I passed my stress test!
As I mentioned in my cardiac ablation recap I had to schedule an exercise stress test to make sure everything with the procedure went well.
After the cardiac ablation I was doing some exercise, but nothing too strenuous – easy hikes (like the ones in Yellowstone!) and biking, elliptical, and/or rowing at the gym. Everything felt normal and I never experienced any ventricular tachycardia (VT) symptoms or any pacing from my ICD.
I took that as a good sign that everything would go well with my stress test. Shortly after my heart surgery I could feel VT issues doing something as simple as washing dishes, so knowing that I could successfully do 2 miles of rowing without passing out made me feel very hopeful!
On Tuesday Michael and I headed to Lutheran Medical for the stress test. I was feeling pretty positive, but was still very nervous! There was a lot riding on my performance!
I walked up to the desk to check in at 8:15 and they said that I may have to re-schedule my appointment, because it was supposed to start 15 minutes ago. Excuse me?!? I said that someone had called to tell me my appointment got rescheduled from 7:45 to 8:30. Well apparently it got rescheduled, again, to 8:00 and no one told me. Luckily, since the mix up wasn’t my fault they fit me in for the test.
This made me a little aggravated. Then once I was in the stress test room with the treadmill I was starting to get pretty frustrated. It just didn’t seem like my understanding of why I needed to do the stress test, as communicated by Mayo, aligned with what Lutheran was telling me. The joys of working with multiple doctors and multiple hospitals.
Once the technician left the room to do something before starting the test I began crying. Because that’s what I do. Fortunately, Michael was in the room with me and helped calm me down.
Shortly afterwards it was time for the test! I was hooked up to an EKG monitor that was closely being watched by the technician. I started walking on the treadmill at a slow pace, at a slight incline. Every 3 minutes both the pace and the incline increased. There was someone there to take my blood pressure in the middle of each stage. They told me to keep going until I couldn’t handle it anymore and to stop if I felt light-headed or dizzy.
Easier said than done! I tried to keep my brain calm and to just focus on walking, rather than all the horrible outcomes that could happen. The technician kept telling me I was doing great and that everything was looking good on the EKG, which helped keep me at ease. Eventually I was jogging at 5 mph at an 18 incline. I did this for 3 whole minutes! It’s the most I’ve run all year. I went up to the next level (5.5 mph at 20 incline) for about a minute before I told them to stop.
My heart rate got up to 171 bpm and nothing happened! I felt totally fine, despite being quite winded. The technician told me I was in “excellent shape” compared to other females in my age group. In reality I know that I am totally out of shape, but it was still nice to hear.
I was (and still kind of am) in shock. For the last 18 months it’s been one test to the next to a surgery to another test and so on and so forth. There was always something else I was waiting on. Some other hurdle I needed to get through. But not now! I saw my doctor for a few minutes after the test and he said that I was ok and that I could go back to exercising, slowly increasing the time and the intensity. I emailed my cardiologist at Mayo about the results and she said that I could have my life back. It was exactly what I needed to hear!
Michael and I were both so happy celebrated with brunch at Wendell’s.
Yesterday we went for a run. A run! Not just a “jog slowly 1 minute, walk 1 minute” run either. We did a lap around Sloan’s Lake, which is 2.5 miles. I did slowly jog and I did walk, but I did way more jogging than walking! It felt great. I got sweaty and winded and I wasn’t manically keeping track of my heart rate.
I want to thank you all for following along on this journey with me. For rooting for me and sending me positive messages. Your thoughts and prayers and good vibes were all needed and I appreciate them all so much!! I am so lucky to have the best family, boyfriend, friends, and support system.
Now Michael and I can start our summer adventure with a clear piece of mind! We head to my family reunion in Grand Lake today and then we set off for Montana on Monday!