A Long Week

Last week about this time, give or take a couple hours, I was unconscious on a hospital surgery table getting a defibrillator implanted. I got a defibrillator because my heart does funny things. Part of it isn’t as strong as the rest, causing irregularities to the point the doctors think it can stop at any time. In fact, during one of the many tests this summer they seemed surprised it didn’t stop. The nurse calmly called for the crash team while trying to hide her panic, then I snapped out of it and returned to normal, or at least normal for me. It was the first time I was sent directly from one doctor’s office to another’s being told not to pass go or collect my $200. It was also the first time I didn’t have to wait at a doctor’s office, so there was a bright side.

That was just one chapter of a very busy summer of doctors visits and test and more doctors visits and more tests trying to figure out what’s going on. The cause seems to have been pinpointed, but the cure has remained allusive. The defibrillator is merely a backup plan in case things go wrong, but doesn’t directly address the problem. Maybe one day the problem will be addressed. Until then plan B is always with me.

(By the way, if I ever randomly pass out around you and need medical attention, there’s a useful card behind my ID in my wallet).

What I have learned is I have a very strange reaction to recovering from exercise. During exercise I have some irregularities, but nothing crazy. When I stop exercising I have nothing resembling a pattern. I also learned a definition of patient is one who waits.

The night before the procedure I sat awake way too late. It wasn’t intentional, I just couldn’t sleep well for some reason. I started to write, but it turned out to be a bunch of gibberish.  Since the procedure I’ve had some funky dreams, presumably due to the medicine, and have done a couple random things I don’t remember, like paying my credit card bill 3 times.

While I’ve been at home following the surgery I’ve read some and watched too much TV. It’s gotten boring. I’m not used to sitting around and doing nothing and that’s about all I can do for close to 2 weeks. I’m not allowed to drive or exercise, which severely limits my options for doing anything I normally do. Next week I’ll take a step toward returning to normalcy and I should complete that trip about 4 weeks later.