Don't tell my heart..my achy breaky heart..

So, I thought I might write an entry about something other than deployment. Great idea right? So lets talk about how I'm dying.


Insert witty comment from friend here: we're all dying. Well, that is true..I'm just dying faster and in a suckier way.


I can't remember when exactly my symptoms started, I just know that I have been taking Iron supplements for at least the past year. So whatever is going on with my body, isn't something new and isn't something stress related due to the deployment.


Oh, symptoms, let me tell you my symptoms. Dizzy, lightheaded, fatigue, nausea, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and headaches. I figured that since I have a history of anemia (pernicious anemia as an infant) and had low iron levels after the birth of Mad, that it was probably my iron levels. Well, I took Iron for over a year without a single change. I've also noticed in the past 6 months that its most common during the mornings and drinking coffee makes it worse. Drinking coffee makes it MUCH worse.


Tim has been asking me to go to the doctor since this past July and probably even earlier than that, but I hate the doctors office so I refused. Well, that eventually bit me in the ass.


On March 2nd I had a routine exam at the doctor's office, the military demanded I go, so I kind of had too. Immediately following my exam I began feeling sick. My body started sweating and I couldn't seem to catch my breath. I tried to get out of the exam room as quickly as possible, so I could wait out the issues in the waiting room. All I remember is walking towards the front of the clinic before blacking out. When I woke I was in a wheelchair, back in the exam room with my hands and feet completely rigid and tingling. 


Here is a tip folks, if you plan on blacking out, do it surrounded by soldiers. They apparently love any excuse to come to the rescue as I was told I had about 9 run up to me when I hit the ground. Sorry husband, I was lonely.


Anyway, they ended up checking my blood pressure and everything was normal so they ordered me to come back two weeks later for blood work.


Fast-forward two weeks, blood work. Yeah, everything came back normal. They told me my Iron was a little low but not low enough to cause my symptoms. They told me to start taking prenatals and have set me up an appointment to come back in 3 months for additional blood work to see if it improves my iron levels. In the mean time, I have been referred to a cardiologist. 


Woohoo!! A freaking cardiologist, because THAT makes me feel a million times better. I mean, its only my heart they are showing concern about. I have tried calling cardio to set up an appointment, but haven't heard anything back yet. 


My doctor believes I have a condition called Vasovagal Syncope. In simple man's terms... I have sudden drops in my blood pressure and heart rate that reduces blood flow to my brain resulting in dizziness and blackouts. Hooray! Cause that isn't anything to be concerned about, especially while I'm home alone with two children. 


See, so I'm dying. Anyway, that is an update on me..hopefully I will be able to reach cardio this week in order to set up an appointment to figure out if that is what it is..and how we will take care of it.