In my last blog I requested prayer because I did not feel well and was going to have further testing done while I was in Johannesburg. Thank you very much for your prayers in this regard. The results of the further testing showed no abnormalities and that I am in good health. Up until now, I have been very tight lipped about my health as I did not want to raise unnecessary concerns while taking prudent precautionary measures given the situation.
For the last few months I have been having unusual feelings around my heart. It seemed prudent to discuss the situation with Fiona (our TWR colleague who is also a medical doctor). Upon examination Fiona found my blood pressure to be slightly elevated and an ECG done in Benin was normal. All the indicators pointed to stress and lack of exercise. Although, given my families heart history and lack of facilities in Benin to test for and deal with cardiac problems, Fiona choose the path of prudence until a cardiac problem could be clearly excluded. Fiona started me on Atenolol, which is a medicine to protect the heart and lower blood pressure. The first week on Atenolol I did not feel very well as my body adjusted to the medicine. At present, the Atenolol is causing some insomnia, fatigue and a light pressure in my head / dull headache. The doctor in Johannesburg, Dr LeCrus, fully agreed with Fiona’s prudence until he could do a stress ECG and get a full blood workup done. Both the stress ECG and the blood work (including cholesterol) were all normal. Dr LeCrus would like to taper me off the Atenolol over a period of a few weeks.
I am aware that requesting prayer for my health without giving too many details was frustrating for some. However, I choose to say very little as I feared if I said too much it would cause unnecessary concern. Especially since it was mostly likely that the symptoms were caused by stress and Fiona starting me on Atenolol was purely a precautionary measure until a cardiac problem was excluded.
I would appreciate your continued prayers for the insomnia, fatigue and dull headaches as I taper off the Atenolol. In the near future I will post on the rest of my trip to Johannesburg and strategic planning meetings.
Grace & Peace — Paul