What the hell next??

So, today, I am bouncing along at work, thinking about the next set of 55 lb bags I was going to throw and the tanker I needed to climb on and unhook, when I noticed the pavers in the floor getting closer and closer to my face until I was lying on them. About that time, my newly discovered SVT fired up for the 40th time, and off to the ER we trundled, my boss and I. Apparently, what little bit of electrical activity that existed prior to my pm implantation in March of 2015 got very jealous of all the accolades it received and decided to start firing randomly in May. The electrician put me on a beta blocker, which made me feel like walking death for a week, and last week, switched it to Cardizem, the lowest dose. It worked great , , , for three days. I did have an abnormality on my blood work, which indicated I might throwing a clot in my lungs, but that was for naught, so now, the plumber has doubled the Cardizem, stopped the Lisinopril, and let's just see what happens while I take two days off work in the busiest season of the year. Anyway, I am back on here, trying to get to feeling better before I go back to work on Monday. I am tired of feeling crummy, ya know?

3 Comments

Know how you feel

by Theknotguy - 2015-07-11 09:07:06

Know how you feel. I went through a similar experience but in a different order. Also didn't have to work for part of the process so that made it easier.

Know about the meds that make you feel like you're walking through cement. Not fun. Suggestion for you is to ask your cardiologist/EP or to talk with a pharmacist and map out what meds may give you problems. Cardizem works on the calcium side. It may take them a while to find out what works.

I'm on Cardizem and Metoprolol. Get along fine with them. As said before, Cardizem works on the calcium side. Not sure what Metoprolol works on. I can up my Metoprolol if my afib gets really bad. Just remember what works for me may not work for you.

I went through a period where my heart didn't like being under new management. It was doing all sorts of wacko stuff. Ended up in the ER a couple of times too. It started about the eight week period and went on for about three months. What makes it worse for you is having to work at the same time. I don't have any suggestions. Just to hang in there as the heart and PM start to adjust.

Went back to doing volunteer work at the woodshop. At first it was two hours at a time while getting my ribs to heal. I had to learn when I was pushing myself too hard. My mantra now is to work until it hurts, then quit. So my suggestion is to see if they can adjust your work. If you feel you're pushing too hard can you say "uncle" and back off. You may not know when to say "uncle" but it would be nice to know if you could.

As far as work is concerned, if you died tomorrow, would the work stop? We'd all like to feel we're indispensable but we aren't. Have talked with several people who were highly motivated and dedicated to working. After their retirement, the building didn't fall down, the company didn't come to a screeching halt. So we may feel we're absolutely needed but we really aren't. Something else to consider.

Is what is happening to you frustrating? Yep, sure is. I know exactly how you feel. Just hang in there.

Hope things start to get better for you soon.

Ablation?

by golden_snitch - 2015-07-11 12:07:29

Has your EP mentioned the possibility of doing an EP study, locating the spot that causes your SVT, and then ablating it? Usually, that's standard treatment today for most types of SVT. The risk of the procedure outweighs the risks of taking antiarrhythmic drugs for the rest of your life. Catheter ablation is a chance to be cured from your SVT.

Regarding drugs, according to my experience Flecainide is very effective in controlling paroxysmal episodes of SVT. It can also be taken as a pill-in-the-pocket which means that you do not take it everyday, but only when an episode starts.

Just some food for thought, and maybe discussion next time you see your EP. Best wishes!

There is no silver...

by donr - 2015-07-12 12:07:20

...bullet for taking care of cardiac problems. That's why there are so many of them around. Someone, somewhere is going to have a bad side effect from any med. The flip side to that statement is that someone, somewhere will tolerate the same drug very nicely. So your Cardio will try to find one that treats you gently while doing what needs to be done for your heart.

Side effects vary from person to person & med to med. Some side effects you can adapt to, others you cannot. Some pop up immediately,others take time to rear their ugly heads.

Generally speaking, there is no way whatsoever to predict how YOU will react to a given med unless you try it So at this point my counsel is to sit back, relax & make the best of a crummy situation.

Donr

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