I know. I'm a delinquent blogger. It's just hard to know what to say when things are going wrong and not looking up. So, I'll simply report the facts.
I've been having a new symptom, and some more worsening symptoms. I've had some spells of prolonged bradycardia, as low as 38 beats per minute. I haven't lost consciousness. But I have had many different levels of reduced consciousness, and it feels like I'm never fully awake anymore. I am often in this state at least 6 hours a day: reduced awareness, reduced alertness, unblinking, limp, lethargic, difficult to rouse. I've reported this symptoms to my POTS specialist and my neurosurgeon. I'm now on a 30-day holter monitor to try to catch the bradycardia episodes (of course, the lowest I've recorded is 46, but we're getting closer). My heart rate is also hyperreactive to anything I do, but the monitor is really able to catch that. The most it can record is 2 minutes and 15 seconds a day. I would need more of a 24-hour holter for that type of problem.
The POTS specialist says that this is not related to POTS. Tachycardia is typical of POTS. Bradycardia is not. So this is a new and unexplained symptom.
My surgeon also ordered scans of my cervical spine that we're arranging to have set up. I guess he's worried about the bradycardia episodes being related to the fusion.
I also need to have my Lithium levels tested, although my dosage has been constant for a long time.
I still haven't actually had an appointment with a doctor about this new problem.
During the bradycardia episodes, and actually most of the time, my state of consciousness has been reduced. I've been really out of it. Staring. Limp. Weak. Tired. Short of breath. Not very reactive. Can't think much (Reduced mental status).
Besides all of this, essentially every symptom I've ever had has returned or gotten worse.
Sunday 9/26
Fatigue/Lethargy
Pain: 3, Achy
Walk: 30 minutes, up and around the hill
Monday 9/27
Fatigue/Lethargy
Aches/Pain after walk
Chills at night
Exercise: 27 minute walk, 20 minute bike
Tuesday 9/28
grocery trip: bad, caused a spell of reduced consciousness
Fatigue/Lethargy
Aches
Chills
Headache: brain, especially at the back--definitely Migraine
30 minute walk w/ ankle weights
Wednesday 9/29
Fatigue/Lethargy
No appetite
31 minute walk, 25 minute bike
Thursday 9/30
Fatigue
Achy
No appetite
Migraine
Exercise video: 40 minutes, Heart rate: 170
Friday 10/1
saw a movie in the theater
GI distress
Saturday 10/2
Collapsed when climbing stairs
Unable to move all day: restricted to bed
Sunday 10/3
bike 15 minutes
Monday 10/4
bike 20 minutes
Tuesday 10/5
Migraine
Nausea
Fatigue
Muscle aches
Bruised feeling all over
Joint pain
Reduced appetite
22 minute walk
Reduced consciousness spell: weak, tired, out of it, short of breath, palpitations
120/76-HR 48
126/81-HR 47
134/88-HR 44
134/83-HR 44
138/90-HR 39
136/89-HR 42
134/81-HR 42
Lasted at least 3 hours
Wednesday 10/6
Recumbent cross trainer-10 minutes
Reduced consciousness spell
135/92-HR 39
145/94-HR 40
Thursday 10/7
after breakfast, resting
feeling "normal"
102/67-HR 81
102/64-HR 88
Later, out of breath just talking
108/72-HR 53
Friday 10/8
Begin 30-day Event Monitor
Rest after exercise: HR 52
Saturday 10/9
Decreased consciousness most of the day, HR low was 46
Sunday 10/10
Decreased awareness, decreased alertness, weak, tired, HR low was 48
Monday 10/11
Zoning out all day. Low so far around 52. Will probably get lower later, as it usually does. It seems to trade off between low blood pressure and low pulse, so I'm always symptomatic, but always just barely conscious.
It seems like I should see a doctor, but the cardiologist just gave me this monitor. Don't know who I should see.
