Spent the day in my assigned pre and post op station #11
Ive had a number of conversations regarding the heart in this forum, I also told some I post post the outcome. Ill try to stick to the point because I know my posts can get long.
Background- a history of on and off chest discomfort going back some years now. Previous stress tests showed all ok>
Forward to around 2021 went to the emergency room on the way home from work, tests showed no heart attack but was told to immediately follow up with Cardiologist, one week later a Nuclear stress test, although good, the test showed some PVCs taking place, prescribed Metoprolol low dose and scheduled a Coronary Angiogram which I was thrilled about (its the gold standard) Results were Minimal plaque in my hearts veins/arteries put at 20% (excellent news)
Chest discomfort continues one and off, mostly at night while resting and sleeping.
Got an Apple Watch Christmas 2021 and put the ECG app on it, whenever I felt discomfort I simply open the app and touch the stem of the watch and an ECG is recorded. At this point I will credit this device for FINALLY taking care of my issue. I started making recordings of the times I had discomfort and sent them through messaging to my doctor. PVCs were still taking place and then it continued to get more severe, he doubled my dose of Metprolol and also did an echogram, again, echogram showed my heart healthy and strong, yet over months PVCs continued to get worse.
One day after sending the ECGs from the watch they called me in, hooked me up to a Holter Monitor which records your heart for 48 non stop hours. The results were eye opening, over 24,000 PVCs took place, Multiple PACs, 1 unsustained 8 beat Vtach, Finally, finally they got on board knowing now their equipment matched my Apple Watch read outs and hooked me up with an Cardiac Electrophysiologist.
Electrophysiologist went through the information from their Holter Monitor and many, MANY pages from my Apple Watch which both heart doctors praised more than one time. Electrophysiologist left it up to me for an ablation or drug. After a long discussion with him we decided the drug, as he said my heart is very strong and will tolerate it well, not everyone can take it. He knew I dont like drugs and said I can always change my mind, give it a try, I already had a follow up in 3 months set up and all I have to do it let them know.
Well, I looked into this drug Flecainide and realized how dangerous it is but it worked PERFECT, all summer long, nothing, it actually felt weird not feeling these sensations in my chest, however, taking this drug is so dangerous it has a "black level" warning from the FDA and not really for what I am taking it for, meaning the drug more dangerous then the "disease" thing.
Anyway, I am not one that needs much medications and I did not want to take this one for the rest of my life and told them to schedule the ablation.
Look at it this way. Your heart chambers have "spark plugs" "Nodes" that your nervous system sends a signal to which in turn fires up the heart muscle to "beat">
Well you have a bunch of these nodes, now just picture a bad spark plug wire shorting out on the engine block but in this case its shorting out inside your heart.
Part of your heart contracts before the rest of the heart causing a misfire.
Its quite amazing, the technology and the imagining but they insert up to 4 wires, through your veins right into your heart chambers, look for the short circuit that is taking a short cut across the inside of your heart and then burn that tiny part of the heart muscle to kill it off and stop the short circuit.
Anyway, it was a success, but it was torture in the days before the procedure, REALLY bad, they had me stop taking the Flecainide 7 days prior which was keeping my heart in perfect rhythm for the last 4 months so when they did the procedure nothing was "masked" by the drug.
By day 3 or 4 it got really severe, I guess the withdrawal of the drug after my heart was used to it, well, the PVCs went nuts, my chest going crazy every night. I made them aware and they said if I have to I can take a dose when bad, I did the first night but the 2 nights before the procedure I did not, I wanted them to get this once and for all. They were happy I did.
Before the procedure, doctor would not commit when I could go home, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours or stay over night. I was going home jsut 2 hours after the procedure, they were very happy the way it went.
Below are ECGs from my watch, its easy to see the one before and after. For those that do not know, there should be no spikes going down! Only up, this is how bad it was the night before I was having 25 or so PVCs every 30 seconds and some other weird looking stuff.
Night Before procedure; (actual Apple Watch Printout) There should be NO SPIKES going down on the chart, those are the PVCs.
Day After Procedure; (Actual Apple Watch Printout) 100% normal
Ive had a number of conversations regarding the heart in this forum, I also told some I post post the outcome. Ill try to stick to the point because I know my posts can get long.
Background- a history of on and off chest discomfort going back some years now. Previous stress tests showed all ok>
Forward to around 2021 went to the emergency room on the way home from work, tests showed no heart attack but was told to immediately follow up with Cardiologist, one week later a Nuclear stress test, although good, the test showed some PVCs taking place, prescribed Metoprolol low dose and scheduled a Coronary Angiogram which I was thrilled about (its the gold standard) Results were Minimal plaque in my hearts veins/arteries put at 20% (excellent news)
Chest discomfort continues one and off, mostly at night while resting and sleeping.
Got an Apple Watch Christmas 2021 and put the ECG app on it, whenever I felt discomfort I simply open the app and touch the stem of the watch and an ECG is recorded. At this point I will credit this device for FINALLY taking care of my issue. I started making recordings of the times I had discomfort and sent them through messaging to my doctor. PVCs were still taking place and then it continued to get more severe, he doubled my dose of Metprolol and also did an echogram, again, echogram showed my heart healthy and strong, yet over months PVCs continued to get worse.
One day after sending the ECGs from the watch they called me in, hooked me up to a Holter Monitor which records your heart for 48 non stop hours. The results were eye opening, over 24,000 PVCs took place, Multiple PACs, 1 unsustained 8 beat Vtach, Finally, finally they got on board knowing now their equipment matched my Apple Watch read outs and hooked me up with an Cardiac Electrophysiologist.
Electrophysiologist went through the information from their Holter Monitor and many, MANY pages from my Apple Watch which both heart doctors praised more than one time. Electrophysiologist left it up to me for an ablation or drug. After a long discussion with him we decided the drug, as he said my heart is very strong and will tolerate it well, not everyone can take it. He knew I dont like drugs and said I can always change my mind, give it a try, I already had a follow up in 3 months set up and all I have to do it let them know.
Well, I looked into this drug Flecainide and realized how dangerous it is but it worked PERFECT, all summer long, nothing, it actually felt weird not feeling these sensations in my chest, however, taking this drug is so dangerous it has a "black level" warning from the FDA and not really for what I am taking it for, meaning the drug more dangerous then the "disease" thing.
Anyway, I am not one that needs much medications and I did not want to take this one for the rest of my life and told them to schedule the ablation.
Look at it this way. Your heart chambers have "spark plugs" "Nodes" that your nervous system sends a signal to which in turn fires up the heart muscle to "beat">
Well you have a bunch of these nodes, now just picture a bad spark plug wire shorting out on the engine block but in this case its shorting out inside your heart.
Part of your heart contracts before the rest of the heart causing a misfire.
Its quite amazing, the technology and the imagining but they insert up to 4 wires, through your veins right into your heart chambers, look for the short circuit that is taking a short cut across the inside of your heart and then burn that tiny part of the heart muscle to kill it off and stop the short circuit.
Anyway, it was a success, but it was torture in the days before the procedure, REALLY bad, they had me stop taking the Flecainide 7 days prior which was keeping my heart in perfect rhythm for the last 4 months so when they did the procedure nothing was "masked" by the drug.
By day 3 or 4 it got really severe, I guess the withdrawal of the drug after my heart was used to it, well, the PVCs went nuts, my chest going crazy every night. I made them aware and they said if I have to I can take a dose when bad, I did the first night but the 2 nights before the procedure I did not, I wanted them to get this once and for all. They were happy I did.
Before the procedure, doctor would not commit when I could go home, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours or stay over night. I was going home jsut 2 hours after the procedure, they were very happy the way it went.
Below are ECGs from my watch, its easy to see the one before and after. For those that do not know, there should be no spikes going down! Only up, this is how bad it was the night before I was having 25 or so PVCs every 30 seconds and some other weird looking stuff.
Night Before procedure; (actual Apple Watch Printout) There should be NO SPIKES going down on the chart, those are the PVCs.
Day After Procedure; (Actual Apple Watch Printout) 100% normal
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