Sunday 11 March 2012

Genes, Lifestyle or just the way life is sometimes.......

So we've been in wonderful, warm, sunny Florida for 4-1/2 months.......feeling great......enjoying nature and all it's wonders..........Disney-ing in amazement........family and friends visiting........life is good!

Last Sunday, I got to bed at my regular time which is between 9 and 10......trying to sleep and my heart sets to thumping and skipping beats.  This is nothing new for me but I start to get anxious when this happens so I take an Ativan prescribed by the family doctor, to take the edge off.

I try to relax........time passes.......my husband is sound asleep beside me and I'm wide awake, beginning to freak because the thumping and skipping is not stopping as it should.

Long story short it's now 1 am on Monday - 9-1-1..........ambulance arrives and tells me (as if I didn't already know) that I am in Atrial Fibrilation.  Off we go to the hospital, John following behind the ambulance (God I love him so).

Going over speed bumps and who knows what else while the EMT guy (cute as hell by the way) is trying to put an I.V. into my arm.  "Bump"....oh my vein collapsed??  Try another one!  Argh!  Finally gets it in and we just chat the rest of the way.


We arrive in Emerg and it is packed to the rafters, people all over the halls lying in stretchers......bad night to get sick.

They rush me right into Room 8 where there is a heart monitor set and ready to go.  Doctor's Assistant, Doctor, Nurses and Techs standing over me plugging me into the monitor, taking vitals, asking a million quests and starting some I.V. meds to slow down my heart.


Simulation, not really me.

My poor Johnny is sitting in a chair in the room just watching this all go on.

Cardiologist comes in later and says that I'm being admitted but there are no rooms available so I just have to sit tight and wait.  I enquire as to any idea how long this wait may be and they say it could/would be hours yet.

I tell John to go home and get some rest and come back in the morning.  If I'm not in Emerg, I'm in a room somewhere in this unknown place.

I finally manage to fall asleep, only to be woken up every couple of hours for vitals and blood tests and who knows what else........falling asleep in between........

Tech comes in with a wheelchair.......we're taking you for a cat scan to see if you have any blood clots on your lungs........OMG!

Back to the room...........please sleep come and let me rest............

My heart rate is finally back to normal (thank God) and then around 6 am a porter comes in with a wheel chair and says I'm going to my room on the 3rd floor!

I get to the room, wanting only to sleep.....my roommate has the T.V. going (what can she be watching at 6 am?)  I look over and she's watching cartoons!  Okay, looks like I've got one doozie of a roomie!!!

I manage to sleep for a few hours and when I awaken......I see John sitting watching me sleep.

I'm exhausted but thrilled to be feeling normal again and looking at that beautiful face of my husband..........

Tuesday afternoon I'm discharged with a new drug to keep my heart rate down.......and I should be okay.

Sure wish they said "would" instead of "should"..............


....................to be continued..............