You could say I'm putting heart into this post.
A little over a month ago, my spouse of 45 years was released from the hospital after a two night stay. The
diagnosis: aFib, short for Atrial Fibrillation. It's an irregular
heartbeat that can lead to some serious complications, including stroke.
The drama started on a Monday morning, when spouse woke up not feeling well. His heart was acting strangely. It had happened a couple of times in the past weeks (not that he told me) but it resolved when he started to move around. This time, it didn't.
My
spouse had the good sense to call 911 (our emergency phone number in
the United States) rather than try to drive himself to the hospital.The paramedics were able to start treatment right inside our house (my
spouse thought he was having a heart attack - thankfully, not the case.)
Calling 911 resulted in two nights of hospitalization while
the doctors managed to get his heart back into rhythm and establish him on a new medication. The condition requires
new medications (including a blood thinner) and some lifestyle changes. There is some enlargement of
the upper chamber of his heart, meaning there has already been some
damage.
In a way, it is not a surprise. There is some family history of aFib.
The good news is - he knows now, and there are treatments. We were told that people can live with this condition for many years.
I am thankful to my co workers, especially the one who helped me get spouse back home after he was released, and stuck with me during a glitch getting one of his prescriptions filled (it turned out well).
So, now we go from here. The bills are coming in. He had several small episodes right after leaving the hospital but none in the last three or so weeks.
The other good news: at his post hospitalization checkup, his heart sounded good. His cardiologist ran tests this past week and all was normal.
This is only the beginning of the realization that our lives are not forever. We were fortunate enough to reach our 60's in good health. Not everyone does.
Now it's going to be our turn, knowing for sure that we are not mortal.
But it could be worse - much worse. That's not a fib.
The story will continue.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
4 comments:
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I’m sorry he has an emergency, but now that he’s got a diagnosis, he can get treatment.
ReplyDeleteThe good news- there is a DRUG for that condition. No longer do we have to rely on rat poison! (Oh, I know big pharma wanted you to think it was a drug, calling it coumadin, but we science types know rat poison when we see it.)
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you both and keep you. As others have said, there is treatment and meds. But you are right. We are not immortal.
ReplyDeleteGetting older is not for the weak.
ReplyDelete