Might be soon out of pocket

[AirForce]

Guys, for those that didn't know, I've had a LOT of health issues from the Agent Orange crap (13 heart procedures) and went to the Nashville VA for a referral/follow up from a recent congestive heart failure and 4 days at the Murfreesboro TN VA hospital. Originally they were gonna just do the normal change of medication routine and watch diet etc and I asked about an LVAD (heart pump assist device). I already have a standard pacemaker (since 2010 that doesn't shock) but I complained about my heart doing the pulsating/flushing ultra fast that was taking my breath away and making me weak.

Well seems I have a new heart issue that's more serious than first thought since nobody has caught it before although I've complained about the "heavy pressure and weird flushing effect" for a year now, before the hospital stay, during it and after to my primary care doctor and Murfreesboro cardiologists. Echo was scheduled after I left the hospital but wasn't REALLY scheduled so primary care sent notes inquiring why. So it finally got scheduled for July 11th (was suppose to have been DONE by now) for todays referral.

So the Nashville cardiologist looked at the EKG and found something he didn't like. Sure enough just before he begins to listen, my heart does that weird thing I was complaining about and he hears it and identified what it was. I let it slip in front of my wife that on occasion I pass out. Asked if I get dizzy - noped, just lights go out and later I wake up (I have no idea how long I'm out). I get no warning. Found out that its actually my heart stopping and restarts on its own (don't ask me how) but he tells me I may not wake up.

So no driving until the tests are done as they will take out the pace maker and replace it with a defibrillator pacemaker at the least but they want to see what else might have to be done while I'm out. So if you don't hear from me for a while, its probably because I've been admitted for a while at Vanderbilt Medical. Have no idea when I may have to go in as I'm restricted from driving for now.

So when you go fishing - catch me one and let it go BUT TAKE A PIC OF IT (I'm dying to go fishing)

 

[Richard Ehlers (SevenPin)]

Praying for a speedy recovery so you can whack those little green fish.

 

[Barry Dufour]

Sorry to hear. Glad they finally found the problem you were concerned about. Praying for your recovery.
Barry

 

[cq]

Prayers to you!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[buzzbuster]

On bended knee and hope you do well.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Murphysboro, IL????? My daughter attended SIU for undergrad and grad school so we spent a lot of time around there. She even worked as a bartended at the trainstation turned into a bar in Murphysboro. 17st BBQ gets a mail order for sauce from me even 2-3 months.

Like the rest, prayers and thoughts with you from me and mine......

 

[AirForce]

Ummm no Murfreesboro TN (Alvin C York VA). Surgery will be done at Vanderbilt (Nashville VA). Probably before end of July since majority of the tests won't be done until July 10th, unless they decide to admit me to have them done sooner. Thanks guys.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Ummm no Murfreesboro TN (Alvin C York VA). Surgery will be done at Vanderbilt (Nashville VA). Probably before end of July since majority of the tests won't be done until July 10th, unless they decide to admit me to have them done sooner. Thanks guys.

Please keep us posted....We all, here, hang together, through the good and the bad... hopefully this will end as a "good", but I know right now it is scary, so we are all with you in spirit. Just hang around here and we will keep the good thoughts and prayers out there for you.

 

[Donald Prater]

Air Force I am with you. I was also in the Air Force at PHU CAT 68-69. I also have been eat up with the agent orange. I will be thinking about you. We just thought we were coming home in great shape. I have the heart problems, diabetes, prostate, and several other things. I hope and pray that they get you back in better health. We will never be in the shape we want to be but we must make the best of it. Good luck and God bless you and your family.

 

[AirForce]

Now that's weird, I met another Security Police guy who was stationed at Phu Cat yesterday at the Nashville VA. He was up in the heart clinic after we had blood drawn. Don't remember if he told me his name. Well seems my pacemaker was part of my problem. People who had installed it modified the settings to be more aggressive in trying to get the upper chambers in sync with rhythm pattern. Since early Feb I had 1100 episodes of which the pacemaker successfully did its job 770 times. Only problem was, my heart would go back into defib. Even when they checked the pacemaker yesterday it was still working overtime. They explained it this way, when the 2 upper chambers started shaking, pacemaker tried to equalize them (which I felt as flutters) and in the process squeezed the blood vessels until it overloaded and pushed in the lower chambers (which feels like a toilet bowl dump to me), then I would feel faint, or pass out on occasion if I was standing up or basically a LOT of chest pressure if I was sitting down.

So they turned that feature off because the other clinic (private one) didn't take into account my high risk for stroke since the squeezing would tend to cause blood clots and they said the flushing could have pushed a clot out and I'd be in deep trouble. They want to put me on blood thinners but since I've been having black out spells and more often then not, I tend to go head first into stuff. Said a minor blood vessel could rupture and then I'd bleed out before I realize there was a problem. SO game plan is still being formulated into so far 3 scenarios. One do nothing but try and find the right medications (with weekly blood tests like I go through now), one involved modifying the pacemaker (fuzzy on exactly what they said but it did involve opening the pacemaker in my chest) and 3rd was both a combination of modifying the pacemaker as they'd go into my heart and completely immobilize the heart function of providing rhythms and let the pacemaker provide a steady rhythm. Guess I'd know pretty quick if the batteries start to quit LOL I have to say though, the Nashville VA heart people have my confidence whereas I had NONE in the Murfreesboro TN heart docs (well I couldn't understand a word they said either).

So heart echo is July 10th OR they'll call me to be admitted earlier if needed. At least I finally had someone tell me what my pacemaker was doing. Now I know why Medtronics people seemed panicky in Oct and wanting me to have a stress test. That would have probably killed me (thought I was dying 3 years ago when I had that chemically). Oh and I did finally file for SS disability since I hadn't worked since 2011. My friends kept insisting since I worked ever since I was 13 paying into it. Yep, 40 a month back then I thought I was RICH

 

[AirForce]

well got an update of sorts. Had the echo test done and had meeting with the pacemaker device guy to recheck it and see the new heart doc who would actually do the procedure (options/risks discussed). Eventually my pacemaker will be replaced with a defibrillator type. I thanked the pacemaker tech for making the changes cause my life has been MUCH better for it. (FEEL much better cause of it). However I'm not out of the woods just yet.

So at the moment its a decision to wait and see thing. My last echo of June 2010 showed normal (60% function is normal to heart docs) but 40% is where it has now gone to in those 2 years. They suspect something happened because the pacemaker was pretty much normal from June last year until about Feb/March when my pacemaker start working overtime causing the flutters/toilet bowl flush effect that was causing a lot of pain if I did anything physical at all. SO the consensus is to just right now to have echo's done about every 3 months until the function drops to 35% or below. They can't give me coumadin until such time I'm no longer a risk for falling (have busted my noggin several times - that COULD be what's wrong with me

)

But eventually they will do a procedure in which they have to remove the lower lead (2nd lead) in the lower right chamber and replace it with a shocking lead and add a 3rd lead to the lower left chamber. 1st lead has been disabled (it was causing problems). What happened was the upper chambers are all out of sync. Normally the heart is in rhythm between upper and lower in timing, but the upper went nuts which in turns signals the lower chamber that the upper chamber is contracting, which then the lower chamber tries to match - but those chambers are MUCH bigger than the upper - and the docs don't really care if the upper and lower match, because the lower chamber does most of the work.

Its kinda like being a 6 million dollar man with a cheap 2 buck pair of legs that won't keep up - IT HURTS

. The scary part is the 2nd lead has now been in 4 years, meaning tissue has grown around it. IF they run into trouble and it perforates my heart, then the surgical team that'll be on standby outside the room takes over and cracks my chest open and then its a MUCH longer recovery time.

So I don't see another echo done until probably 1st of November since my next appt now is November 25th, so IF the echo shows a drop, then its possible surgery would be in December (or next year) - all depends on the echo's every 3 or so months now.

But for now, I feel pretty darn good and maybe in Oct they'll finally fix my knee. LOVE the new doc, he talks straight and no BS and uses language EASY to understand. His comments were the upper chamber doesn't gives a RAT's A*S what the lower chambers does. So far I've not had ANY hesitation about ANY of the docs/techs at the Nashville VA. Vanderbilt University trains their doctors VERY well. Told the device tech he gave me a new leash on life, as I'm able to do small projects now and a little yard work (I was TICKLED). I like it when a tech TELLS me what my pacemaker is doing and what was good or bad about it.

Had a question asked of me I didn't know though, was asked if I was pacemaker dependent - HECK I don't know, nobody every said. He's gone 5 minutes and comes back and tells me - YES you ARE pacemaker dependent. Oh yeah, that's the other thing, they'll have to run a lead down my neck to the heart during the procedure so the lead keeps the lower chamber beating normally (and pumping blood). Yep, procedure (if it goes wrong) kinda scary, not thrilled IF they have to crack my chest again, but hey, we ARE risk takers to some degree

 

[Greg Meyer]

I am no Dr. and in your case a hydraulic pump engineer.... But, it does sound like someone knows what they are doing and have a developing game plan. Just hang in there and it will work out. Prayers and good thoughts are sent....

 

[rbstern]

AF, sorry, haven't been on the site much lately.

Glad you are getting treatment. Hope you are feeling better.

 

[AirForce]

well surgery went good I guess. I'm still alive and just got home but one arm tied to my body for 2 weeks

 

[cq]

well surgery went good I guess. I'm still alive and just got home but one arm tied to my body for 2 weeks

Read your meds closely, after back surgery I had an adverse reaction to a muscle relaxer. Spent most of last year with heart and lung Doctors until we figured out it was the med. 5 more weeks of rehab and I should be close to normal. I now read all papers that come with the meds very closely.
Glad you are doing better.

 

[AirForce]

meds didn't change other than adding antibiotics and pain killer (3 days worth). Somehow though my thumb/wrist on that side is messed up like they nicked a nerve or something. Makes using that hand really painful but maybe it'll go away (soon I hope)

 

[Greg Meyer]

Glad you are heading in the right direction.... Hard to get rid of us old sheepdogs...lol Prayers and thoughts sent your way

 

[rbstern]

well surgery went good I guess. I'm still alive and just got home but one arm tied to my body for 2 weeks

Good to know it went well. Rest up, get back on your feet.

 

[Donald Prater]

Get better and get back to fishing. Take care of yourself first. Will be thinking about you. I go to the VA Wednesday for more test. Not as bad as you but hope to get my health a little better. Good luck.

 

[buzzbuster]

AirForce, hope you are doing well and improving each day. Keep on doing what the doctors tell you to do but don't push yourself to hard. Wet a hook when your able and catch a few/many.