So, a little more detail on the
trials and tribulations of a bloke with a dodgy ticker…..oh yes, and myeloma
thrown in for good measure!! As I briefly mentioned yesterday, things have been
progressing smoothly since the operation. I ended being kept in hospital for an
extra couple of days as unfortunately my surgeon punctured a small hole in my
lung during the procedure, which resulted in a pneumothorax. This is where air
that leaks from the lung gets trapped between the lung and the chest wall,
causing a collapse of the lung. In my case it was relatively minor and actually
resolved itself by spending the following week focussing on deep breathing to
expand the lungs. Fortunately, no need to put in a drain, which is good
news….didn't really fancy that! In my surgeons defence, apparently the
procedure was more tricky than usual, as my veins have narrowed
considerably due to the chemotherapy I've received and my lungs are quite
large, as I'm damn good looking. Not his words…... exactly…..but it sounds plausible!!
After seeing my consultant last Friday for the all clear regarding my pneumothorax, I'm now focused on stretching my chest muscles around the wound and mobilising my shoulder. After initially being a tad paranoid that I'd end up ripping out the ‘jump leads’ attached to my heart, I'm getting more confident to use my left arm normally. As usual, I want things to progress quickly, but as my good lady reminds me, it's only been a week and a half since the operation. Most importantly, having been shaved in various areas prior to the operation (some of which I don't fully understand, but I'm not going to be the one to ask), my hair is starting to re- establish and my mangy stray dog look is rapidly disappearing!!
So, what else is there to tell. Well, I'm planning on getting back behind the wheel this weekend. My consultant has confirmed that as far as he's concerned I'm fit to drive. I've also informed the DVLA and my insurance company, so I'm good to go!! As far as golf is concerned, it's off limits for another four weeks.
These pacemakers are amazing little devices. The one I've had installed is an MRI safe, dual chamber pacemaker, with electrodes placed on my right atrium and right ventricle. It passively monitors the heart and only kicks in when it senses that my heart has missed a beat. When it does trigger, it paces my heart at the same rate it was beating prior to failure, and then switches off when my heart resumes normal operation. Battery life’s a bit more than your average smart phone and should last 8-10 years. Guess where it's made, yep, Sweden. Is there anything they don't do….Spotify, Skype, Bluetooth, Minecraft….taxes!!
That's enough of the technical stuff. As I said at the beginning, physically I'm healing well. I've also now come to terms with having a pacemaker fitted. I wasn't in such a good place when I had the operation, it all felt very sudden and didn't give me any time to get my head around things. I know it had to be done quickly, but I didn't feel I had much control over what was happening. Similar to my myeloma experience, as I return to normality, things become a lot easier and eventually it all becomes part of the routine. My heart condition is now sorted…..so that's one less thing for me to worry about!! Back up to Kingston hospital this afternoon for my monthly Zometa (bone strengthening infusion). Back to life, back to reality!!
After seeing my consultant last Friday for the all clear regarding my pneumothorax, I'm now focused on stretching my chest muscles around the wound and mobilising my shoulder. After initially being a tad paranoid that I'd end up ripping out the ‘jump leads’ attached to my heart, I'm getting more confident to use my left arm normally. As usual, I want things to progress quickly, but as my good lady reminds me, it's only been a week and a half since the operation. Most importantly, having been shaved in various areas prior to the operation (some of which I don't fully understand, but I'm not going to be the one to ask), my hair is starting to re- establish and my mangy stray dog look is rapidly disappearing!!
So, what else is there to tell. Well, I'm planning on getting back behind the wheel this weekend. My consultant has confirmed that as far as he's concerned I'm fit to drive. I've also informed the DVLA and my insurance company, so I'm good to go!! As far as golf is concerned, it's off limits for another four weeks.
These pacemakers are amazing little devices. The one I've had installed is an MRI safe, dual chamber pacemaker, with electrodes placed on my right atrium and right ventricle. It passively monitors the heart and only kicks in when it senses that my heart has missed a beat. When it does trigger, it paces my heart at the same rate it was beating prior to failure, and then switches off when my heart resumes normal operation. Battery life’s a bit more than your average smart phone and should last 8-10 years. Guess where it's made, yep, Sweden. Is there anything they don't do….Spotify, Skype, Bluetooth, Minecraft….taxes!!
That's enough of the technical stuff. As I said at the beginning, physically I'm healing well. I've also now come to terms with having a pacemaker fitted. I wasn't in such a good place when I had the operation, it all felt very sudden and didn't give me any time to get my head around things. I know it had to be done quickly, but I didn't feel I had much control over what was happening. Similar to my myeloma experience, as I return to normality, things become a lot easier and eventually it all becomes part of the routine. My heart condition is now sorted…..so that's one less thing for me to worry about!! Back up to Kingston hospital this afternoon for my monthly Zometa (bone strengthening infusion). Back to life, back to reality!!
No comments:
Post a Comment