Well, today was the day. The day I found out the answers to my burning questions about my heart.

Actually, yesterday should have been the day. But, long story short, my doctor didn't help me at all. If anything, she left me more confused. Talk about inconsistent findings.

Today was my "second opinion" appointment.
Needless to say, it went much better than the first.

Where do I begin? I guess I should give a brief update of yesterday's appointment.
My parents came in yesterday morning for my early afternoon follow-up appointment. We spent almost 2 and a half hours in the doctor's office and left with more questions than answers.
Earlier this week, I had to get dental work done, and our dentist is a long-time family friend, so he knew about my heart issues and about everything that was going on (partly because he has to be conscious of my murmur when I get work done...aka, take 4 penicillin before I go in). He gave me some words of wisdom, and I quote, "find a doctor who knows more than you do". SO TRUE.

That's all I was thinking about yesterday when we were sitting in the exam room talking to my the doctor. I should have been the doctor in that room.
The only good that came out of the appointment was me suggesting to check my iron levels with another blood test. [Which I did today after my second appointment. So those results will be in Monday.] The findings we received were very inconsistent. One person told me one thing at my echo and then the doctor was telling me something completely different in the follow-up.

Here is what my overall recommendations were--"diet, exercise, weight loss, & sodium restriction".
Now, I have a problem with this.
And so did my entire family. I was dumbfounded that she even said that.
If they would have actually LOOKED at my chart, it would have said this--"low sodium determined by blood test", "competitive long-distance runner", "low weight", & "healthy diet".
Hmm. Weird.

Obviously, they treated me like their normal, every-day overweight elderly patient. I just wanted to say, "Doc, I eat so much salt it should be considered unhealthy, but I still have low sodium. Oh, that's because I run so much, which means I sweat a ton. Oh, and I use food as fuel, so I obviously have a good diet. And, don't get me started on my weight."

Sorry, I get really annoyed when I talk about that. Rant over.
Basically, we walked out of their very frustrated.

Hence, the appointment today to seek a second opinion.
This morning, bright & early at 7:30 am, I was in another doctor's office. My parents and Eric all came with me, and I am so happy they did.
The nurse took us to the exam room and took my vitals, all very good, and asked me the basic new patient questions.
Then she ran an EKG, which was "normal". [I will get back to this later.]
The nurse also looked at my cholesterol which she deemed a little low, but normal. [When we went to the previous doctor, they were more concerned with my cholesterol than the hole in my heart...very strange.]

The doctor then came in and asked me what was going on, so we filled him in, and he was very confused as well when he looked at the medical records from the previous doc. They were very conflicting results. It said that I had a VSD (ventricular septal defect) and a PFO (patent foramen ovale), and you can't have both. Ultimately, he determined that mine was the PFO, which means "hole in the heart". This is what I have known about for 4 years though, so no crazy new info there. [By the way, 10% of the population has this.]
But, from my bubble test results, it is a "low risk for embolism", which is good news. No stroke for me.

My new doctor was more concerned with the heart palpitations, fluttering, & chest tightness that I get when I'm resting. Because of this, I am having to wear what is called and "event monitor" for a month. I have 3 electrodes on my chest that are hooked up to a pager-like machine that attaches to my waistband. I just press the "record" button when I feel the palpitations starting and it records them. Easy enough.
And I don't have to wear it all the time, which is a great thing. I can't function with so many wires attached to me :)
Once, I get enough recordings, I send it back in and I make an appointment to hear the results. So I will keep everyone posted on that.

Now, on to the main findings of the appointment.
My new doc is a cyclist. Meaning, he is quite the athlete. He is an older man, who is as fit as can be. Because of this, he understands my concerns with running and dealing with the PFO, and the regurgitation (so we thought).
The so-called moderate regurgitation that I was presumed to have by my previous doctor, was not so.
HALLELUJAH!

Here is how it went down.
Once the nurse ran the EKG at the beginning of the appointment, she put it in a file for the doctor to look at before he saw me. Usually on an EKG, you can see if there is any regurgitation. Which is why the previous doctor told me I needed to do the echocardiogram, because they saw backflow. Well, here is what we they didn't think about...
An athlete's EKG looks abnormal compared to an average person's EKG results. Wow. Who would have thought?
Once the doc today read the EKG, he came in and was telling us that the computer reads the EKG and all of a sudden highlights things in red, because they are "abnormal" and not average findings. A normal person can have about 2 deviations from the normal EKG, whereas an athlete's go above and beyond those 2 deviations. So, when they read my EKG at the first doc, it looked abnormal and way out of whack. But even though I told the doctor, "I run about 60 miles a week and I run races all winter", she didn't listen to me.

So, of course they would want to run more tests.

Anyways, the verdict came out to be that I have VERY mild regurgitation, that is almost considered normal. Praise the Lord.

I love having doctors that are athletes or have friends that are athletes, because it makes is so much easier for them to understand. It took me forever to find a primary care physician that understands me, but once I did, I won't go anywhere else. He is a marathon runner, and now, my new cardiologist is a MS-150 cyclist. It makes my life so much easier.

One other concern by this doctor, was my fatigue. When he examined me, he kept asking if my weight was normal and all of the stuff that goes along with that, and he kept asking if it fluctuated. I told him that it stays in a certain range, but it fluctuates within that range. He then made me lay down and listened to my heart, and poked around my ribs, and my stomach. He thinks that maybe I am too thin. I never thought I would hear that! He thinks my fatigue and exhaustion is from overtraining. Even though I am eating all the right things and have a good runner's diet, he just thinks I am overtraining for my races. Which is causing stress on my heart in the long run. So, definitely something to think about.
It was hard to hear that, especially when I love running so much.

So, to sum it up, here is what's going on:
- The regurgitation is definitely not as bad as the previous doc led on.
- I do have the hole in my heart, but it is not as big as the previous doc thought.
- I still have the mild murmur, but that is caused by the SMALL PFO.
- My cholesterol is going to fine, I just need to keep taking my fish oil.
- I have to wear the "event monitor" for awhile, but once I finish, we will know more about what's going on with the palpitations and the skipped beats and fluttering sensation.
- My iron level results will be in on Monday, so I can know if I'm anemic or not. [Lots of women athletes are.]

I still have to go in for annual checkups, which I am more than happy to do. But it looks like I will be able to live a normal life and not be concerned for awhile (hoping these new results come back ok).
My awesome doctor said that my main concerns with running and having successful pregnancies in the future shouldn't stress me out. Just keep doing what I'm doing and not to worry.
Yes, I am going to have to get cardiologist checkups during pregnancy, but just to monitor, not to worry me. Just being proactive.

I am beyond thankful right now.
I am so at peace with all these findings. And I feel so blessed to have found a doctor that is working with me and was able to put my worries at ease.
I also feel extremely blessed for everyone's prayers, thoughts, and kind words.
You really have no idea how much they mean to me.

God really is so faithful. He is good and wonderful and I truly believe He heals.
I strongly believed that He even healed me a little bit.

Thank you so much, family, friends, friends of friends, family of friends, Alpha Chi Omega sisters, and anyone else, who prayed for me, prayed for my family, and gave me such hope. I cannot thank you enough.

Hopefully, whatever the monitor results come back as, they won't be anything that can't be fixed!

Love you all so much. I couldn't have gotten through this tough time without you.

So, I don't know about you guys, but I love pumpkin. Love love love it. Especially in the fall.
And when I get stressed or worried or have a lot on my mind, I bake. So what better to bake than pumpkin muffins? And not just any pumpkin muffins, but pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!

Usually, I am a health nut about baked goods and try to get some whole wheat flour or sugar substitute in there somewhere, but not this time. Funny story--I actually made 2 batches of these muffins. One with the original recipe, and one with substituting healthy ingredients for the original ones.
Guess which ones turned out better? The unhealthy ones. Go figure.
The healthy ones basically tasted terrible.

Here is the wonderful recipe I got from this blogger.

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I actually didn't have this in my pantry, so I didn't use it. But I'm sure it would taste wonderful with it)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (the original recipe called for mini chocolate chips, but I just used regular and it tasted the same!)

Directions:
1. Combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs, and sugar until mixed well. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt.
2. Once everything is mixed, fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Grease your muffin pan and bake the muffins for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

They are delish! I highly recommend them. I may or may not have even 3 in a period of an hour.
I deserve them right?!

So, this past weekend, Eric & I went to Conroe to host my cousin, Tearyn's, 10th birthday party with my mom & dad. My mom & I planned her party and we had a blast.
She was adamant about having a "ROCKER DIVA" party, so that's what we did :) She wanted to the whole nine yards...zebra print, neon colors with black, and the disco balls, pop rock music, and peace signs.

We held the party at my parents house under their new addition to the barn. It is a huge awning with an outdoor bar underneath, and icicle lights hung all over the edges. We set up picnic tables and had a big space for the kids to have a dance party. It was beautiful outside!

I only took a few pictures, because I was running around trying to do stuff the entire time, but I ended up getting some off of Facebook from my Papa, so I am posting some of those too.
I wish I could have gotten more "detail" pictures. The details were the best part.

Tearyn had a big part in picking out everything for the party, so this wasn't just my mom & I. She even picked out her invitations.

T wanted to look exactly like a rocker. So, about an hour before the party started, I made-over Tearyn and her best friend Riplee into rocker chicks. They loved it! I put neon hair clip-ins in their hair, had them dress in neon colors, and did their makeup hardcore. Oh, and can't forget about the glitter hairspray! Coolest stuff ever.

Tearyn helped me make a backdrop for all the kids to take a picture in front of and to have as decoration.

Her cake turned out awesome! Very rocker diva.

Waiting for the party to start!

When each of the kids got there, we had them make their own guitars using all kinds of craft supplies.
They were obviously concentrating very hard.

My dad made his signature "chikfila chicken"...I swear it tastes almost exactly like Chikfila. In fact, one of my favorite little boys, Mason, said that it was BETTER :)
We also had fries, fruit, veggies, and of course, cake, icecream, and cookies.

Next event was the dance contests. We split up the boys and girls and had them make up routines to songs and perform them for the parents.
The girls chose "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. They choreographed everything and it was legit.

We played "pin the microphone on the rock star" aka Selena Gomez, and the kids loved it. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures!

We also had a piñata! And of course, it was a peace sign.
Poor Eric and my Uncle Tony got put in charge of directing the piñata.
I'm not even sure who ended up busting it...there were SO many kids.

Ian was so cute. They were giving him such a hard time and pulling it way up just as he was about to swing. But he gave it his best shot!

My cousin, Aaron, hitting the pinata.

Tearyn's BFF Riplee giving it a shot.

Blowing out the candles!

We did cake and icecream next. I still can't believe she is 10 now! I remember perfectly the day she was born.

Next...PRESENTS!

Pink & camo backpack...perfect for T.

 So my Uncle Phil got her an iPhone 5, but in order to open it and use it, she had to get 10 birthday spankings and a pinch to grow an inch. And of course, she was more than willing to get the spankings ;)

Perfect action shot!

Overall, the party was a success! The only thing that mattered was that Tearyn and her friends had a great time. And they did! So I would say it was a hit.

Biggio & Colbie got the leftover glow sticks. And let's just say the after-party got a little crazy...

Crazy kids.

Last weekend was a much needed break from everything that has been going on. It was nice to take my mind off something and focus on someone other than myself. We had a great time.

My parents are now coming to Dallas in a week for my doctor appointments and to spend some time with us here at home. We are looking forward to not only this weekend at home, but the next weekend too. We have been traveling for a month now! We need a break.

I'm off to go to sleep so I can attempt a run in the morning...don't worry, I am running SLOW :) Not doing anything crazy until I get my final results. Running makes me happy and takes my mind off everything, so as long as I can do it and not cause harm to my heart, then I will.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I will keep you posted with updates from my doctor's appointments next week.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
-Matthew 11:28-30


Oh, where do I begin?
The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions for my family & I. Mainly me.

This is a very tough post to write. Mainly because I am an emotional basket case. But I still want to keep my family and friends informed. So here goes...

Last week, I had the echocardiogram on my heart done and my blood work done. Very routine procedures.
I went into it trying to be positive, and to not have the "worst-case scenario" mentality. On Monday, I did the blood work. And on Thursday, I had my echo.
During my echo, the technician checked all my heart valves, as well as the sounds of my heart, and my ventricular septal defect (VSD) which is in the septum between the ventricles.
My aortic valve was perfectly fine, which is a huge relief. But my mitral valve and tricuspid valves were not.
My mitral valve and tricuspid valves were very "leaky". At that point in time, I didn't know what that meant for me in the future. But now I do.
They also did a bubble test, where they inject saline solution into an IV in my arm and watch it on the ultrasound as it flows through my heart. If the bubbles cross over the septum, it means you have a small hole in your septum (VSD). Obviously, I already knew this, but 2 years ago, only a small amount of bubbles passed through the septum. This time, almost half of the bubbles passed through.

I called the nurse at the cardiologist today so he could read me my results over the phone.
And as of today, I have officially been diagnosed with moderate mitral valve regurgitation & tricuspid valve regurgitation. Meaning, that I have leaky valves that will eventually need to be repaired or replaced. The only way to do this is through surgery.
Surgery. SURGERY.
Maybe if I keep saying it over and over again, it won't seem so scary or daunting.

It could be in 5 years, it could be 10 years, or it could be 20. But more than likely, it will be sooner rather than later. (That is what I am finding out next week.)
My valves have just gotten leakier in the past 2 years, so now I have to be monitored and have annual checkups every 6 months.

In terms of the septal defect, that is another issue in itself. Who knows what they are going to have to do for that. If it has gotten bigger in 2 years, then where will it be in 2 more years?
I have so many questions and no answers.

But that is what next Thursday is for. I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor to go over my results in more detail and to have all my questions answered. And let me tell you, I plan on picking my docs brain.

I also plan on asking for more details about my blood test results. My blood tests came back normal, except for my HDL (good) cholesterol. I have a total cholesterol of 130, which is good, but when you break it down, it's not so good. My LDL (bad) cholesterol is really low, which is great, but my good cholesterol is really low too. Having a low HDL number puts you at risk for heart disease. Well hello, I guess it all makes sense?

All of this in congenital, so I have gone 23 years and have functioned fine. So why, has it all of a sudden gotten worse? What has happened in the past few years that has made my valves more leaky and my VSD bigger?

When I lay in bed at night and my chest gets tight and my heart becomes arrhythmic, it's so hard to go to sleep. I don't want to fall asleep for fear of not waking up. That is usually when I wake up Eric and have him rub my back or hold me until I fall asleep. What a great man he is.
The other day, I took a nap and slept for 5 hours. 5 HOURS.
I really hope I'm not being paranoid.

I am beyond scared. So scared, that I cry almost every day. It is so hard.
I feel broken and unhealthy.
I feel overwhelmed.
I keep going over all the "what ifs" and the "what abouts". But my family keeps telling me to take one step at a time. Which I am trying to do.

I am going to keep taking my supplements, keep eating well, keep running with my heart rate monitor, and just keep being aware of my body and of my heart. 

The only thing I am trying to think about right now, is making it another week and a half before I can get answers.

I am so incredibly blessed so have such a great family, a wonderful and supportive husband, and caring friends. Eric has been so great during all of this. I couldn't ask for a better person to stand by me right now.

Please keep me in your prayers. I will update soon.
And for the time being, I will repeat this verse over and over in my head.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
-Matthew 11:28-30

I have this friend.
Her name is Liz, and she is very near and dear to my heart.
The term, "friend",  is an understatement for this woman.

For anyone who knows sorority lingo, she is actually my "big" in Alpha Chi Omega. We met my freshman year at Baylor, when I had just become a member of AXO and I was looking for my big and she was looking for a little. We just happened to click and decided to "pref" (another sorority term) each other so we could have that big/little bond. But what we got out of this was more than just a bond or a sisterhood.

Bid Day 2008

It is hard to put into words what Liz means to me.
She my best friend. My rock when things get hard or when I need someone to keep me grounded. She is my support. My comforter when I need to be comforted or consoled. She is such a joy to be around. If you don't become instantly happy when you are around her, then something is wrong with you.

When we are together, we just can't stop talking. We love to just chat about anything and everything.
She is actually the person who encouraged me to go into speech therapy. She was in grad school at Baylor while I was completing my senior year. She wouldn't stop talking about how great speech therapy was and how much I would love it. So, I finally decided to satisfy her. Just kidding, Lizzie ;)

Being in a sorority makes you do crazy things ;)

Liz is also very uplifting and encouraging. She is such a beautiful person, inside & out. I look up to her in so many ways. She is such a Godly person and it is such an example to me of how I should be in my walk with God. She loves Jesus with her whole heart and it shows in her everyday life. I strive to be more like her in so many ways, and being such a faithful Christian is the one I strive for the most.

Liz got married to a wonderful man, Brooks, a couple months before Eric & I tied the knot. Brooks' & Liz's relationship is just another great example in Eric & I's life. Eric said it best in his toast at their rehearsal dinner, but we look up to them, not only spiritually, but also for their relationship. She really did find her perfect match, her soul-mate, and her partner in life. (We love you Brooks!)
They have always been a couple steps ahead of us, relationship-wise, and we have tried to follow in their path throughout our relationship. They don't know it, but we think of them as mentors. What a blessing to have them in our lives.

Liz is also, just so incredibly fun to be around. She has such a beautiful personality. She doesn't care what others think. We love to just be silly and crazy, no matter who is around. We are such goofballs, but we don't care. She knows how to make me laugh and she always knows the right thing to say.

Always throwin' what she knows.

I could go on and on how wonderful Liz is, but it's hard to put into words how much she means to me and how much a part of my life she is.
I really do wish she didn't live so far away :(

Side note- Liz & Brooks were actually present when Eric & I got engaged. They were in on it the whole time, and Liz had the hard task of keeping me occupied. Brooks also stood in for the photographer...

I guess Brooks had a hard job too ;)

Today, I had a few tests run and an echo done on my heart. [Update to come later...still a lot to take in right now.]
Liz has known about all the stuff going on with me and has always been so encouraging and so supportive. She prays for me and helps me through everything.
Today, I got this sweet text from her...

Here is the image...

I recited this over and over again during my appointment today. God really is our rock and salvation. He is our fortress. And no matter what happened today, I WILL NOT be shaken.
This was exactly what I needed to hear today, and I loved knowing that she had me in her prayers.

Liz, thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend. You truly are a big sister to me and I am so happy that God put us in each other lives. I know he has big plans for us. Thank you for your friendship. I LOVE YOU!

For all of you who read my recent post, "Thoughts of My Heart", I figured I should follow up with a post-cardiology appointment update.

Today was my third annual cardiology checkup, but my first checkup with my new doctor here in Dallas.
After waiting for 30 minutes in the waiting room, and then an hour in the exam room, I finally was able to talk to the doctor. While I waited though, the nurse took my vitals, 100/60 BP & 50 bpm heart rate, and ran a quick EKG. Probably the fastest EKG I have ever had.
When the doc came in, she told me that on my EKG results, she could definitely see my heart murmur, still doing what it does, but that she also saw a little red flag. When my heart is pumping, it is having some back-flow of blood in the ventricles. This means that I am having some "heart valve regurgitation"...my valves are not closing completely, which is causing the blood to flow backward. She said it was nothing to freak out about, just something that needs to be tested and monitored.
So guess what I get to do next week? Get an echocardiogram done, blood work done, and a follow-up appointment. So much fun. Not.

The doctor also pointed out the fact my heart rate is low, which makes me bradycardic. Meaning "slow heart rate". I have always known that my heart rate is slow, especially from running, but it is now on my record that I have bradycardia. Just something else to add to my medical record.

The doctor told me to keep taking my baby aspirin everyday (woohoo doing something right!) and to also take 2000 mg of fish oil a day because it helps with the heart's natural rhythm. So let's add that to my list of supplements.

Overall, not a terrible checkup. Now I am just worried about the upcoming tests.
Prayers needed please!

On a brighter note, the Chevron Houston Marathon is coming up quick (January)! So ready to run a great race!

Have a wonderful week everyone :)