06/30/2009 22:58

568 Health Updates

My Comcast internet is actually working for a few moments, so I thought I'd provide an update on the prior post. Last Wednesday, June 24th, I left work and found my way to Baptist Hospital due to severe problems breathing and swallowing, with light-headedness to the point where I had trouble getting out of my chair. 3 chest X-rays and one EKG later, the verdict was in: the lungs are spotless, but I have an enlarged heart. Yeah, the same thing that just killed Billy Mays. The hypertension, which was first diagnosed in April, apparently was exacerbated by the pill-of-the-week treatment that a certain doctor's office was giving me. The peaks and valleys in blood pressure that resulted from switching between so many medications so quickly stressed my heart to the point where it weakened, and couldn't provide enough blood to the rest of my organs. When my lungs didn't get enough blood to breathe properly, there wasn't sufficient oxygen getting into my blood, resulting in a vicious cycle. It's no goddamned wonder I kept thinking I was going to pass out. The good news is that I've had more tests in the past week than in the past ten years; I feel that I've been properly diagnosed, and properly medicated as well. I'm able to drive without trouble, and without having to pull into a gas station every 10 minutes to get up and walk around. And I've found a comfortable spot at work where - for the time being - I don't have any trouble with breathing, swallowing, or staying conscious. I had an echocardiogram this morning, but I doubt I'll hear the results until I return to the internist next Wednesday. More as I understand it. For now: I'm alive, I'm better, and I value life more than ever before.