Symptoms
When I was diagnosed with an ASD, I was surprised, but not incredibly shocked. When the doctor started explaining the signs and symptoms I actually felt a little relieved. Having my symptoms match up with what he was saying gave me confirmation that there was a reason behind how I felt and what was going on with my body. Everything started coming together. Here are my most obvious symptoms:
Heart murmur: In other words, my heart marches to the beat of its own drum. I've known for a while that I have a murmur, but my cardiologist couldn't see any abnormalities a few years ago, probably due to the fact that the ultrasound images were grainier back then and the hole in my heart is in a hard-to-see area. A normal heart sounds a little like, "Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub'. Mine sounds like, "Lub(woosh)-dub, lub(woosh)-dub." (<-- links to listen to heart sounds, for the nerds)
Fatigue: I could have 5 hours of sleep or 25 hours of sleep, and I would still feel the same way. Nothing can really shake the constant tiredness I feel everyday. I realized that this was probably (read: definitely) why I was drinking between 3 and 8 cups of coffee a day when I was in college-- I just didn't have enough energy to do everything that needed to be done.
Overheating: I am constantly hot. While I realize that I am, in fact, incredibly good looking, my body seems to have taken the image a little too literally and now refuses to cool me off adequately when I am warm. I joked to my friends that I was hitting menopause super early, because I always felt like I was having hot flashes (is it hot in here, or is it just me?...It's just you, Maya.)
This summer, my friends perfected a dance move called The MayaJoy. Essentially, you use both hands to fan yourself dramatically to the beat of the music. 10 points if you can emulate my facial expression at the time. 10,000 points if you fan me instead of yourself.
Shortness of breath: Different from the out of breath you get from prolonged exercise. Going up a flight of stairs or even talking to someone in an exciting/heated conversation will get me slightly winded and I need to take a breather to collect myself. This doesn't happen all the time, but frequently enough to be annoying.
Palpitations: Sometimes, I feel like there is a tiny person in my chest who had one too many Mountain Dews and is bouncing all over the place (weirdly similar to what is happening here between 1:16 and 1:34). No, Mr. Heart, you cannot come outside to play.
Heart murmur: In other words, my heart marches to the beat of its own drum. I've known for a while that I have a murmur, but my cardiologist couldn't see any abnormalities a few years ago, probably due to the fact that the ultrasound images were grainier back then and the hole in my heart is in a hard-to-see area. A normal heart sounds a little like, "Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub'. Mine sounds like, "Lub(woosh)-dub, lub(woosh)-dub." (<-- links to listen to heart sounds, for the nerds)
Fatigue: I could have 5 hours of sleep or 25 hours of sleep, and I would still feel the same way. Nothing can really shake the constant tiredness I feel everyday. I realized that this was probably (read: definitely) why I was drinking between 3 and 8 cups of coffee a day when I was in college-- I just didn't have enough energy to do everything that needed to be done.
Overheating: I am constantly hot. While I realize that I am, in fact, incredibly good looking, my body seems to have taken the image a little too literally and now refuses to cool me off adequately when I am warm. I joked to my friends that I was hitting menopause super early, because I always felt like I was having hot flashes (is it hot in here, or is it just me?...It's just you, Maya.)
This summer, my friends perfected a dance move called The MayaJoy. Essentially, you use both hands to fan yourself dramatically to the beat of the music. 10 points if you can emulate my facial expression at the time. 10,000 points if you fan me instead of yourself.
Shortness of breath: Different from the out of breath you get from prolonged exercise. Going up a flight of stairs or even talking to someone in an exciting/heated conversation will get me slightly winded and I need to take a breather to collect myself. This doesn't happen all the time, but frequently enough to be annoying.
Palpitations: Sometimes, I feel like there is a tiny person in my chest who had one too many Mountain Dews and is bouncing all over the place (weirdly similar to what is happening here between 1:16 and 1:34). No, Mr. Heart, you cannot come outside to play.
This explains so much...
ReplyDeleteYes, yes it does. I only wish I had a picture of The MayaJoy Dance in action.
Delete