The Wizard hath spoken.

[DFW]

I’m in recovery.

Immediate diagnosis is: hurry up and wait, BUT——

I had no further arterial blockage, so no additional stent(s) were required. The extra heartbeats ARE still there and must be addressed. They will try with medication (color me skeptical) or another kind of intervention in the fall, maybe.. But it’s not an immediate danger. It’s shortly after noon here (German time). They said my wife can puck me up in three hours.

There will be a follow-up story to this one. If their diagnosis was correct, it’s not for the immediate future. I suspect my bill will be around €15,000. It’s still less than half of the €30,000 of the yearly insurance premium the Germans quoted me. Our American insurance is sure to deny the whole thing. What else is new?

My infinite gratitude and appreciation for all those who bothered to express good wishes/vibes/etc. I came out of this not exactly cured but secure in the knowledge that I am in no imminent danger for now. That’s a more encouraging diagnosis than many can say they have received recently, so I’ll accept it without whining.

There will be a next chapter, but not immediately. I’ll take it.

Again, thanks to all!! Now it’s time worry about those facing less rosy diagnoses.**

**if the specialists here turn out to bave been wrong about me after all, and I fall over dead tomorrow, I reserve the right to take it all back!

[SheltieLover]

1. Yaaaay!

Ty for sharing your great news!

[True Dough]

2. Here goes...

Möge dein Herz noch viele Jahre schlagen!

^ Admittedly used "Google translate" for that one. Hope it makes sense. A bit puzzled by the seemingly random capital letters, but maybe German is like that?

Take care.

[DFW]

9. Google was accurate this time, and the capital letters weren't random

Proper nouns are capitalized in German.

[The Madcap]

11. Not just proper nouns,

but all nouns.

[Irish_Dem]

3. So far so good!! Great news!!

And you are being released to go home.

Take it easy.

There are meds for the extra heartbeats that work well.

[mwmisses4289]

4. Good news is good news.

Here's to many more healthy years to you and your family!

[Liberal In Texas]

5. Sounds like good news (Except for the bill LOL)

I am quite familiar with those extra beats. PVCs mine were called. They're not actually extra, there is one that is premature. Premature Ventricular Contractions. I was told that unless they bothered me a lot to not worry about it. But I was also getting some other weird beats and that turned out to be Afib. Long story short, a couple of cardiac ablations (day procedures) and I'm pretty well fixed up. No more Afib. The PVCs have lessened to a level where they're not noticed.

It sounds like you're going to be OK.

[LuckyCharms]

6. So glad to see you posting so soon!

Sounds like things are looking up, and I'm grateful for that.

You're a good guy, DFW.

Edit to add: If your extra beats are PVCs (Premature Ventricular Contractions), try not to worry too much. I've had them for about 10 years, and while they can freak you out a bit, they are usually pretty harmless.

Wishing you all of the best. I think you'll be around awhile to enjoy your beautiful family.

[murielm99]

7. Good news.

Thanks for letting everyone know.

[Scrivener7]

8. Good news. And good luck going forward.

[niyad]

10. So good to see your post first thing! Vibes for continuing recovery

and healing. May this weekend be beautiful and peaceful.

[surfered]

12. I love your attitude. Continued good luck...

[highplainsdem]

13. Good to see you back so soon! I hope the meds they'll try will help, but if not, there are very successful

treatments for arrhythmias, including cardiac ablation as Liberal In Texas mentioned above (which one of my brothers also had; heart problems run in my family) and pacemakers (which my mom needed, before cardiac ablation became common).

[AllaN01Bear]

14. good

ive been dealing with afib for 10 years . this last go round was when a dr took me off a med cold turkey. the hearrt decided to play. been playing ever since . i have had good success with meds and going into the main hospital w drs ballanceing meds working with my ticker dr.

[cachukis]

15. Aces!

[tavernier]

16. Nice.

Thanks for the good news!

[littlemissmartypants]

17. Excellent news, DFW!! We're rooting for you! 🌞❤️

[orangecrush]

18. Thanks for the good news!

[KPN]

19. Great news DFW. Good to hear ...

and especially so soon! Love your attitude!

[livetohike]

20. Great news! Thanks for posting so soon DFW.

Continued positive thoughts for your recovery .

[PatSeg]

21. That sounds quite encouraging

You sound very chipper, probably more than you feel right now, but it appears the Great Pumpkin was on the job!

[NBachers]

22. OK, thanks for the good news. Your Mission is to outlive the Orange Hellbeast and help us build a more perfect future.

[hlthe2b]

23. That is good news, DFW. I'm pleased to hear this.

May good health and outcomes continue for a very long time!

[BumRushDaShow]

24. Happy for your prognosis

My BIL is going through similar and had been fitted with a stent and was originally scheduled for another or a bypass this week (apparently set up by attending physicians) until his cardiologist stepped in and rescheduled that procedure for next month to give time for the anticoagulants to work.

[Alice Kramden]

25. Very glad for you

Thanks for the update

[NNadir]

26. My wife had an laser ablation, atrioventricular node ablation...

...for a similar syndrome, atrial fibrillation.

It was a day procedure. We went in around 7 AM and were having pie in a diner by 3 PM.

Hopefully the treatment for your syndrome will be as minimal.

[irisblue]

27. Thank uou for the update, it is good to know you can go home today

[Grim Chieftain]

28. Wonderful news, DFW!

You have been in my thoughts since we learned of your heart issues. Take care of yourself and please keep us posted when you can.

[blm]

29. Relieved to hear that.

💐

[MiHale]

30. Glad to hear good news....👍

If the extra beats are a-fib, not saying great but I’ve been living with it for decades…managed by pharmaceuticals.
Just gotta stay within my limits. That’s the hardest thing to learn and abide by.

[yardwork]

31. Very glad to hear this!

May you continue to heal. Your voice is important.

[CaptainTruth]

32. Wishing you the best!!!

[DFW]

33. Thanks, all. But I'm not out of the woods yet.

Final report went something like this:

Follow up with a hospital cardiologist. Not quite as rosy as wished. I indeed was not blocked up enough to need another stent. However, I am still showing far too many supplemental heartbeats to be healthy. Too many supplemental heartbeats overstrain the heart muscle, and lead to heart failure. What they think will probably be needed will be what is called a heart ablation, unless some combination of medicines will alleviate the symptoms. Follow up talks next week.

Still, it was "call us Monday," and not "bring a suitcase, you're not going anywhere!"

[3catwoman3]

35. I had an ablation in 2023 for pre-existing Afib...

...that went wildly out-of-control after surgery for a ruptured appendix. It was the proverbial "piece of cake," and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again should that become necessary.

We are all so glad to hear from you today, and to know that you are still walking the planet.

[greatauntoftriplets]

38. That's good to hear.

I'm having a cardiac ablation on July 7 for A-flutter before it turns into Afib. Thanks!

[3catwoman3]

41. Here's hoping yours will be as uneventful as mine was.

It does seem a little crazy that you can go home a few hours after having a wire threaded up into your heart.

[greatauntoftriplets]

42. I certainly hope it is.

They're planning to keep me in the hospital overnight because I live alone and there's no one who can stay with me overnight. They're also during it under general anesthesia because sedation doesn't work on me.

[NJCher]

50. my girlfriend's son

Is a heart surgeon and the stories she tells me about how many people have these conditions amazes me. And how routine all of this is for them because they see it day in, day out.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

37. Thank goodness you're doing well as can be expected! I am relieved.

And thank you for posting so quickly! May your path continue to bring you health.

[Silver Gaia]

52. I've had 2 ablations.

The first one lasted about 3 years, then another medical condition (not cardio-related) stressed me enough that the arrhythmia flared up again, so they did a second ablation. That one worked, too. I still have extra beats but my elecyrophysiologist (surgeon who does the ablations) and my cardiologist say it's nothing to be concerned about unless I go into tachycardia (which happens to me sometimes with stress). There are drugs they've tried that can control the arrhythmia, but I just can't take them. I feel worse on them than I do without them. My best advice is to read up on your condition at reputable sites, ask questions, and don't be afraid to say "no" if the treatment or drug makes you feel worse than you did before. My main point in posting, though, is to say that the ablations are easy. Recovery time is practically none, and you should definitely feel better after.

[DFW]

54. Thanks! The voice of one who has been there is always helpful.

With me, one of my “problems,” if you can call it that, is that my extra beats, which are ever-increasing in frequency according to each new EKG, have not made me feel worse st all. If the doctors—both in Dallas and in Germany—hadn’t told me about them, I wouldn’t even know I had a problem. The first time I was at this clinic, 22 years ago, I was about 24 hours or less from a massive, probably fatal, heart attack due to two coronary arteries being 99% blocked. They were amazed that I had no chest pains, but I had no idea. Probably my low blood pressure. Until I was past 70, I was almost always 115/70.

I know I need to get this fixed, because a cardiologist with no financial incentive to find a problem isn’t going to make stuff like that up. But my body isn’t sending me warning signals. I’m glad for the lack of discomfort, but I’m also especially vigilant, since that is the better alternative to finding out too late, as in ten seconds before dropping dead. My wife would kill me if I did that.

[Silver Gaia]

59. Yeah, I had never noticed anything, either.

I honestly don't think I would have noticed if, due to Covid-19 precautions, we had not listened to advice to purchase an oximeter for home use to measure blood oxygen levels and heart rates.

My a-flutter/a-fib came to my attention one night when I wasn't feeling well and decided to check my pulse and oxygen level with the oximeter. As it turned out, I was in tachycardia, meaning my heart rate was over 100 bpm and was not going down. That is my only symptom, although I now know that stress is my main trigger. I ended up going to ER that night, and they figured it out. But without that little bit of new (for me) home technology, I would never have noticed this.

They always ask me if I am "feeling palpitations," and I say "no" because I never FEEL anything. I only know if I check my pulse. The only other symptom is fatigue because being in tachycardia does make me super tired, but we csn feel fatigued for any number if reasons.

Our situations are different other than the extra beats. I don't have plaque buildup, for instance. But I hope what I've experienced with ablations is helpful for you. It is not an invasive heart surgery. They just go into your heart through a blood vessel entered through a small incision in your groin. They will insert a device through the breathing tube for anesthesia that gives them a live, in color, map of your heart activity. The elecyrophysiologist locates the nerves that are causing extra beats and turns them off electronically. You will never notice anything much at all after the surgery, but within a few days, you will start to feel better than you've felt in a long time! At least that was my experience.

[question everything]

34. Great news.

[BComplex]

36. Welcome back, DFW!!! So glad to hear you have a fine future ahead....

as much as any of us can be assured of that! We value your participation in this life !!! I hope you continue to get better every day.

[greatauntoftriplets]

39. Sounds like you're doing well post-op.

At least this step is done with, other than your recovery. I hope that you get more good news.

Apologies for hijacking your thread with a post about my upcoming ablation.

[DFW]

55. No apologies necessary

Any information like that is helpful, not just to me, but those who have the condition, and have yet to find it out.

[Marthe48]

40. Good news

Here's to a speedy recovery and less stress

[Phentex]

43. Well as MFM would have said...

takes a licking and keeps on ticking!

[KS Toronado]

44. That's fantastic news !

[IbogaProject]

45. Great to hear, DFW !!

I can sign off and go home now. Rest easy.

[Rizen]

46. Glad to hear you're okay!

[rubbersole]

47. Wonderful news!

When you get up this morning - grab your 12 string and play "Little Martha" like LK. You'll be almost as good as new. 👍

[JMCKUSICK]

48. That's wonderful news DFW, take it easy for a few and may this be the worst part of your journey.

[DFW]

56. Take it easy..............sounds interesting! I think I'll look it up!

That might be something I should learn how to do some day.

[KatyaR]

61. There's a first time for everything!

I'm happy it went well, and I'm sure the next steps will as well.

[alwaysinasnit]

49. Many hugs .....

[LoisB]

51. That is good news. I look forward to more good news this fall - assuming, of

course, that neither of us fall over dead tomorrow.

[DFW]

57. I heard that tomorrow was fully booked

The earliest either of us is going to croak is Monday afternoon.

[Laurelin]

53. Happy to hear it

Glad you're going home!

[Fla Dem]

58. Hooray! Things are looking good for you. Happy for you and your family!!!!

[malthaussen]

60. **Bzzzzttt** that's the sound of a dodged bullet.

Remember, you don't have to worry about a bullet with your name on it. The one you should worry about is the one labelled "To Whom it May Concern."

-- Mal