Heart Rhythm Appt. Take 2 (t-minus shunt surgery 1st)
Anyways saw Heart Rhythm doc today and (atleast I was somewhat surprised) he is recommending once we get through this upcoming shunt surgery to re-try the Heart Ablation study (with same idea to try and kill/deaden abnormal (scar?) tissue creating abnormally fast rhythms from the sinus node.
The Sinus Node is the hearts natural pacemaker so is same risks as last time (biggest being the ablation causes to slow of a heart rate which in turn require a Pacemaker) but Dr.Kovach and Dr.Earing (my Cardiologist) feel the benefits out-weight the risks and especially since (as Dr.Kovach put it) they did a similar, less intensive approach last month and it did slow heart rate for about 8hrs.
Why the initial (Ablation) response?
I can't remember if he said why he thought we would have gotten that initial benefit (besides I jokingly said to him our heart issues are a bit like the shunt issues - we get good results then back slides again to not being effective/not working well enough, lol my body just likes to stay it's status quo I think.. Change? Why would we want to give this girl's body permanent, effective change?! Is how I imagine my body, lol if it could have conversations with itself).
He just commented, as 1 of several comments (but the only I remember) that this area they ablated last month "woke up" after about 8hrs. His hope is if he goes in this time I think he said using 3 cathethers (but not absolute on that part) and he plans to insert one of the catheters in my neck via an artery to get a different vantage point/possible treating point that might give them more efficacy. I cant say I got all of that absolutely right other than I remember the "woke up after 8hrs" (I remember lol) and his mentioning approaching this via both groin and neck this next time.
Shunt surgery 1st... Heart Ablation to follow..
He asked that once the shunt surgery is done and I am released/feel up to it I let him know and contact his Nurses so they could initiate getting the next EP (Heart Rhythm) study set and scheduled. He asked right away about the shunt stuff and was happy it was being done though he to understands this like the other shunt surgeries likely won't be a long term fix either to our on-going shunt problems. It more he'd like to wait to do this procedure till after the shunt surgery "so you can lay more comfortably flat and isn't as miserable after for you for the procedure and post-recovery" (indirect quote).
I am game with that as last time my Anesthesia dr (as I've mentioned before is the same Anesthesia (airway) dr whose done all 3 of the Cardiac procedures and the 3 Open Heart Surgeries in the past 3yrs) opted to do sedation for the 4hr period in order I would be able to lay flat (I still am amazed by that, I totally would have said I was awake after). Is so weird the things we don't realize!
So in any case i'll let him and his Nurses know once the shunt surgery is over and they'll work on scheduling/coordinating it. Kind of craptastic this all ends up falling just as the Sunday School year is about to start gearing back up! In any case will figure it out as necessary and if both the shunt and the heart surgery and studies help improve symptoms then bring it on I guess.
Pre-op is mid-next wk for the shunt surgery, will update sometime soon. Thanks for stopping by,
Erica
No comments:
Post a Comment