Yesterday at clinic my transplant cardiologist Melanie Everitt said my lab work looked good. I have more color in my face because I am no longer anemic. I am also feeling better than I have been, given our circumstances.I was able to take my family on a few outings this past week, which we haven’t done in a long time.
Here’s a few pictures: We visited down-town Salt Lake City and saw some historical sites; i.e. Mormon Tabernacle; we also had some good friends take us to dinner for big juicy protein steaks. I am eating like 100 grams of protein each day.
This is all good news! I need to be strong for the transplant operation. It will help in the recovery.
I am fortunate to have wonderful doctors and nurses. I feel a great connection with each one of them and I trust their judgment.But, again, every time I go into the children hospital to receive care I see kids in hard circumstances. But, I'm at peace knowing a few of the people who are providing their medical care.
We did learn that my heart is having premature ventricular contraction (PVC), also known as ventricular premature beat (VPB) or extrasystole, is a form of irregular heartbeats in which the ventricle contracts prematurely. This may be perceived as a "skipped beat" or as palpitations. So for the past 24 hours my heart has been monitored to see how often I have them.
Possible triggers of PVC – I commented on each of these.* Anxiety/Stress (I have some of this)
* Chocolate (I do eat a lot of this)
* Caffeine (Coca-Cola, yes)
* Cocaine or other stimulant (No)
* Calcium/magnesium imbalance (Yes, I have this)
* Dehydration (sometimes)
* Exercise (I don’t do this)
* Hormonal imbalance (Nope)
* Hypercapnia (CO2 poisoning) (I have no idea)
* Hyperstimulation of the Vagus nerve (Not sure)
* Lack of sleep/exhaustion (Yes, this is true)
* Overeating (A little bit)
* Low copper (I don’t eat pennies)
* MSG (I think this is in a bunch of the food I eat)
