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When did I turn 90?

Monday, March 5, 2012
Okay, remember when I said that I was light headed all last week?  Well, it has continued and gotten worse.  This weekend my heart was racing so badly and I felt like I was having a heart attack. I  had some chest pains too. It was awful and terrifying.  My blood pressure was higher than normal (for me especially).  My blood pressure is usually very, very low.

Today the doctor did an EKG and it was fine but my resting heart rate has been between 90-99 which is pretty high.   It is very uncomfortable to have your heart beating that fast all day long. Also, I have something going on with my blood pressure.  It drops suddenly and drastically from laying down to sitting to standing and my doctor is running tests. I think it is called orthostatic?  Apparently blood is not getting up to my head and heart fast enough?  In the meantime, she put me on a beta blocker. And she made me buy a blood pressure machine AND support hose!!!  Seriously, y'all I was sitting next to a very elderly woman in the CVS getting my beta blocker, blood pressure machine and support hose... And I was thinking HOW did this happen?  I don't smoke (never have), barely drink, eat healthier than most people I know, and I even exercise now!!!  I have gained 7 pounds this year (which I will be losing ASAP) but I am still on the light side and am in no way overweight.

I would be lying if I said I was not a bit nervous.  I never imagined to be having heart/blood pressure issues at this stage of life.   My cholesterol and triglycerides and blood pressure and all that stuff has always been so healthy.  Like remarkably healthy.    The doctor said it could be related to my thyroid or other things so I guess we wait on the blood tests now.  My point in telling you all this is to take your own symptoms seriously.  Dave kind of thought I was having anxiety and he did not take me seriously at first but I KNEW something was not right.  I knew it was not nerves.  I am so glad I went to the doctor (and Ill be even more glad when we figure out what the issue is). Listen to your bodies ladies.

On another note---This weekend Kate had 2 birthday parties to attend.  I only brought my camera to one of them and it was a fabulous fairy party.  It was such a nice party.   Kate LOVED it.  I love these photos of Kate....


There was a jumpy where the girls had "fairy flying lesons"

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Then they could make flower wreaths/crowns and have their face painted....

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Kate was so happy.  I love when she saw her face in the mirror...

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There is nothing I love more than seeing JOY on my children's faces!

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She loved the floral crown.

Then the girls painted little fairy houses...

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Then they did a fairy treasure hunt.  It was adorable. 

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After completing a bunch of tasks, they earned their "fairy wings"

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It was such a great party!!  I so much prefer these "at home parties" and am trying to persuade Kate to have one more like this at home.  She is leaning toward a gymnastics place or Pump it up:(


P.S.  On my "schedule" for the 40 bags project this week is my master closet, my office and the dining room.  I have to be really careful  though because I constantly feel like I might faint and the beta blocker makes it worse.  So, we'll see.  I am going to pray about it and try my best.

38 comments:

  1. Oh I am so sorry you are going through this! I will be praying for fast and good report!! I LOVE the pic of Kate smiling at herself in the mirror, so sweet:)

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    1. Thanks Paige. I just really want to know why this happened suddenly.

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  2. Goodness, Kim! So sorry to hear things haven't improved... will say a prayer for you!!
    oxoxo,
    Stefanie

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  3. You poor thing! How scary! I was in a similar boat when I was pregnant. I had to buy a blood pressure machine and wear support hose too! Maybe you are pregnant!? Ha ha! Just kidding!

    What a fun party! Cute pictures!

    Hope you feel better soon and don't worry about your 40 bags this year!

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    1. Thanks Jodee. I have actually been thinking of you because I was wondering if it could be diabetes!!!!

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  4. Praying for answers and better days ahead. Knowledge is power...and I believe this problem will be well- defined by your test results. I take a beta-blocker daily for an irregular heartbeat, and I have for many years. I know that stress plays a huge part in my feeling irregular beats or racing. I try to work with my meds and keep from sweating small stuff!

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    1. Thank you Gale. I appreciate your prayers so much. I don't feel stressed. I have had many many times in my life when I have felt overwhelmed and stressed...maybe these are "aftershocks?"

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  5. Kim about 10 years ago I had similiar symptons. It ended up being a combination of general anxiety and perimenopause. I resisted but finally agreed to taking antidepressants. Zoloft agreed with me and 10 years later I feel much better. It was amazing the results. No more waking up with heart palpatations, getting dizzy, and feeling like i was going to have a heart attack. I hope you feel better.

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  6. Kim about 10 years ago I had similiar symptons. It ended up being a combination of general anxiety and perimenopause. I resisted but finally agreed to taking antidepressants. Zoloft agreed with me and 10 years later I feel much better. It was amazing the results. No more waking up with heart palpatations, getting dizzy, and feeling like i was going to have a heart attack. I hope you feel better.

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    1. Laura,


      Thank you so much for sharing that with me In fact, I specifically asked my doctor about BOTH anxiety and perimenopause and she assured me that this was not due to either of those things. I think she thinks it is more related to my thyroid and a possible B12 deficiency but who knows??? It is ironic because I don't feel anxious or stressed about anything currently but this heart thing!!!! I just hope they can narrow it down quickly so that I can get rid of this feeling.

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  7. ugghh...this aging stuff...stinks!!

    I am sorry you have had to feel scared about your health...I hope your blood tests reveal something. My girlfriend exercises regularly, eats well and now was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism...I feel totally fine,but I feel like I might just go have a physical just to get blood work done to make sure I dont have anything going on :)

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  8. That is so scary Kim! I learned last year to listen to my body and disregard what others think and so glad I did! You are in my prayers!

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  9. Hello Kim! I am a long time lurker and love reading your blog and hearing your stories. I found your blog while we were adopting from China over three years ago. We have two bio boys and our Kate Rui from Jiangxi. Your posts have inspired me. You have told stories that I needed to hear right at that exact moment. Thank you for sharing your life. I was diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension 15 years ago in my 20s (talk about feeling like I had aged to 90!). I was fortunate to find a doctor who was willing to mimic a study being done at John Hopkins and one little pill a day gave me my life back. Good luck with your journey. It is so difficult to live your life to it's fullest when you feel so exhausted and lightheaded. I hope you are able to find a solution that works for you quickly. Thank you again for being an inspiration!
    Christy

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    1. Christy,

      I would love to know what that pill was! Yes, it is orthostatic hypotension and it is making me kinda crazy. I do want her to find the cause but I'd also love to know what helped you. Thank you for de-lurking!!

      Kim

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  10. It is so scary when your body does things that it's not supposed to. Great advice to not ignore it! I'll be thinking of you and hope that you feel better VERY soon!

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  11. Oh Kim .. I am so sorry. Prayers for you! I too have had my share of 'growing older' issues recently :(

    Fun, fun party - Kate looks darling. I sent out her stickers yesterday .. thank you once again!

    Feel better!!

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  12. Wow sorry to hear it Kim. That must be very scary...my hunch says its nothing serious, I also think it could be heightened anxiety..a good friend went through almost the exact same thing a few years ago. She was given in the end a very mild valium and voila within a few days she was so much better. Keep us posted, wishing for the best.
    That Kate is too cute....what a beautiful little party and she looks like the most enchanted fairy of all..her expressions are so sweet!

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  13. I hear you ! My body is so different know that I am 40 . What the heck??? It makes me frustrated and scared. I have loved the 40 day challenge. Thank you. Praying you get answers and feel better! Kate is the most beautful fairy;)

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  14. Wow -- so sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. Hope the doc can get it figured out and get you back to feeling your right age!! Had heart racing and palipitations for years due to valve leak, but had no idea that it was so bad until it was repaired and I felt normal!

    Way behind on 40 bags too, but the leaking hot water heater has a silver lining in that lots of stuff has to be thrown out now!

    Take care! Love your photos. Kate is so beautiful!

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  15. Looks like Kate had a wonderful time at the party! Hoping you will feel better. I have a thyroid problem but am taking a medication for it....Never had a racing heartbeat though. Perhaps a little anxiety could be causing this....Hope you feel better soon!

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  16. Kim, Hope you're feeling better soon!! Hopefully the doctor can figure out what is going on and you'll be on the road to recovery soon.

    Kate looks so adorable. The party looked like it was a huge hit with all the girls!!

    Susie

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  17. Sorry to read about your distress - I've had thyroid issues and want to add one comment for you! The "normal range" of thyroid hormone TS3 is formally listed as from .5 to 5. ALTHOUGH....there is a new line of thinking that says most people feel best when the level is 2.0 or less.

    I fell asleep all day long at 3.8 (considered in the normal range) and gained weight without changing my diet. With medication now my TSH 3 is <1 and my life has completely changed and I feel 100% better.

    Hope your doctor is sensitive to the research about what is "normal" in thyroid levels.

    Hope you're feeling better soon!

    P.S. the fairy photos are too cute :D

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  18. Oh, I just love how much Kate loves life! I need to remember to be more like her and find joy in the little things.

    I'm so sorry to hear about your health. I went through something similar in college. I'd always been healthy, but all of a sudden, my heart would go a mile a minute then skip beats. I'd get dizzy and pass out. They put me on beta blockers, but they made me really depressed. In my case, I think it was just nerves. I worked on getting myself to relax and cut out all caffeine. (And I stopped taking those darned beta blockers.) Now ten years later (yikes!) I'm totally fine.

    Hoping your issue is a fleeting thing like mine was.

    Laura

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  19. Oh yes....I turned 90 a few years ago (sigh) it was really hard news to accept! I have sort of the same thing. I have always had high blood pressure and been on medication since my teens (hereditary!) but now I have an irregular heart beat that beats like 1000 times more than it is supposed to a day. Awesome:) I will tell you that I have been on a beta blocker for three years now and it makes me dizzy and light headed so that might not go away. Hopefully, your medication won't make you feel that way. Praying for you my sweet friend. You are healthy, young, gorgeous, encouraging, loving and just about perfect in my book:)

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  20. I was about to mention having the thyroid checked as well, but you beat me to it. That good ol' thyroid starts to play games with your body at about this point for some women. I'm no exception to that rule. Hope it gets figured out for you.
    I love the photos of the birthday party. Very cute ideas.

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  21. Just catching up on blogging and so sorry to hear you have been sick - keep us updated on your health issues!! Fairy princesses are adorable - I miss when mine were that young! Love all the tulle!!
    xx-Gina

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  22. I pray that your symptoms soon pass and you get to the bottom of the light headedness, racing heart race and blood pressure. Have patience and take good care!

    Love the party and Kate's sweet joy on her face!

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  23. I pray that your symptoms soon pass and you get to the bottom of the light headedness, racing heart race and blood pressure. Have patience and take good care!

    Love the party and Kate's sweet joy on her face!

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  24. Kim, long time reader just never post comments. I just turned 32 years old last week ( I feel 90 too) and have a form of autonomic dysfunction called POTS. Stands for (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). I have the exact same symptom profile as you. It sounds as if you at least have someone recognizing what is going wrong. It took almost 18 months for doctors to figure out I was having heart rate and blood pressure issues. I hope they can figure this out quickly for you! Extra salt/fluids/pedialyte have helped a bit. Just thought I would throw that out there. I've been dealing with this for years and I knew your post the other day sounded very familiar!

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    1. Ashley. Yes, that is what they are thinking it might be... POTS. I see a cardiologist on the 26th. Do you take anything? Is it better? Thank you for sharing, it is nice to know you are not alone:)

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    2. I think that if it is POTS just the fact that they seem to have caught it early is a HUGE blessing. At the moment I am not on any medication, but the things that i have found that help me have been gluten/dairy free diet, very tailored exercise program focusing on sitting down exercises and strengthening leg muscles (Dr. Levine's protocol...a doc from Dallas), lots and lots of salt and fluids. I'm about to try Licorice Root which has the same properties as Fludrocortisone without the side effects.
      Interestingly enough I am going to Dallas the first two weeks in April to the potstreatmentcenter.com and doing her program!! I am really excited! If you do get diagnosed it might be something you could look into. There are many good doctors in TX. Dr. Suleman and Dr. Levine are both in Dallas. I may try to find you on FB. I want to hear how the appointment goes. Sibi Riffer (pearls and grace) is a good IRL friend of mine and I think you guys are friends. I'll find you :) You will get better!!

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    3. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Ashley!!! I feel so blessed that you knew about some doctors. I am friends with Sibi on FB so you can find me.

      I have such trouble doing things like the elliptical machine and now it is all making sense. I will let you know what I find out.

      Kim

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  25. Hi Kim,
    Trust your body and your "gut" instincts always. I hope the testing process isn't too painful or bothersome. You should always get a second opinion when it comes to your health. When above comments had to do with stress I immediately thought of Harry's health issues. Whatever the cause I hope you are feeling better soon! I am hoping to be back to blogging early April!,

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  26. Good grief, you have had a lot going on.. So sorry I am just getting this now!! When I read the title, I thought.. boy can I relate!!! If it makes you feel better I have been on high blood pressure meds since before Sienna came home.. Not a big shocker!! :) but, I have done great on them. The party looks like it was so much fun. I better step it up for 6 and 7 on July!!!!

    Love,
    Di

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  27. First, what a fabulous party Kate got to attend! I will have to keep that theme in mind for when my girls are a tiny bit older. It looks like so much fun. LOVE the picture of her looking in the mirror after getting her face painted!

    Second, oh my - I am so sorry about your heart issues. I was actually on a Beta Blocker for three or four years back when I was in college due to some similar issues you were having. (Gee - we have so many health issues in common - haha!) Anyway, I read the post above this first and then scrolled down to see what you were referring to. I hope that the medicine helps and you are able to get it figured out and under control. I know how scary it can be to have your heart acting up. I will keep you in my prayers! And Harry too.

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  28. Seriously...I need to find a fairy in my part of the woods!!!! This is precious!!!

    HOpe you start feeling better soon!!!! UGH...hate that!!!

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  29. Kim,
    I have been totally out of the blogging world lately and just popped over to check in..and bam!! I have been scrolling back through trying to get caught up on everything. I am so thankful you got some good news for Harry and I hope all your tests come back normal. You have so much on your plate but yet you always seem so upbeat and positive. I will be praying for you and your adorable family!!
    xoSissy

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Thank you for your kindness.