A Sad Day Today

We had to let our Male Golden go today. It is never easy losing a pet especially when they are so special to you and there is no doubt Goliath was my dog. When he was a pup he used to go to work with me every day. As time passed so did my career path so instead of going to work with me he greeted me at the door every day with a shoe and hos golden smile. 

Not only was Goliath a great companion but he brought so many wonderful people into our lives through his and Lucy's puppies over the years.Goliath was a gentle sole that loved everyone and was by far the most obedient dog I have ever owned. 

Goodbye old friend you will be sorely missed. Goliath The Timid One

Time Marches On

Well its been 30 days now since my ablation and things have been going pretty well. The only hick-up was a couple weeks ago (day 14). I started having some weird heartbeats. I don't think it was affib gut it might have been. This of course is normal following an ablation and making it 14 days in NSR is a good thing IMHO. I only made it 3 days following my first ablation.

What was odd though was that I went out of rhythm at the same time of day. The third time was earlier in the day and took a little longer to covert 2 of 3 times and converted using flecanide in about 5 hours. The third time took a little longer. All episodes were separated by a few days. So I talked to my EP and he put me back on the daily regiment of flecanide 100mg twice a day. I've been in NSR ever since. Again this does not worry me or make me think that my ablation was not successful. As the heart heals this is normal and can last for up to 3 months.

Its Been A Week

So we are just over a week since my second ablation and I feel really good which is a double edged sword. There are so many things to do, 5" of snow in the driveway, projects around the house that need completed and a plethora of other things I can think of. Oh well. I suppose those will all have to wait.

Smoking

No not cigarette's. I purchased an electric smoker a few weeks back and can see it was a good investment. I had always planned on building a small smokehouse but never got around to it. A couple guys as work bought electric smokers an always say how nice a job they do so I went out and bought one for myself. I smoked salmon fillets a couple weeks ago and made smoked mac and cheese and both were amazing. I also threw in a couple potatoes.I have a Venison roast thawing out right now that will find its way into the smoker tomorrow. Probably smoke some mac & cheese again a some veggies as well.

Been A While

Lets Dust Off The Cobwebs

So its been a long time again. I just cant seem to get into a rhythm here any more.

Speaking of rhythm, I had my second ablation done last Thursday. It is something I had spoken to my Electrophysiologist about back in October but we decided to put it off as the runs of arrhythmia's still weren't affecting me that badly. Also we weren't sure what we were dealing with yet.

In 2009 I was treated for both atrial fibrillation and flutter with RF ablation but there were n current recordings of what was ailing me currently. So when I was back to see him several weeks ago he ordered a portable recorder to try to catch the arrhythmia in action. While waiting for the recorder I was contacting my insurance. Since the first of the year my new supplier is BC/BS, and as anyone in the Pittsburgh area know BC/BS and UPMC don't play well together and all my doctors are UPMC.

So in the midst of this my heart continued to carry on. So last Wednesday night we headed to the ER as I am have never been on blood thinners and was concerned with possibility of throwing a clot. We decided to go to UPMC Shadyside for allot of reasons. The least of which is that is where my EP works out of and to see anyone else was unfathomable to me.

This time around I had Cryoablation done. My EP thought it was the correct approach since I had RF done last time.

I'll keep this blog up to date on my recovery. So far so good by the way. NSR is a wonderful thing and for those that have never known anything else consider yourself blessed.

Blanking

Blanking is the process of the heart healing form an ablation. This process lasts for 3 months as the heart heals form the procedure. So I wont be doing much cardio for a while. I do plan to get on the rollers after my visit in February. Just light spinning and low HR until the 3 months is up.