Slice of Chaotic Life

Palpitations from the morning, on my way home I could feel my heart speed up. It now varied from +30 to +50 above normal speed. (I just came home from work, and put the pulse watch on.) Temperature around 37.5C  (99.5F), the same that made the doctor diagnose influenza when I was in the emergency room a week and a half ago. Obviously I don’t have an influenza that comes and goes. That’s not how influenza works. So all we know is that I have SOMETHING, which makes my heart race and my temperature rise, but we don’t know what.

I called the ER again. They said I could come there in half an hour. But I had a pulse of 150 just standing up. I felt like I was going into shock here. I was not sure I could go that distance unless I got so much better I no longer needed to. Still, when the time approached, I trudged off. Interestingly, my pulse was only a little higher while walking than when standing or sitting. It seems the speed of my heart comes from something else than the muscles needing oxygen. But I don’t know what.

The wait was less this time, and the doctor spoke Norwegian.  She hooked me up to the EKG machine again. I was half sitting instead of lying flat, but the readings were pretty much exactly the same. When sitting normally or walking, my heart does double beats quite a lot today, and has done since the morning. That did not show on the EKG at all. But she could eliminate some dangerous conditions simply from the shape of the graph, which she pointed out for me. So as far as the heart was concerned, there was no need to do anything tonight. She still had no idea what it could be. Not influenza this time. She said it was not sepsis, she had seen patients with that and I did not look the part. (I agree. I mentioned it because of the tooth, mainly.) Besides it is not something that comes and goes. My blood pressure was higher this time, but again not dangerous. (I had been more worried that it would be too low, actually – I felt weak, as if I had somehow lost pressure.)

The ER doctor gave me printouts of both of the recordings (from today and 11 days ago) and a letter to my regular doctor. I could not remember his name, still can’t. So it’s been a while. ^_^ She advised me to call him tomorrow and try to get an appointment this week, for blood tests and to apply for a portable EKG to catch the arrhythmia while I am exercising. (Or just sitting, in today’s case.)

I am pretty sure it is not a mental thing, since I did not panic until after about half an hour. (Same as last time, more or less.) It is first when I continue getting worse and worse for a while that I feel fear. I am a bit ashamed for being afraid of death, but it really is something I think any mammal would feel when the body inches closer to shock.

I am still a bit shaken (and my pulse is still 90-100 instead of 60-70). I appreciate any prayers for my soul. Well, as long as they don’t imply me going to Valhalla or some such.