Got to see Doc G this morning – had to cancel Friday’s appointment because we went off to Glasgow to pick up a printer.
Yesterday, I had yet another tachycardia attack – took an 80mg Solatol betablocker and spent the rest of the day exhausted and lying on the sofa in a fuzzed-out haze. The haze cleared by bedtime, but then I couldn’t sleep; it was nearly 4am before I finally got away to dreamland. But at least it was a pleasant night for insomnia, with a clear starry sky and a beautiful dawn. I even took a short walk up the hill and was lucky enough to see a bright, glinting Jupiter hanging low in the southern sky.
So when I explained to Doc G about how betablockers gave me sleep disturbances and other unpleasant side-effects, he suggested Diltiazem – not a betablocker, but something similar. It’s normally used for angina, but has the side-effect of stabilising certain types of heart irregularity. And I have mild angina anyway, so this could be a bonus.
Anyway, I’ve had one dose – so far, I’m getting a mild headache and visual blurring, but since it dilates the bloodvessels, I was expecting this. And these effects are likely to be temporary.
At least I hope so – I’ve got a magazine to put together and a book review to write this week. Apart from the bloodvessel-dilation effects, I’m now feeling much better; more energetic than I’ve been for the last few weeks and anxious to catch up on work.