Steady As She Goes

Not a whole lot of new news to report. I did get the results of my Zio Patch and there wasn't allot to report from that. There were 17 or so recordable events, the longest lasting 17 beats. Other than that there was not much to tell. The events didn't last long enough and the Zio patch is limited in the amount of information that can be gleaned from it. In order to get any real information I will need to capture an event on a  lead EKG. and for that to happen the events are going to have to last a whole lot longer than that.

I did have a half hour long event that I converted using Flecanide. This was after I had sent the Zio back and had not yet heard from my doctor. I did get a recording of it on my Kardia but again it is indeterminable what exactly what the rhythm was. I'n not in the lease worried though as the worst case scenario is  I go back to Austin and have Dr. Natale sort it out. We discussed this possibility following my procedure and as anyone that has dealt with this knows this is not uncommon. I also talked to Shannon shortly after all of this came about and we had a nice conversation.

All of this of course has pushed back my visit to Austin to have another TEE done to ascertain the function of my LAA and see if I will be able to come off of the Elequis. So until then it will be life normal and being able to capture any oddities along the way.

Back On The Bike

I started back on the trainer a couple weeks ago and I have been back to the gym now for a couple of months. I have been pretty faithful at getting to the gym but wasn't real regular on the bike at first but I am getting to be more frequent. I always thought it was amazing how fast you lost fitness over just a few months but over a year off of the bike has really left it's mark. But I'm thankful that I can do either considering where I was this time last year.

Monitoring My Every Move

My heart rate monitor arrived last week and its unlike any I have ever had in the past. Its called the ZIO Patch. It is the smallest monitor I have ever been prescribed by a doctor. It's pretty simple in design and has no wires. The only issue I have encountered is the adhesive does not tolerate showers and exercise real well. So I had to come up with and alternative to help hold it in place that has worked out real well. I have been using Kinesio Tape in addition to the manufactures adhesive and it is working out real well. The other issue with the patch is there is no way of knowing if it is actually working. It will flash orange if it come unattached, which it did when I removed it. I should have taken a photo of that as well as it is very noticeable when this occurs.

I have thought of some other design changes I would make as well that are geared to those wearing it who are more active. These ideas would also benefit those with skin sensitivity as it would allow for re-positioning of the device every couple days. I may send them a suggestion or two as this is what I used to do for a living at one point in my life. I also verified that my addition of the Kinesio tape was successful as when I removed the tape it basically fell off and started blinking orange. The Kinesio tape was also less irritating to my skin.


The time frame for me to wear it ended Wednesday. I will then send it back and the results will be sent to Dr. Natale for review. If all is well I will come off of the metoprolol and be scheduled for a return trip to Austin for a TEE (Trans-Esophageal Electrocardiography) to check the function of my left atrial appendage. If that is ok then I will be able to come off of the Elequis.

Cycling In Place

I finally got the trainer set up the other day. I also purchased a Smart TV and a Lightning HDMI adapter for my I-pad so I can mirror the screen to the TV. It makes Zwifting allot more entertaining. I'm not a huge Apple fan but I got the I-pad for free last year so I'll use it for now.

I' been sick now for the past several days so really haven't had much chance to use the new setup but I'm feeling better and should get back to it this week. I also start my seven day break this coming Wednesday so I'll have lots of time to focus on this as well as some other outstanding projects I have been neglecting lately. 

ZWIFT

Part of my recovery this time will be making an effort to both keep a good training regiment while keeping my heart rate in check. So Ill be using Zwift on days I cant get outside and a WAHOO Ticker HRM.

I did my first ZWIFT ride this afternoon and I think its going to work out just fine. I definitely is better than just siting there spinning the wheels.

Still Feeling Good

So I suppose that the first part of this post confirms the second. I do feel good these days even with the meds. Don't get me wrong I'm more than ready to toss them to the side and put this stage behind me, but I can wait.

The Doc got back to me the other day following up on my little setback last week. He didn't seem concerned and we talked for quite a while. Ill have some more questions for him in May at my next followup appointment. He will also be sending me a HRM recording device to wear here in the next couple weeks. He wants me do make sure I get some riding in during this time to see if there is anything there to catch.

Ill also have some questions for him myself. As he did do Cryoablation this time around I will be asking him if there were any other trigger points he might have not been able to address this time around and Cryoablation does limit the ability to hit some trouble points that I may or may not have. This second part is one I am not 100% sure on as the technology and techniques are always changing.

My other sticking point is my insurance. I now have BC/BS and my doctor is UPMC. And as you may or may not know these to entities do not play well together.

Anyway here is a link to a great article on Ablation and what you should look for when seeking out an EP to do it and increase your odds of complete success.

http://www.livingwithatrialfibrillation.com/3137/successful-afib-ablation

And here is another link to another great resource to those new and continuing to live with the beast.

http://www.afibbers.org