Just wanted to give you all a quick update on my health. If you are following me on social media you have no doubt seen me discuss some problems I have been having with my breathing since I finished up Sundance in the beginning of February.

It felt like I was always gasping for breath and of course as this is a major symptom of COVID19 I became very concerned. I saw a doctor at the beginning of March and he said it was just asthma inflamed by allergies and gave me a prednisone and inhalor prescription. These helped a little bit but the problem persisted. I was then tested for COVID19 and it came back negative. What could this be? I did not know!

Then last week I went into the doctors because I was afraid I was going to stop breathing all together. After examining me they found my blood pressure to be very high and my heartbeat and breathing to be elevated. They strongly encouraged me to go to the emergency room which, despite the expense, I decided to do.

At the emergency room I went through over 8 hours of testing (even though I was in the respiratory unit the place was completely empty which surprised me with COVID19 going on) and the doctor noticed something strange in an ultrasound of my heart, which he told me to have a cardiologist take a look at.

The next day I made an appointment for an echocardiogram, which was administered on Friday. I then talked to the doctor over the phone because of social distancing concerns. He was very encouraging and helpful, which was a great relief. He told me I have systolic heart failure which has to do with the left ventricle of your heart and that I have a problem with my ejection fraction (a measurement of how much blood your left ventricle is pumping out). Mine is at 30% when it should be more like 65%.

It might sound weird, but I was thrilled to have a diagnosis and treatment plan. For months I had been dealing with this mysterious breathing problem and having an unidentified medical condition is the worst. While not a good thing, this condition is treatable and I am working with the doctor to overcome. That’s the best I could hope for in such a situation!

The doctor has me on 4 different medications and I am taking my blood pressure/weight each day. I am also trying to eat as little salt as possible. In under a week of treatment I’ve definitely felt a difference, and I am highly motivated to continue to improve my health. I’ve been too lazy about it for too long!

If you have any favorite low sodium recipes I’d love to try them. The only major downside is I have to be extra vigilant with social distancing until the blood pressure gets under control. If I were to get COVID in this state it would be disastrous. I was already doing well with my isolation but not even going to the grocery store is going to make me crazy!

I guess at least I have plenty of motivation to get those numbers down and under control!

Most importantly I am grateful for my family and friends who I have missed terribly during this difficult time. Nevertheless, I have been thankful for all the emails/phone calls and social media posts that have come in (and prayers). Thank you for all the support. I am also grateful for the excellent medical care I have received from doctors, nurses and more.

I know this is just the beginning of a long journey to a healthy heart, but I feel at peace about it. I’ve been doing these Sunday Devotionals each week since being in quarantine. This has helped me be in a spiritually strong place for this health crisis. I have felt God’s guiding hand and His spirit comfort me each step along the way.

I hope He is helping you through this tough time. God bless!