Home Again (OT) (Blog Note)

En route to Rochester in the snow. That's my nether half under the sheet.

I got home last night and I was able to sleep in my own bed. Here's the story....

But first, I’m in the first day of a four-day recovery, during which I am not supposed to type! Me, not supposed to type?! So I’m getting a little inventive with writing this post. I’m dictating it to my iPhone, and then I’m going to send it to myself, and then make corrections with my left hand—so I can both write a post and also follow nice nurse Kelly's photocopied orders. :-)

[UPDATE: The no typing thing is because of the pierced artery at the wrist that needs time to heal. I have a friend who had this procedure and unthinkingly flung open a heavy door at a gas station. His artery reopened and before he got back to the hospital he had lost so much blood it took him three months to fully recover. Sounded like a pretty scary situation. Typing this with my left hand.]

Yesterday I had a coronary catheterization, also known as an angiogram, something I imagine some of you are familiar with firsthand from one direction or the other. (My iPhone capitalized "One Direction." Hilarious.) They open an artery in your wrist and stick a little plastic tube up your arm to the upper chambers of your heart, inject some dye and then watch what happens—looking mainly for blood flow, leakage, and blocked arteries.

It's a "procedure," not a surgery, and it capped off two days in two hospitals, the result of a worrying 27-hour period of irregular heartbeat that left me feeling poorly. The technical name for it is atrial fibrillation or "a-fib." I called my regular doctor and explained my symptoms to the nurse, and she told me I had to go to the emergency room.

After a pause I said, “You mean today?”

I wish I could have a recording of the tone of her voice when she said “Yes, I mean today. I mean right now.” (My ability to grasp the obvious is usually greater than that of a 12-year-old.)

I’m actually kind of happy it all happened. Back in Wisconsin where my a-fib was first diagnosed, they were never able to observe it. I’ve experienced it many times over the intervening years, but it’s never been treated. Now I know two things. First is that my chest pain and shortness of breath was not a heart attack, which has to be good; the other is that I don’t have any blocked arteries. My heart is healthy; it's just a bad drummer. Can't keep time.

I’m betraying my current lonely single status here, but there was a nice silver lining to my odyssey among hospitals, which was that I got to spend two days surrounded by women. On Friday I woke up to find seven or eight official-looking doctors and nurses circling the end of my bed, all of whom happened to be female. I said, “Uh-oh. Should I be worried about this?"

One of the doctors quipped, “you’re probably just not used to waking up and finding this many women in your bedroom," and I said, “well—not for a long time at least!" and they laughed. At least they were in good moods. (A better joke might have been, "I just thought for a second I was in heaven," but I didn't think of it in time.)

That day I was taken by ambulance to Rochester, an hour and a half away, to the Cath Lab at Strong Memorial Hospital.

I know my brief circuit was utterly routine for all the medical professionals involved, but it was an exotic and new experience for me, so I get to mention that I'm thankful and appreciative for the attention and care I got from a number of friendly and efficient professionals—Christy and Suzanne, Dr. Prull, Greta, Julia, Sherry, Tracy, and Kelly are the names I recall, although I’m grateful to all. (Including the males!)

And my apologies to Holly, who had to talk me down when I suddenly became intent on going home in the middle of the night. My emotional age is usually more than 12. (That's my theme here and I'm stickin' to it.)

Finally, I'm never again going to say that I have nobody in this area I can count on. Special thanks to Pete, my neighbor, who took good care of my dogs on short notice; Dave and Eric, who came to visit in the hospital; Eric and Jerry, who drove all the way up to Rochester to retrieve me and bring me home; and Sarah, who gave me an excellent four-hour crash course in heart-healthy eating when I got home.

So now I’m not supposed to type until Tuesday or Wednesday. Really? We’ll see how that goes.

Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Tommy Brown: "Mike, You're very fortunate to have Strong to go to for care. As good as it gets!"

Geoffrey Meyer-van Voorthuijsen: Though I don't comment regularly, your blog has been an almost daily constant in my life for almost as long as you've been at it, so it is good to hear that your heart is generally healthy. Still it must have been a bit scary, and I hope treatment is successful and not too onerous."

Tex Andrews: "As others have expressed, glad you are OK! I'll add that for a thoughtful, quiet single guy out in the country, you sure do lead an exciting life...."

RubyT: "I am so relieved. I think I refreshed the page at least 100 times to see if you were back. When my father-in-law had similar symptoms he didn't want to go in, and my parents convinced him. They not only kept him overnight, he had an emergency quadruple bypass (it was a triple when they went in, but they found another one). That was in 2003, and he is still here. I'm glad to read it sounds like are, too, even if you have to refrain from typing for a few days."

Mike replies: Your father-in-law just became an inspiration. Whoops, I typed that.

John Berger: "I might be an 'advanced amateur' in photography but I am a seasoned professional when it comes to a-fib. Noticed first acute symptoms in my late 50s with very irregular heartbeat and a peculiar breathlessness, as if after running aggressively but just can't catch breath. Classic hospital bed scene, scurry and flurry of doctors, nurses, aides, equipment and distraught wife, with medical gel on the chest and paddles at the ready, ominous machine revving up with flashing status lights. Crazy doctor babble about STOPPING MY HEART AND THEN (hopefully) RESTARTING. I watched E.R. I know where this is going. But no, meds in IV feed seem to do the trick, and the crazy heart rhythm subsides, and crisis averted. Fifteen years later at age 73 I have a simple Rx of twice daily Metoprolol that somehow eliminates the erratic heartbeat, and now, since age 72, Eliquis to reduce risk of blood clots that can come from normal aging and that may be a result of any poor blood circulation efficiencies from possible a-fib flares.

"My prognosis is an active standard lifestyle, and no limits on activity except my own motivation. Other than the inconvenience of stocking and taking the Rx, there are no symptoms or indicators whatsoever. Unless I forget a couple of doses, and I feel that odd knocking about in my chest—I take my meds, and within just a few minutes, back in normal rhythm. Say what you like about life's adventures but a normal rhythm is pretty nice to have—realized when you have been without one for a while.

"So there you have it...soldier on and pay attention to your medical professionals, but be in charge of your own program. Of course, such an experience may lead to re-examining your past present and future in a different light, but that is not a bad thing. We were all worried about you, but with proper care and medication, you should soon be back to you normal routines. Good Luck and may the light be with you!"

Robert Fogt: "Looking at your ambulance photo reminded me of an event some few years ago, when I experienced an episode of 'transient global amnesia.' (First thought to be a TIA, or 'mini stroke.') Wouldn't leave home in that ambulance without my little Canon S95. In the ER, the nurse turned and asked, "Are you taking a picture of me?" And my wife explained simply, 'That's what he does.' Maybe it's a photographer's kind of whistling in the dark? Keep on the mend, Mike."

Speed: "Mike wrote in part, 'The no typing thing is because of the pierced artery at the wrist that needs time to heal.' When I worked in Cardiovascular Research, for our studies we inserted a tube into a patient's vein and pushed the tip into the heart. This is analogous to what Mike had done except that Mike's artery is a high-pressure tube (like a water pipe) and a vein is a low-pressure vessel (like a kitchen drain). We told our patients to rest and not use their arm (the one we poked) for at least 24 hours and for the most part that worked fine. In addition to patients, we did studies on normal (not-sick) volunteers—usually co-workers. They were also told to rest and not use their arm but since they weren't sick and had taken a couple of hours off work for the study they went right back to work. Occasionally they would come back the next day with pain and a huge swollen bruise where we had inserted the catheter. We changed our post-study instructions to make them more assertive. And scary."

Comments

[dencoyle]

Some bedside reading for a better understanding of your fib. I don't know if your photography escapades qualify for "too much exercise" :) ...but non the less you will leave knowing your not alone and the future is not all gloom...knowing soothes the anxieties...

https://www.amazon.com/Haywire-Heart-exercise-protect-heart/dp/1937715671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520824168&sr=8-1&keywords=the+haywire+heart+book

[Peggy C]

Am so glad to check into the blog today and find you home and doing better.

I've been reading your blog for several years now and try to never miss a day. Some of my favorite people are those I haven't even met, (I know there's a joke in there somewhere, but let it go).

Get well soon and we will wait breathlessly for you to regal us with more of the adventure.

(I'm having knee surgery this Thursday. I hope when I wake up I see a lot of male nurse's at the foot of my bed.)

[Antonis]

do.not.type.

OK, so, there, was that so hard?

But really, like I said earlier, it will all be over soon and you'll be spreading the word on writing with light.

take care (I mean it literally)

[Mike Kukulski]

Good to hear you are back home. Rest up and get better...

[Tim A]

I recently had to learn the meaning of 'ectopic heartbeats', ECGs, atrial fibrillation (thankfully absent), beta blockers, statins, MRIs', blood flow, cholesterol plaques, unexplained dizziness, tinnitus and ALL THAT JAZZ ... and believe me, it's all a real test of one's patience and ability to maintain level flight, emotionally speaking. But you end up being fatalistic, and adopting the Churchillian motto: 'Keep buggering on ...', while trying not to dwell too much on the financial cost of every damn visit to a specialist. Getting off sleeping pills is a bit of a problem.

[Tom Bell]

Re typeing ....

A while agomMike it was common to do the angiogram from the femoral artery at the top of the thigh .... so then the writing ban would not be relevant.
None the less caution is good as you could get horrible bruising in the leg if you didnt stick to the rules. I put gentle prssure on my puncture site for 10 minutes having seen the problem in others!

Trust you have had a good night!

[Mani Sitaraman]

I just saw this Mike.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and many uneventful years going forward. I pray A-fib is nothing more than a minor nuisance, but hope it does not do so, at all.

Be well.

We at the TOP readership will gladly take a long break from expecting posts from you. We expect you to get well, instead.

PS: You deserve some kind of medal for taking the trouble to take, and then post, that photograph.

PPS: Many many kind women grace your future.

[Miserere]

Mike, let me join the chorus of fans rejoicing that you're OK and saying "phew! close one!"

Please take care of yourself, and I, for one, can survive for a week without reading TOP while you recover. I've heard that there are other websites on the internets, and now might be a good time to find out if that rumour is true.

Take your meds, rest, stop the damn typing, and let anyone who wants to shower you with love and care do so.

We'll all be here when you're fit to return.

[Larry Wilkins]

Hello Mike,

Glad that you received the medical attention that you needed and are back home and recuperating.

Best wishes,
Larry

[Michael]

It's very good to have you back, Mike.

[Mark O]

Mike listen to that doctor and stop typing. We can all hang out for a while while you focus on that. Get well soon.

[Jim Metzger]

My Grandfather had suffered and survived a heart attack in his late 70's.I was in my teens. When we visited him in the hospital and asked how he was doing he replied,"I was feeling bad and now I took a turn for the nurse". Feel free to use that one, I know he got it from someone else.

Be well and Namaste.

Jim

[Bruce Appelbaum]

Get well. Don't type. Sit on your hands. I need my daily Mike dose but not at the risk of your health.

My wife is a nurse, ran an ICU/CCU for a while. She would read you the riot act for not following drs orders.

[John Holland]

Scary stuff! All the best Michael, stay safe. Wish I lived closer, I'd drop by with a care package.

I have a slightly different but related heart problem, PVC (premature ventricular contraction). My ticker will spontaneously stop and start like a car engine with a couple of bad spark plugs. I take a pill and avoid caffeine and that seems to do the trick.

My uncle had a-fib due to rheumatic fever he got while he was in the army during WWII. He got a discharge and a small disability pension, and lived to 85.

Your new-ish Mac has built-in speech-to-text dictation software, but you may already have figured that out.

[Jack Stivers]

I'm sure my response to the nurse you first called would have been the same. And I'd probably add, "What a bother!"

As you can see, a world-wide web of folks are relieved that you heeded that advice.

I hope you heal quickly and get your ticker timing into a regular rhythm.

[Michael Dunne]

Glad to hear you are at home and feeling better. Take it easy Mike.

[Rob Griffin]

Hi Mike,
Like everyone else that has posted, I am very happy that you are doing better. Even though we have never met, because of your writing and TOP, I think of you as a good friend. I really don’t have enough good friends as it is. So, please take care of yourself, do what the doctor said and don’t type.

[John Allen]

Mike, you have my sympathy in this situation. However, it's also important to realise that atrial fibrillation is not a big deal and you should not think of yourself as being ill.

I had an episode a bit like yours in 2012 - though without the ambulance - but once my cardiologist and I had identified a suitable drug regime (bisoprolol + flecainide) the fibrillation has never recurred. I now also take an anticoagulant (dabigatran) to further reduce stroke risk.

Forget the stents and bypasses mentioned by other commenters - these have nothing to do with atrial fibrillation - and avoid offers of surgery to "fix" the problem. You mustn't forget to take your medication, but otherwise this episode will soon be a distant memory.

[Armond Thomas Perretta]

Don't think this gets you off the hook. Many here aren't finished with you just yet (and hope never to be).

[Francisco Cubas]

Mike, you have been a part of my day for more than a decade now. It was sad and worrying to know that you were in danger.

I'm very glad that all came well and your chances to continue living a good life are high.

Take care and keep having fun.

[grigoris]

nice to read that you are ok. i wish you quick recovery. sometimes the emergency room is the lucky start for lifesaving medical treatment. my father suffered a little stroke and now 10 years later there is no deterioration in his health because he is taking medication for diabetes type 2, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

[Yvonne]

Glad you are better and back at home and that you have a problem that can be managed without surgery. As they say, it could always have been worse. My husband had an angiogram last year, and they found all arteries blocked and booked him for bypass surgery. The surgery and long recovery that followed blighted our spring last year, but he is fully mended now. Wishing you all the best.

[Simon]

Mike, maybe we shouldn’t be writing and giving you more work! But of course we care and want you to know. A close friend was fitted with a pacemaker a couple of years ago. Like yours her heart is ok but was not firing correctly. I call it a software issue as opposed to hardware.

Get well soon Mike

Simon

[Richard Khanlian]

Wishing you well, Mike. I've been living with a-fib for a couple of decades now, after several ablation procedures and a series of meds worked for awhile and eventually didn't. I just take an aspirin a day to help prevent clots and manage a pretty active life running on four cylinders instead of six (or some similar analogy).

[John Krumm]

I looked all over your site for a PO box or something so I could send an actual card, but I could not find your mailing address. So a comment it is. Here’s wishing you a swift and thorough recovery.

[Ernest Zarate]

Right. Just another excuse for NOT finishing the long promised but yet to be delivered Baker’s Dozen! (Tongue firmly in cheek there, just in case someone doesn’t get it.)

So glad to hear my favorite blogger is home and on the mend. Like many of my fellow TOP readers, I have a-fib as well (another correlation to ponder!). The docs actually did the electrical cardio-conversion as a procedure over two decades ago. Interesting experience.

As others have said, follow the doctors’ orders. We will wait patiently for your recovery. Look how long we’ve waited for that Baker’s Dozen you’ve been promising!

[John McMillin]

Good health to you, Mike. You're dependably one of the best parts of my online day. And my hat's off to you for being able to compose such a brave and breezy entry as "Time Out" while experiencing those symptoms. You're a real mensch, for sure!

[Frank]

Thank You for all your wonderful posts, happy to hear you are OK, take care of yourself!

[Christopher May]

Mike,

Sorry about the slow reply to everything. I was on a photo workshop and didn't have good internet access until today. I'm glad to hear that things are on the upswing and I hope recuperation is speedy for you. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the one handed posts as I know you're more capable with one hand than most bloggers with two!

Take care and speedy recovery!

Chris May
Puebblo, CO

[John Ironside]

Mike, we'll still be here for you when you're back to strength.

KBO - as my Dad used to say, but he rendered it 'Keep Bashing On'.

But not on the keyboard please, not until you're allowed!

[William Furniss]

Wah! Feel better! And actually follow Doctor’s orders, as hardly anyone ever does.

[John]

Sounds scary to me. Glad you're well now!