It's Not Cancer!

I decided I couldn't wait until the end of the month to hear about my PET scan results so I called my Dr. to get the results. The nurse read the report to me and the nodule in my lung is benign!

My body still doesn't seem to want to cooperate with me though. On my ride last night after work we were heading back on a flat road with a really good tail wind. I was in front and we were going 20 mph. I didn't feel like I was working hard at all. My breathing was rhythmic, not labored. I decided to check my heart rate monitor. It said 193!! I immediately thought I was getting interference from another rider so I pulled away from them - nope, still 193. I did check my pulse in my neck to confirm the high heart rate and it was correct. So I just soft pedaled...my heart rate stayed in the 180s but eventually dropped into the 170s in the last quarter mile. Once I was back in my car headed home it was back down to 75. What is going on here?!? I'm 45 years old - I didn't even think my max heart rate would go that high.

yay! Good news!

What's the next step?

Thank goodness. What a relief that must be.

But shame on your doctor's office for not calling you as soon as the radiology report came in.

That is fabulous news! YAY!!

As for your heartrate, I'm no professional, but I know that each person is different, and a high heart rate may not indicate any problem at all. It sounds like you felt fine, so why worry?

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

What wonderful news!!!!

congratulations, that is phenomenal news. i know that the waiting is horrendous and wonder why you had to take it upon yourself to get the results, why wasn't the dr wanting to give them to you as soon as they got them?

i work in oncology actually and additionally right now, i'm guiding my oldest sibling through the maze of treatment and test for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. so it hits a bit home for me, and i can't imagine why any health care professional would put you through waiting for results such as that.

good for you, glad you got such great news!

yay! It's always nice to hear good news!

Great news! And like the others said, I wouldn't worry about the heart rate as long as you felt well.

Wonderful news!

I hope your symptoms disappear!

Karen

Great news, what a relief!

What a relief <WHEW> !!!!!!

Thanks everyone. It was such a relief. It's hard to believe that doctors' offices don't contact the patients to let them know about tests like these...at least mine doesn't. I appreciate all of you who encouraged me to get the tests done and be my own advocate. It was very good advice.

Possegal - I hope it all works out well for your sibling. Prayers.

That is such great news. I had lost track of your thread and forgot about the nodule. And I'm surprised they didn't call you...when I was waiting for pathology results I was so scared, it was like my life was on hold to see what was up. When they called me (on a weekend, the nurse was at the office doing catch-up when the results came in and she called just so I could have a good weekend) I cried.

Re the HR. Dunno. Mine's been known to get up that high but only briefly and very rarely. Have you been exercising? If not, maybe your body is just trying to get back into things. 180 for me is normal, that'd be the highest point of most workouts.

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Originally Posted by teigyr

Re the HR. Dunno. Mine's been known to get up that high but only briefly and very rarely. Have you been exercising? If not, maybe your body is just trying to get back into things. 180 for me is normal, that'd be the highest point of most workouts.

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May I ask how old you are? Using the "formula" my max HR should be around 175. I know that is just an estimate.

Normally I wouldn't be concerned but since I'm still have chest pains I've been keeping a closer eye on my heart rate. I've continued to ride my bike through all of this so I don't think it's a matter of getting back into things. It's just that I wasn't working hard at all and the times when I do feel like I'm working hard my heart rate is in the upper 170s, NOT 193. Given the amount of work I was doing at the time this just seems way too high to me.

I did see 187 two or three times way back when when I felt like I was about to die...so why would it be 193 when I wasn't even working hard?

Whew!! :)

keeping in mind that i work in the medical field and may be overly cautious compared to others, but i think, espeically with your heart, that when something seems out of the ordinary for you, then it is something worth checking out. now it could be here that this isn't far from normal for you but you are paying much closer attention due to the lung nodule than you would have been before. that would be totally normal. but if you think this seems unusual, then it doesn't hurt to get it checked out.

I'm 45. The 180 isn't a prolonged thing - my average (depending on what I'm doing) can range from 130ish up to 156. The 180 will just be that 30 second final sprint or whatever.

I'm new to the whole HR thing and since you have had problems, you have every right to worry. As I recall, the cardio people haven't found anything?

Great news on the pathology report! Thanks for sharing with us :)

Yipee, great news!

I might have missed the latest cardiology tests results - did they find what was up with the anterior cardiac ischemia from your stress test?

Maybe the heart rate is related to the chest pain, lung goober, lower energy output, etc.?

Great news... "nodule" has come to be a scarey word because of its scarey connotations.

So wonderful its not cancerous :)

Li10up = So good to hear the great news! Treat yourself to something to celebrate, like some good dark chocolate.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

I might have missed the latest cardiology tests results - did they find what was up with the anterior cardiac ischemia from your stress test?

Maybe the heart rate is related to the chest pain, lung goober, lower energy output, etc.?

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As I recall, the cardio people haven't found anything?

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After the heart CT scan they decided they were wrong about the anterior cardiac ischemia. Nobody has addressed the chest pains ever since the nodule was found. Since I've been given the all-clear on that maybe they'll look into the chest pain again. I'm still scheduled for a lung function test at the end of the month. All the docs have told me they don't think I have a heart problem but they can't say what is causing the chest pain and they don't seem very concerned about it since the CT scan didn't show anything. The pulmonologist doesn't think the "goober" (I love that word) is causing the chest pain. So, at this point I don't think there is any other plan of action. Guess I'm on the wait and see plan.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and celebrating the good news with me. Maybe something good came out of this...it's making me think a little more about what I'm eating and how well (or poorly) I'm taking care of myself. I'm also trying to not sweat the small stuff.

Phew!!! That's good news.

I went to the OB on Monday for a pap. While she was doing the breast exam, she said "has this lump always been there?"

Well, to make a long story short, she sent me in for an ultasound of the lump. I was able to get in to have this done within a couple of hours of the OB appointment and I just heard from her today - fiberous tissue - nothing to worry about -

I am so relieved that I want to get on my bike and ride for an entire day but I am too pooped from the stress of the last two days and from exercising alot those two days to reduce the stress.

Whew, glad that's over! Thank God for answered prayers!

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Originally Posted by Flybye

Whew, glad that's over! Thank God for answered prayers!

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Yes, glad you had good news...

Thanks! I sure had a crappy couple of days.

I think I will sleep like a log tonight!

Flybye I'm so happy for you! The downside to this whole thing is now I'm keenly aware of every little ache, pain, bump or bruise. But I'm sure that will pass with time. Good health to all!!!

li10up -

I've got a 192 MHR (at least) and I'm the same age as you are. When I run, it jumps into the 170's easily and during a race ("cruising," not sprinting) it's in the 180's.

I agree with some of the earlier posts that if something feels out of the ordinary to you, go ahead and get it checked out. It doesn't hurt anything to ask, and you'll feel better knowing for sure. A few years ago, I did go through treadmill testing after an episode of chest pain but the doctor said it was probably heartburn. Under the circumstances, I'm comfortable with that as it did come after some greasy food. Also, my HR increased and decreased appropriately on the treadmill, which he said was the most important thing.

Glad to hear you got a good first round of test results. Take care, and do ask questions if anything doesn't feel right to you. It's always better to be sure.

Deb