So, some time late last year, I arrived for my regular myotherapy treatment feeling a bit "woozy", as I described it to my therapist. She is also a nurse and midwife, so took one look at me and asked if I felt well enough for treatment. I said sure, after all - that meant I could lie down! She didn't seem convinced and took my pulse, which was racing. She thought I might be fighting off an infection, but apart from feeling a bit breathless and faint, I felt fine (and faint is just a variation on normal for me, anyway!) so we went ahead.
Two weeks later, she greeted me asking had I become ill and I assured her I hadn't. She took my pulse and it was again racing and she asked if I was frightened of her! I laughed - no I like her and enjoy our sessions, where I keep her up to date on breastfeeding and entertain her with my coloured hair and clothing.
She was over-seas, in her native France, for the next month or so and I saw her colleague. No pulse-taking occurred and life went on. I next saw he last Friday and mid-way through my treatment, without me realising, she took my pulse again. My "resting" pulse - mid massage - was much higher than she felt was normal and she urged me to see my GP as soon as possible.
My GP doesn't do urgent - she is so popular, you need to plan weeks in advance to see her! So I saw another doctor in the practice. Her checked my pulse and agreed it was cause for concern, so I headed next door for blood tests and an ECG. Not really concerned, as I have had heart tests in the past (2006) for palpitations and all was good. then I went on my merry way and thought I must remember to call a week later for the results.
So it was a bit of a shock to get a call Wednesday while I was at work, asking me to come see the doctor. Today. Now. Well - in an hour? I asked if it could wait until a day I didn't work and was told it couldn't. Now my pulse was racing because of fear!
I drove back to my home suburb to the doctor's rooms and sat down. he said he was very concerned about my low blood count - very low haemaglobin - and after ruling out lots of possibilities through Q and A, said he was sending me straight to hospital for more tests. I knew then my plans to visit Ikea after work with my pregnant daughter were not looking good! then he said he would check my pulse and blood pressure again to make sure I was safe to drive myself to hospital - barely five minutes away, if the traffic lights were good!
He said I was and wrote up a letter for me to take. I figured if I was okay to drive to the hospital, then I was okay to drive home first and rang my daughter, who I knew wasn't working, asking her to meet me at home and drive me down. Experience meant I would have to be in the back of an ambulance to go near a hospital without reading materials etc! (Learned the last time, when stomach pain turned out to be appendicitis!) So I grabbed my crochet and my modern take on a book to read - chargers to keep my tablet alive! Also threw in a change of clothes in case they kept me in.
Over the next seven hours or so, I was monitored, had blood tests and more ECGs, had a chest xray and then told i could go home and see the doctor again the next day (today). Of course, there was no sign of breathlessness or rapid heart beat while I lay connected to monitors!
So today, back to the GP, who was surprised to see me so soon and not to happy about it, as he thought I should be in hospital having more tests! So he made some calls and arranged for me to have gastric- and colonoscopies next Wednesday. His main concern is why my blood count has dropped so much so quickly and he wants to rule out internal bleeding. Yay!
There we are then, all caught up. All this is unrelated to my MS or any other conditions and his caution not to lift anything made me smile - lordy, I don't lift anything! am on strict orders about that already for multiple reasons and I don't lift anything heavier than a cup of tea!!!!
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