Thank you Perna and ShatteredSanity...

The heartrate/Venlafaxine thing... well, despite my misgivings, the doctor I saw the other day about this very thing, took my heart rate (which when I got to see her was a normal 78), took my blood pressure, which was normal (especially considering I'm an overweight smoker), listened to my heart and lungs, which both sound absolutely normal.

She mentioned ectopic beats again to account for the jumping about of my heart.

At this point I have to concede that there's a good likelihood that stress from the pulsatile tinnitus is making me hyperaware of my heartbeat to the point I'm having mini panic attacks, thereby having the funny skippy heartbeats. The doctor said this could well be the case.

That's a relief in one way, because then it means there's nothing wrong with my heart, and my fear that I might drop down dead of a heart attack without being able to "prepare" things first is slowly fading away.

But then, it leads back to the pulse in my ear, and the fact that they're likely to be sending me away again. Maybe I'll just sit in the little room until they have security remove me.

Anyway, I've cancelled the appointment for now until I know who my new CPN is. They said if I took too long to make another one I'd be discharged, but I think my doctor could refer me again anyway, and they should still have all the results there on my file.

That's all for now!