No JOLT this time around
....well, none that I can"recall." Damned if the ticker didn't take off racing again. Been home four days from Hot Springs where I'd been in the ER/ICU for a tune up and ...... after ten minutes of 195 HR, we headed to the ER. I knew where this was going.
Once there, they finally get me in the ER and hooked up to an EKG and just like in May of 2020 I hear "get him to the big room.". I was in the same gurney in the same hallway, same machine as last time. We pass Room #1 I was in last time and now I"m in Room #2. Doc recognizes me from my last ER trip a few months ago and we're having a 'good time' if you can call it that. I tell them all about the Hot Springs fiasco, and they've soon got the patches on me for a defribalator. I've been down this path before. After 45 minutes he tells me the "good news." I have to admit; I was begging them to knock me the f*ck out; and they did. Two syringes of something in my drip connection and shit is getting blurry. When I come to, Lucy is holding my hand, HR is back to normal and .. I didn't feel or remember a thing. Whew! Yep.....they zapped my heart back into rhythm. Thank God for good drugs. If you have no memory of being Jolted..... guess it didn't really happen? LOL
Well, back to Medical City. This is a replay of May '20 except I've already got an ICD this time around. I'm snoozing all the way to Dallas, wake up, into an nice ER room (has a bathroom!), great nurses and they are pumping me full of drugs to mellow the heart out and keep it in rhythm. After two days in the ICU, up to the third floor where I've got a friggn' Suite of sorts and you know... I'm kinda liking this. The food is great, docs' are great, nurses are great .. just missing my wife. I told her to STAY HOME until they decide on the next step. The next step will be another ablation. Well, Thursday morning is finally here, the Medtronic rep has made a lot of changes to my ICD for some enhanced algorithms based on the last week's craziness, and I'm simply in wait mode. My PA is in the room and we're discussing everything. She asks how far away I live and ... I see a light at the end of this tunnel. Long story short I convince them to release me for the next three days, and I'll be back on Monday for the Ablation Surgery! Chief offers to give me a ride home and by 2pm or so, back home in my bride's arms and relieved. Nervous, but relieved. Really nervous because I'm still getting these light headed moments due to PVCs. Due to my heart bouncing around and the ICD doing it's job. No JOLTs, but .. I can tell something is going on in there.
Friday ... As luck will have it, I've had a vehicle on order for the last five months and it's shown up so we head sixty miles to the dealer to pick it up and ... I'm doing okay for the most part. Got a weird feeling that I get sometimes, a few times.... but okay. Home for awhile then out for Dinner to Luigi's with the Kennedys. As soon as I start eating, I'm feeling weird. I'll have a half dozen 'moments' while there, but finally calming down on the second half of the dinner and enjoyed dinner and their company. Then home for some evening meds. Friday is in the books. Whew.
Saturday ... not enough sleep ... feel 'weird' all morning. Finally just say F' it and we head to town for some early Voting (think Red Tsunami!) and some errands. Overall, not too bad once up and moving and not thinking about it all. Every once in awhile ... just get a light headed feeling for a few seconds... weird. I used to think this was the medications doing it. Now, I believe it's more the PVCs than anything, with the ICD pacing me back to my baseline. Hey, at least it's working now. Feels like a Netflix veg day; rainy, cold and ... I'm just not on my normal game.
Sunday ..... the final piece of this crazy week. Monday I'm scheduled for another ablation surgery. Today, I'm simply in "take my meds, wait mode." I'm finally getting over feeling 'nervous' about my ticker ... is it going to take off again? Was that a PVC moment I just had? Will this be the day I get zapped again? It's sort of fucked with my head to be honest. Yet, I believe everything is okay now that they've done the latest ICD adjustments to the thresholds and algorithms . Guess it's just human nature? Additionally, in the near future I'm headed to Mexico with the gang and .... last thing is wanting to deal with the shit of the last few weeks, south of the border? Anyways ..... overall, a good day. Lunch with the Kennedy's at SWG .. movie night watching Netflix ... and waiting and waiting. Tomorrow .... another Ablation.
Good Days ahead................
Update: Monday Evening ..Overnight stay. They spent longer than expected in there fixing additional shit....which I'm told is a plus! Future is Bright
2nd Update: Longer surgery than anticipated because they found and fixed, more than anticipated. Kept me at the hospital overnight, back home mid day Monday. Normal..... I like normal. Things are back to normal..........
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