A bit of a roller coaster.

• by awoodworm
• 2013-03-27 05:03:14
• Surgery & Recovery
• 1139 views
• 3 comments

I'm new to all this, one of life's lucky survivors. I had open heart surgery (aortic valve bio) and a single bypass on February 13th 2013 here in Rome. I had AF problems and was given a DC shock to stabilize this. A few days later and I collapsed in the X-ray room. I was transferred to a different hospital a few days later to have a PM fitted on the 22nd Feb. I felt good and confident but totally wired! On the 10th March I didn't feel well AF was back and I was scared. I was readmitted to my original hospital's cardiac unit stabilized with drugs and discharged 4 days later feeling fine. So fine indeed that I drove myself to my PM check up where I was told that I had had Arrhythmia since the 8th and I would have to undergo Ablation to correct it. This was done on the 22nd March (unpleasant) and my HR came down from 125bpm to a steady 70ish, and with it went all my confidence. I had been promised a full return to normal life, bar a drug or two. Yesterday was horrible, my BP was back at 195 over 110 in the morning, I rang the hospital and was advised that I could take an extra Micardis. It helped for a few hours during which I rested in bed. In the evening it was back up again.
I have lost sight of that recovery to almost normal and swung from an extremely positive attitude to one of lack of trust in what I am being told by the only people I should be able to trust implicitly. From here is your new start, a new chance you lucky person, to feeling condemned to being the perpetual English patient in Italy.