petey_c
Senior Member
Well, last Tuesday I went to the Drs. for my annual physical. First the eye exam where they dilated my pupils. I arrived at my primary care provider's (reg. doctor) office looking like I'd just done some mescaline (or at least what I suspect someone who'd just done mescaline would look like.). So, I get the usual height (Hmmm, I'm shrinking), weight (hmmm, earth's gravitation pull has increased somehow...) and finally an EKG. The tech had to run the tests three times. I'm thinking, hah, nube. She ushers me into the exam room and the PA comes in and says, "Sir, your pulse is 127 and you appear to be in A Fib." A what? She explains what Atrial Fibrillation is and how potentially dangerous it is (clots, congestive heart failure, etc.). "You should get to an E/R right away, would you like us to call an ambulance?" Whoa, whoa, whoa! I feel fine, I mean, maybe I had a little too much coffee this morning, but I'm okay. No you're not, look at the EKG. Fortunately a hospital with an excellent cardiac department (Mather Hosp. Port Jeff, NY) is across the street and she reluctantly allows me to drive.
I get to the E/R and I get to go to the head of the line, no waiting. Oops, that's not good. I never get seen in an E/R in less than two hours. The E/R nurse says we've got to put you on some anti-coagulants and blood thinner. We're going to have to admit you sir. But I feel fine... Another nurse comes by and asks questions; cardiac history? No. Family cardiac problems? No. Previous incidents, heart palpitations, shortness of breath? No, well maybe occasionally. Do you drink? Yeah occasionally. How occasionally? 1-2 brews a night. Every night? Yeah. Then, there's that look. I know you're bs' ing me. I think to myself, hmm, I have been really enjoying my hombrews a lot lately. Every doc or nurse that saw me for the first time and there were a lot of them, asked basically the same questions and gave me the same look about the drinking.
I spent two and a half days in the hospital with all sorts of tubes (Heparin and Cardizem) stuck in me and pads for the EKG. Xrays, echo cardiogram (pretty cool to see my own heart) and lots of blood work. With the echo I could see that my valves were misfiring, or staying open too long. My cholesterol and LDL levels were a little high but not enough to have caused this. Echo said I had a good heart. The EKG showed my heart rate running from 80 to 113 in a few seconds. The cardiologist said if the drugs don't work we'll have to do "cardioversion." What's that? It's where we shock your heart back into regular rhythm. Like in the movies, except a little less dramatic.
Thinking about losing my life and family made me put things in perspective. Mr. Beer and I (not the little brewing system) were gonna have to start seeing less of each other. I'm putting this out there as sort of a PSA. I still had some of the 20-something bullet proof attitude and am starting to realize I'm not. Oh, I also have the Navy to thank for this. If they didn't get me on this yearly physical thing, I might not have found this. (steps off soap box)
I get to the E/R and I get to go to the head of the line, no waiting. Oops, that's not good. I never get seen in an E/R in less than two hours. The E/R nurse says we've got to put you on some anti-coagulants and blood thinner. We're going to have to admit you sir. But I feel fine... Another nurse comes by and asks questions; cardiac history? No. Family cardiac problems? No. Previous incidents, heart palpitations, shortness of breath? No, well maybe occasionally. Do you drink? Yeah occasionally. How occasionally? 1-2 brews a night. Every night? Yeah. Then, there's that look. I know you're bs' ing me. I think to myself, hmm, I have been really enjoying my hombrews a lot lately. Every doc or nurse that saw me for the first time and there were a lot of them, asked basically the same questions and gave me the same look about the drinking.
I spent two and a half days in the hospital with all sorts of tubes (Heparin and Cardizem) stuck in me and pads for the EKG. Xrays, echo cardiogram (pretty cool to see my own heart) and lots of blood work. With the echo I could see that my valves were misfiring, or staying open too long. My cholesterol and LDL levels were a little high but not enough to have caused this. Echo said I had a good heart. The EKG showed my heart rate running from 80 to 113 in a few seconds. The cardiologist said if the drugs don't work we'll have to do "cardioversion." What's that? It's where we shock your heart back into regular rhythm. Like in the movies, except a little less dramatic.
Thinking about losing my life and family made me put things in perspective. Mr. Beer and I (not the little brewing system) were gonna have to start seeing less of each other. I'm putting this out there as sort of a PSA. I still had some of the 20-something bullet proof attitude and am starting to realize I'm not. Oh, I also have the Navy to thank for this. If they didn't get me on this yearly physical thing, I might not have found this. (steps off soap box)