Where's My Lipo?

I had a fat pad biopsy this week, something my current favorite doc ordered because my arrhythmia combined with my longstanding symptoms could possibly be caused by amyloidosis. Mind you, I stand a better chance of winning the lottery than having amyloidosis and there's no real reason to think I have it.

But it's something that he and other doctors have mentioned in passing, and this doc felt that the addition of weird heart beats to the mix of my health issues warranted ruling it out. And because he isn't the kind of doc who orders tests simply for the sake of something to do the way too many of them seem to.

Interestingly, my fat pad biopsy didn't go the way all the descriptions I read online. Instead of the needle aspiration, the surgeon made a 3/4-inch incision on my belly and took out a plug that way. He put in four layers of stitches! It was all done in the office and no big deal. (I'd have been even happier if he'd taken more of my fat pad. It's not like I don't have plenty to spare!)

Meanwhile, it looks like I'm going to finally get my tachycardia treated. The event monitor I wore last month showed that I'm having premature atrial contractions (PACs), which is nothing serious, but since the palpitations are frequent and painful, they can treat it with a medication that will also slow my heartbeat. I'll take digoxin, which is an old drug based on digitalis. Beta blockers are contraindicated for me because of my asthma and the fact that I have low blood pressure. But digoxin works differently and won't affect my blood pressure.

The best part? There's a chance it will help with my intense fatigue by lowering my heart rate from its current 100-120 at rest. The downside? Digitalis is toxic if it builds up in the body, so they'll have to do regular blood tests to make sure I don't end up with too high of levels. But I don't have a fear of needles, so I'm not too worried about that. 

On a completely unrelated topic, we officially launched our online store. Please check it out and share the link with anyone you know who might be interested! And check back because I'm slowly adding more items.