Made it home

I got home last night, after a long day, but I am very grateful to be here. Lonni just decided she would get me home and willed it to occur.

Trying to get home

So I wrote last week (Monday, April 28, 2008) of a close call I had when Ventricular Fibrillation kicked in and I passed out on the bed and then my ICD shocked me and brought me back.

Well I am in Paris on holiday this week and we were walking back from lunch the first day I arrived, and I started to feel that low blood pressure moment, and the next thing I know, I was face down in a shop we were walking by and people were looking over me with worried expressions. This time I have no memory of reaching out to hold myself up to the point I woke up on the ground.

I felt really bad about upsetting so many people who were around me but everyone was really nice. I am grateful Lonni was here to help me. We went back to the apartment where we are staying and she watched over me the rest of the day.

This one was worse than the first incident last week and the next day was my worst day ever since this began. I feel really sorry for Lonni as this is clearly diminishing her holiday, although she denies it adamantly. We are trying to do one thing a day, but this is a severe cutback in our itinerary.

Now it has gotten to the point where I am staying in bed all day our last day in Paris, because this has gotten to the point where I can no longer walk without help. I got shocked again this morning just lying in bed.

We are working on strategies to get taxis and wheelchairs prepared so we can try to get back to the US tomorrow so I can go see my doctor. He is planning surgery as soon as possible when I get back, but needs to see me first on Monday.

Suffering of Heart Failure Similar to Cancer

I read a new article today in the US News and World Report magazine entitled "Suffering of Heart Failure Similar to Cancer". The article was based on a study that came out recently, where researchers interviewed advanced cancer patients and heart failure sufferers.

The study looked at 1) physical symptoms, depression, and spiritual well being. By all three measures, the heart failure patients ranked lower than advanced cancer patients.

The text of the article can be found online here: http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080502/suffering-of-heart-failure-similar-to-cancer.htm

A Close Call

I was on a business trip this week in Washington DC. On Monday night I got back to my hotel room from dinner and I started to feel like a low blood pressure moment was coming on.

I sat down on the bed, and then I started to feel really awful like I would pass out. I remember sort of falling face down on the bed, and then wham! my defibrillator went off. My first thought was crap!

Then my body all of a sudden started to feel better, very relaxed, but very funky. Sort of like coming down from a major adrenalin rush.

I called my cardiologist's nurse but it was late at night so I left a message. Long story short, they got back to me and sure enough I was having the dreaded Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) (www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4784 ) but the good news is my ICD worked and I am grateful.

For the rest of the work week, I was sort of leery that this event could happen again at any time, but I am grateful it did not. Still kind of strange to walk around knowing there but for the grace of having my ICD, I would have most likely been dead that night.