the thread of ATRIAL FIBBING

best wishes, mark, hopefully this will do the trick

All the best for today mark s

crossing furry toes

Best of luck today mark s

hope it goes well!

best wishes mark s!

Yeah good luck Mark!

i'm back baby, awoooo!

details when i'm less tired

*celebration*

\o/

unable to contain this gem from the report (which i probably shouldn't already be reading): "owing to his very difficult anatomy…"

*beams with irrational pride, like i composed a brian ferneyhough sonata or something*

see above: "your heart is very stubborn, sir"

LOLz (xp)

Raises glass: "Tuplets to you, sir, and to the chambers of your heart!"

(Had to look up "Brian Ferneyhough.)

*beams with irrational pride, like i composed a brian ferneyhough sonata or something*

v gd tick

report as promised, three weeks on

Day 1 is mostly waiting (10am-4pm), until a doctor arrives to explain the procedure: a catheter up sent from a large vein in my leg to go inside my heart, with an inflatable cryoballoon attached. This will precision-target and freeze surfaces on my pulmonary veins, to discourage and ideally stop entirely the rogue electrical signals they send off, which is the cause of the fibrillation. The procedure also involves more cardioversion: this I didn’t know. I will be under local anaesthetic and sedation: so woozily aware of everything going on. There will be freezing sensations, a possibility of headaches — if too grim I ask for more morphine, morphine is so great :) — and “twitching sensations” in my chest, which “some people dislike”.

On the way to the operation theatre, I'm asked whether I have taken APIXABAN regularly: I have to respond that — having not missed one for six months — I somehow forgot one yesterday morning. She thinks this will be OK, and the surgeons within happily concur, missing one72 hours ago probably not a problem (I've been on it for abt six months). The room is large, full of busy people, some of whom greet me, and buzzing with technology. The bed in the centre seems oddly in shadow and neglected: of course bright lights will snap on and everyone will shortly gather. The team introduce themselves: they refer to the anaesthetist as the “barman” (since he’s in charge of stuff to make me feel good). This is mildly funny the first time. I am going to be (woozily) awake so I quite enjoy the banter, and the transparent moves to make me psychologically comfortable.

Local anaesthetic and sedatives in via my upper thigh: a very slight prick, as ppl say. And it begins: without feeling especially present, I can listen to the surgeon and assistants talking their way through what’s happening and what they can see: which resembles a slow, intricate, not very exciting video-game: basically they are manoeuvring a vehicle through a maze, sometimes encountering puzzling surroundings and uncertainty of direction. At a particular point the “twitching” begins: they have undersold this, to say the least. The cardioversion — the “twitches” — in fact means a fair number of electric shocks (just as it did upthread, except I’m not under general anaesthetic this time). It’s not grimly painful or particularly scary (after all, I’m sedated, and they willingly up the morphine), but it is kind of teeth-grindingly horrible. (Literally: I realise afterwards I dislodged a filling, presumably from clamping my teeth tight.) I’m woozier now — but still vaguely aware they’ve done three of the key veins, but not the fourth. They’re debating which the fourth actually is, I assume of the visit they have in front of them. I dimly remember them deciding not to proceed after fixing the third vein, and backing the vehicle out again beep beep. Don’t remember being wheeled back to the ward — vaguely remember being wheeled to a different recovery ward (which had more free beds).

A not-very-comfy night follows (my first ever overnight in a hospital), since the meds are wearing off and my abdomen feels (is) extremely bruised, on the inside of my ribcage. I get some sleep, jolted awake every time I move. I should probably have asked for some paracetamol at this point.

In the morning, a doctor comes and tells me it went OK, except for the vein they didn't treat -- he thinks the procedure will work without its being treated, but we won't know if the cryoblation has taken for a few months (basically while scar tissue forms and blocks off the rogue signals). If I do need a further procedure, they can use a different device this time, much better suited to locating the fourth vein. Fingers crossed.

Actually getting out of the hospital was a bit of a trial -- first they wouldn't discharge me until I'd had two further ECGs (to check a "leakage" a doctor said "probably wasn't a problem at all" -- it wasn't) and then actually being in the right ward at the right time to be seen and talked to by the right person. I was maybe nine hours sat, dressed, by a bed (meaning someone else was denied this bed), until this was properly and officially sorted, and I had to make a bit of a fuss. (I was cross and bothered by then as I couldn't get a signal -- you often can't in hospitals -- to liaise with my sister about picking me up (we then had to catch a train to get to hastings in time to fetch my niece from school).

Main symptom since: some fibrillation still (to be expected whether or not the procedure was a success) and considerable fatigue (ditto). I'm a lot less tired this week -- taking care to do nothing more strenuous than fite on ilx, and getting a LOT of sleep. Thursdays continue to be the days I'm most tired.

lol the man in the bed opposite when I woke up in the morning was a very chatty 9/11 truther, obsessed with the Fall of Building 7. Luckily I was tucked away in an alcove behind a curtain and he mainly directed his obsession at the little old man in the bed next to his, doubtless setting the man's recovery back by weeks.

https://www.scholastic.com/content5/media/products/14/9780439241014_mres.jpg

keep watching the skies!

Mediterranean diet.

In this cohort of atrial fibrillation patients, gut‐derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels were predictive of major adverse cardiovascular events and negatively affected by high adherence to Med‐diet. LPS may contribute to major adverse cardiovascular events incidence in atrial fibrillation by increasing platelet activation.

Italian research shocker

lol i had to read the conclusion three times before i worked out that yes, it meant the med diet is good not bad, in ref AF

(thank you for posting)

They could have used more editorial assistance on that abstract.

sanpaku are u no longer vegan???

so i went for my six-week check-up this morning and it turns out that my heart rhythm is now back to normal, so the procedure worked as intended!

i will still be on meds and under observation for a while -- the condition is known to revert now and then -- but hurrah! the consultant was very cheerful and happy and so am i

(also i quizzed him and it turns out my heart architecture is genuinely actually cap-D Difficult, in respect of the technology they were using -- this wasn't just a polite way of saying i'm overweight and it was hard to find anything in the layers of flab, which is what i'd gloomily assumed) ("don't worry! if that had been the problem we'd definitely say very clearly")

DOUBLE HURRAH!!!!

so my "difficult heart architecture" has now been behaving itself for six months which is good not bad -- the longer it stays regular the more likely it is to carry on that way

i am coming off AMIODARONE but staying on a low dose of BISOPROLOL (a beta blocker) plus APIXABAN (a blood thinner) until my next check-up, in six months time

Hurrah!

Brill!

This is good. Difficult Architecture of the Heart is a terrible song though.

Yay, mark!

I think amiodarone is one of the many drugs my stepfather is taking. Ablation was brought up a few months ago, but now it looks like he is starting the process to get a heart transplant.

long may your architecture behave, old lad. We need more like you to stick about and comment on the game as it plays out!

good to hear mark im sorry they prescribed ANILXBAN but yr health comes first

amiodarone keeps yr heartbeat regular while yr heart is learning to do this by itself: longterm it's quite toxic to the liver tho, they don't like to prescribe it for longer than a year (i was on it for six months)

i think i already said this but a thing i like abt visits to the doctor and consultations and so on is when they say to me "you're still young, so [etc etc]" -- yes, yes i AM young, quite correct

ok so my final all-clear check-up revealed instead that the AF is back >:( to everyone's surprise inc.mine, as i hadn't been aware of it

it might just be temporary -- ECG caught me on a fibbing day -- but i m going on a six week course of FELCAINIDE ACETATE to see if it can be flipped back

if not, then in six months time we decide whether to do another procedure or what exactly -- needless to say i am a bit fed up (on the plus side not suffering any problematic symptoms)

Bah, sorry to hear that, man

the thing is, it's kind of symptomless -- in the sense that if i'm aware of it at all at the moment, i just feel as i had 2 x cups of strong coffee (and did in fact have one first thing), so it's not exactly a burden?

i am going to try and give up coffee again ands generally get my caffeine intake under better control

a bit tired and achey today -- might be the FELCAINIDE, might be the five hours i spent on sat wandering round london's OPEN HOUSE DAY in the rain lol

also a bit fluttery -- which the Felc is meant to stop i think? -- but my bisoprolol ran out on friday and i haven't had the new prescription yet

Is it felcainide or flecainide? An iced elf, I.

I can vouch for the tired achy effects of giving up coffee.

i thought i was past the post-coffee aches but maybe not -- anyway i had one today (not very strong, i.e. made in the nearby hipster coffeeshop, not by me)

FLECAINIDE, sorry: it too can cause headaches of course (also anxiety, depression, nausea etc etc)

Last time I kicked coffee, it felt slightly bad for about 10 months.

Helpful mnemonic, courtesy of a new restaurant in my neighborhood:

https://cdn.dribbble.com/users/367923/screenshots/4490554/fle_fle_logo.jpg

sharp naggy headache from:
i: coming off coffee 10 days (possible but it's usually sorted by now)
ii: poor sleep last night (bcz coming down with something?)
iii: FLECAINIDE (my new temp heart-regulator meds)
iv: all the above ✔️

lol ok i unexpectedly dispelled this headache by eating apricot jam with a spoon (i can say for CERTAIN it wasn't a no-carbs headache but it sure behaved like one)

on further investigation (the very wise method of GOOGLING YOUR SYMPTOMS): it turns out that FLECAINIDE can intensify blood sugar issues caused by non-great diet so i shd actually pay a bit of attention here probably, and properly adjust my diet south-beachwards maybe (means more headaches of course)

still headachey: might just be the weather and the change of the season, don't really want to be staving this off for my six weeks medication run :(

been quite fizzy and palpy since i came off FLECAINIDE 10 days ago*: i really notice when things make my heart race and flutter -- not just caffeine, which i've decided to stop again, but actually any food at all. a big takeaway on saturday -- i shd have kept half till sunday but i was starving -- meant a sleepless night, and even though i ate quite likely i had another, worse one last night, staring into the dark convinced every little muscle pang is angina onset and considering heading off to A&E the moment i'd filed some copy this morning

this morning? i feel a bit rubbish for no sleep but i'm p sure i'm not having a heart attack -- i will pick up my prescription BISOPROLOL and see how i feel after i've eaten a little

*the plan is a chemical cardioversion next but i'm not sure when? i next see the consultant in six weeks

ok tests show all entirely well*, i shd probably just up my BISOPROLOL a bit, to counter going off FLECAINIDE (which hadn't occurred to me as i don't think the consultant explained what the flecanaide did)

*i.e. aside from fibbing my heart is behaving quite properly

good news! i wish my heart behaved properly #emo

OK i slept *so* well and deeply and easily last night that i think more was going on than just medication levels = subconscious pre-election anxiety

(which for me is often more abt the grinding torment of not knowing than any actual result)

anyway i feel both normal and (politically) somewhat more chipper today STOKED FOR THE DISAPPOINTMENT ect ect

:)

i regret to inform you i am in one piece and posting normally after my second ablation.

the first time they couldn't reach and deal with the misfiring nerve-cluster, because of my DIFFICULT HEART ARCHITECTURE, which is probably why the fibbing returned after a few months boo. anyway this time they zapped them all hurrah!

(the stern and gloomy surgeon operating advised me even this doesn't have a 100% success rate bcz they don't really know what causes AF and he very obviously also thought it was a frivolous decision for me to be going this route: "sometimes i wouldn't take the decisions some of my colleagues do!" ok dude cut the lecture and crank up the laser plz thx)

i am feeling quite internally bruised today but i was in and out in half a day and for now my heart is back in rhythm, we shall see if it stays that way :)

also i got this again on sunday:

meanwhile the oblique strategy i just turned up = "go to an extreme, move back to a more comfortable place" which seems on-point

― mark s, Saturday, May 13, 2017 1:40 PM (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

GAH mark!