surgery

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Near Death Experience

Coz 2 Comments , , , , ,

On May 3rd, I received a bi-ventricular ICD.  It’s a pacemaker, intended to help my heart chambers beat in sync and in the correct order.  This device also has an extra wire that, in the event that my heart goes wacky, it will use electro-shock therapy to get me back into rhythm.  It will try this a couple times if it seems reasonable.  Or/then it will move directly into full-fledged defibrillation.  This is the kind of jolt that the paddles give a person after the doctor rubs them together and yells “CLEAR!”  This device was implanted because of the LBBB I developed after my septal myectomy. So aside from some adjustments that needed to be made, I was beginning to

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health 

A New Condition

Coz 1 Comment , , ,

I went to the cardiologist’s today. It was mainly a follow-up from the time when, a couple months ago, when I was feeling awful and couldn’t even take a few steps (unless the ground was flat) before feeling short of breath and nearly passing out. I had an echo done then and everything looked fine. I have been thinking the medication I’m on may be contributing. It’s designed to make the heart pump with less vigor. I’m taking it as a precaution, though, to keep my heart from pumping out of control and erratically…. which may or may not happen. It’s basically helping me keep an even rhythm. And yes, it theoretically could be contributing. But my most recent EKG

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My Damaged Heart: Surgery Blog – Part 1

Coz 0 Comments , ,

This is very difficult for me, because I have no idea what I’m going to write.  I usually have a few points; a few ideas or moments I want to convey before I sit down for something like this.  But I’ve not a single moment that stands out among the rest.  This is kind of the reason I am doing this; to connect back to it, to embrace it, to understand what made a difference and where I detached.  My therapist tells me this is important.  I agree.  I wasn’t going to do this.  I never seem to write about the big, huge events in my life.  Not because I intentionally try to avoid them, but because by the time

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health 

‘Twas The Night Before Surgery

Coz 0 Comments , ,

‘Twas the night before surgery and all through the hotel, not a creature was stirring, not even a micro-bacterial virus in my nasal passages. I’m sitting here at 11:30pm due to wake up at 4am and I’ve got some sort of ointment up my nose to prevent and viral infections overnight. These guys don’t take chances. I’m also very sore in my groin region due to the heart cath the other day. My arms are bruised up and down from a dozen needles going in me over the last week. This is not how I pictured my “night before” I feel awful. I’m glad I have no responsibilities for the next few days. So I’m not so sure I have

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health travel 

Surgery postponed?

Coz 3 Comments , , ,

Last week it was sprung on me that I needed dental clearance before surgery. WTF?! My mouth is in bad shape right now. So… last night I went to the dentist’s. He denied signing off on me. I’m too much of a risk. But I should have the Cleveland docs call him to discuss it and they can get a better idea of what they’ll be dealing with. Fuuuuhhhhhhk. So this morning I called the surgeon’s office. They didn’t cancel anything and they didn’t see a need to speak with the dentist. Instead, I have a dental appointment first thing in the morning once I arrive in Cleveland… before the pulmonary appointment. I will be seen by a dentist who

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Back from Cleveland

Coz 0 Comments , ,

Well, I am fairly certain I sent a billion tweets out for no one but myself. I guess that’s OK. The end result of the trip is that the doctor recommends I have the surgery. He’s not even comfortable with waiting until the Spring, when I wanted. He recommends January. Now I have to figure out how I’m gonna do this because I apparently can’t do this on my own. So… most likely my mom’s gonna have to come out with me and then when I come home, I’ll be staying with her for a little. However, we’re not sure how she’s gonna pay for all that. So it’s kind of up in the air but I have to make

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