Echos, EKGs, and X-rays, oh my

Well, I'm finally home from what has turned out to be one of the longest and most worrisome days of my life. As I promised in my last entry, I woke up with the intention of busting my butt to get back on my healthy train. I wasn't terribly excited about my morning run because I didn't get enough sleep the night before, but I was determined to tough it out regardless. I got to Rachel's a little late. We started our run in the typical fashion and nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. I usually don't get out of breath until at least my 2nd mile, and I really don't start to sweat until the 3rd or 4th mile. Rachel and I got about 2 and a half miles from her house, and I could feel myself breathing heavier than usual. I tried to focus on the rhythm of my feet and breath in my usual pattern, but it didn't seem to help. All of the sudden, I began sweating profusely and my heart started racing. My chest felt extremely tight; it was unbearable. As much as I wanted to push through it, I had no other choice but to listen to what my body was trying to tell me. Clearly, something was horribly wrong. I slowed my pace to a walk and all of the sudden my vision began to tunnel. I felt like I was going to vomit. I fell to the ground because I literally could not see two feet in front of me. My heart continued to race. No matter what I did I could not catch my breath. I sat on the side of the road, gasping for air until Rachel caught up to me. By that point, I was able to see again, and I could kind of explain what was happening. My appendages were shaking violently my heart rate was much higher than it should have been. I cannot imagine what I would have done without Rachel. She booked it back to her house while I walked to a bench down the street. I laid down and gave my body a minute to relax, but my heart rate was still racing.

By the time I got back to my apartment, my heart rate was still elevated and I still had some chest discomfort. I despise hospitals and doctor's offices. They are full of bad news and my biggest fear is that they're going to tell me that I have to stop running, My sweet dad begged and pleaded for me to go. To be honest, he mostly scared me into it. I was still having tightness in my chest, so I figured it would be best to go to my doctor to see what was going on. I only went to my normal doctor. He ran an EKG to measure my heart beat, ran a few blood tests, and gave me a chest x-ray. To my surprise and dismay, he had no answers for me. He couldn't believe that this could happen to someone as healthy as me. He told me that I have no risk factors for any heart problems, so he was pretty dumbfounded. He wanted me to go to the hospital for further testing because my symptoms were consistent with a minor heart attack (or so he said), but he really wasn't convinced that it was that. He was also concerned that it might have been a blood clot in my heart or lungs, and he did not have the means to test for such things at his office.

Two hours after the episode on the side of the road, Blakely and I found ourselves in the emergency room, sharing a room with a poor old woman that had explosive diarrhea in her diaper. Miserable doesn't begin to describe this experience.
I was immediately put in a robe, hooked up to a heart rate/blood pressure monitor, and given oxygen. It was pretty extreme if you ask me, but doctors take matters of the heart pretty seriously. I was given an IV; apparently I was also dehydrated. They completed the same tests at the hospital that they ran at my doctor's office and then some. My favorite, if I had to choose, was the stress echo. To add to the 7 wires I already had dangling off my body, I was hooked up to ten more for the stress echo. The doctor used a sonogram to take pictures of my heart before beginning the test. It was so amazing to see my heart on a monitor. It was beating beautifully. Next, they strapped a giant belt around my waist to keep my wires attached to me and put me on a treadmill. The speed and elevation begin relatively low, especially for someone who runs 5 miles almost everyday. My starting heart rate was below a hundred, and I had to stay on the treadmill until it reached 176. Every three minutes, the speed and elevation of the treadmill increased. I am used to running more than 5.5 mph, but at an elevation of 18 and with bare feet, it was pretty difficult. It took 15 minutes for my heart rate to increase enough for them to photograph my heart again. Once I reached 176, I had to jump off the treadmill, rip off my gown, and let her lube up my chest for the reading. It was a crazy experience. I was excited that the nurses were so impressed by my incredible heart rate. They kept telling me how in shape I am to be able to run for so long before my heart rate increases. It made me feel awfully special.

Cheezin' in the ER! 

The doctor came in after about 5 hours of testing and laying around only to tell me that everything looked normal. He couldn't explain why my episode occurred and that I should follow  up with my doctor next week. I feel good that it wasn't a blood clot or heart attack, obviously. I guess I will just take it as "no news means good news". I wish I had more answers, but the most important thing is that it wasn't anything too serious and I don't have to stop running. 

I cannot stress the importance of listening to your body while you workout. Every run is filled with it's share of cramps and aches, but I could tell that it was much more than that this time. Even though I have no explanation, I will sleep easier knowing that I have a completely healthy heart. To my amazing friend Rachel, thank you for all you did for me today. I dread thinking about what could have happened had you not been there. You're officially my hero.

I appreciate everyone's kind words and medical advice during this brief moment of panic. Y'all are the absolute best friends a fat girl could ask for. I am going to rest tomorrow and see how I feel Wednesday before I try to exercise again. After that, it's back to the grind.