29 days... and back in business i think

Before I go have a badly needed nap, I thought I'd get some thoughts down. Or rather a description of how this morning went.

I woke up this morning with a really slow seemingly regular heartbeat and I thought perhaps I wouldn't need to go for a cardioversion. However when I went for my ecg later it was apparent that although my arrythmia was slower, it was still there. If you look at a normal ecg nothing much happens between the big peaks, well mine had a whole lot of little blips inbetween indicating atrial fibrillation, so unfortunately the cardioversion was on.

So I walked down to the hospital admissions where I waited for a bed to be freed for me in one of the cardiac wards. I don't think it was where he wanted me but I ended up in the cardiothoracic (pronounced thorasick) ward, with people recovering from bypass surgery, but thats beside the point. I then had an ecg done, they use the conductive pads with the goo that takes days to remove. I also had a set of bloods taken, I have no idea why, and a failed attempt to put a drip into the back of my right hand, which was rather painful and will nodoubt result in a huge bruise. When the second attempt was successful they finally got me all tubed up and wired up. It was about 10:30 and I was starving, having not eaten since supper the night before.

Anyway Dr Guerra arrived and put some huge electrodes on my right shoulder and low down on my right side. Then they administered the anaesthetic and I was gone, waking up a few minutes later a lot more alert than I ever remember after being under. No dry mouth no nausea, no wanting to ask the nurse for water but not quite getting your tongue to behave enough to get a syllable out. As operations go it was quite pleasant! :P The nurse, Ude, informed me that everything went well and I only got one shock! Straight back into that magical sinus rythm!! :D

I sat there for 30mins before they brought me the tastiest plate of toasted cheese, tomato and ham sarmies I've had in a long time. It was only when I got out of bed that I noticed how sore my shoulder and side were, no doubt from the masses of energy that had flowed through them not an hour earlier. Nothing a good nights rest wont fix.

Ude insisted that I take a wheelchair back to Dr Guerra's rooms where he informed me that all had gone well and that I was in sinus rythm. That I should take my old dosage of meds and no mention was made of the amiodarone... I wasn't quite alert enough to ask him about it but his silence implies I don't have to take any more. So thats that, no worse for wear, except for a few missing chest hairs, a sore hand, shoulder and side. I'll be back at work tomorrow and I think I'll go for a walk in the afternoon and maybe a 10km on Saturday!