My Heart

Day 291

I can hardly believe it has been almost two weeks since my last post! I have been completely consumed by some recent news about my heart. It appears that all the times this past year that I felt like my heart was breaking...it actually was! While I was at an appointment for my stomach, the doc listened to my heart and noticed it was beating irregularly. She ordered an EKG, which also turned up some abnormal results. "We're not 100% sure what's going on here, Janet, but I think you might have had a heart attack." The doctor said this sentence with such sincere concern that I couldn't help but burst into uncontrollable tears. Wouldn't you?

So I was sent straight over to Pikes Peak Cardiology down at Memorial and sat in a waiting room filled with elderly people who didn't seem as concerned about the fact that they were seeing a heart specialist. Once I was with the doctor (who turned out to be one of the kindest, most down-to-earth human beings on the planet) I came to realize, maybe, why the folks in the waiting room weren't so scared. Dr. Linsky is actually the same doctor that treated my mom after she had her heart attack several years ago, and still sees her for her regular stress tests. It doesn't make much sense why, but it comforts me that my mom and I share the same cardiologist. Maybe because she's living proof of his work- she is still happily walking the earth. Anyway, what is most troubling about my case is the fact that I have stumped the doctor, and his associates. They aren't quite sure what's going on with my heart, and without that information, they can't treat the problem. So I am facing 5 weeks of monitoring, and a stress test to get to the bottom of this. What I could be looking at ranges from something called a prolonged QT to a benign arrhythmia, to everything in between.

So let me explain what all this has taught me so far. First of all, I am really beginning to understand and accept the fact that everything happens for a reason. If I hadn't been experiencing all these stomach problems, I wouldn't have seen the doctor that noticed the irregularity in my heart, and she wouldn't have ordered the EKG that got the ball rolling. I am also beginning to truly understand how fragile our bodies are. It's cliche, but true. We never know when our time is up. Even if all the tests reveal a fully functioning heart, I will forever be grateful for this health scare. It has given me a fresh perspective on life. I am happier than I have been in years, even in the face of such scary prospects. I will also never forget the heavenly blanket of peace I have been given these past two weeks, and throughout my life.

Janet