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nursedarryFeel free to skip unless you're a cardiologist or just morbidly curious.
I had an assessment with my consultant today. It's been four months since my surgery and since then, I've been working through Phase III of a self-directed cardiac rehab programme, had a chest X-ray, a 48-hour trace and more echocardiograms.
My consultant - who's been with me since my proper diagnosis in January, who did the angio and made the surgical referral - said my re-plumbed pulmonary vein and the repaired valve look fine.
He's now happy for me to come off the medication I take for controlling rate and rhythm to see if the pulmonary vein ablation procedure has worked and if it will control my atrial fibrillation.
I'm going to stay on Warfarin for the time being, but can come off it for short periods in order to have minor surgical procedures, which is good news. I'll be reassessed in six months' time with a 72-hour trace and another echo. I can now swim, start Phase IV of rehab at the gym, (provided there's a defibrillator on site(!), and pretty much do what I did before.
There's a chance I'll need the valve replaced in future, but for now, it's all good. Today I walked the four miles to and from the hospital and almost cried, when I consider that four months ago, I couldn't even walk up the stairs in my own house.
Finally,
I also have some Gortex stitches working as tendons in my mitral valve, but they're not radiopaque. The ring narrowing the valve circumference and the wires holding my sternum together show up nicely, though.
And damn, my tits actually look pretty good in this...
I had an assessment with my consultant today. It's been four months since my surgery and since then, I've been working through Phase III of a self-directed cardiac rehab programme, had a chest X-ray, a 48-hour trace and more echocardiograms.
My consultant - who's been with me since my proper diagnosis in January, who did the angio and made the surgical referral - said my re-plumbed pulmonary vein and the repaired valve look fine.
He's now happy for me to come off the medication I take for controlling rate and rhythm to see if the pulmonary vein ablation procedure has worked and if it will control my atrial fibrillation.
I'm going to stay on Warfarin for the time being, but can come off it for short periods in order to have minor surgical procedures, which is good news. I'll be reassessed in six months' time with a 72-hour trace and another echo. I can now swim, start Phase IV of rehab at the gym, (provided there's a defibrillator on site(!), and pretty much do what I did before.
There's a chance I'll need the valve replaced in future, but for now, it's all good. Today I walked the four miles to and from the hospital and almost cried, when I consider that four months ago, I couldn't even walk up the stairs in my own house.
Finally,
I also have some Gortex stitches working as tendons in my mitral valve, but they're not radiopaque. The ring narrowing the valve circumference and the wires holding my sternum together show up nicely, though.
And damn, my tits actually look pretty good in this...
(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-30 04:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-30 05:53 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-30 06:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-30 06:22 pm (UTC)Um...what was I gonna say? Oh yeah, our tix aren't until the evening session (7pm onwards), so we can meet up any time before that! I'll be needing a drink...
(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-30 09:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-30 09:39 pm (UTC)