Aah my body ... tricks that work for me

To say the past 18 months have been an eye opener for me has proven to be an understatement. Don't get me wrong, I've always thought how amazing our bodes are, with all that they do. I just didn't realise how finicky they could be about some things and, believe me when I say, that THAT was an education in itself.

So, the one drug I take for my blood pressure slows the heart rate. When mine was getting to 48, 46 or thereabouts bpm, it would start the weird sickly feelings and go into A-Fib, missing beats as it felt like it, making me get those dream like "falling off a cliff" gasping moments. 

However, the rest of my body didn't like that, and the feelings that I had when it happened, my blood pressure would go sky high. I'd end up going and pedalling on my elliptical bike for 10 minutes or so to raise my heart rate slightly, out of that "danger zone" for me. But I had to be careful, as - if my heart rate went too high - the racing side of the A-fib would start, which was just as scary and resulted in panic attack type feelings and was rather scary. So, I learned to pedal carefully, so as to just raise my heart rate by about 10 bpm, to take it out of one danger zone and keep it away from the other.

A visit to the ER (lovely way to blow almost $1700 on a co-pay, if ever there was one ... and I'm STILL making payments on) resulted in them halving the dose of the pill that lowered my heart rate, and making one of my "emergency" meds into a regular once daily one.

That has helped. However, then - without warning - I would still have my heart rate drop real low. I finally realised it happened when my body felt cold to the touch. It didn't even have to really be cold, nor (funnily enough) did I have to "feel cold" in myself. I'd start getting the A-Fib feelings, rub my arm or my leg and sure enough, they were icy.  I'd end up in bed, clothed, under the covers, with just my head sticking out, "walking" my legs sideways to start raising my heartrate whilst waiting for my body to warm up and my heart rate to regulate itself back to a better number.

Odd how that coldness just happens out of the blue even in hot weather, and also, even when I'm feeling hot in myself, and sweating, as I'm trying to get my skin to warm up.

I've always believed one should know one's own body, and to a point, I'd work with mine pretty well over the years, always preferring natural ways where possible, but also recognizing that - sometimes - drugs are a necessity. 

I'm thankful that I'm beginning to get back onto a somewhat even keel again, albeit that thhere are still episodes but that they do seem to be lessening, and physically, I seem to be improving.