I lost track of time this afternoon and didn't call the cardiologist's office until it was closed..... I actually managed to get distracted despite a couple of reminders in the interim! If I'd been able to call in the morning it would have been fine; I usually do a good job getting important stuff done when I can get it done first. THing is, the doctor wanted me to call late in the day..... and I guess that's a time when lots of things happen around here and I'm busy doing mom stuff and my own stuff gets left til later.
So anyway I won't find out til MOnday. I wasn't planning to do any heavy exercise over the weekend anyway, I don't think...... but I'm disappointed to have to wait that long for such a dumb reason. I considered leaving a message for the on-call doctor...... but the outgoing message said clearly that any non emergency calls would not be answered.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Great Cardiologist! and a knee comment
The cardiologist was great. He did an EKG and had some blood drawn for things I don't usually have checked (like potassium and magnesium) and had me schedule an echocardiogram. (That's on Thursday.) The EKG was normal, and he said to call the day after the echo, and go easy on the biking til we have the results, though he thinks they will probably be okay. (He said not to worry about anything else I do.) He explained a lot of stuff. I will try to have questions ready for Friday -- since he seemed great about answering them all.
He didn't seem to mind that I had biked there..... (I didn't tell him it wa 13 miles each way, but he HAS my address.) I think the main thing was, I have been biking wearing a heart rate monitor and making sure my HR stays within range -- in my case my max is 180, so try to keep it under like 175, and usually under 170. I did tell him that. Today it was easier than yesterday -- I think my HR is better, though it could be that I was riding slower because my R knee is hurting. (Don't think so, though, given the time -- and my resting HR is a little better too.) I think he was cool about the biking because he has a biking past -- in fact he said he and my oncologist met 20 years ago as biking buddies! (Now why does that make me feel like I'm in good hands? But it does!)
I don't mind missing tomorrow's ride, though it is out to the bread store in Herndon..... but actually my right knee has been talking to me. Given the 26 miles I rode today and the 26 I rode yesterday (and the 26 I am probably going to be riding again on thursday -- to get the echocardiogram!) I think my knee would like to go to the chiropractor tomorrow and go swimming.
On knees -- I don't know if I mentioned this, but my Mayo oncologist explained that I have two separate benign conditions in my two separate knees. I had asked him to order an MRI on my right knee, as something had been seen on it on an Xray of my hip @ g-town -- but I had mentioned the irony that it's my left knee that usually gives me enough trouble to go to the chiropractor .... so he ordered a scan of them both. At the time I didn't appreciate it, because I was hoping to see the pathology from my removed breast, but now that I've seen it and am dealing with it and my KNEE hurts, I think it's really neat that he took the time to explain it and show me pictures of it. (I think it's SO COOL when doctors do wonderful things like that. I have had a lot of luck lately with that kind of thing, haven't I???)
Now if I were really together I'd find that knee report and bring it to the chiropractor. WOuldn't that be smart? I'll write myself a note..... too tired now. Now what I need to do is walk the dog and make dinner -- but what I really WANT to do is have a hot bath. :-D
He didn't seem to mind that I had biked there..... (I didn't tell him it wa 13 miles each way, but he HAS my address.) I think the main thing was, I have been biking wearing a heart rate monitor and making sure my HR stays within range -- in my case my max is 180, so try to keep it under like 175, and usually under 170. I did tell him that. Today it was easier than yesterday -- I think my HR is better, though it could be that I was riding slower because my R knee is hurting. (Don't think so, though, given the time -- and my resting HR is a little better too.) I think he was cool about the biking because he has a biking past -- in fact he said he and my oncologist met 20 years ago as biking buddies! (Now why does that make me feel like I'm in good hands? But it does!)
I don't mind missing tomorrow's ride, though it is out to the bread store in Herndon..... but actually my right knee has been talking to me. Given the 26 miles I rode today and the 26 I rode yesterday (and the 26 I am probably going to be riding again on thursday -- to get the echocardiogram!) I think my knee would like to go to the chiropractor tomorrow and go swimming.
On knees -- I don't know if I mentioned this, but my Mayo oncologist explained that I have two separate benign conditions in my two separate knees. I had asked him to order an MRI on my right knee, as something had been seen on it on an Xray of my hip @ g-town -- but I had mentioned the irony that it's my left knee that usually gives me enough trouble to go to the chiropractor .... so he ordered a scan of them both. At the time I didn't appreciate it, because I was hoping to see the pathology from my removed breast, but now that I've seen it and am dealing with it and my KNEE hurts, I think it's really neat that he took the time to explain it and show me pictures of it. (I think it's SO COOL when doctors do wonderful things like that. I have had a lot of luck lately with that kind of thing, haven't I???)
Now if I were really together I'd find that knee report and bring it to the chiropractor. WOuldn't that be smart? I'll write myself a note..... too tired now. Now what I need to do is walk the dog and make dinner -- but what I really WANT to do is have a hot bath. :-D
Monday, December 1, 2008
Cardiologist Visit tomorrow
So tomorrow I go to see this cardiologist and hope he knows what kind of test to do (echo-cardiogram? EKG? MUGA scan? All of the above?) At least I have a problem I know needs addressed, NOW, thanks to Joan, who brought me her husband's heart rate monitor yesterday and then today loaned me her blood pressure cuff -- despite the fact that the pulsing I got on Thanksgiving day has not recurred.
My BP looks okay, low normal as usual. HOwever, my heart rate is abnormal. It's never been as low as you would think for someone who does as much regular physical activity as I do...... and I guess it did go up 5-10 beats/min during my first 6 months of chemo. However, it's now 20 beats/min above normal. I'm talking I'm getting resting pulses around 100.
I had an eye appointment today and I biked to it wearing this heart rate monitor, being careful not to let my HR go above 170-175, which is a good upper limit for me during vigorous exercise. Except today I got up to it without a whole lot of vigor...... Biking up small hills would get me above 160, which is nuts. I'm really glad I had the monitor, because without it it would really not have been intuitive to ride that slowly. Joan came with me (because she's just that way.) I asked her what our pace was a couple of times, so I know I was getting heart rates in the 160s at 10-11 mph.
I was on my old mountain bike -- and once we were going slightly uphill on the CCT -- and the other time going slightly downhill, but with a headwind. Still I'm not sure I could keep up with the Babes at the pace I would need to ride to keep my HR in a safe range, even on the Pilot (my nice road bike.)
So.... while I have had no recurrence of the Thanksgiving pulsing, I have something to bring to the cardiologist. I need to know what is going on with me and have it addressed -- by medicine, stopping the chemo, whatever. (Of course so far I'm hearing denial that the chemo or steroids could have caused this -- but something did, and it happened a week after I had them, so it seems kinda like a logical connection to look for, you know?)
I sure hope this guy knows what to do, and that something can be done that works. At this point I'm not sure how much I can ride my bike, though the monitor is a godsend (maybe I should make up a new word -- "joansend"?) and I'm afraid to swim (even though I can!) because I can't wear the heart rate monitor in the water ..... and of course I don't dare have sex......
Aren't I maybe a wee bit young and healthy for this kinda thing? Yeah I know I have breast cancer, and it was caught kinda late -- but even with that and this heart rate stuff, I still feel healthy -- particularly healthy, healthier than most, as usual. The only thing that bothered me today really was my right knee, on the ride back from Chevy Chase. My knees apparently each have separate benign conditions, my Mayo oncologist told me after the MRI of them. Nice to know, you know? Maybe if I can't ride on Wednesday I'll pay a visit to my favorite chiropractor and have it, um, fixed (I don't think I've seen him since before my mastectomy.) Then if I'm cleared to, maybe I can go swimming.....
My BP looks okay, low normal as usual. HOwever, my heart rate is abnormal. It's never been as low as you would think for someone who does as much regular physical activity as I do...... and I guess it did go up 5-10 beats/min during my first 6 months of chemo. However, it's now 20 beats/min above normal. I'm talking I'm getting resting pulses around 100.
I had an eye appointment today and I biked to it wearing this heart rate monitor, being careful not to let my HR go above 170-175, which is a good upper limit for me during vigorous exercise. Except today I got up to it without a whole lot of vigor...... Biking up small hills would get me above 160, which is nuts. I'm really glad I had the monitor, because without it it would really not have been intuitive to ride that slowly. Joan came with me (because she's just that way.) I asked her what our pace was a couple of times, so I know I was getting heart rates in the 160s at 10-11 mph.
I was on my old mountain bike -- and once we were going slightly uphill on the CCT -- and the other time going slightly downhill, but with a headwind. Still I'm not sure I could keep up with the Babes at the pace I would need to ride to keep my HR in a safe range, even on the Pilot (my nice road bike.)
So.... while I have had no recurrence of the Thanksgiving pulsing, I have something to bring to the cardiologist. I need to know what is going on with me and have it addressed -- by medicine, stopping the chemo, whatever. (Of course so far I'm hearing denial that the chemo or steroids could have caused this -- but something did, and it happened a week after I had them, so it seems kinda like a logical connection to look for, you know?)
I sure hope this guy knows what to do, and that something can be done that works. At this point I'm not sure how much I can ride my bike, though the monitor is a godsend (maybe I should make up a new word -- "joansend"?) and I'm afraid to swim (even though I can!) because I can't wear the heart rate monitor in the water ..... and of course I don't dare have sex......
Aren't I maybe a wee bit young and healthy for this kinda thing? Yeah I know I have breast cancer, and it was caught kinda late -- but even with that and this heart rate stuff, I still feel healthy -- particularly healthy, healthier than most, as usual. The only thing that bothered me today really was my right knee, on the ride back from Chevy Chase. My knees apparently each have separate benign conditions, my Mayo oncologist told me after the MRI of them. Nice to know, you know? Maybe if I can't ride on Wednesday I'll pay a visit to my favorite chiropractor and have it, um, fixed (I don't think I've seen him since before my mastectomy.) Then if I'm cleared to, maybe I can go swimming.....
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