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Beth's Cardiac Adventure

About a month ago, I went to the doctor. It was my first visit and he gave me a bit of a physical. Took my pulse, listened to my heart, blood pressure, ordered blood tests, history, etc. etc. It was a new doctor, after all, and he did all that new doctor stuff.

When the checkup was over, he asked me to wait in the waiting room because he wanted to give me an ECG before I left. I was... surprised. I've never had an ECG before. He didn't indicate that anything was wrong, though, so I suspected it was probably just routine these days. Or something. After all I have been dealing with the NHS the last six years. I have no idea how things work in the USA these days.

I went in. The put stickies all over my chest. They gave me a quick ECG. The technician thanked me and told me I could go. So I went out to pay, and was pretty much just about out the door when the doctor came out into the waiting room to talk to me. He said: It's probably nothing, but you need to come back for a 24-hour holter monitor test.

Because that's exactly what you want to hear from your doctor: something in your ECG wasn't right. Come back so we can monitor your heart for 24 hours. :P Rationally, I knew it was nothing. I'm 29. Though I'm not in the best shape of my life, I was as recently as last summer. There's nothing wrong with me. Still, there was a little freaking out.

So Tuesday was the day. I went in and got five sensors taped to my poor chest. Which hated the tape. And got all irritated and red and Jesus did that stuff itch. And I walked around for a day with this walkman-looking thing hooked to my jeans. Sleeping with it was totally unpleasant. And yesterday I went to go get it taken off.

Now, being used to the NHS (once again), I was completely expecting to get it taken off and then be called in a week only if something horrible was wrong with me. Much to my delight, they had me wait in the waiting room for like ten minutes and then go see the doctor right away. Wow!

We sat down together. He looked at me. Smiled. Said: Well, Beth, you have a perfectly healthy heart. No blockages, strong. You had eleven extra beats in 24 hours, which is very normal.

Good. Good.

Then: So I can give you medication for this, if you want, but you probably don't need it yet.

Huh?

He reached over, and put a blood pressure cuff on me again. Then the penny dropped. And I was impressed with him. Why of course. I have had really low blood pressure forever - complete with blacking out and getting ill and all that. He is the first person who actually made sure there wasn't any underlying cause, there. He went on to tell me my low bp was something I should just stay aware of. That I needed to make sure I got enough salt - soy sauce or Ritz crackers or the like everyday. Drink lots of liquids: water or Diet Coke were fine (caffeine is good for raising your blood pressure). Make sure I didn't spend a lot of time in too extreme heat.

If I started fainting, come back. He'd prescribe me something. And that was it.

So yeah. No heart problems, but I should make sure to eat salt and my Starbucks habit is actually healthy.

That's my kind of medical advice.

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