Ugh.....

Spoke to my EP yesterday. I had sent him an email concerning my current state and asked him about another drug to use along with the Ticosyn. He felt it not to be a good idea for my type of arrhythmia. So I am staying the course for now. I will be seeing him next week to discuss the next move which is to see Dr. Natale in Texas for a 3rd ablation.

He did mention what he thought should be the next step which would be a Thoroscopic Maze Procedure. Which is similar to the Mini Maze or 5 Box Procedure. These are minimally invasive procedures but more invasive than Catheter Ablation and work from the outside of the heart in correlation with interior.  We shall see. On interesting note about these procedures is that they remove the Left Atrial Appendage which is thought to not only contribute to Affib but can also eliminate or reduce the formation of blood clots. Tere is also a current study being done using the LARIATE Suture System that isolates the LAA which has the same effect. This particular study is being carried out at Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia but I don't know if I am a candidate or not.

Cycling Fail........

So I did get out for a short ride the other day. Did not go so well though. High winds and torrential thunderstorm created need to cut the ride short. Te 200 plus heartrate at the end was not helpfull either.

Maintenance Outage Infinity.....

So our so called 2 week mini outage has turned into well over a month with way to many startups and shutdowns. Tonight involving yet another since the end of Infinity outage. Then we get the pleasure of putting it back on and taking the other unit of on Sunday. Assuming everything goes well which it probably won't.  This also means we will be bringing the unit back off before the heat to repair another gremlin that won't allow us to make full load when it gets really hot outside. It's a comedy of errors perpetrated by people I am pretty sure should not be in charge of the asylum.

Nothing New To Report

So its the same ole same ole with the battle between my arrhythmia and the Tikosyn. Tikosyn still has the advantage but not enough to satisfy my psyche. Of course the arrhythmia has an accomplice this week in the form of sciatica.

Now if you have never had sciatic nerve issues or God forbid your
Satorius Muscle cramp up on you on you 70 miles into a century ride, consider yourself lucky.I will add here that the Satorius Muscle cramp wins hands down in medieval torture fashion. At least with the sciatic nerve you can remain still and have the pain recede. The Satorius Muscle however, will toy with you. As you try to find relief by bending your leg it will pull tighter. If you try to stretch it pulls even tighter. It will leave you writhing on the ground wishing for death if you let it. My best advice is to keep pedaling in a smaller gear at at higher cadence. It will right itself pretty quickly.

Anyway, it became quite clear a couple days ago that I was going to be on a sciatic nerve pain train that was too late to try to derail. There are many exercises you can do to keep this from happening and or help alleviate it before it reaches the point that mine did. A pain that I hope reached its crescendo yesterday.

I was sitting on the deck last night with my wife. it was getting late and she decided to go to bed. I told her I would be along soon. About 20 minutes passed and I decided to get up. No go. I shifted around and tried again. No go with some added whimpering. So I picked up my cell and called my wife....no answer. So I called my son and asked hie to send her outside. She soon arrived to find me where she left me. She tried several times to assist me from my perch to no avail. We finally decided to try the heating pad as that had given me some relief earlier in the day. 30 minutes later I got enough relief to escape the grasp the chair had on me.

The night was no better as any bit of relief I got either from ice or heat was short lived so 3 hours sleep was all I got last night. Then when it was time to get up it took about an hour for me to get out of bed. I had an appointment with my cardiologist for an echo this morning so I had no choice but to suck it up and carry on. I did get in to see my GP this afternoon and he prescribed me some muscle relaxers and steroids and said I should be right as rain, or at least more human like come Saturday. He also said he is seeing sciatica and nerve pain in other patients that are taking Tikosyn. He promised it would go away.

The Echocardiogram went really well and no issues were immediately found. My Cardiologist said if he did find anything he would call me in a day or two and if I don't here from him then all is well. He did say that the weakness they saw on the TEE before my cardioversion was no longer present so that is good. Once he has completed his report he will send it off to Texas as this was the last piece of information that Dr. Natale requested.

Dagnabbit......

Well all was goo until Sunday evening when I went back into affib.
This weekend was our short turn and I did not get much sleep at all so I'll blame it on that. So that was a 5 day run in NSR so I'm still hopeful.

I converted back to NSR Monday afternoon and remained there until Wednesday evening. I converted sometime during the night. I remained in NSR until yesterday evening. The affib episode only lasted a couple hours though. But then this morning back out of rhythm again.

My sleep patterns the past couple days haven't been too good either. Was in bed both nights before 2200 but awake before 0200 both nights. That's got to stop.

Normalcy....

There has been some normalcy in my life though. Gabe and I hit the Hoodlebug trail on our new FUJI Jari bikes. Still need to make a couple adjustments but these are going to be great bikes for us. I was worried about mine as I had calculated some numbers wrong and thought that maybe I had bought a bike one size to large for myself but all is good. I doubt we will get to do our trip this summer due to my heart issues but should still be able to get some riding in for sure.

Worked outside all day yesterday. Got my garden started. Lettuce and onion sets are in and I'll get the rest of the plants in next week.

Turning Point?

Maybe anyway.....

Following my last post I had a run of 32 hours in NSR. Then into affib which only took 4 hours to convert back to NSR. Since that conversion I have been in NSR without a blip.

So as of now I have been in NSR for almost 48 hours. Needless to say my attitude is much improved. It's amazing what a normal heartbeat can do for your psyche. I'm not so naive to think that I will stay in rhythm all the time but this is a far cry better than it has been for sure.

The Grind......

Otherwise known as work isn't so bad. I have a good counterpart in the control room. We get along well and he is a wealth of knowledge. The rest of our crew is outstanding as well. We are a pretty cohesive group all in all and have zero qualms about helping each other out so nobody gets left out in the cold.

We currently have a Control Room Trainee on our shift right now. Unfortunately he does not mesh with the crew. He had asked me before taking the job if I thought he could do it. I have no doubt he can but he has a long way to go to gain the respect of everyone.

He has an issue with work and already has a reputation as being lazy. And that does not go over well when you are asking people to do work for you. He is also the type of person that needs constant reassurance, or in his own words needs to have his ego stroked, which can be pretty annoying at times. He's got a long row to hoe for sure.

Frustration.....

So it's been a week since I left the hospital and I am in rhythm about as much as I am out of rhythm. the longest I have gone in NSR so far is 28 hours. The shortest period of time it has taken me convert back to NSR is about 10 hours. So one migh argue that the Ticosyn is working, moderately at least. But quite frankly I'm really starting to get frustrated.

The other issue is when I am out of rhythm I take 75mg of metoprplol which really nocks me down. The 50mg I take daily nock's the snot out of me as it is. The whole thing has becom quite debilitating and depressing. It completely limits my activity and keeps me from doing th things I enjoy.

Back In The Saddle....

Got home from the hospital on Saturday afternoon and headed straight for the bike and a nice easy 20 mile ride. What a positive affect getting out in the fresh air doing something you enjoy has on your perspective. I made sure to keep my heart rate at a manageable level and just enjoy the moment.

I did the same thing on Sunday. The weather was not nearly as nice being about 20 degrees cooler but all in all a nice ride. Up until the point my heart went into affib again. It appears that my heart has gone back to its old ways by triggering the affib at low resting heart rates and recovering heart rates.

I went in to affib about 2 miles from the house. All I had left in the ride was a nice easy down hill then a decent climb before another flat stretch to home.I was just starting the downhill watching my heart rate. When my rate reduced to 85 bpm it converted to affib and shot up to 199 bpm. it then fluctuated between 199 and 100 for a while then settled in at around 150 bpm.

My heart converted back to NSR yesterday morning but went back out again just a short while ago. So we will see how long it takes me to convert back to NSR again.

That's a Relief....

Spoke with my Doctor yesterday afternoon. He called to follow up with me on my hospital stay and also my recent affib episodes. He let me know that he had spoken to his associate and that he was totally fine with me seeking out a second opinion. We had a really nice conversation and he offered up his assistance in any way he could to help me find a solution. He thought that my choice of surgeons I had chosen was top notch and referred to him as a Guru.

I actually spoke with that doctors office today and the process for seeing him is underway. They already received some of my medical records and the rest are in process for them to receive. So hopefully that will all work out and I will be going to see him. I will write more about that ast the situation progresses.

Failure.......

Well, not a complete failure. At lest not yet anyway. 

Last night when the nurse brought my evening meds. And probably about the time Brit Floyd was finishing up their first set, I went directly into affib. My heart rate was between the mid 90's  adn 150's. They called the doc and he had them give me another 25mg of metoprolol. This brought my heart down to around 105 bpm at thee high range, which he, and most importantly I could live with without concern to doing any damage to my heart. I think I mentioned that during my cardioversion TEE that it appeared that my heart may have weakened a little bit. Nothing it wont bounce back from but still not a place I want to go. 

So the options this morning were to either stay here and start another medication or go home on the Ticosyn and see how it goes. Knowing that I could still go into affib. On anecdotal note here is that yesterday for my morning meds I also to Singulair which I use for exercise induced asthma. Was this the cause for the breakthrough last night? Lord only knows. I did however communicate with a fellow affibber today and they said it took a good 3-4 weeks for the Tikosyn to fully take hold.

So now I sit here waiting on my wife to find her way to pick me up.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do......

Like I said before one of my doctors associates was in this morning to talk to me. During our  conversation I mentioned that I had contacted Dr Andrea Natale concerning my condition. I wanted to bring this up with my regular EP but I really like the guy and I know he is doing everything within his power to help me. His partner was totally respectful of me being open and understood completely why I had such a hard time bringing this up to my regular doc. We covered some other options and his opinions on those and their success factors. He was going to talk to my doc about my current situation as well as what we talked about concerning Dr Natele.

Even though I was just speaking to one of his associates I still had that it's not you its me approach which we both laughed about. It's amazing the relationship that can be formed between a caregiver and patient. That is one of my concerns about maybe having him do another procedure. I don't want him doing or trying something he has not tried before or at the very least 100 times trying to fix teh problem.

It's A Beautiful Thing

So I started the Tikosyn yesterday morning @0900 and converted to NSR @1210. So I guess that means the medicine is going to work. For how long nobody can say. They started me out with 500 Micrograms/2x but cut me back to 250 Micrograms/2x as my QT intervals were getting too far apart. So two more days and I can get out of this place. The weather is starting to turn and I want to ride my bike.

It's been a while since I've ridden medicated. Last time I did it was back in 2009. We did a Century that day back in March of 2010. Not only was I medicated that particular day I was also wearing and event monitor. So we will see how it goes.

The Eagle Has Landed......

Back in the hospital. It was planned of course but was planning on getting here early and started on my new meds. Well I got here early but the meds aren't going to arrive until tomorrow morning. Seems I was more ready for them than them for me.

I have always lived by the creed that no good deed goes unpunished. A good Preacher friend of mine told me that a long time ago and I have found it to be true. Just like there is no such thing as gaining brownie points with your wife. The all equal a zero sum gain and usually lead to a loss.

Anyway, the good deed was for me to have my wife just bring me early this morning and drop me at the door. That way she could get on with her day as she had a pretty full schedule. And as you read from my opening paragraph I pretty much spent most of the day moving from one comfy chair to the next with the occasional stop by the cafeteria mixed in.

So tomorrow I will start on the Ticosyn and hopefully be out of here by Friday night to go see Brit Floyd.

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