Starting metoprolol and TTT is Tuesday

[RecipeForDisaster]

I love my cardiologist. My exercise stress test said while my BP was low, I'm in okay shape for being sedentary/unfit. That is not me. Desipte discomfort I continue to walk, hike, horseback ride, or kayak four or more times per week. My "usual" walk or hike is six to ten miles. I'm not always managing to finish that length anymore but I keep trying. My resting heart rate used to be under sixty. It hit one seventy in six minutes of walking. It was a hundred sitting quietly for an hour in his office. Sorry my numbers keys are not coming up! Because my resting rate was so low before I got sick, I believe a hundred or one twenty is pretty fast. That's where it is at night when I wake up and it's very uncomfortable... but it doesn't set off "alarm bells" because it's not one fifty or anything. The cardiologist says that he would almost diagnose me with inappropriate sinus tach but my rates aren't usually fast enough.

He put me on metoprolol succinate ER, a tiny dose. When I take it after dinner, I fall asleep much easier as the pounding heart isn't as bad. However, I still wake at just about three thirty every morning with a pounding, half as hard as before but still too much to sleep through, and a fast rate and I cannot fall back asleep. I'm getting about four hours of sleep which is better than the zero to one I was getting before metoprolol. My rate and BP have not changed and although he was curious about my exercise tolerance it has not improved. He offered diltiazem which I may try. I was happy that my BP wasn't affected, at least. I don't feel much different on it during the day although it should work for twenty four hours. 

I've had a cold and my heart pounding and fast rate are so much worse when I do! It's by far the most bothersome part of the cold. I don't take any meds for the cold, btw and this is whether or not I have a fever.

My TTT is Tuesday at Beth Israel. I'm stopping metoprolol today just in case. I'm off all of my supplements as well... I think they were helping. I don't think I will come up with POTS but I do think some other autonomic issues will show themselves. Right now I am most bothered by not being able to sleep due to pounding heart, exercise intolerance, and presyncope.

[corina]

That's really good that you're still continue doing the things you love! Wishing you good luck testing, hope things will work out giving you the tools to find out what's going on an hpefully get better!