Follow- up with cardiology

Several weeks passed on the meds without incident. I became tuned in enough to know I was still in AFib. The Dr. suggested that the meds might be enough but I was pretty sure it wasn’t working. I was put on a blood thinner to reduce the chance of a blood clot potentially leading to a stroke and another med that was to help me get into rhythm and to slow my heart a bit. I didn’t feel any difference. If I got my heart rate up and then laid down and was really still I could feel the erratic beat. And I was tired. As it turns out being out of whack is more work for your heart and makes you tired. I was taking naps before the meds (lame I know) but one of the side effects of the meds was drowsiness. Great double whammy.

Finally the next appointment date came around and I had another EKG (which confirmed that I was still in AFib) an echocariogram and some nuclear test (dye injected and then scanned). I also had to come back the next day for a stress test. I wasn’t allowed to do both the same day due to my weight. Hearing that made me feel like crap….worse…fat crap. The day of the stress test the Dr. informed me that I had persistent AFib (there is a more technical term). But essentially, unlike most people that go in and out of AFib, I was in it all the time. However the tests showed I didn’t have any structural issues in my heart and he strongly recommended I have a procedure called a cardioversion. Think paddles to the chest. I would be sedated and they would shock my heart in hopes to get me back into rhythm. It actually sounded reasonable and really didn’t worry me much. And it seemed to work for lots of people.

I suggested we set it up asap because Don and I had a trip to Europe planned just 3 weeks away and it would feel great to be there AFib free and not so damn tired! It was scheduled a week later on a Wednesday. That morning Don brought me to the hospital bright and early. I was prepped, got an IV (on the second stick which is pretty good for me) and I was under. But before I drifted off I realized the erratic beeping I was hearing behind me was actually my heart monitor. Hearing just how irregular my heart beat was creepy. I woke up 30-40 minutes later and immediately heard the changed sound of the monitor. I took a deep effortless breath. I was no longer in AFib. Minutes later Don was back at my side. I got teary when I saw him, a combination of relief and excitement about hearing that nice regular beeping of the heart monitor. After a couple of hours I was discharged home and told to take it easy the rest of the day.

Fast forward to Friday night. We had dinner with friends visiting from Orlando and got home around 8:30. At about 8:45, as I began to sit on the couch, I felt a very strong heart beat…the strongest I have ever felt. It was as if my heart was coming out of my chest. Bam…back in AFib. I was angry and suddenly very concerned. I didn’t really know what was next…but I knew this was more serious than I originally thought.