JOLTED

Son of a Bitch, that'll wake you and make you see stars ....

 ....been almost two years to this date when I found myself in the hospital for 48 hours, leaving with an ICD in my chest (pacemaker version of sorts).  They told me if it ever happened again ....  I'd know it. If my heart took off racing again, it'd do it's job. Otherwise .. fine.  "You'll live another 35 years" .. blah blah ...  I love the guy, a no BS cool Puerto Rican.  Still, over the last two years, wondered if this thing even 'worked'.  Had an appointment with my heart doc last week and he looked at all the data and said my heart was out of rhythm twice in one day, a week before....  could even tell me the date.  I knew what day that was....  Otherwise, you are good.  "You'll live another 35 years" again is what he tells me.

Last year leaving Daytona Bike week, riding home I had one of my ...moments.  Felt like I was going to pass out, doing 85mph on the Interstate...   that was a fun day.  Had a few moments... lets call them episodes .... since that day, but pretty rare.  Well, was rare.  Week or so ago in Mexico at dinner with a few days to go, I had one and it scared the shit out of me.  When I finally got my shit back together, my group got me in a cab and it happened again about ten minutes later as the cab pulled up to the house.  Made it to my bedroom and got to sleep ..and ... all is well again.  Then this past Saturday it happened to at a CVMA ride the last hour before riding back.  Almost face planted on that one. Boomer, Slingblade, Holly and a couple others helped me out, but all the others I rode with were downstairs.  Recovered and no one in my group was aware of what had happened and was able to ride home; hell, I led the ride. Then the following day at SWG .. same shit.   Then ...yesterday.

At dinner when we finished eating it hit me....  was a doozy.  Feels like one is going to faint / pass out.  Wasn't aware of my heart rate being any faster.  Then .. again .. and ... again.  Three in one setting 5-10 minutes apart.  Finally got my shit together, and we headed to the car so Lucy could drive me home and it really hit me.  I was hanging on to the front grill of our car trying to get it together .. ...barely did .. and .. into the passenger sear.  She's wanting to know if we are headed to the hospital, but ... no .. home it is...  We get home and all I want to do is get in bed even though it's only 1930hrs. She takes Peanut out as I'm preparing to call it a night and ... here we go again.  This is the worst of the five... I'm holding on to the dresser.....  starting to go down on my knee .... when, I find out what this thing in my chest is supposed to do.    

BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!   MotherFucker!%#@!%T@#%T ...   I get a jolt in my chest of electricity that still has my neck hurting after that crap.  I honestly didn't see it coming.  Just knew I was fainting or something.  Well, now .... as it was in the emergency room two years ago.... after that Jolt my heart settles back down to 90bpm and... all is normal again.   

As I doze off to sleep .. eventually ... I'm replaying all the specifics of each of these ...episodes in my mind.  Before each one, I had a lil too much fun the day before.  I was dehydrated when each of them happened.  And a notch tired from lack of true sleep.  This trifecta has brought it upon time and time again, to include my first trip to the hospital two years ago.   I really need a lifestyle change.  I need to slow it down a lil.  Just so damned hard; I've always lived my life like it was 'my last day.  Time for some changes...