Up Those Beta Blockers!

While I am new to this blogging world, I am certainly not new to being passed around between medicines and doctors. Recently, my boyfriend and I took a trip to Washington DC. Our first trip together alone! And the first one with all these new health problems. It was certainly an experience. I've been to DC before, but this time had a whole other meaning. My daily life doesn't include walking, exploring monuments, and museums; though what a life that would be! Rather, I have a ten minute commute to work and I'm mostly sitting in a chair all day. So this was the true test of endurance. At least, since my recent diagnoses.

Day one was incredibly tough, I'm not going to lie. I had to take a ton of breaks between walking and it was hard to keep up with my boyfriend. However, it was totally worth it. Anytime Andrew (the wonderful boyfriend), would say its okay and that we could sit, or towards the end of our day, turn around. With my stubbornness, I refused! And so, I would  push forward and I'd come back to the hotel completely exhausted and wondering if I could survive another day in DC. We had a total of three and a half days there.

I was on beta blockers to help my breathing, but boy did I need more! The beta blocker is specifically for my Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Beta blockers help to slow down the heart as well as lower blood pressure. As a result of the enlargement, beta blockers help the heart pump easier. Basically, its one of the main medicated treatments for HCM. My dosage on this trip was not nearly enough for how I was feeling. I was on 1.5 metoprolol pill a day and it wasn't helping. Unfortunately, chest pain and shortness of breath was much more than a common occurrence. Regardless, we had three museums and tons of monuments to see. I wouldn't slow down until we saw all the major things on our list.




If you're ever in DC, on my list of museums I'd suggest are
Museum of Natural History
Museum of American History
National Air and Space Musuem - FYI I visit this museum it seems every time I'm in DC

DC was really rough for me because it made the clear connection between my mental denial of all these diagnoses and where my body was physically. I am still  in the process of accepting but like I said, its a day to day process. However, I know my future is bright even when I have had some of my roughest days.  

Whether you have heart disease or not, don't give up on your health. I'm certainly not. I'll leave you with the very wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt in regards to her husbands health, "Illness gave him him strength and courage he had not had before. He had to think out the fundamentals of living and learn the greatest of all lessons... Infinite patience and never-ending persistence."

<3
Jess