During the first peak of the pandemic, I had experienced tachycardia, dyspnea and when my SPO2 dropped below 85, I summoned an ambulance. On arrival in the ED, I noticed the ECG showing pronounced amplitudes indicative of LVH, BP was hypertensive crisis high, with a narrow systolic/diastolic differential. Lungs showed infiltration, which was consistent with heart failure. Doctor came in and gave me the good news, "Well, the good news is that you don't have COVID". "So, what do I have?" "A type of heart failure". "Thank God it's only heart failure!" blink blink "Did I actually just say those words?" "Yeah, but I understand." Laughing together with me. Root cause was sudden decompensation secondary to thyrotoxicosis. A week in the hospital to get the thyroid hormones wrangled back into a survivable range and by day 3, I was driving the nursing staff nuts by walking around the floor. The LVH resolved fairly quickly and uneventfully, once the BP was managed with a beta blocker dosage adjustment. Obviously, the pressure must've been creeping up for a while before I decompensated and all hell broke loose. I'm keeping a much closer eye on my vitals now, lest I try to repeat that feat. Largely, because I really intensely dislike hospitals - they're full of sick people. ;) Yeah, used to do EMS in the military.

I need clearer diagnosis talk. People have been talking around me and through me. I snuck photos of my EKG when they had me waiting for my cardiologist and gave me a file to bring him, so can someone PLEASE help me? My EKG looks much more like the right half of the graphic at 2:40, but nobody explains it to me. I'm now 8 months post diagnosis and have been fighting with all the medication the illness and how it makes me feel. I tried really hard when I came out of hospital, but I can't work (a physical caretaking job of disabled adults that require dressing, showering, wheelchair pushing etc), and then then the powers that be that require an explanation that the condition and medication hinder my ability to work. I don't understand why they don't believe me that I am unwell. I know that how I am feeling is a combination of my condition and all the medication they have me on. They have stuck me on some pathetic program of 'retraining to train to work', but I was without income for about 7 months and this program only supports my very basic expenses for the next 8 months, which I don't think I'll catch up with, given the lost income, so I'm only just playing catch-up. Do I just stop taking my medication and let nature takes it course? Because that is really how I'm feeling. I'm 54 years old and have no spouse or dependants. No support system around me to speak of, but maybe one person who is probably dragged down by my current condition, so I feel I should cut them free of it. I need someone who will talk 'turkey' with me. How long will it take if I stop taking my medication?