Notes
Maybe an odd day to start running again as it was icy and windy (turns out the major concern was not the ice as expected, it was the wind that was a big annoyance). The reason for the motivation was that I got word my company is again getting a team together for the Army 10 Miler. But as I have no decent results lately over 5k, I need to prove I have some fitness before May 1st.
Just a mile in and I could tell I was feeling similar to last week. I slowed down enough to feel fine the rest of the run, but once again I felt like crap immediately afterwards. And this time, I went to the ER (okay, more like 3 hours later).
It wasn't just frustration taking me to the ER, I had proof. After last week's sole run, I impulsively bought a $100 personal EKG that can detect atrial fibrillation (a-fib). Some fancy watches do this now as well. My dad has a-fib and owns one. That I could possibly have a heart condition has slowly been gaining traction in my self-diagnosis thoughts. While none of my initial symptoms (stomach, throat) make sense for a-fib, more and more lately have I felt tired for days after a failed run, often with what I now know as heart palpitations. Still, I knew a heart condition is the scary diagnosis us laypeople fear when going to the doctor while the real cause turns out to be just indigestion or gas 9 out of 10 times. Really, if my dad didn't have a-fib, I doubt I would have considered it.
So today, for the first time the personal EKG told me "Possible Atrial Fibrillation". I tried it again, had Naomi try it on herself (normal), consulted my primary care, then my parents, and I was convinced to go to the ER. Now the bigger worry was if I'd still be in a-fib when I got tested as it can easily be determined if the heart is out of rhythm, not so much when beating normally. I was confirmed to have a-fib after an EKG, then got blood work and a chest x-ray. Currently on blood thinner medication and waiting for a cardiologist appointment.
Things are still up in the air but it is nice to have answers (or 1 answer at least). Could this be my last running entry ever? Probably not, but running may never be the same. Or the doctors will figure this out and I'll be back to normal in a few months. I'm not despairing, maybe that will come later. It seems this is likely genetic, which I can't blame myself for. Though I have seen studies on a-fib being more common in athletes that train at a high level for many years. But that's a choice I would make again. Future TBD.