[Sep 24 edit]. I'm finishing week-2 wearing my cardiac man-bra and taking the assigned meds. I've learned that in the event of a severe cardiac anomaly, I'll be alerted to press the ignore button... assuming I'm conscious. If I don't hit ignore, the unit barks "BYSTANDERS, DO NOT INTERVENE. The three shocker paddles will release lubricating gel, and the the first shock will be 1000 volts. The 2nd, twice that. 3rd, yep... up to 3,000 volts. TMI, maybe. But! It only alerted twice last night. Today, Zumba... all went well. Next I washed our RV, drove it for a while to run the ACs, fridge, gen, water pump, etc. All good!
The meds are trying to kick my ass but I'm not letting them... most days I win! Today, another 9,500 steps. The Echo is now scheduled for Nov 4 (vs Dec as was noted below). And finally, alert-1 in the wee hours was a sensor that shifted and #2, low battery... that one was preventable! ;-)
The meds are trying to kick my ass but I'm not letting them... most days I win! Today, another 9,500 steps. The Echo is now scheduled for Nov 4 (vs Dec as was noted below). And finally, alert-1 in the wee hours was a sensor that shifted and #2, low battery... that one was preventable! ;-)
[The not-so good news] My apologies for not calling you. Rather than trying to same the same thing over and over on the phone or in person, I thought I'd leverage the web since I can edit this site easily while explaining (with links below) the new acronyms I'm learning and help understand what it means. The purpose of this isn't to cause worry, but to avoid scenarios when people see me carrying a new contraption... "what's that"... and the concerned discussions that would likely follow.
Looking back to August: My PCP did my annual physical... an abnormal EKG. EEEK... Cagey! Off to the cardiologist, an ECG and CT suggested one artery may be up to 70% blocked. Next step, an angiogram, completed last week. My arteries are all clear, no risk of a heart attach (phew). The echocardiogram shows I have a 30-35% Ejection Fraction (EF).
Most importantly... no symptoms... surprised everyone and a happy thing! I'm now on three new meds and also wearing a "life vest' portable defibrillator. I'll take the meds and wear the vest for three months. If my EF doesn't increase, I'll be evaluated for an implanted device.
Restrictions? Nope!! I'm cleared to do Zumba, exercise, lift weights, etc. with no restrictions at the YMCA with Steven's cougars. Thankfully my Life Vest alarm only went off once last night! I go in for an echocardiogram in early November so ahead of that, I'm told to live my life like I normally would.
The alert last night... a sensor/electrode shifted in my sleep, a non-event :-)
Looking back to August: My PCP did my annual physical... an abnormal EKG. EEEK... Cagey! Off to the cardiologist, an ECG and CT suggested one artery may be up to 70% blocked. Next step, an angiogram, completed last week. My arteries are all clear, no risk of a heart attach (phew). The echocardiogram shows I have a 30-35% Ejection Fraction (EF).
Most importantly... no symptoms... surprised everyone and a happy thing! I'm now on three new meds and also wearing a "life vest' portable defibrillator. I'll take the meds and wear the vest for three months. If my EF doesn't increase, I'll be evaluated for an implanted device.
Restrictions? Nope!! I'm cleared to do Zumba, exercise, lift weights, etc. with no restrictions at the YMCA with Steven's cougars. Thankfully my Life Vest alarm only went off once last night! I go in for an echocardiogram in early November so ahead of that, I'm told to live my life like I normally would.
The alert last night... a sensor/electrode shifted in my sleep, a non-event :-)
