Current State.....

Friday's activities definitely took their toll on me. I felt pretty tired that day but yesterday kicked my a$$. Got home from work and had a bite to eat. Hit the shower and in bed by 7pm. Of course that meant that I was awake by 1230am and have been up ever since.

I usually take melatonin when I want a good long sleep but was so tired I figured I would not need it. I should have known better. I do feel better than yesterday but its early yet. 12 hour days can take a toll on you, especially when your down already.

I was supposed to give Zwack a call last night to fill him on all the details form Friday but was too tired to even do that. I'll ring him tonight.

That Wasn't So Bad

I had my Cardioversion done yesterday morning so my day started at around 0345 as UPMC Shadyside is about an hour  adn a half away and I needed to be there by 0600. So we got on the road a little after 0400 and arrived at around 0530. Had X-rays done then headed to the short stay unit right outside the Cath-Lab as my procedure was scheduled for 0800.

The procedure would start with a TEE then the electricity would flow shortly after that to place my heart back into NSR. Sounds simple enough right? I have never had a bad experience at this hospital and it would turn out that this day would be no different. The nurses came for me just before 0800 to wheel me into the lab. As we entered the lab I was met with smiling faces and an upbeat vibe.

The Lab Nurses started right away both prepping me and comforting me. The Anesthesiologist and Nurse Anesthetist followed not too far behind as well as my Cardiologist. I haven't been to see him in over 9 years but has stayed in contact through my Electrophisiologist. We had a brief conversation about how long we had known each other. I started seeing him when I was 23yo. Lets just say its been pretty much a lifetime at this point. He would be performing the TEE prior to the Cardioversion.

The room was a buzz with activity with everyone talking to me, letting me know what was going on and what to expect. One thing I noticed, and I have noticed this before, is that when anyone person in the room was talking directly to me and within arms length they placed their hand on me. This is really a nice touch IMHO, it gives you a feeling of connection between you and them. Now I have no idea if this is a part of their training or if it is just a natural reaction that those in the medical field have.

My EP then entered the room and it was game time. The Nurse Anesthetis asked me one more time what my weight was? I asked if she wanted real time weight or ideal/goal weight? Everyone laughed then it was time for the TEE which I actually despise and this time would be no different. A TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiography) is done prior to proceedures pertaining to the heart to look for any formation of blood clots on the back side of the heart. It aslo gives a look at the fuction of the heart. The one thing they did see is that it appears that  being in flutter for over a week may have done some short term damage to the heart. No diferent than if you would overuse any other muscle in your body. So all should return to normal on that particular front.

The Anesthesiologist said he would start administering the sedative and as soon as I started to swallow the probe he would give me more and I would not feel any discomfort. Major fail here folks. As I was trying to swallow and gag on the probe I was wondering what he considered to be discomfort because I was definitely feeling some at this point. At some point at this juncture I remember hearing a nurse yelling at him if he was going to administer the drug as I was obviously in distress at this point. He said he was then it was lights out. I woke up some time after that, everyone was gone, and I was back in wonderful NSR. They monitored me for a time then sent me back to the short say unit to continue monitoring me for a couple hours then I was home bound.

What' Next?

The current plan is to start me on a new drug to keep in in NSR as the Flecanide does not seem to be doing the trick. The new med I will be on for now is Ticosyn. It is another antirhithmic drug that will hopefully keep my heart in NSR while waiting for the next step. In order to take this drug I need to be off of the Flecanide for a few days then back in the hospital for a few more while they start the new one. I will have to have an EKG done every two hours as the new drug is administered for several days to be sure I can tolerate it. So as of today I am off the Flecanide and still in NSR. I will be keeping my activity level at a minimum for a few days to try to keep it that way as the concensus seems to be that the ablation in January did not completely solve the problem and the Cardioversion is only a temporary fix and there is no way of telling how long my heart will stay in NSR.

I have also started the process to see Dr Andrea Natele in Texas to do my next and what I hope to be my last Ablation. He is a pioneer in this procedure and one of  the top worldwide so needless to say I am excited to have the opporatunity. It is going to be a process but well worth the effort in the end.

Confirmation

Received confirmation today for my cardioversion this Friday. I need to be at the hospital @6am and the procedure is scheduled for 8am. As of now the plan is to have me back home later that day. There is only a slight chance that they will keep me and that only depends on weather or not they decide to change my antiarrhythmic drugs.

I'm not thrilled about changing my meds even less the aspect of being on them in the first place. The whole idea of this was to be completely med free as I was back in 2009 and I will continue to seek that end.

Ugh......

So as of tomorrow I will have been out of rhythm for a week. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement, and until you have spent even 1 hour out of NSR thee is absolutely no way that you could ever understand. I emailed my doctor on Friday concerning the next step and possible cardioversion and I just got off of the phone with him a while ago. I was contacted by a nurse later today and scheduled the cardioversion for this coming Friday. This will involve me having another TEE and then electrically converting my heart back to NSR. None of this sounds like very much fun, however I am determined to get ahead of this and finally slay my demon.

After the cardioversion I will continue on the Flecanide. There is a possibility I will be changed to a new drug Tikosyn which I don't think will be an option I am personally wanting to take. The change would require a 4 day stay in the hospital to be monitored 24/7 and the medication itself is not a path I want to take.

There Is A Bright Side

Over the weekend I reached out to fellow affibers as to the process to seeing a Specialist in another state. I got lots of feedback immediately which did not surprise me in the least. There is a specialist I have known about for a while now and had the situation been different back in January  is who I would have liked to have don my second ablation.. Things moved pretty quickly that day and having had good success the first time around I had little doubt that the touch up procedure would be any less effective. Again Ill mention that wonderful thing called NSR that a majority of folks live with every day and the desire to achieve that for myself again.

So know I have wheels set into motion on two fronts. The cardioversion and the process of having the specialist have a go at my heart. I will be sure to keep a good record of what is to come so as to maybe help somebody else down the road.

That Was Then

A mere few days ago. Picked up an extra shift so my coworkers wouldn't have to work an 18 hour shift. Spent some time with the family and got some quality time on the trainer. Even got to send my doctor a recording on my 24 hour monitor. The photo is from my phone and the ZWIFT app.

The trainer ride was pretty good. Still not anywhere where I want to be so far as shape is but' like Nicoll says "Round is a shape". Pushed my heart rate up to just over 115 bpm and worked it back down then back up again.

If your a cyclist and not ding ZWIFT shame on you, My setup isn't immerse by any means but it suffices and gives me goals along the ride.

This Is Now

Its amazing how quickly things change. Especially when it comes to matters of the health of the heart. Health can be fragile no matter how well we think we are taking care of ourselves. Add a chronic condition as my own then your really in trouble.

So here is the now...... I have been in affib now for over 2 hours. Does this mean my procedure was a failure. To be frank with the 1 or 2 of you that take precious time from your day to read this sporadic blog, I don't really know. I do know this though. If I have to have a third procedure done I will be flying to Texas to have it done if the doctor will have me. I haven't given up hope though.

Trigger Warning!!!!!!!

Not really, or in the sense of this new found anomaly that has somehow found its way into our current society. So for the 1 or 2 of you that read this blog anyway or by some mishap of misfortune get linked here by some search engine that was intrigued by my tags. Have no fear I promise its safe to continue.

Anyway, as stated in my previous blog I received the LIFEWATCH monitor my doctor ordered yesterday to monitor for any anomalies that may still be lingering from my ablation in January. My next appointment is a little over a month away and this is the best way to see how the heart is doing.

So I activated and put the monitor on at around 1pm yesterday and had my first recordable event at around 6pm. So far as I know this is the first event I have had since going back on the Flecanide and Metoprolol regiment since back in mid January following my procedures. I'm not sure what the rhythm was but it did not feel like affib. 

Like I said I made a recording and sent it. The monitor supposedly does this on its own but it also has the option for me to record events I know are happening. The LIFEWATCH people did call me afterwords and make sure I was feeling OK. They also said they would be sending copies of the recordings to my doctor. 

So, is this a major setback? I don't know. I'm still within the 3 month blanking period. This is the first event I know of since January 17th. It can take six months for symptoms like this to totally disappear. I have been exercising without any issues. I guess only time will tell and I remain optimistic.

So Exciting

UPS has visited me the past 2 days. Yesterday they delivered the LIFEWATCH monitor. Today the delivered a second LIFEWATCH monitor and my order from PERFORMANCE BIKE. A trainer specific tire,chain lube and a new bike computer.

I haven't ridden with a bike computer for quite a few years now. I have been keeping track but just using my phones GPS and STRAVA. So I'm still collecting information but don't see it until the end of the ride. A couple of the guys I ride with complain because instead of keeping a certain pace I just ride how I feel at any given point of the ride. So maybe this will put an end to his complaining while giving me more information to assist in my training.

The computer I ended up getting is the  WAHOO ELEMENT BOLT. I was also considering  the GARMIN Edge 520. Both computers are very similar, and I think GARMIN actually makes both computers. I read a bunch of reviews and watched some videos and came to the conclusion that the WAHOO was the best choice. Not to say GARMIN does not make a great product its just the bolt seams to be more technologically advanced. Also if you are looking for some good in depth cycling equipment reviews you should check out these two guy's. DC Rainmaker and Steve over at In The Know Cycling.  Both of these guys cover all the bases in their reviews.

I'll keep you up to date on the BOLT as i get into using it. 

We Will Monitor Your Every Move

So I received a care package today from my Doctors office. Hooray its one of the final steps in seeing how successful my ablation was. I wore a similar type of monitor back in 2010 several months after my ablation back then.

The monitor constantly records my heart activity and sends it via cell phone to a central recording station. If I am to have an issue it will alarm to notify both myself and my doctor. On the up side I can still wear my WAHOO TiCKER HRM with it so I can monitor my rates while exercising.

I often wonder what the recordings looked like last time around as I was instructing spin classes at the time and doing a good bit of riding because the weather was so nice.

Really...... We Are Monitoring You

So FACEBOOK is in the news again for privacy infringement. I'm pretty sure the only reason this is happening is due to the current buzz about the trump campaign purchasing data from a third party source during the last election cycle. Otherwise we would probably not be hearing about it. This only further entrenches my opinion that the left will go to any extreme to undermine our current president. Even to turn on their own if necessary.

Al Frankin was the first victim of this particular strategy now Mark Zckerberg.  What is really telling about the situation with Zuckerberg is the fact that it was the Democratic Party, The O'Bama Campaign in particular, that perfected this strategy.  So I feel it is safe to assume that during the same election cycle the Democrats were using the same strategy but have somehow not found their way into the news for doing it. I'm not saying this isn't news worthy. I'm saying if your going to cover a story cover the whole story not just the parts that you agree with or think will further a particular agenda or narrative.

Of course if you didn't already know that FACEBOOK, GOOGLE and any other Internet savvy company isn't collecting and selling data on you your a fool. This is why I like many others don't use their full names or use and alias for FACEBOOK Identity. Not this this really stops it but it will curb it and at the very least keep the average Joe or potential employer form immediately identifying you on social media. 

Not that we all have anything to hide, However, in industries I have been involved in I had to work with people and companies that I know for a fact that I was diametrically opposed with both politically and in some cases morally, and didn't care to be judged on that basis as I know many of these institutions and companies would.

Facebook Isn't All Bad

It really isn't. It has allowed me to reconnect with old friends and to stay in contact with old. I'll admit I'm not a FACEBOOK hero having thousands of followers and friends. I'm a big believer in quality not quantity and live by the mantra "Be the best friend you can be, someone may be counting on it." In other words, don't pick your friends based on their financial stature or popularity because those criteria will surely let you down.

To that point back in January when I was sitting in the hospital waiting to see if I was going to be able to have my surgery I get a cryptic messenger text from a friend. "Do you still hate me?" the text read. "How could I ever hate you", I responded. Which lead to a great conversation which included the uncertainties and fears people have with situations like the one I had currently found myself in and how we personally dealt with them. Which I topped of following my surgery with, "I'm still alive so we will continue to be friends". She found this particular statement amusing.

Back story.......

This particular friend was a girl I dated back in high school and Quite frankly I cant really remember how long we dated or why we stopped,  but I really did like her and we had allot of fun together and that is the part I do remember. She was spunky and outspoken and I really liked those traits in a person and still do to this day.

I'm not completely sure where her question stemmed from, but I wont over think it or inquire as to the particulars beyond the conversation we had that day. I'm content in the fact that we remain friends today.

Well I got responses form both FUJI and NOTUBES today. It goes without saying that neither company feels as though they could do better. This is how we do it the part number you need is  blah blah blah.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

As the title says to you and yours. Was a pretty uneventful day. My wife and  I worked night shift last night so my son spent the night at my moms. I picked him up on the out of the way home. On the way I decided it might be nice for us to meet my wife for breakfast at Perkin's before lumbering off to bed so that's what we did. So needless to say I did not get much done  today. Staying up that extra 2 hours really kicks you in the rump. I did however get a little time Zwifting today.

The Sky

The sky was remarkable this morning and I couldn't help but pull over to take some photos of the morning sky. Living in PA we don't get a whole lot of clear mornings so I tend to take advantage of what we get when I am able too. Speaking of which 6 years ago today the temperature was in high the 60's and when the header photo was taken. I spent that day riding 45 miles with the dentist. 

Hes and interesting fellow and good company on a ride. Especially on a flat riding behind him is like riding behind a brick wall.

 New Toy

Picked up our new bikes the other day and hope to get out for a spin tomorrow. I'm pretty pleased with the purchase but as always the bike industry always comes up a little short. In this particular case I'm not sure if its the bike campy, FUJI, or the components manufacturer NOTUBES.

After much deliberation I decided to move to the next model in the lineup. This is  secondary bike for me but I've learned you can never go wrong upgrading. In this particular case the upgrades included 105 11 speed, hydraulic brakes and stans wheels. Now the issue is with the wheels. 

Part of the appeal to the upgrade was indeed the tubeless wheel-set. Lighter weight and no tubes means quicker spin-up and less flats. So I as I am getting ready to leave the store I asked Russel if the tubeless valve stems were in a bag somewhere. This is when he broke the news to me that the wheels did not include the valve stems. So I now have a set of tubeless wheels that I cant at this point run tubeless. That is until I come up with valve stems.

Needless to say this is very frustrating. I went to the NOTUBES website and they list the valve stems as being part of the wheel kit. Then later state that the valve stems are not included. Which to me makes zero sense. Why in Gods green earth would I specifically purchase a set of tubeless wheels from the best tubeless wheel manufacturer and not run them tubeless? Which takes me back to FUJI and their inability to place tubeless ready tires on the bike. You can bet your last  dollar I have already sent off emails to both companies looking for an explanation on both fronts.

Al ls Well

Nothing earth shattering on the heart front. Still taking the Flecanide,metoprolal, and magnesium. Heart hasn't missed a noticeable beat in a while now. Should be getting the event monitor in the next couple weeks. I'm hoping it will allow for me to still where my HRM when exercising.

UGH

As you may or may not know I am a control room operator at a power plant and to say that the last 7 days were the worst would be an understatement. Both units were off for repairs and we ended up putting them both back on line over the past several days. One of them twice.

The physical stress in the control room is marginal at best but the mental strain creates a different type of tired for sure. And you don't even realize it until you get home and hits you like a ton of bricks.

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

That Didn't Work Out So Well

So I had mentioned in one of my last posts that my EP wanted me to start tapering off of the meds.  I was apprehensive and excited the same. So I started tapering. 1 3/4 dose,  1 1/2 dose, 1 dose . Each step separated by 4 days or so.  the single dose is as far as I got before I started having trouble.

The weather turned at about the same time and I had started riding my bike. Not hard by any means but riding. Watching my heart rate as best I cold without a HR monitor. This was probably a big mistake. I was doing fine until my second day of cutting y dosage in half.

This had been my third day in a row on the bike. I had been doing about 30 miles each time and again taking it easy. The third ride went really well but I was pretty tired. Riding on the meds I'm on seams to really take its toll. I finished the ride a little faster than i had planed so I know that I pushed my HR higher than I had wanted to. About an hour after my ride my heart was out of rhythm. Needless to say I was bummed but understand that this can happen early on.

So the first thing to do at this point is get my heart back in rhythm so I went back to my normal dose times 2 to try to get my heart to convert to NSR, This is also what I did back in January  and ended up passing out. I didn't pass out this time but my heart did not convert either. The next day I was still out of rhythm and whet back to my normal dose. I was wiped out and disgusted as I hardly slept the night before.That evening when I got home I took a double dose again and about another hour later I converted. I must say this whole thing is enough to make a Guy nuts but I have faith it will get better. I had similar issues last time around then went almost 9 years without any real issues.

So I am back to my normal dose 2 times a day for a whole now. The doctor will be sending an event monitor in the next couple weeks and I am very anxious to get back to normal life.

Working

Working night shift is always a drag. I adapt to it very well and I never have issues getting things done between work and sleep. Ill even get out on the bike after I wake which is usually before noon.The guys on my shift seem to be able to cope pretty good as well which helps.

The real issue is the work place and if it weren't for the people running the show it would be great. Like the saying goes, its the best job I have ever had at the worst place I've ever worked. It amazes me how they put people in control that have zero idea how to to any of the jobs that those direct do.

Many of the guys I work with come from similar backgrounds or industries that I do. So we make for a pretty cohesive group and any one of them could do a better job than those we work for. Maybe not the complete operations segment but for sure would be better leaders.

Follow Up

Had my 2 month follow up appointment with my Electrophysiologist 

today and we reviewed what he found and did during my procedure. Apparently Atrial flutter showed up during the procedure just like it did in 2009. So he was able to go back and touch up the area he did back then. Its amazing, and in this particular case annoying, how the body heals itself. That is exactly why I found myself back in the Electrophysiology lab. 

He is very pleased with where I am right now and wants me to stop taking the blood thinners tomorrow and taper off the antirhytmic drugs over the next week. At that point I'll be med free and in sustained NSR.

Beautiful Day

For a bike ride. You don't get many 70 degree days this time of year and blue sky days happen rarely throughout the year so you don't dare pass them up if you can help it. I pieced together a loop and ended up with about 34 mile according to strava but I think its off a little bit.

First Ride Of The Season

Got out for a ride yesterday. First cardio exercise since my ablation back in January and it felt really good to be out doing what I enjoy most. It was a LER (Low Effort Ride) which suited me as my fitness is low and being on lopressors and arrhythmic drugs its about all I could muster. I did 20 miles with very little climbing. the skies were cloudy but the temperature was above 60 so no complaining here. I hope to get out again before I have to go back to work on Wednesday. I'm also going to set up the trainer and maybe sign up for ZWIFT.

It's Not About The Bike

I'll never understand the psyche of some cyclist, case in point......

As I was headed out I saw another cyclist turn onto the road ahead of me.He happened to look back so I waved to him. I really had no intentions of riding with anyone nor did I have any plan to try to catch up to him. However, he did slow up allowing me to catch up to him.

Turns out it was not a someone I already knew so I introduce myself to him. He did the same in return, then proceeded to tell me he thought that I was somebody else. At this point I had even less interest in joining him for a ride than I had moments before.He then proceeded to ask me where I was headed. When I told him just out for a short one he then sneered at me and rode off. Normally this woudl be the point I would speed up my pace and just sit his wheel to annoy him but considering my current condition I decided that would not to be a good move. Ill get opportunity again I am sure.

Feeling Good

Not much going on on the heart front and I have had a couple nights where I slept more than 4 hours. Oh and the nightmares are back which I experienced before from the meds I am on. Otherwise, I'm feeling really good and plan to start doing some light training this week. 

I did get to the gym last week and plan the same for this one. I also think I'm going to set the rollers up and start doing some light spinning. I've probably been a little overly cautious about exercising but it hasn't hurt anything either.

Science

So I took the family to the Carnegie Museum Of Natural History yesterday. We always have a good time there and my son is really into dinosaurs so of course they are his favorite exhibits, He is annoyed that they tend to focus on the more popular species although he does really like the T-Rex. I always try to test his knowledge or at least have him explain something to me. And to me the easiest target is the T-Rex. 

When I look at the Rex all I can focus on are those tiny arms. Tiny in comparison to the rest of its body and appendages. They just seem out of place to me , especially when you look at the rest of the natural world and how proportional they are in how they are put together.

I also had a interesting experience with and employee of the Museum. In one of the exhibits they had small scale windmills and solar panel's on a card table with a young lady sitting there. I wanted to avoid her but at the same time wanted to here what she had to say and maybe have a conversation with her. She started showing me her windmills and I let it slip that I actually work in the power industry. She became really interested then and asked what I did. Oh to have a video of her reaction when I told her I worked in the central control room of a coal fired power plant.

Her grimace and convulsive reaction was priceless which turned what I thought might be a conversation into a lecture/by me on the downfalls of both these sources of power at this point in time. This didn't last long as my son and wife where dragging me away. I was by no means belligerent or disrespectful in any way but they just wanted to move along. my wife said that she ran off as they were dragging me away. I'm guessing they have a safe space set up somewhere or maybe she was off filing a hurt feelings report. 

I did see that she later returned and was frantically typing on her cell. I would like to think she was checking up on the facts I was telling her but most likely she was texting her friends about the horrible coal guy she just encountered.

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.

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

So I thought that the infamous words of Kennny Rogers and the First Edition were fitting since it has been a while since I have posted.

To say that the last couple of years were kind of a roller coaster health wise might be an understatement. A long drawn out bout with Lymes disease and the return of my demon. (A-Flutter)  pretty much had me at my whits end up until a month ago.

The Lymes was pretty debilitating and I was unsure if cycling was going to be something I would be able to do anymore. The joy was all but gone and the drive was hot on its tail. After several rounds of antibiotics most of the symptoms had gone away but the fatigue and pain in my legs were relentless.

I was hopeful during the last round of antibiotics as i started Herxing. But unfortunately it was not the end. The fatigue was finally gone but the severe aching in my body persisted. Finally, in desperation I went to see a massage therapist thinking if nothing else I might get a little relief.

After talking with the therapist we decided that a deep tissue massage may be what I needed to release the rest of any toxins that remained in my muscle tissue. After the massage I felt a little better but did not get my hopes up. The next day I actually felt worse than before the massage but every day after that was a little better. and after about a month and other massages I was back to feeling like myself again. and finished out the cycling season in pretty good form for me anyway.

A-Flutter

So this year I started taking some spin classes to get a early start on the cycling season. I was really enjoying the classes until my heart decided it had had enough.

Since my ablation back in 2009 I have had random heart beat anomalies (PAC, PVC) but nothing that I would classify as Affib or Flutter. But a month ago I found my self in full blow A-flutter for several days. I could get no relief. My PIP had zero effect on it and I was pretty sure I was headed for a cardioversion which was something that is defiantly not on my bucket list. Fortunately the day before I was going to go to the hospital I converted back to sinus rhythm.

I had an appointment with my EP a couple days later and he had me where a event recorder for a month and had zero presentations of any heart rhythm anomalies. So he said to carry on and keep doing what I do. So that is what I am doing. Been riding allot and will be picking up my new ride in 2 weeks.