Strapped
I’ve been wearing this dorky medical device for the last 48 hours. It’s like walking around with a 1980’s Walkman on my hip. Which isn’t very hip. 
Not to mention I have wires running to it from my torso and I haven’t been able to shower since they put it on me. So I’m going to get it taken off this morning and that will be a relief. The reason I’m wearing it is that I’ve had heart palpitations (I guess that’s what they’re called) from time to time for several months or more. My heart will just start racing for no apparent reason. So my doctor wanted me to get this 48 hour ECG to see if they pick up anything. Any oddities that would indicate a heart problem or something. Thing is, I haven’t really had it happen since they wired me. At least not one of the very noticeable episodes. So on top of walking around feeling like an out-of-date cyborg, and a less-than-fresh smellling one at that, it all may be for naught. So here I am hoping I have an “event” in the next half hour. Woo hoo. Fun.
May 13th, 2005 at 12:10 pm
I have the same thing from time to time…the doc ordered me an ultrasound-like thing and they looked at my heart but didn’t find anything. I sometimes think this has to do with drinking coffee that’s too strong, but whatever it is…it scares me just a lil bit.
May 13th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
yeah, i don’t know if they will find anything either. the thing is, i cut way back on coffee recently (the horror!). i haven’t been drinking it at all during the week, really. just during the weekend, maybe a few cups per week. so it doesn’t seem like caffeine is the issue. it might just be stress–it seems like it happens when i’m at home, not really when i’m at work. could home be more stressful than work? imagine that. but i honestly haven’t been able to come up with any strong association with anything else.
it’s probably nothing to worry about, but it sure does feel strange.
by the way, “coffee that’s too strong.” now, what exactly is that?
May 13th, 2005 at 5:09 pm
It sounds to me like something (or someone) broke your heart, and it needs fixin’. It’s not about the coffee…
May 18th, 2005 at 7:53 pm
Peet’s Coffee tends to rock my nervous-system world.
May 19th, 2005 at 9:05 am
and that’s a bad thing? 8-]
May 19th, 2005 at 9:08 am
yes, my heart must have been broken somwhere along the way. fortunately you are there to mend it.
June 22nd, 2005 at 3:37 pm
I actually had the *exact* same thing happen to me about a year and a half ago. I had a little episode at the gym where my heart started racing for no good reason (I wasn’t doing fast cardio, but it was going like I was running full speed, kinda freaky). After 20 min or so it calmed down, but it scared me enough to go to the doc. I had to go to a cardiologist and they made me wear one of these things, but before that I had to quit caffeine. And that pretty much cured me.
Who knew that a 3 or 4 shot latte would do that to you? I will use my brain next time. I quit hardcore for a while, but I find that if I have a coke or something in the mornign that it has just enough to keep me awake, but not enough to get my heart racing.
Good luck!