Teressa's Posts

It's been abut 4 months since my last update, mainly because there wasn't anything to update. Going gluten free made me feel so much better. I've only had a few episodes of vomiting due to gluten contamination, so it was certainly the culprit. In general I've tried to focus on what I can eat, not what I can't eat. Really I'm just frustrated that eating is no longer easy. Then, about 3 weeks ago I started feeling not so great. I also started having more anxiety and bad days. I remember one Sunday staying in bed most of the day, telling my husband that noting specific was wrong with me, but I just didn't feel good. I've been weepy and having PTSD symptoms again. Yesterday morning I had a full meltdown over the cat being sick and EVERYTHING. Fortunately, I had an appointment with the nurse practitioner at the cardiologist's office. My pulse rate was 43 bpm. A quick look at my Apple health data shows that my resting heart rate dropped three weeks ago. The EKG shows a possible heart block. I'm wearing a monitor for 2 weeks, have an echo scheduled, and stopped my low dose of metoprolol. If the metoprolol is the culprit, then great, my heart rate will come back up to a better level in the next few days and all will be well. If not, next steps are a heart cath and possibly a pacemaker. In a way, it was a relief to know something was really wrong with me, and it wasn't all in my head. It isn't that I want a pacemaker, but if I need a pacemaker, I want to go ahead and get this over with. I'm tired. I want to move on with my life and be beyond all of this drama, pain, and worry. I am living in constant fear about what will be the next thing to go wrong with me. I still physically hurt all day every day. I called and moved up my next GP appointment because of this and my insurance company has denied one of my diabetes medicines. My last A1C us fantastic, so my "reward" is they don't think I need all of the meds I'm on. It is so stupid. My A1C is great because I am on this cocktail of meds. We'll see if I need some temporary adjustment to my mental health medications to get through this latest issue. Sorry for the whining, but I know others here will understand my frustration. To come through something so monumental as heart surgery to still be dealing with health issues is setting me back. Also, I know the low heart rate means less O2 is making its way to my brain and my blood sugar levels getting out of whack are part of my emotional rollercoaster right now. C

November 2024 Update - It has been a year since my life turned upside down. Last November I went to the hospital for a simple outpatient D&C. I ended up in the hospital for 3 days, leaving with O2 and a list of diagnoses, the most severe of which was Aortic Stenosis. My surgery was January 4, 2024, so I'm at at 10.5 months out. It has been a wild journey. I've been a bit in my feels as I remember myself a year ago. It didn't help that I had another simple outpatient procedure on Halloween, so I was more than nervous about something going wrong. Fortunately, the upper endoscopy on Halloween went very well and my nurse anesthetist was AMAZING. She helped me calm down and whispered encouragements to me before and while she was putting me under. Her kindness is so different from some of my other medical experiences. Here is the best news, I'm no longer nauseous all day every day. I've been dealing with nausea and vomiting constantly since my surgery in January. I am also unable to eat beef, chicken, or pork. My GI doctor walked into the OR and said, "After reviewing everything again, I think you are Celiac." Boom, there you have it. I went gluten free on Nov 1, and now I'm no longer sick all the time. I'm still waiting on the biopsy results, but I don't really care, if not eating gluten makes my life liveable, gluten free it is. Apparently Celiac Disease can be triggered by major stress and/or surgery if you have the underlying genetics for it. I saw my GP last week for a 6 month check up. My bloodwork looked almost perfect. My liver and kidneys are working well. My A1C is in the normal range. I