Continueing On

Just had my first full week of work after starting my new medication, and everything seems to be going well. I was a little tired from not working for about a month, but once I got back into the swing of things it started going better. Still dealing with some chronic chest pain, which isn't due to my heart now that it is beating in sinous rhythm, but more than likely some GI issues. My doctors at the UW have recommeded me to the GI department at UW, so maybe they will figure out what is causing all of this. Just seems to run you down dealing with pain all the time, but keeping focused and working on other things can take my mind off of it so it doesn't seem so irritating. I am confident that I will get back to the level of health that I was at before. Best of luck to all of you out there.

Success!

Just made it home from the hospital and everything went better than planned. I arrived at the hospital on Tuesday March 16th 2010 for a cardio version and the addition of a new med to the one's I already take. Upon arriving an ECG was done and it was determined I was already in a sinus rhythm, so there was no need to conduct the cardio version. The docs started me on sotalol, and anti arrythmic medication to keep my heart from going into atrial flutter. The gave me the lowest does possible of 80mg, but soon discovered that it was lowering my heart rate out of the normal range. It was beating around 40-45 beats per minute at rest. That was a little too slow for the docs, so they cut my sotalol dose in half to 40mg two times a day and also removed one of the doses of my diltiazem, which has an effect on sotalol and can also lower the heart rate in conjuction with it. Everything seems to be going better now, just in recovery mode and getting myself back on track to better days. Times can get tough when dealing with a medical condition, but don't ever give up. No matter how hard times get, there is always hope.

Countdown to the cardio version cont...II

Just made it back from the ACC and my protime was 3.4. A little high, but better to be on the high side than on the low side. If it's too low then no cardio version for me. One more week to go until that can be done. Just need to keep my coumadin level in the theraputic range and we will be good to go. I don't want to have to start all over again. It is no fun walking around in flutter all the time. Keep on a truckin.

Countdown to the cardio version cont...

I am on my second week now, just went and had my protime (INR) checked and was at 3.0. It is in the theraputic range that the doctors want it in, so things are still a go for March 17th. Looks like I will have to have some green beer on some other day since I will be busy on St. Patty's day.

Countdown to the cardio version

Well, I am one week in to my three week waiting period for my next cardio version. Docs were unable to do the echo so we have to go about it this way. I have to wait the three weeks to make sure that my protime (coagulation time) is theraputic since they will just be doing the cardio version and not the echo this next time. Two more weeks to go and then I check in on March 16th and will more than likely be released the following day baring any complications. If there is one thing that I do know it is that my hospital visits are hardly ever anything but routine.

Been gone too long

I have not been posting as of late and just thought that I would give a little update as to what I have been up to these past months. I started going back to school for Sonography, but my heart condition decided to raise its ugly head again so I had to step down from my classes to get myself in better health. Back in January in visit to clinic it was discovered I was in atrial flutter again, so I was admitted to UW Medical Center and scheduled for a cardio version. To ensure that there were no blog clots in my heart the doctors needed to do a Transesophageal Echo or what is commonly refered to as a TEE. You are lightly sedated so that when the scope inserted into the esophagus your natural function of swalling can aid the doctors with getting the scope in position to take the images that they need to verify that no clots are present. No clots were present, so the doctors were able to perform a cardio version. This is a procedure where electric current is used to shock your heart back into a normal sinus rhythm. Two pads are placed on your body, one on the front and one on the back and acts as a wall for the current to bounce back and forth while the electric current runs through your heart to make it beat normally. Well the procedure was short lived with it only lasting for 4 weeks at which time I discovered that I had fell back into atrial flutter. I am recently released from the hospital, but was unable to have the cardio version done due to complications. I am now in a waiting phase where I will have my coumadin monitored over the next 3 weeks to ensure that there are no blood clots in my body. It was not the outcome that I was looking for, but the future will hold better times. Now I just have to be patient and stay relaxed so that I don't get my heart beating too fast. Its not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of fight in the dog.

Children's Hospital memories

One of the first memories that I have of my heart surgeries was when one of my doctors had paid a visit to me in my room the night before my 2nd operation. It was later in the evening, so my parents had already went to the hotel to get some sleep and Dr. King came in to listen to my heart and listen for the leak that they were going to repair. I was only 5, so I was a little scared to be seen by a doctor without my parents being there, but once we started with the examination that all went away. Rather than start out by listening to my heart he gave his stethascope to me and let me listen to his heart as a way to break the ice between us. One of the nurses had taken a photograph of that moment which later became one of the posters for Children's Hospital in Seattle.

Another memory that I have which is not so easy to forget is when some of the phlembologist's came in to draw blood. This was the day that I would never fear needle's again. I had just came back to my room after doing some routine x-rays and echocardiogram when I noticed that the food staff had brought me a tray of dinner. Just about them 5 phlembologist's walk in and tell me that they need to take some blood. At that time all of them started to draw vials of blood from every area on my body. They must have poked me at least 40 different times, and after that I wasn't too hungery anymore.

These are just a few of my first memories that I have when first starting my journey with heart surgery. More memories to come later. Until next time.