Hubby in Hospital

[gja1000]

Hi Marilyn,
Glad I could help! My husband and I just saw his electrophysiology doctor yesterday and he is very pleased with my husband's progress. In fact, he told him his heart is doing so well now, that he needs to get more exercise!!!

Gary's heart only works at about 30% of what it should, so he is quite limited in what he can do. He had to take early retirement (at age 56) and he has to rest lots and lots. But I was very encouraged by the doctor's words yesterday. This is all to say that since your hubby's heart is much stronger - he should come though this so easy and he will feel so much better after the ablation is completed. We weren't meant to have a heart rate of 120-130 and it really makes you feel crummy. Also, staying in the hospital is really crummy too!!! I hope he gets out soon - yet, with this fast heart rate, it is MUCH better for him to be in the hospital with immediate care should something go amiss.

I also hope your hubby doesn't have to have a pacemaker - fingers/toes/legs crossed that he doesn't have to - but if he does, it is such a non-issue these days. Really the only issue is having the battery replaced every five years, and not being able to go through metal detectors. I'm very comforted that my husband has a pacemaker because I know that his heart rate can't get too low. His also has a defibrillator and sudden cardiac death is a major complication of heart failure (my husband's diagnosis), so I know if that happens, his defibrillator will fire and he will have a better chance of survival.

All this information is to say that modern technology is wonderful. These electrophysiology heart studies began in the early 1970's, when I first became a nurse. I remember our patients going down for these studies. We knew they had to stop patient's hearts and then start them back up, make their hearts go fast and then slow, make hearts beat irregularly, in order to figure out what to do and how to do it. This was hard for us nurses because we knew it was dangerous for the patients. But it had to be done in order to develop the fabulous technology that we have today. And of course, it was only done on the sickest patients for whom all other options had been exhausted. But that is why I don't get upset when they stop my husband's heart once a year, to test whether or not his defibrillator will fire properly. I feel very comforted to have been a part of the very early studies to develop the technology that is now helping my husband - and soon, yours too.

I am extremely confident that it will be very successful with your husband's problem!