AFIB on a Friday

In August I wasn’t feeling bad but not great either. My chest seemed a little tight and I found myself stopping during conversations to take a deep breath. As someone prone to sinus infections (which typically works its way into my chest) I decided to should pop in to my primary and get a script for an antibiotic.

Cornelius wasn’t in. I love the guy. But his partner could see me. The nurse weighed me (my least favorite part of any visit) and I sat up on the examining table. She did my vitals and listened to my chest. Then she asked “Has anyone told you that you have AFIB?” “Nope.” I responded not sure what that was. But she bee-lined out of the exam room and returned with equipment. “I am doing an EKG” she announced. I agree humoring the nurse who I think is being a tad dramatic. She sticks the pads all over my chest (I wince thinking about all the chest hair that will be pulled out with there removal) and she hooks me up to the EKG. Maybe 30 seconds pass and she leaves and promptly returns with the Doctor. He glances at the print out from the EKG, approaches me listens to my heart and asks. “Has anyone ever told you that you have AFIB?” Now I am a little concerned.

“No and I have been coming to this office for the past 5 years so if you all haven’t told me then no one has.” I replied . Then he grabbed a stool and sat. He seemed serious. The next couple of minutes were a bit of a blur. But I do recall him saying he was calling in 2 scripts for me and I MUST have them filled tonight and I MUST see a cardiologist asap. The word stroke kept coming up. I didn’t fully understand how my heart and a stroke could be related but I knew for sure I didn’t want to have one.

I left the office and headed to work still not exactly sure what I was dealing with. But I knew I needed a cardiologist so as soon as I got to my desk I looked up the cardiology practice connected to my primary ( a hospital group) and called to make an appointment. It was Friday late AM and they scheduled me for Monday morning at 9. Now I am a little more concerned. The cardiologist is taking a new patient THIS Monday!? I spent about 5 minutes on google looking up AFIB before I remembered that 100% anything I found online would just make me more anxious. Inevitably google would tell me that AFIB leads to cancer or the plague or who knows what. So I decide no more google and that I would have to wait until Monday to find out more from an actual doctor.

After work I caught up with a friend at happy hour. Nothing crazy a couple of cocktails and chatter, but nothing about AFIB. Afterwards I stopped at the pharmacy to pick up my heart meds and headed home trying to figure out how to share the news with my husband.