Faulty wiring

Just words for now...

My attention over the week has been for my dad who ended up in the Cardiac ICU on Wednesday. So I have no pictures just words.

Dad's heart is strong, but parts of it are wearing out. . A year ago the faulty aortic valve had to be replaced, now most recently (and suddenly), the "wiring" in his heart went hay-wire.

He never knew what hit him while he was walking on the tread mill at the RAC on Wednesday. He remembers a friend helping him up and getting him a drink of water....

The ER wasted no time slapping on the temporary pacemaker patches on his chest when the hooked him up to the monitor and saw a heart rate of 28 -30. That's just too slow, most people would be unconscious. But Dad's heart is strong, and it was able to keep his Blood pressure up to a "text-book" normal range. After quickly determining that he needed intervention, the ER did what they should and got the cardiac folks involved. It was quickly determined by process of elimination that Dad's heart needed some electrical help. Off to the cath lab he went....

By 4pm, dad was back in the ICU with a brand-spankin' new dual-chamber pacemaker. Now labeled, "pacemaker dependent". I don't really like the sound of that and as an old Cardiac nurse I get what that means. It was good to see the number 60 on his monitor instead of 28.

The next morning he was suppose to go home. We had just left him to rest and went down to the waiting room. Mom got a phone call for the family to come back to his room. "he's having some problems with his rhythm" . On arrival, we find about 10 doctors, nurses, etc. in his room all around his bed. I look at the monitor and see 130. Well now.... that's too fast !

So long story short, his atrium was agitated (probably by the temporary Pace-maker wire) and it started fluttering, so the ventricle joined in the activity. His heart was havin' a party, and it was making everyone very nervous. It was mentioned that they could "SHOCK" the heart out of the rhythm but again, because dad has a strong heart, his BP was fine and they had time to use drugs instead. So Amiodarone it was, and by mid-afternoon, he was back to normal....60

The pacemaker was re-programmed, and there was no more excitement for the duration of his stay.

He went home Friday....thankful to be in his own home, sit in his own chair and actually have coffee that was hot. Mom's chocolate cake reminded him he was HOME.

I'm thankful for the "MAYO'S" (said with a southern drawl) and all the staff that helped my dad while he was there. We are blessed to have such a great medical institution in our home town.