AFIB - Last Friday Morning

2:30 AM
I awoke to go to the bathroom. While there my heart started racing and then I experienced mild chest pain. I returned to bed and told myself that my stress test was perfect, so this should not be happening. It continued. At 2:40 I grabbed my nitro bottle and put one under my tongue. There was no change. At 2:45 I woke Beverly and told her that I thought we should go to the hospital. She wanted to call 911. I talked her out of doing that. I didn’t feel that bad, but I knew something was wrong. I put in another nitro, and we left for the hospital.

3:10 AM
Beverly dropped me in front of ER. I walked in and they put me in a wheelchair and took me straight to a room, and within minutes Beverly returned to my side, and the ER people had run EKG and had taken blood, etc. A little while later they told me I was experiencing AFIB (Atrial Fibrillation). When the blood results were returned we learned I was NOT having a heart attack. Whew!

Admitted
Later that morning I was admitted: I was that grouchy old man in Room 24B. Finally I was visited by my cardiologist who recommended we first try drug treatment to return the heart’s rhythm. And if it did not correct itself by early afternoon we would go for electrical cardio version. Around 3:00 PM they completed the procedures to restore my heart to it’s normal pattern. I asked the doctor, minutes after I had awoken, what limitations I would have. He said, “None.” I asked, “Can I go to the gym tomorrow and work out, and go fishing next week?” He said, “Sure! And you can go home later this evening.”

Well, to make a long story short, I did not get to go home until Saturday. The nurse said I would get to go home around 7 PM, but around 6 PM she said they had noticed something in my tests that they wanted to monitor me overnight. So I stayed. What choice did I have anyway?

I learned on Saturday morning that the results in question where expected due to the procedure, and they should have released me on Friday night! Well, that’s hospitals for you!

Home Again
Anyway I’m glad to be home. There’s no place like home. I’m hoping to go to the gym this morning for my workout, and I’m planning some fishing days!

 

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
What’s here today may be gone tomorrow.
Plan accordingly.

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Quote of the Day

Another way to solve the traffic problems of this country is to pass a law that only paid-for cars be allowed to use the highways.
~Will Rogers

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Joke of the Day

Three health care professionals find themselves at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter asks the first, "Why do you belong here?"

The first replies, "I was a great surgeon. I have saved countless lives."

"Welcome," says Saint Peter, "We've been expecting you."

Saint Peter then asks the second, "Why do you belong here?"

The second answers, "I was a family practitioner. I treated young and old alike. I made them well again."

"Welcome," says Saint Peter, "We've been expecting you."

Finally, Saint Peter asks the third, "Why do you belong here?"

The third says, "I ran an HMO. I helped pay for thousands to receive medical care."

"Okay," replies Saint Peter, "But you can only stay a day and a half."

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