I set up an appointment with a cardiologist who was referred to me through Swedish Edmonds Hospital. It turns out that Dr. McCoy, who I had seen several times recently, was actually a pulmonologist, which is a doctor who specializes in lungs.
Whoops.
In the meantime, my feet had swollen up like massive bratwursts in the interim, and even wrapping one up in a compression bandage didn't do much. So in the meantime, I went to the urgent care center here in Lynnwood. (It turns out my regular doctor's office is converting to urgent care, and the last few times I had been there were not comforting. I need a new doc.)
They did an EKG on me and listened to my heart; the PA who took a look at me told me I should go to the hospital and check myself into the ER. Immediately.
I really do NOT want to go to the ER again. Last time, I spent three days in the hospital. It sucked. So I told the PA that I would see the cardiologist, and take his advice. If he told me to go to the ER, I would do so. But in the meantime, at my request, they gave me prescriptions for the same medications I was on when I got out of the hospital last year: Metoprolol, Lisinopril and Lasix.
Those medications helped out a lot. Over the next five days, I lost twelve pounds...all through the bladder. I must have had a lot of fluid retention due to this atrial fibrillation. My feet are now back down to normal; so is my weight. A few days later, I had my appointment with Dr. Stanley. The really good news: I don't have to check into the hospital or go to the ER. The meds are working.
It turns out that the symptoms were caused by a multivitamin I had started taking recently, which had Vitamin K in it. That interacted poorly with the Warfarin I have been on since July. Pro tip: if you're taking blood thinners, avoid vitamins with a clotting agent.
So, a minor tweak of my dosage later, I am feeling a great deal better. Additionally, I finally got a new CPAP mask. I'm still not used to it; I think I need to ease into the transition from one mask to another. I better get used to the new one, though. This existing mask sometimes has a weird vibrotto created by air passing through the hole torn in the rubber. It's hard to go to sleep when it feels like your nose is getting a text message on silent mode.
I also have another appointment with Dr. Stanley the day after tomorrow. It turns out nobody bothered to tell me that I am supposed to get my blood tested monthly, now that I am on Warfarin. Who knew?
I am really looking forward to being back to my old self. When I am healthy enough, I desperately want to go hashing again with my friends, the Seattle Hash House Harriers. (We're a drinking club with a running problem.) Too bad I can't run and shouldn't drink at the moment.
But here's hoping I am off the disabled list again before my next birthday!
