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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Two Weeks Post Ablation!



Well, it has been two weeks since ablation. Symptoms the last few days are actually worse. Cardiac EP was surprised that I did not get some improvement to date, but everyone is different. Most high volume ablation centers post that they ignore any A-fib episodes for the first 8 week blanking period to allow the swelling in your heart to subside, and to see if the scarring covers the spots where the crazy cardiac firing is occurring. From reading blogs of ablation patients, many get much worse the first month before they get any better. In the mean time, I am awaiting UPS to deliver a temporary telemetry device that is about 4 inches bye 3/4 inch that you stick on your chest to send your heart data to the docs. They want to see if your A-fib is improving at all. On March 31st, they will implant the device pictured above under my skin above my heart. It is about 3/4" long and the thickness of a pen barrel, and is highly sophisticated. It reads 24/7, downloads data to your doctor weekly, and reads for up to three years. It also tells them how much of your day, your percentage, you are spending in A-fib to see where you are headed. It leads me to believe I am in this for the long haul! So the progression of this process would possibly lead to another ablation, a mini matrix surgical procedure, and finally a procedure where, if all else fails, they burn off your main cardiac signal node and put a pacemaker in you. That is the last resort end game. So, will I ever get to run again, who the fuck knows. Add to that, I go in march 9th to see Murphy about getting a CT scan to see about the spot on my lung discovered during my ER visit from February 16th. So, it is a lot to deal with now, and I have that wonderful feeling of powerlessness that comes with things your body does that you have no control over. So, all I can do is wait and see, and I am not the most patient person with that......

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I started reading your blog over the last few months and you have my sympathy! I know that is little consolation, however stay positive and you never know what will happen. You may have to adjust somewhat but with an active mind like yours I am sure that there will be something that you can channel your competitive energy into. MY son was ill for a few years and played chess a lot at that time and I know it is not a run but it can give you a bit of a buzz! Maybe you can focus on filling us in on your investment strategies until the running resumes! Best of luck with this "hurdle". Colm

Terrible Dad said...

Thank you so much for your support Colm..much appreciated! After 41 years of running, this has been an excruciating experience thus far. I have really good supportive friends, a son, and a bride, so they keep me squared away. Hope you and your son are happy and healthy! Tom