I was with a client sitting in a library and trying to find some information on the computer when the room started to spin. I grabbed both sides of the table to keep from falling on the floor while explaining to the client what was happening to me. I would have liked to lay down, but didn’t think it was the place, so I sat for the next five minutes, sweating through my shirt and trying to control the nausea. When the symptoms subsided, I excused myself and headed for the car where I made a quick call to Holly. “I’m driving home but was hoping you’d take me up to the emergency room. This has gone on too long and I know I have to go in.” I said. She wanted to say I should have gone to a doctor two weeks ago...but there would be time for ‘I told you so’s’ later.
I was feeling better and walked into the ER at Hillcrest, but they quickly swept me into pre-examining room to take my vitals. The nurse’s first concern was my resting heart rate...in the 40’s. “I’m an amazing physical specimen and what I’m going through would kill most people. I train like a maniac and that’s why I have that low heart rate,” I said. He looked to Holly...who confirmed with a facial twitch that I was serious. He described what he felt the doctor would be doing and they moved me to a small room with a bed and a TV where I donned a gown that exposed my backside. I was in the bed for no more than 5 minutes when another nurse came in and began taking the same vitals over, but hooking up an EKG to monitor the electrical activity of my heart, as well. When the monitor started beeping because of my low heart rate, she called the doctor. He entered...watched the screen that was showing a graph of my heart waves and spoke as he did.
“You’re heart rate is around 33 beats a minute and it’s missing one every now and again,” he said. “Do you work out at all?”
“Well...kinda every day. And the heart thing has been going on my whole life,” I said. I’d first noticed the skipped beat in my early 20’s, and an Executive Physical with the Cleveland Clinic had confirmed it was there and that it was perfectly functional. He told me they’d be taking blood, doing a CAT scan and then figure out what the problem was...if he could.
I have to admit that I’d been a little concerned during recent weeks. Some nights the pain in my head and neck had been so bad that I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking of the little kid in the movie ‘Kindergarten Cop’ saying to Arnold “maybe it’s a tumor.” Well...I’d know soon enough.
It took about 45 minutes for the testing and the doctor to return. “It’ not a too...mah,” he said. Okay...he didn’t say THAT...but he did say what I had was vertigo and sinusitis...which, after his fancy doctor words I interpreted to mean I was dizzy and had a stuffy nose. I suppose it’s a little more than that, though. He strongly suggested I get my butt to an ear, nose and throat guy to confirm what he thinks. My particular vertigo is called ‘benign positional vertigo’...because I’m special that way. My instruction sheet from the hospital says it could last up to six weeks and that I’m not to operate a motor vehicle or other complicated equipment and to be careful on stairs. It didn’t say not to work out or ride a bike.
I came home and spent the rest of the day relaxing...which I actually do quite well. I honestly didn’t feel like doing anything...the nausea lasted the rest of the evening...but it didn’t keep me from eating cake and other holiday treats. Thankfully, I’m not working next week and can get this all under control...it’s really cramping my lifestyle.
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