Ok so for those of you who didnt know I have spent the last few nights in hospital. Some of you may remember over the past number of weeks I have mentioned feeling very lethargic and quite faint and friends I talked to mentioned it could be because my body is finally damaged from the ED or that Im getting older and am finding it harder to fast/restrict and it is showing in that way.

Basically my heart rate has slowed down, and my BP (thats Blood Pressure not Binge/Purge!) has gone way down too. So the last 4 nights I spent in hospital on a heart monitor. My HR (heart rate/pulse) is sitting at about 35 beats a minute when it should be (most peoples average) 60. Although in saying this my HR is normally fast at between 70 - 90 so obviously its VERY slow for me. My BP has been around 80 over 40 which again compared to the very normal 120 over 80 is very low. So I had a billion tests on my heart to find out what was wrong, including a 24 hr trace (which they took off too early) the stress test (going on a treadmill which I couldnt keep up with because of the lethargy) and an echo where I saw my little guy pumping away. They are pretty sure I have a thing called "Sick Sinus Syndrome" but still want to do more tests to be 100%.

The consultant told me its not an uncommon thing but it basically means the node which fires off electrical impulses to make your heart beat isnt working properly. So I may have to have a pacemaker put in although he wont do that until he has done a million more tests. SO Thats where Im at right now. My poor little guy isnt very happy beating away (although very slowly) in my chest. Although the extremely slow heart beat made me think he looked like he was smoking weed or something in the echo!!

Heres a little quote of info about SSS:

Overall, sick sinus syndrome is relatively uncommon. Among the various forms of sick sinus syndrome, sinus bradycardia occurs more often than the other types.

Tachycardias that arise from the upper chambers of the heart (atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter/tachycardia, and supraventricular tachycardia) are also common forms. A period of elevated heart rates is typically followed by very slow heart rates when the tachycardia ends.

Abnormal heart rhythms are often worsened by medications such as digitalis, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, and anti-arrhythmics. Disorders that cause scarring, degeneration, or damage to the conduction system of the heart can cause sick sinus syndrome.

Sick sinus syndrome usually occurs in people older than 50, in whom the cause is often a non-specific, scar-like degeneration of the heart's conduction system.

In children, a common cause of sick sinus syndrome is heart surgery, especially on the upper chambers.

On another page I found:

symptoms may include:

* Fainting (syncope) can occur when the abnormal heart rhythm affects the heart's ability to pump a sufficient volume of blood to the brain.
* Fatigue and weakness may be signs that the heart is not pumping as well as it should. When the blood supply is inadequate, the body diverts blood to the most vital organs. This reduces blood flow to the muscles of the arms, legs or other parts of the body and the individual may lack energy or be unable to do normal tasks.
* Shortness of breath, or dyspnea. People with this symptom often describe the sensation of not being able to take in enough air, or say they are "out of breath."
* Chest pains, or angina, that indicate the heart is not getting enough blood.
* Disturbed sleep. The abnormal rhythm of the heart may interfere with sleep and wake people up repeatedly during the night. Some people have a condition called sleep apnea in which they stop breathing off and on during the night. This condition may contribute to SSS and other heart disorders by reducing oxygen supply to the heart.
* Confusion. When the blood supply to the brain is diminished, people may have trouble understanding what is happening around them or make errors in judgment. They also may seem drowsy, have problems with balance or movement, or appear anxious or agitated.
* Palpitations describe an unusual awareness of the beating of the heart. The heartbeat may seem too fast or slow, or to beat in a chaotic, irregular pattern. People may describe a "pounding" in the chest, as if the heart is beating with unusual force. People with SSS who have episodes of tachycardia (an abnormally rapid heartbeat) often describe them as "palpitations."

I have had every single one of them and "justified" them to myself as other things like the chest pains I put down to anxiety and the shortness of breath as anxiety and or smoking... blah EVERYONE IF YOU FEEL ILL GO TO YOUR DOCTOR lol *hypocrite*