Today’s post is very personal, so if you don’t like that sort of thing, feel free to skip it.
In my red velvet pancake post, last week, I brought up heart health and how it’s important to take care of one’s heart. What I didn’t mention was:
I once took my own heart for granted.
Awhile back, I wrote a post about my weight and diet.
The post briefly referred to a time when I overdid it on the running while simultaneously—and accidentally–underdoing it on the eating. But I never elaborated much on what happened. Since I’m trying to be more personal on the blog, I thought I should tell more of the story, especially so none of you ever take your hearts for granted like I did:
It was in high school. I was big into athletics, playing both varsity soccer and tennis. As soon as I started running, I was hooked on that too.
But nobody remembered to tell me just how many calories athletes burn.
At this time in my life, I knew nothing about nutrition, was always running from one activity to another, and would eat whatever I could get my hands on when I had a rare free moment…
Of course, I’d also *just* switched to a vegan diet, which meant I was inadvertently taking in fewer calories simply because I’d fill up on bulky foods.
I didn’t realize I was losing weight—weight I couldn’t afford to lose—until people started taking my mom aside and asking if I was okay. She hadn’t noticed either; when you see someone every day, it’s hard to notice a gradual change. She appeased their fears by answering, “Oh, Katie’s just like I was as a kid: always eating, never gaining an ounce. Who knows where it all goes?!” But as more and more people continued to approach her, we had to face facts: something wasn’t right.
We booked an appointment with the pediatrician, who confirmed I’d lost a lot of weight. But then she also told me something else: My heart rate was extremely low, as was my blood pressure. I’d never heard the words bradycardia or hypotension before, but just the mention of such grandiose medical terms terrified me. (I think, if I remember correctly, my resting heart rate was 42 bpm.) The pediatrician referred me to a cardiologist.
That week between doctor visits was the scariest of my life. Imagine having to go about your daily routine, focusing on fractions and friends, worried all the while that you might have a dangerous heart defect. Obviously, I wasn’t running at this point; in fact, I was afraid to move at all. I was even afraid to go to sleep at night!
Finally, the day of the cardiology appointment arrived. After performing an EKG, they stuck a bunch of stickers on me, squirted some freezing-cold blue gel on a probe, and rubbed the gel around my stomach for half an hour. Then, after what seemed like hours of waiting (because I was so nervous), the cardiologist came in.
Turns out my low heart rate wasn’t a problem. (Athletes often have heart rates in the 40s. Even now, mine is usually in the low 50s.) But the doctor did advise me to gain back the weight I’d lost before I started running again; I’d been feeling sluggish and dizzy, and my low blood pressure #s were troublesome.
Happy ending: I took their advice, got healthy, and when I came in for my follow-up, six months later, the doctor told me I could even run a marathon if I so desired. (Thanks anyway, doc. I did not so desire.)
The reason I’ve never shared this before with is because I was embarrassed to admit how I took my health for granted and risked doing serious damage simply due to lack of proper care of my body. But I’m smarter for it– if I feel like something isn’t right, I won’t ever ignore it again like I did with the dizziness, sluggishness, and friends’ voiced concerns in high school.
My body is amazing, and that’s why I honor it every single day: with healthy foods (but only if they’re also delicious), with enjoyable exercise, and–above all–with plenty of good-quality rest.
Edit: Yes, I know there are a lot of disgusting rumors circulating about me online. For my own sanity, I’ve blocked some of the worst gossip sites so I can’t look at what the trolls are saying anymore. The rumors I saw in the past were either half-truths or (more often) full-blown, hurtful, and seriously ridiculous lies made up by people who have never even met me. There’s not a way to edit the stuff said on other sites—and it’s a free country so people have a right to say what they want. But please remember to consider the source when you read something. Anyone can say anything online, but that doesn’t make it true. If you’re ever wondering about something, just ask. I’m not trying to be devious or hide anything in my life.
(And yes, I know a lot of people are finding this page because Google decided to give out “chocolate covered katie anorexic” and “chocolate covered katie eating disorder” as suggested search terms. Unfortunately I can’t do anything about that either; it’s self-perpetuating. People are always going to click on it out of curiosity.)
Great post! 🙂
thanks for sharing this personal post with us!
I have a really low RHR, but my blood pressure is fine. The Drs never have said anything to me. Wonder if it’s because my BP is ok?
Probably as long as you don’t have any other health problems, it’s nothing to worry about. In my case, my doctor just did it as a precautionary thing. But also, I’d lost a lot of weight and my bp was low AND I was feeling dizzy, so she was concerned for those reasons.
That is so scary!! I knew nothing about eating healthy or how many calories to eat when I was in High School – I’m so glad nothing serious ended up happening and you are OK in the long run.
Katie, this is beautifully written. Well done for having the courage to talk about your experiences, that week would have been terrifying. However it was a mistake – one that you’ve clearly learnt a great deal from – and ultimately your body showed how strong it was by supporting you for so long.
Thanks for sharing such a personal story! I always battle about whether to share such stories on my blog, and I haven’t yet, but I do really enjoy reading them. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your life.
In 8th grade, I once had to visit the cardiologist for a potential heart problem, and you’re so right, it’s the scariest thing! My heart rate had probably never been so high for so long from all the anxiety. Thankfully things worked out for the best.
I think just being in that office was the scariest part! It’s intimidating!
Thank you for posting this personal health account, Katie! I know that you just helped someone (or many people) by your post. Someone out there will benefit greatly and thank you 🙂
I am so glad that you’re okay, that everything turned out fine, and that you learned some lessons in health, life, and the big picture of things. Life is a journey and a process, we are all always learning about it and ourselves…so happy for you that everything is fine. Whew! 🙂
Hm… Wow, for once I’m not sure what exactly to say in a comment! Many things went through my head as I read this.
-This is a wonderfully written post.
-Thank you SO much for sharing something that you probably would rather have not, as it is somewhat of a delicate subject, I think.
-Also, thank you for reminding us all of how important our health is!
It was inspiring to read this… and actually a great motivator for me. I’m NOT an athletic person as you were and still are, but I am underweight with a very, very low heart rate and really need to gain weight. It seems really difficult to do sometimes — so difficult that I feel like throwing in the towel and accepting that I’ll be doomed to be underweight forever, but… this post proves that it can be done.
Thank you so much. 🙂 I’m so glad that you pulled through that health scare, ending up stronger and more informed than ever before… and with a new appreciation for health!
Your health scare was similar to mine considering it dealt with track sophomore year of high school. In fact, it is basically the same thing that happened to me LOL. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one! 🙂
Woah, I had NO freakin idea so many people have gone through this! Kudos to you for bringing it up, because now I know I’m not the only one. I cannot believe this! I’ve felt so alone, because I’m currently going through something similar. I lost a lot of weight recently and am in the process of gaining it back, trying to get my periods back and get back to a healthy state. Thanks Katie :).
Wow, Katie- what a amazing, well- written and deep post! I can totally relate, as I’ve had heart problems as well, and it’s surely a scary dilemma. Glad you fixed the problem, and learned an important thing… to take care of your whole body. So true moderation in exercise and a healthy diet is key for good health! Way to say it well!
Thanks girl!
Sending you well-wishes for your heart problems as well!! 🙂
I loved reading this Katie andwill actually admit to the same thing happening to me. Not so extreme as to having to get an EKG, but I was told that my BP and HR were extremely low. (The nurse actually told me to go eat a Chik-fil-A sandwich to raise my BP. 😉 ) It’s in the normal range for someone my age, height, and fitness level though and I’m glad yours is, too!
Ugh, I had a doctor once tell me to eat steak and I’d gain weight :(. It’s scary when some doctors–who don’t know a thing about nutrition–try to give nutritional advice, because people assume they know what they’re talking about because they’re doctors :-?.
I’m sure many of your readers (including myself!) have similar stories, so it’s awesome that you shared! Mine involved an eating disorder combined with excessive exercise. I had to be taken out of gym class because my doctor was afraid I would have a heart attack doing the one mile time trial. I’ll never forget the EKG’s, Bones Scans, and Blood tests I had to take. I’ll never forget going to be with chest pain (probably just heart burn) and thinking my heart was going to give out. Ironically, I discovered running once I had recovered from my eating disorder at it is what taught me to embrace food.
i haven’t shared my story yet on my blog for the same reasons as you, but you’ve inspired me. I need to get it out so that people like us don’t feel alone and know that it is possible to get better, whether or not it was on purpose or not.
i’m so glad that you’ve recovered. you are so strong!
just thought i’d let you know i wrote about you in my blog post today!
I love your honesty, and thank you for the peek into your life! I think a lot of us can relate to inadvertently abusing our bodies in one fashion or another, and the important thing is that you were able to take steps in the right direction to get back on track! <3
Thank you Katie for sharing your story!! I did not know athletes tend to have a lower HR, good to know. I am so glad you are okay. My older sister had heart problems when she was in HS, but now is better. Scary stuff when dealing with the heart.
HUGS!
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Katie. I can so relate to this, although it not my heart but my spine which I took for granted and never really cared about. As a kid I always hat to do physiotherapy and at the age of 16 I even had to wear a corset …Up until last year I never really thought about continuing to exercise until I had a lumbago (and one week in bed full of the strongest painkillers I ever experienced) and had a CT scan because my toes were numb (my thought was: yeah…what do numb toes have to do with my spine???). They found out that two of my vertebra (I hope this is the right word) are instable and slowly tuck my nerves and 3 spinal discs are already damaged. This was THE experience that showed me that I´ll have to to something and strengthen my muscles to stabilize my spine. Since then I do excercise regularly and also do physiotherapy again. I hope I can delay the problems – that definitely will occur sooner or later – as long as possible.
My toes are still numb, but maybe I´ll get them tattoed, as I won´t feel it anyway^^ …and remind me why I have to treat my spine well and take care of it.
greetings from freezing cold Rostock, Germany