Ticker Update and My Own Stupidity

I got a few nice messages from some friends when I posted about my experience with a 24 hour heart monitor back in November. Well, by default, I can now say that I'm fine. I say default as a letter wasn't sent to me by my doctor as there was nothing to tell me. Except that I'm fine. So, for two months of worry and stress about the possibility of heart disease, turns out I'm fine and it's likely down to stress. My local practice told me that they don't send out letters to patients as they'd be doing it all day and it's the hospital's job. The hospital say it's the practice's responsibility. Somewhere, there are patients wandering about in a confused daze.

Idiots.

I got a few more details when I contacted my local GP and the receptionist read out the letter, or mumbled it to me. It might have been a Ventricular Ectopic beat, where the heart's lower chamber can jump sometimes. For folks with heart disease, it's a harbinger of doom. For folks without heart disease, cut down on the stress and caffeine. And booze. I fall into the latter category, thankfully. Due my family history, I get my blood pressure checked regularly and all is well.

Relieving to know. I might also cut down on the booze as I had a few extra at the weekend and wound up leaving my bag in a taxi, containing my notebook (pretty fucking necessary for a writer, don't you think?), DVDs bought in the January sales (No Country for Old Men and another Cagney box set), my glasses and my digital camera which cost me £130 a year ago. Was I angry at myself? Yer right I was. Fuckybaws. But entirely my own fault. This Saturday's trip to Glasgow might be a sober one. I've not made my mind up avout that yet.

The Cagney viewings will continue, however, as the lost box set was cheap enough to buy again. I'm also going to be following David Cairns' new weekly Hitchcock blogs, watching as many Hitch flicks as I can on a weekly basis. If you love films, I can't recommend David's blog enough. Go and check it out.

So, time to forget about material loss - there are far worse things which can happen. Onwards with the writing, film watching and film making.

Ticker Update

Pardon my pink purulence - necessary to show 2 two of the 5 pads I had taped to my chest last week.

So, I had the heart monitor removed; in and out in a few minutes, literally. I didn't even have time to sit down for more than 20 seconds in the waiting room before I was seen. It was a bit odd to be surrounded by loads of old ladies getting their hearts seen to. I'm only 35 for fuck's sake! Felt a bit like Rod Taylor at the end of The Birds, especially as I was the first to be seen, feeling dozens of myopic eyes kind of following me with vague menace/gossip/suspicion.

Anyway, I was told that the data will be examined by a cardiologist and I'll hear the results in about 3 weeks. That being a week ago it should be about a fortnight but we'll see. I didn't have any symptoms whilst wearing the monitor, though. Sod's Law. And I did have a some today - whilst driving, which was mildly scary. But I did have some Cola to drink before I left and have a feeling that that may be where the trouble lies. At least I hope so.

Thanks to the folks who left messages. Did a fair bit to lift me up. Thanks all.

The Worry

I'm having a 24 hour heart monitor fitted tomorrow. Very, very nervous. It's not an operation - I'll be in and out on the same morning - but my mortality seems very real these days, especially in the light of the awful situation a friend of mine finds himself in now. Once fitted, I'm to go about my regular business and then I'll have it removed the next morning (hence the 24 hour bit...).

I've been having palpitations for a while now. I do suffer from anxiety attacks and depression and only hope that these are a consequence of that and nothing else. There is a history of heart trouble on my mum's side of the family and I had a heart murmur as a baby. That, together a couple of stone I could do without and my constant fear of dropping dead at any given moment, add up for a very worried Squirrel Scarer.