Breathe in, breath out

The last few weeks; I've lost count of the number of times a medical professional has asked whether or not I feel heart palpitations, tightness in the chest or feeling light headed. Each time I answered no.

However, all this heart talk and the busy school schedule finally catches up on me. I find myself sitting in a lecture theatre. The lecturer stands behind the podium attempting to explain Principal Component Analysis (PCA), I don't understand what he's describing. I look around the class and think about what I need to pack for my trip tomorrow morning. Dam, I still need to pack. Suddenly, I can't breath. I have to consciously tell myself to inhale and exhale. Breathe in. Breathe out. I pull out my phone and Google what's happening. I'm having my first panic attack.

Cardiologist: The results

Update on my heart situation. I have now been to the hospital six times since the first visit. I've had to go in to return hardware, perform tests and be updated. The tests performed, include: 24-hour ECG/holter, performing and MRI, going back for the MRI scan, doing another 24-hour ECG only to be told everything looks fine.

Had an interesting MRI experience, where I needed to go to the toilet halfway through the screening and the male technician reluctantly attached a bed pan to my junk.

So what's the outcome?

That I have three options:

a. Stop exercising
b. Take Beta blockers
c. Ablation/minor surgery

All three options are not ideal.

Health Check: The Results

Long story short. There are two things that stand out from my health check. 1) Super high total testosterone count and 2). Exercise induced Arrhythmia. Point number #1, I'm not too worried about, I've been mucking around with 3′-Diindolylmethane and Pine Pollen, so I'll cut that down and to a re-test shortly. #2 however, seemed to have caused the GP great consternation. "Do you ever feel tightness in the chest or dizziness?" - I answer no. The GP mentions something about irregular heart beats and urged that I go see a cardiologist for further diagnosis.

Here are my ECG results. Those squiggly lines at the bottom are apparently, ventricular arrhythmia. This is supposedly common in patients, and normally occur in couplets or triplets. Apparently anything under three is normal. Me, I of course clock up four, whilst on the treadmill, which is why I'm seeing the specialist. I manage to take the morning off work and head to Adventist, Google tells me they have a decent cardiology unit specialising in Cardiac electrophysiology. They have me perform the tests again. Geez. More blood. Another treadmill test, this time in my work clothes while the Cardiologist supervises. He looks at me "Now, you have six!", the test stops "when you stop exercising, your heart rate stablises straight away. Do you ever feel tightness in the chest or dizziness?" - again, I answer no.

So what does that mean? I have exercise induced ventricular tachycardia, which could lead to ventricular fibrillation which is the leading cause of Cardiac Arrest. All this heart talk is really freaking me out. The tests that proceed, a heart ultrasound and 24 hour ECGs to monitor daily heart rate. This hospital is super depressing.

The first day of school

What started as a mild curiosity, married with the severe guilt of a hangover has now developed into enrolment and my first day as a part-time student. Here are the list of questions that I had prior to today's class:

1. How long is the commute from work to school?
2. How long is the commute from school to home?
3. Will I cope with being back at school, especially after such a long time?
4. How many attractive females will there be in my programme?
5. Will I last more than a semester?
6. Will that reoccurring dream about not being prepared for exam resurface?

It was the second time I had visited campus; the first was orientation. I must say, I'm pretty excited to be able to experience higher education overseas. The campus isn't huge, a fraction of the size of Sydney University, however it still manages to be pretty confusing, I'm standing in front of a large map trying to find my classroom. I arrive early to familiarise myself with the the lay of the land and to scope out the gym and eateries on campus. The gym, free for all students, smells like a college gym, I'm instantly taken back to HK Ward in first year university. A lot of the eateries are closed for refurbishment, but there's some cool spots, a resident Ebeneezers, a couple of sandwich bars and your typical school cafe; I'll have to explore more.

Butterflies in the stomach, as I look for the classroom. It's a milder version of undergraduate. Again, I don't know anybody. Again, I'm lost. Not again, I feel like the oldest person on campus.  Eventually find the classroom and it's rammed. Students are sitting on the floor. Not what I was expecting. 7:30 pm, class starts - I brace myself for a long evening worth of new material after a long day in the office.

10:20 pm, class finishes.

1. From work to school, door-to-door, by public transport, it takes approximately 40 mins, that includes MTR, with one line switch and a minibus.
2. From school to home, door-to-door, by public transport, it takes approximately 60 mins, that includes the same minibus, the MTR, with one line switch.
3. That was super dense, but also oddly interesting, my brain hasn't warmed to the idea of learning. Yet.
4. Zero. This was expected from a joint Engineering and Science programme.
5. TBC
6. TBC

I get home just before midnight. I'm exhausted. Day 1. Complete.