Location: St. Augustine, FL
About Me: A high school Biology teacher's coping with rosacea while living in the interesting and sometimes insane world of public education.
June 25, 2005
No fun at all
I've been cursed by the Chinese motto "May you live in interesting times." It's certainly been 'interesting' lately. I haven't had any more major heart palpitation bouts but every few minutes my heart is skipping a couple of beats. I had an ECG during my annual physical. A followup at a cardiologist showed a possible partial right branch bundle blockage on the ECG. It could be harmless or it could indicate coronary disease or other heart damage. Over the next 3 weeks I'm scheduled for a nuclear treadmill stress test, an echo cardiogram, and a holter monitor for 24 hours. All of this is supposed to give a clear picture of exactly what is going on and if I will need surgery or medication. Yep, interesting times indeed.
The rosacea has actually been fine lately, which is a litte ironic considering the other possibilities. I feel llke my body is betraying me lately. I guess this is what I get for 25 years of stress in teaching. I'm rather fatalistic in my thinking about this mess. Here I am 50 years old and I'm having heart problems. Assuming I make it to old age, what shape am I going to be in for retirement? Those 5 years to retirement are beginning to look a long ways off.
I'm still attending a weeklong workshop this July if I don't have any worse heart problems. It's more an uncomfortable distraction now than anything. It is interfering with my sleep by waking me up every couple of hours.
Well, I've poured out all of the 'woe is me' I need to for one day. If I'm still around after the tests I'll post the results. I really hate this.
Posted by Ken Albin on June 25, 2005 10:37 PM
Ken, I'm so sorry to hear you're having heart problems. After getting an abnormal ECG and just finishing my stress echo treadmill I know how scary it can be to wait and find out. Mine came out well, and I'm crossing my fingers for you! After all your teaching stress you could certainly use a break.
Posted by: Elizabeth at June 26, 2005 09:33 AM