Physical Heart Health

I suddenly awakened yesterday morning between midnight and 12:30 with acid reflux. It was violent enough to wake Donna who came over to clean up the vomit from the floor. Thankfully I did not throw up, but the burning in my mouth and throat confirmed it was not a dream. I was unable to go back to sleep because of the taste, anxiety, and squeezing in my chest. I finally went back to bed around 1:30 and slept until my alarm went off at 5:00.

When I left to catch the train I was again aware of the ache in my chest. It was not severe and I saw no reason not to go to work. Through the morning the ache to the left center of my chest continued and occasionally was mildly piercing. Radial pain had spread to my left shoulder and jaw. The pain was never as intense as I often experience with my atypical complex migraines. Given the symptoms were different enough from what I have experienced with migraines, considering I declined to go to the Emergency Room, and with encouragement and insistence from Donna, my primary care physician made room in his already double-booked schedule to see me. The doctor's assistant performed an electrocardiogram (EKG). My doctor and I then discussed alternatives and I elected to go to the hospital for ambulatory lab work. Thankfully, the results showed my triponin levels were not elevated. I am fine and the only change for the near term is to take pantoprazole (brand names of which are Protium and Protonix) to lessen the risk of erosion of my esophagus from the acid

The EKG results, though, are of interest. Yesterday's EKG differed from all previous ones in three ways.

1. While I continue to have an abnormal t-wave (it dips when it should be straight), the magnitude has substantially increased.
2. The abnormality is for the first time showing up on the V6 lead.
3. Medical personnel previously observed my abnormal t-wave was present only when I was horizontal for the EKG. Yesterday, there was no significant difference between the readings when I was horizontal and vertical.

I do not know what these differences mean and I am told they are not diagnostic, but are evidence of change that will monitored.