missionmightymom

Exhaustion? Check?

Stomach bug? Check.

Sick baby? Check.

Doctor appointment after doctor appointment? Check. And check.

Whew! After a month of illness I think we may finally be getting back on track. We have had stomach bugs and allergies, and most recently some concern with regards to my heart…but we are currently all healthy…just in time to stuff our faces full of turkey and dressing and apple cobbler.

I am eager to get back into my gym routine. I feel all sorts of off when I’m not working out. So next week…it’s on!

But not before another visit with the cardiologist. Today, I am thankful for advances in modern medicine. Because of recent dizzy spells, accompanied by chest pressure, exhaustion, and my famously high cholesterol levels (my nurse yesterday referred to me as an overachiever, hehe) I was referred to a new cardiologist for some testing. I spent hours yesterday strapped to machines, running on a treadmill (btw- I passed this test with flying colors!) and inside of an MRI machine. It was while inside the MRI machine that the doctor performed a very new, very non-invasive Calcium Score test. This ‘overachiever’ failed. The test revealed a fairly dangerous amount of plaque in the walls on the arteries in my heart. My cardiologist was a bit alarmed, but seems to be treating the issue aggressively, scheduling a 4 hour CT scan of my heart for next week. In the meantime I will have follow-up blood work with my primary care physician to determine whether or not my current medication if doing a sufficient job, and then I will meet with my cardiologist again to discuss our plan of action.

Without medical advancements and modern technology, this would have gone undetected, and could have potentially been fatal. But my doctor assures me that as long as I am his patient, I will not have any cardiac events. I will continue to eat healthy and I will continue to exercise, because although my heart problems are of the genetic variety, the cardiologist says that 20% of the problem is related to lifestyle. Meaning that had I been sedentary, and had I eaten every hamburger I ever wanted, things would be a lot worse.

I am feeling positive. I am feeling in control. And I am feeling thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

**If high cholesterol runs in your family, it is highly recommended that you visit a cardiologist. In the words of my very trusted doctor, there is absolutely no reason for any one in this day and time to have a heart attack or stroke. Take control.