Have you ever experienced heart palpitations when something exciting happens? Last night, my hubby won a major award at the Austin Chamber of Commerce Awards. He and his friend started a small company called PrimoDish and they beat out some serious competition to win the 2011 Austin Business Award for Technology in the Small Business category. I was so happy for him that my heart skipped for joy! That's the good kind of heart palpitations.
Skip to 12 hours later. After waking up still tired and then having to present a speech at my church's Annual Women's Meeting, taking care of a grumpy toddler, receiving some discouraging news about a friend, and dealing with with a nasty tension headache, I laid down on my bed only to experience a series of skipped beats. I'm sure I was in bigeminy for a minute or so before I switched positions and the palpitations diminished. Needless to say, those are the ugly kind of heart palpitations.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
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2 comments:
Hi Ali,
I'm so glad I found your blog! I can relate to so much of what you have written. I'm 32 and have been learning to live with a "dance" in my heart for 11 years now. I think I have gotten better at it. ;) At first I felt one random, hard beat, then a couple years later I ended up in the hospital with Atrial Fibrillation. I had another episode 9 months later, but have been AFib free since then, thankfully. I do take medication to control the rhythm. However, since that first hospital visit I feel every extra beat...I can even tell if the extra beat is a PVC or PAC! The scariest rhythm for me, besides AFib of course, is bigeminy. It is absolutely draining! The mental energy it takes to live with an irregular heart rhythm is draining too! I'm a kindergarten teacher and have often had the "I'm going to pass out in front of the kids, or at a faculty meeting" feeling too. Not pretty...but somehow we always make it through. =) A book that helped me tremendously was "The Mitral Valve Prolapse/Dysautonomia Survival Guide" by James and Cheryl Durante and John Furiasse. It is a permanent fixture on my night stand and helps me feel close to "normal" when my symptoms are aggressive. Anyway, I really wanted to say thanks for having the courage to put into words what so many of us deal with silently on a daily basis! Sending the most positive of thoughts for a healthy and happy pregnancy and delivery. =)
All My Best,
Addy
Hi Addy,
Thank you so much for your sweet words and sentiments. I'm sorry to hear that you have been experiencing "the dance" for so many years. It does sound like we're pretty similar with me being 31 years old and experiencing them for about 13 years. And hats off to you for being a kindergarten teacher. I believe kindergarten would be one of the hardest and most critical ages to teach. And even more courageous is that you do it while you are experiencing heart palpitations and AFib. What a trooper. I'm happy to hear that you are learning to live with them better. They still bite though sometimes, huh? But you know what? We are both testaments that they are benign and will pass. We still get up every day and live life. Good luck with the rest of your school year and keep in touch.
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