Your heart... take care of it. [Update]

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
09/26/2018 at 11:04 • Filed to: None

[Update] The procedure is done, but we didn’t get the results we expected. In short, what they thought was happening wasn’t, so they removed all their gear without doing any ablation. She had a minor atrial fibrillation event while they were in there, but they weren’t sure of the cause. Looks there’s more testing in our future!

Thanks for everything, Oppo!

On this glorious Wednesday morning, I’m sitting in the waiting room at the heart care center while my wife undergoes cardiac ablation to correct an abnormal heart rhythm. It’s something that she’s dealt with for years, but we didn’t figure out what was going on until about six months ago. Basically, her heart starts racing with any stimulation, whether it’s exercise or even strong emotions. That’s what causes most of these cases to be mis-diagnosed. General practitioners chalk it up to being “nervous” or “anxious” when the real problem is a timing issue. Basically, the wiring which controls her heart rate is short-circuiting, causing the abnormal rhythm.

When the heart goes out of rhythm, it causes feelings of anxiousness. After the episode is over, it causes exhaustion. It’s not unusual for people with this condition to sleep a lot and at strange hours. My wife would be up in the morning, be exhausted before lunch, sleep most of the afternoon, be up again for dinner, go to sleep early, wake up for a few hours in the middle of the night, go to sleep again, then start the process all over again in the morning.

I figured something was wrong when her heart rate would skyrocket after just a few minutes on the elliptical. I thought that either the machine was broken because it uses hand grips to get the heart rate, or she was pushing it a lot harder than she would admit. So, I bought her a chest-strap heart rate monitor. The idea was to teach her zone training so she could manage her effort level. I’ve been doing the same for years on my bike.

Then I took a look at the results of her first session. Her heart rate was nearly 200 bpm after just three or four minutes of exercise. As they say, that ain’t right! I sent her to a cardiologist. He sent her to a more specialized cardiologist, an electrophysiologist (EP). The EP sent her home with a medical-grade heart rate monitor that she had to wear for a couple of weeks. That’s when they figured out that her heart wasn’t firing properly.

The solution is fairly simple. They run some catheters up to her heart through the femoral arteries, poke around until they can identify the culprit, then zap the cells causing the problem. It’s like putting new silicone spark plug wires on your car. It should take two to four hours. Fortunately, the risks are really low.

I’ll post an update once we’re done.

DISCUSSION (20)

WilliamsSW > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 08:55

Best wishes to the two of you ( esp her!)!

Sounds like this could be a life changing procedure for her!

TheRealBicycleBuck > WilliamsSW
09/26/2018 at 08:56

We hope so. It’s really been getting out of hand over the last year.

random001 > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 08:56

Good luck! My brother has a similar issue, though not as severe, it sounds. I hope everything works out for the best!

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 09:02

My dad had this procedure earlier this year, and thus far it seems to be working.

Of course a few months later, there was NYT piece saying it wasn’t really any better than other much cheaper treatments: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/20/opinion/medical-device-approval.html

Looking at the actual study seems a bit more nuanced though: https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/clinical-trials/2018/05/10/15/57/cabana

In any event, for my dad it was a pretty simple thing, he had the procedure, I picked him, brought him over to imaging for an ultrasound, and then took him home, and he seemed pretty much fine. If anything he was feeling too good and didn’t really respect the post-op orders not to exert himself for a couple weeks.

pip bip - choose Corrour > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 09:07

my thoughts are with you.

hoping it all goes well.

TheRealBicycleBuck > facw
09/26/2018 at 09:20

Thanks for the links. What I find interesting is that they don’t name the drugs in the study, so there’s no discussion about the risks and side effects of the drug therapy. The selection criteria is also suspect - either >= 65 years old or younger than that with at least one cerebral event (stroke). My wife meets neither of those criteria.

As for recovery, t hey told us before she went into surgery that she should take it easy for a couple of days to let the arteries heal, but she should be fine to start her normal routine after that. I guess your dad is a good example in that respect!

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 09:26

Yeah, m y dad’s doctor was definitely concerned about drug side effects over the long term. He said if my dad were 80, they’d probably just stick with the drugs, and maybe do another cardioversion (he had one previously but the afib returned), but that at 65 he thought doing the ablation was the way to go.

f86sabre > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 09:53

Good luck and hugs to you and your wife. It’s good that the two of you were haveing good conversations about her health and are getting it addressed. I don’t think everyone does that.

TheRealBicycleBuck > f86sabre
09/26/2018 at 09:56

Thanks. Hugs are great!

haveacarortwoorthree2 > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 10:31

Hope all goes well ! Having just experienced my first (I’m a pessimist) heart attack shortly after turning 50, your headline is correct. I had one 100% blockage, everything else was fine, no blood pressure issues, no cholesterol issues. Stupid genetics!

Laying on my back in that hospital bed for 6 hours after the procedure so the thing they used to close back up the femoral artery would work also was horrible. I think my back still is jacked up from that experience.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 11:06

Scary - hope she’ll be okay.

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/26/2018 at 11:08

Thanks.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 11:12

Dammit, it sucks thinking you have it pinned down and then finding you don’t. We know that feeling well.

Still, they’re on it. I hope they track it down soon. Just knowing so you can have a game plan helps immeasurably.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 11:15

Scary, but sounds pretty routine. Best wishes to your wife and your whole family.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 12:12

Heart stuff is scary - sorry to hear the procedure didn’t exactly go as planned. Hope at least the findings help them strike out certain things and start heading towards what truly is causing this.

It’s such an amazing and intricate organ. We’re also lucky to live in the time that we do...my wife used to do cardiac research and the stuff they’re coming out with is insane. Of course research pipeline doesn’t mean much for people dealing with stuff today - sounds like you have a good medical team, hope you guys are hanging in there and are able to get everything sorted out soon to be able to put this chapter behind you.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/26/2018 at 12:25

Thanks. The doc came by and told me that it does mean they’ve scratched one more thing off the list. Next step is meds. After that, who knows?

Rico > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 12:42

My uncle is dealing with similar issues and has to undergo this procedure. I’m trying to convince him to get an Apple Watch so he can track his heart rate and have it alert him of abnormal heart rate but he keeps saying “I’d rather not know”, he’s so fucking stubborn.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rico
09/26/2018 at 12:48

A watch will help him identify when his heart rate is high even when he can’t feel it. I was shocked to realize that a lot of people don’t feel it when their heart rate ramps up. What gets really scary is that some people pass out when it happens. My wife came close a couple of times. Maybe that’s what it will take to convince your uncle. I sure hope not.

Rico > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/26/2018 at 15:10

Exactly! I tried to explain to him that it’s better to be proactive about this situation but my aunt is pulling him to these doctors appts kicking and screaming.

Me and my uncle have a super close relationship so I told him you served 10 years in the military and here you are acting like a little b-! when it comes to stuff that can literally mean life or death for you. He really thinks if he ignores the situation it will go away. Hope your wife turns out okay and I’m glad you are there to help her along the way!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rico
09/26/2018 at 15:36

Thanks. Goo d luck with your uncle!