Fast forward to 2014. My heart's been doing well for three years. Until one day I was doing yard work at my mother's house in the morning and started to get the shortness of breath, lightheadedness feel. I was still on medication (metoprolol and aspirin. I sat down to rest and wasn't getting any better. I could now feel palpitations and felt like I was going to pass out. So at this point, it was time to call 911 again.
This time, I was diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation, Afib for short. The doctors treated me with amiodarone and had me admitted. My heart went back into rhythm later in the afternoon.
So now, my cardiologist changes up my meds and adds flecainide to my menu. If I were to get these symptoms again, I was told to pop three of those pills asap. So I had these stashed everywhere imaginable. At work in my pouch, on my desk, in my car, at home, everywhere.
Fast forward:
Spring break 2016
First day of spring break my heart goes into Afib again. I panic again. Call 911 as the meds didn't help. Get up to the ER and the house doc notifies my cardiologist at Straub what's going on. They decide the best thing at the moment was for a cardioversion. You know, the AED we've all been trained to use. So I consent to it. Sign my life away, and get it done. This time, they were able to sedate me with the good ole Micheal Jackson propophol. That thing knocked me out in an instant and next thing you know, they're waking me up with a normal heart again. I regret not having my wife video this procedure. Then I get discharged. Thank goodness that was a quicky! So now i'm thinking that i'm out in the clear....
Five days later, my heart goes back into Afib. I take my magical meds and call 911 again as I didn't feel my heart getting better. The same B-shift gang is here and I swear, as soon as I stepped in the ambulance, my heart went back into normal rhythm, or as what they would term it as
'sinus' rhythm. So I get up to the ER, get checked up and get discharged.
In between all this, the doctors are changing up my meds and i'm also asking for anxiety meds on top of others I can't mention here. One night several days later, I'm having all these anxieties and seeing light flashes. The description is like seeing flashes from a disco ball through a colored prism. It comes and goes. So i'm tripping and tell my wife that something's not right. So it's back to the ER. At least she drove me this time so we could save up another ambulance ride. Man, I wonder how much an ambulance ride in Thailand is? (that's a whole 'nother story). Anyway, the house doc says it's from the meds and only temporary. So I get discharged again. After spring break, I decided to take several weeks off to rest my body and soul. At least I got to see the end for my students school year.
Ok, so the latest is that my cardiologist from Straub had me scheduled for an Afib ablation scheduled for July. In the meantime, I had another check up with him as he comes to Hilo twice a month, so lucky for me. As he's listening to my heart, he reminds me of murmur I had diagnosed with over 6 years ago during my first visit doctors visit. One of the hospital house doctors also detected it during one of my visits. So during this latest check up, my cardiologist makes a comment relating my heart murmur as being the cause for my Afib episodes. So I think nothing of it. Well, not until common sense got the best of me. I called his nurse on Oahu to question him about the murmur and the necessity of doing the Afib abalation. They then decide that they want to take a closer look at my heart functioning through a TEE (trans esophageal echocardiogram). See video below.
https://youtu.be/gVhPThJcvDQ
So now this is scheduled for June 30 and my ablation has been put on hold. Depending on the outcome of the TEE, it'll determine whether it warrants the ablation. Hope you all followed.
And thanks for reading this til the end. It is much appreciated.
Will take pics of my procedure and post on my next CK post.
