a low ebb there. Diabetically my blood sugar is in the normal range while this is happening. Not having any extra caffeine in any form (reducing it in fact, to make sure it isn't that) and keeping water intake up to try and make sure I'm not just dehydrated.


Still waiting for the referral appointment at Cardiology on Thursday. All will become clear there, I reckon. My swinging brick will be put through its paces and I can stop giving concerned friends a heart attack worrying about me!

Jabsolutey not fabulous!

Still struggling with fluttery heart and attendant nausea, dizzy spells etc on top of all usual stuff after lengthy hypo week last Saturday.


Could only walk very short distances, very very slowly at weekend. Mum actually said she'd not known me so slow for as long as she could remember. She has just gone to make appointment with my GP to check out that all OK in cardiac department as she puts my prescription in.

Had flu jab on Saturday morning. One of the male GPs at practice, giving the jab, listened empathetically to my usual "Diabetic - yes, M.E.- possibly no" dilemma. He obviously saw the possible past problems with the flu jab in my case as signs of a weakened immune system. He took M.E seriously, even if he had no answers. He seemed interested in my 50th birthday invitation to raise funds for bio-medical research so we'll one day have the answers. Had the jab anyway, but he was supportive and understanding, which I always take as a sign of progress and hope.

Absolutely flattened now. Heart thumps and flutters seem worse in evening and when rising from sitting/lying, but other times too, more regularly than in recent past. Not anxious, so no reason this symptom should have suddenly become pronounced. Palpitations can be harmless or a signal of something else. It's not pain, rather a feeling of a change of beat or butterfly breath (if butterflies had breath!) just to the right centre of my chest. Sometimes 7-8 times in an hour, maybe, other times less frequently and hours when not noticed at all. That's when I'm actually asleep, I guess!

 No doubt it won't show up on a stethoscope during a five minute appointment. At least I will have checked, for well-wishers' and loved ones' sakes, if nothing else.


Everything feels swollen. Sore throat. Can't think of words. Can't remember stuff that's obvious. Blood sugars through roof much of time since jab. Burning hot patches in limbs, organs, torso. Left eyelid swollen and eye sore. Shivery. Diarrhoea intermittently, then gone. Scalp and neck sore. Dizzy. Nauseous. No real appetite. Balance way off. (Using stick in house today). Exhausted just breathing. Feeling compulsion to lie down on floor wherever I am. Too jerky and hot to sleep through night.


Just a normal M.E. day (not) at the office, I suppose.

 Quite a few good folks and friends wanting to call by this week to mark my 50th on Friday. Then I've promised a service in the village where I was born on Sunday. I have to be well enough for that hour, plus lunch a dear old friend has offered afterwards. Need to see another friend who is terribly sick over the weekend too while I'm over there. Looks overwhelming from here at the moment, but nil desperandum!


So I'll leave it there for now and get properly horizontal again.
Look on the bright side - when you're flat you can't fall any further!