No, we’re not talking about emotional heartbreak here, although I get that too sometimes. I’ve got literal, physical chest pains. It all started when I began to take Femara. The first month, I felt it, and I felt it often. The second month I felt it again and was told by my RE to go and see a physician as they had never had any patients complaining about chest pains as a side effect of Femara. My GP sent me off to go get an EKG yesterday and the result? “Sinus Bradycardia but otherwise normal EKG”. Sinus Bradycardia is defined as a resting heart rate of 60 beats/minute or less. Apparently this is something that is often seen in athletes or it can be caused by an “offending agent” such as FEMARA! I used to be a marathon runner before I became an “infertile” so that’s likely the cause of that. But there’s no doubt that the chest pains are a side effect of Femara. Ugh. I can’t wait to be off this shit and be pregnant. When is that day going to come!!! Oh well, at least I know I could be a freediver if I wanted (according to wikipedia):
Sinus Bradycardia can aid in the sport of Freediving, which includes any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Bradycardia aids in this process due to drop in blood rate pulse. These adaptations enable the human body to endure depth and lack of oxygen far beyond what would be possible without the mammalian diving reflex.
Awesome.
(image as seen on Adam’s heart valve surgery blog)
Update: RE’s orders while during IUI#3 are for me to stop taking Femara in future cycles due to continued chest pain.
LAME.