Palpatations

Let me tell you, the images on cartoons where the character's heart palpatates right out of the chest is a slice of real life.

Trust me, I've seen my heart do it two different times now. Granted, it didn't actually stretch my shirt 3 feet from my chest in a heart-shape, BUT my chest cavity did raise and fall with each rapid heart beat, and while I was on the phone with the consulting nurse yesterday-that was the only way I could actually count each beat to give her a heart rate. I did everything I could to keep her from calling 911, and while it took quite a lot of concentration on my part, I was able to take my own heart rate- it started at 120 bpm, then 150 bpm, got up to 210 bpm, and then fell back down to 150 bpm over the course of an hour. After taking 50 mg of metoprolol, my HR dropped down to 55 bpm, and my mom came over and worked on her homework while I slept.
Today, the doc said there's nothing medically wrong with my heart. After being stuck for blood, my thyroid is fine, my EKG was normal, and I'm supposed to take 25 mg of metoprolol for the next few days. The sucky thing is that it makes me quite "rummy" (to use the words of the ER nurse) and makes it difficult to function. I didn't even try to go to work, and I'd hate to hear the message I left on my sup's vm after my appt was done, because I'm pretty sure I was still out of it. I got home around 11, and this bruised and exhausted Melinda slept until 5pm, and I'm sure I could sleep for another 10-12 hours!

It's amazing what your heart racing upwards of 200 bpm will do to your body. Not only fatigue, but possible blood clots, strokes, and temporary congestive heart failure...

Sounds like fun, huh.