Thanks, I really mean it I had the Halter monitor on early on after being discharged, showed nothing THEN. These episodes come on only intermettently. I've tried explaining it to my doc(s) and they say it's all in my head 'your EF is very close to normal, your BP is good, pulse is high (doesn't come down even with 300mg of metoprolol, 200mg is usually max dose), EKG is always fine. You are weak and unconditioned from lying on your couch for months." It seems tramadol definitely has something to do with at least some of the episodes but I don't hear this from anyone else who "dabbles." I also get shaky to the point of almost not being able to drink a cup of coffee with BOTH hands.
My brother just says, "man I saw you in that hospital bed (twice) for almost 4 weeks straight, with very high fever and cooling vest and windows open, that has to leave some permanent damage, cooked your brain" LOL.
I actually had a brain scan too while I was sedated but it looked fine.
I'm on metoprolol, candesartan and a few antidepressants. The docs don't want to hear the word "covid," the nurse blurted out something about "post-covid" and the doc didn't look happy. No comment on anything covid related by the docs. I've had 3 different cardiologists in a couple of years.
That’s tough. It’s going to be nearly impossible to diagnose something intermittent like that. Further tests or interventions are likely to cause more harm than help. Fortunately, metoprolol is an effective antiarrhythmia medication, and at that high of a dose your heart is very unlikely to fall into any sustained arrhythmias.
Post-ICU syndrome is a real and documented phenomenon. Someone who spent as much time as you in the ICU is practically guaranteed to have it to some degree.
Are you familiar with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome? In short, after standing up your blood vessels lose their muscle tone, causing a rapid decrease in blood pressure and a compensatory increase in heart rate. Typically associated with lightheadedness, dizziness, falls, nausea, etc. Notably, we have seen a documented increased incidence post Covid—although this is likely common to any viral infection. Something else to look into.
Consider keeping a record book of your episodes and the surrounding events: what happened, what you were doing before, what you had eaten or medications consumed, etc. Hopefully, over time you can identify patterns and possibly any precipitating or mitigating factors.
Beyond that, try to take care of your heart with lots of mild aerobic activity (eg: brisk walk) and maybe even meditation or breath work, something to reduce your baseline sympathetic nervous system activity. Anything to support and ease your body as it heals and recovers.
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