May 10, 2010
I told you I’d forget. Well, at least I meant to tell you that I’d forget, but I think I forgot to do that too. Anyway, I forgot about adding more entries to this “Journey to The New York Marathon/Do I have a Heart Condition/Disease? Journal,” the last few days.
Updates? Sure.
Today I woke up and it felt like I held my breath all night again. Sometimes I’ll wake up and my head hurts because I breathe inconsistently when I sleep. They call it sleep apnaea –I’m not sure if that’s how you spell it – and I was diagnosed with it when I was almost ten years younger and at least seventy pounds heavier. (I also had tonsils at that time, which were later removed in an effort to alleviate the difficulties brought on by said condition). I would think after losing a significant amount of weight, quitting smoking, quitting drinking, and having my tonsils removed that any obstructed air paths would be only be brought about by food that I had eaten too fast or drinks that “went down the wrong tube.” However, I still have mornings like today’s when I wake up with a big gasp as if I had just broken the surface of the YMCA pool after challenging all my friends to a “who can stay under the longest,” contest.
This morning, however, was a little different. I sprawled out on the couch after a few minutes of stumbling sleepily between our room and the living room. My heart rate had begun to accelerate noticeably. The breath in my lungs was cold and my chest ached mildly. I decided not to freak out, but sit still and watch SpongeBob with Taylor. My hand rested in a pledge of allegiance position, feeling the pace of my heartbeat eventually slow to it’s normally low 46 beats per minute while Mr. Krab’s decided that The Krabby Patty restaurant would make more money by being open 24 hours – much to Squidwerd’s chagrin and Spongebob’s delight.
After a few minutes, everything returned to normal and I was ready to start the day.
It is weird and probably abnormal, but I can assure that it sounds a lot worse than it is. I’ve dealt with a version of that feeling off and on for the last four years (I can say “four years” because in the years prior I’m sure that those elements were there when I would wake up, but they were typically accompanied with a symptom-covering hangover).
Anyway, even though it has been almost a week since my last entry, I don’t feel like writing a whole catch-up story right now. However, I will throw down a brief summary. The latest on the marathon and heart mystery front is this: I’ll see the cardiologist on Monday to find out what is going on and if I can be cleared to run/train for the marathon, my ankle is still a little tender so the time off is probably a good thing, the job hasn’t changed so Saturday long runs will be out of the question for a while. Despite these challenges (and a few other small ones), my life is full of incredibly supportive people and my attitude remains unhindered. I know that everything is going to be fine. I will be at the start of that race in New York this November.
Count on it.
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