Where Do I Begin
I’m back home from my lunchtime visit with the cardiologists. The last time I wrote the feeling from the doctors was that I needed a pacemaker. Today we came to a different decision altogether.
As you may remember…I was scheduled to undergo surgery for spinal stenosis the second week of May. The surgeon canceled the operation due to the fact I was in atrial fibrillation, and I got sent to the hospital, was there a few days, then released. Then I had a couple of high blood pressure/racing heart incidents, and landed back in the hospital…where I had a TEE with shock to put my heart back in normal thythm, which it did, for 30 hours.
Then at home, I started having the blood pressure incidents again. I called the doctors several times last week, and told them that my theory was that all these incidents were caused by pain from the spinal stenosis. They didn’t agree.
So today we met in the office…and guess what? After two electricians reviewed my case…they agree with me…and now I am in the process of rescheduling the original surgery so we can take the pain issue off the table. Both doctors agreed to sign off on the atrial fibrillation so the orthopaedic surgeon can fix my neck without any risk.
Now I don’t bear the surgeon any ill will, he was doing what he should, which is protecting his butt, especially in this sue happy era of scumbag trial lawyers. I have an appointment to see him in a week, and then we can get on with what’s been driving me crazy for seven or eight months. After we fix the neck, then we can fix the shoulder, and then figure out just exactly what the heart issue is, if there is one after the pain is gone.
My sister, (Who’s an MD, and psychiatrist), had this same theory about my problem. Her husband, (with the same credentials…agreed with the first diagnosis of the cardiologists about the pacemaker) and so you can see where you have two doctors gathered together you have three opinions and four diagnozeeze.
My sisters theory was that the stenosis affected a major nerve that helps control blood flow, and that it needed to be fixed before any decisions were made about the heart. I agreed with this, even though I didn’t understand all the technicalities until today.
It may be that after the stenosis and rotator cuff are fixed that we end up doing nothing about my heart at all…that the atrial fibrillation will just be there, and will have to be monitored by visiting the office and getting an EKG every three months, which is what happens with me anyway. Or …well lets just think good things.
The incredible thing about all this is that the cardiologists admitted they were wrong. They didn’t say that, but a complete reversal on the course of treatment is an admission that I was more right than they were.
And I’ll tell you what…I’m going to sleep just a tetch better tonight knowing that my heart isn’t as screwed up as everybody assumed.
Who knows, within 12 weeks I could be back on the street kickin mook ass.
http://www.bigkahunasecurity.com/wildfire.htm
Stay aware, alert, and have a plan.
Aloha kaua,
Nui (Big) Kahuna
