Transient Ischemic Attacks
Discussion
I've been a bit quiet around these parts of late. And for a sound reason.
On the 1st July in the early evening was just about to leave the apartment to head for the airport. Came out of the bedroom and my wife asked if I was alright. "Yes" I thought I'd said. She said "you're not you sound very drunk & your face isn't right. Sit down! How do I call an ambulance?" (We are in a 'stan where most only speak Russian, so not such a silly question) . She goes out bangs on the door of a neighbour & through sign language manages to get him to call an ambulance. I'm somewhat confused at this point sitting on the sofa, frankly a bit dazed. About 15mins later ambulance turns up, they do various things, then bundle me off to A&E. They take me straight into a treatment room, I have ECGs, BP tests & a few other things. Then in for a CAT scan all within about 20mins of arrival. My heart is all over the place, BP up & no clear evidence of anything on the CAT scan. They see some weakness on the left side of my face though. I'm then put on a drip to stabilise my heart rate before being discharged to our private clinic about 6 hrs later. Here I get the explanation that they suspect I've had TIA. The doctor suggest I get home to the Uk as soon as practicable. The following morning he runs a few more checks, scowls a bit & says "I'm changing advice we are going to medivac you to Dubai or Istanbul & in the meantime I'm sending you to the local coronary unit"
So I end up in the local coronary unit, whilst I get a private room, it could best be described as a prison cell, with bed to match & nothing else. I have dire food, numerous ECGs, more drips, more blood samples. Fortunately the doctor from the private clinic came over regularly to check on me & was very positive saying the droop on my face had totally gone. So I spent Saturday night here while they confirmed a medivac flight. This eventually arrived at the local airport around 11:30pm Sunday night. Around 1:30 I was transferred by ambulance to the airport where we had a Cessna jet waiting to take us to Istanbul.
Arrived in Istanbul around 3:30am & was rushed to the next hospital & straight into a IC ward (There I was thinking everything was fine). Here at 4am I'm having more bloods taken, hooked up to various machines, catheters inserted for pissing. All I can hear are machines going "ding". That morning it's more CAT scans, MRIs, chest x-rays, more bloods before they move me to a less intense part of the ICU. Eventually a doctor does round & explains how the MRI has shown up a small amount of damage & confirms I probably have had TIA, but the real issue is my heart which is malfunctioning which has caused the TIA. I see the neurologist who says I'm fine & no long term issues. They mess around with meds more ECGs & then the next day do echocardiograms. The results are positive from both the heart & neck. Doctor says I can go to a normal ward by Thursday if I remain stable. Great! I'm not allowed out of bed, have to s
t in a bedpan & have my arse wiped by somebody. I'm not allowed to shower, just bed washes. I'm woken at 4:30 am for more blood tests each day disturbed all the time for over tests & the food is still rubbish & is pureed. My wife who has flown to Istanbul with me is allowed in for 10mins each day!
So after 3 days of hell I'm moved to a private room which initially seems like heaven. however the wi-fi doesn't work, the TV I can watch Al-jazeera news or the BBC News. I'm still not allowed out of bed & being hooked up to a drip there is no way I can move myself. the food has marginally improved. I still get woken between 4:30 & 6 am for blood tests. By this time they are having difficulties getting a sample each day, my arms resemble pin cushions. Some nurses are excellent at it, others dire. Sleeping is hard with a machine going "ding" in your ear all night. By now I also have bed sores & stink due to not having had shower in more than a week! Eventually I have to tell the nurse the is unhealthy & unhygienic and I demand a shower. She mutters she has to check with the doctor. He turns up 20 mins later & says sure no problem. The relief a simple shower can bring! I'm also now allowed to take a st in the on-suite but the nurse says don't force it.
All of this time I'm actually feeling fine.
Eventually on the Wednesday 10 days after being admitted the doctor says I can be discharged the next day. RELIEF! He says "is there anything stressing you?"....."yes this machine that does "ding" in my ear all the time".... he instructs the nurse to get rid of it & also the drip so I'm free to move about.
So the next day I get discharged with the direction to take 2 weeks off work & go see a cardiologist. It's only then I realise what spending 10 days in bed does to you.... strength in my legs & coordination of them appears to have gone. It feels like learning to walk again. Oh did I mention I've also contracted a mild does of pneumonia. Brilliant go into hospital 2 weeks ago feeling fine & come out with pneumonia, bed sores, shattered from lack of sleep & virtually unable to walk.
Now the next challenge getting back to the UK. Insurance company seems fine, I tell them to book us on the BA late afternoon flight. They come back, can't do that you need to have a lie flat seat. Ok book me Turkish. No problem sir, we'll confirm your details. Next morning, nothing from the insurers.... "where's my booking as the flight leaves in 4 hours?"..... it turns out the Turkish flight was 3 times the cost of BA, so maybe not so important to have lie flat! Eventually get home around 10pm 2 weeks after the start!
First thing Monday morning onto my GP, but unbeknown to me no appointments are done in person, so now trying to do everything by phone & email ITo be fair to them they did respond quite quickly and I had a chat with GP after she'd read all the Turkish reports. She got me a referral to the local stroke clinic & arranged another ECG at the surgery. ECG was basically clear, but she agreed a referral to a cardiologist. I received the referral on the Friday morning & saw the cardiologist in the afternoon (wonders of private care) 4 weeks to the day after the start of this escapade. He said "First off we need to change these meds. The ones prescribed for you in Istanbul are archaic & not what you should be taking". Whips me onto another ECG, looks at the trace & say diagnosis you got is wrong, they said atrial fibrillation., he says flutter not fibrillation . The good news ihe said s your diagnosis is a condition that is less risk & easier to cure. He then says he wants another echocardiogram to confirm the one done in Istanbul. Subject to the new one being similar, he'll refer me to a colleague for treatment. So last Friday after he'd had 2 weeks holiday he confirmed all was good & referred me to a colleague. Saw him yesterday and am booked in for an ablation procedure the end of next week.
So in 7 weeks I've gone from being what I thought was perfectly healthy with nothing wrong to having a mini-stroke which identified a heart condition & now having a heart procedure in 10 days time. All the medical staff have said "you've got lucky".... having a mini-stroke before a full blown one.... having a mini-stroke that's done no lasting damage.... and catching a heart issue which may not otherwise have been picked up.
When you've never been in hospital before & never had a real health issue at times this has been very worrying. Initially on my return to the Uk you find your confidence somewhat shot, you look for reassurance from medical professionals
Hopefully following the procedure all will be good.
But it has me thinking.... less coffee, less alcohol, less weight, more exercise!
On the 1st July in the early evening was just about to leave the apartment to head for the airport. Came out of the bedroom and my wife asked if I was alright. "Yes" I thought I'd said. She said "you're not you sound very drunk & your face isn't right. Sit down! How do I call an ambulance?" (We are in a 'stan where most only speak Russian, so not such a silly question) . She goes out bangs on the door of a neighbour & through sign language manages to get him to call an ambulance. I'm somewhat confused at this point sitting on the sofa, frankly a bit dazed. About 15mins later ambulance turns up, they do various things, then bundle me off to A&E. They take me straight into a treatment room, I have ECGs, BP tests & a few other things. Then in for a CAT scan all within about 20mins of arrival. My heart is all over the place, BP up & no clear evidence of anything on the CAT scan. They see some weakness on the left side of my face though. I'm then put on a drip to stabilise my heart rate before being discharged to our private clinic about 6 hrs later. Here I get the explanation that they suspect I've had TIA. The doctor suggest I get home to the Uk as soon as practicable. The following morning he runs a few more checks, scowls a bit & says "I'm changing advice we are going to medivac you to Dubai or Istanbul & in the meantime I'm sending you to the local coronary unit"
So I end up in the local coronary unit, whilst I get a private room, it could best be described as a prison cell, with bed to match & nothing else. I have dire food, numerous ECGs, more drips, more blood samples. Fortunately the doctor from the private clinic came over regularly to check on me & was very positive saying the droop on my face had totally gone. So I spent Saturday night here while they confirmed a medivac flight. This eventually arrived at the local airport around 11:30pm Sunday night. Around 1:30 I was transferred by ambulance to the airport where we had a Cessna jet waiting to take us to Istanbul.
Arrived in Istanbul around 3:30am & was rushed to the next hospital & straight into a IC ward (There I was thinking everything was fine). Here at 4am I'm having more bloods taken, hooked up to various machines, catheters inserted for pissing. All I can hear are machines going "ding". That morning it's more CAT scans, MRIs, chest x-rays, more bloods before they move me to a less intense part of the ICU. Eventually a doctor does round & explains how the MRI has shown up a small amount of damage & confirms I probably have had TIA, but the real issue is my heart which is malfunctioning which has caused the TIA. I see the neurologist who says I'm fine & no long term issues. They mess around with meds more ECGs & then the next day do echocardiograms. The results are positive from both the heart & neck. Doctor says I can go to a normal ward by Thursday if I remain stable. Great! I'm not allowed out of bed, have to s
t in a bedpan & have my arse wiped by somebody. I'm not allowed to shower, just bed washes. I'm woken at 4:30 am for more blood tests each day disturbed all the time for over tests & the food is still rubbish & is pureed. My wife who has flown to Istanbul with me is allowed in for 10mins each day!So after 3 days of hell I'm moved to a private room which initially seems like heaven. however the wi-fi doesn't work, the TV I can watch Al-jazeera news or the BBC News. I'm still not allowed out of bed & being hooked up to a drip there is no way I can move myself. the food has marginally improved. I still get woken between 4:30 & 6 am for blood tests. By this time they are having difficulties getting a sample each day, my arms resemble pin cushions. Some nurses are excellent at it, others dire. Sleeping is hard with a machine going "ding" in your ear all night. By now I also have bed sores & stink due to not having had shower in more than a week! Eventually I have to tell the nurse the is unhealthy & unhygienic and I demand a shower. She mutters she has to check with the doctor. He turns up 20 mins later & says sure no problem. The relief a simple shower can bring! I'm also now allowed to take a s
t in the on-suite but the nurse says don't force it. All of this time I'm actually feeling fine.
Eventually on the Wednesday 10 days after being admitted the doctor says I can be discharged the next day. RELIEF! He says "is there anything stressing you?"....."yes this machine that does "ding" in my ear all the time".... he instructs the nurse to get rid of it & also the drip so I'm free to move about.
So the next day I get discharged with the direction to take 2 weeks off work & go see a cardiologist. It's only then I realise what spending 10 days in bed does to you.... strength in my legs & coordination of them appears to have gone. It feels like learning to walk again. Oh did I mention I've also contracted a mild does of pneumonia. Brilliant go into hospital 2 weeks ago feeling fine & come out with pneumonia, bed sores, shattered from lack of sleep & virtually unable to walk.
Now the next challenge getting back to the UK. Insurance company seems fine, I tell them to book us on the BA late afternoon flight. They come back, can't do that you need to have a lie flat seat. Ok book me Turkish. No problem sir, we'll confirm your details. Next morning, nothing from the insurers.... "where's my booking as the flight leaves in 4 hours?"..... it turns out the Turkish flight was 3 times the cost of BA, so maybe not so important to have lie flat! Eventually get home around 10pm 2 weeks after the start!
First thing Monday morning onto my GP, but unbeknown to me no appointments are done in person, so now trying to do everything by phone & email ITo be fair to them they did respond quite quickly and I had a chat with GP after she'd read all the Turkish reports. She got me a referral to the local stroke clinic & arranged another ECG at the surgery. ECG was basically clear, but she agreed a referral to a cardiologist. I received the referral on the Friday morning & saw the cardiologist in the afternoon (wonders of private care) 4 weeks to the day after the start of this escapade. He said "First off we need to change these meds. The ones prescribed for you in Istanbul are archaic & not what you should be taking". Whips me onto another ECG, looks at the trace & say diagnosis you got is wrong, they said atrial fibrillation., he says flutter not fibrillation . The good news ihe said s your diagnosis is a condition that is less risk & easier to cure. He then says he wants another echocardiogram to confirm the one done in Istanbul. Subject to the new one being similar, he'll refer me to a colleague for treatment. So last Friday after he'd had 2 weeks holiday he confirmed all was good & referred me to a colleague. Saw him yesterday and am booked in for an ablation procedure the end of next week.
So in 7 weeks I've gone from being what I thought was perfectly healthy with nothing wrong to having a mini-stroke which identified a heart condition & now having a heart procedure in 10 days time. All the medical staff have said "you've got lucky".... having a mini-stroke before a full blown one.... having a mini-stroke that's done no lasting damage.... and catching a heart issue which may not otherwise have been picked up.
When you've never been in hospital before & never had a real health issue at times this has been very worrying. Initially on my return to the Uk you find your confidence somewhat shot, you look for reassurance from medical professionals
Hopefully following the procedure all will be good.
But it has me thinking.... less coffee, less alcohol, less weight, more exercise!
Glad to hear you're OK, and you've been lucky to have had a "warning".
One of my oldest friends is a fireman and he had a heart attack back in April during a shout (car accident). Fortunately for him there was an ambulance on the scene which ended up taking him to hospital instead of the accident victim. He had a triple bypass and is still following a recovery regime, which should see him back in action by October. His heart was fine, but the arteries were badly blocked.
The weird thing is that he'd done his annual fitness test a couple of weeks before, and he'd played in a tennis tournament (and got to the semi-finals) the day before.
It shocked me as he's the first of our lot who's had a serious health scare, and he's probably the fittest/cleanest living.
I wish you a succesful recovery.
One of my oldest friends is a fireman and he had a heart attack back in April during a shout (car accident). Fortunately for him there was an ambulance on the scene which ended up taking him to hospital instead of the accident victim. He had a triple bypass and is still following a recovery regime, which should see him back in action by October. His heart was fine, but the arteries were badly blocked.
The weird thing is that he'd done his annual fitness test a couple of weeks before, and he'd played in a tennis tournament (and got to the semi-finals) the day before.
It shocked me as he's the first of our lot who's had a serious health scare, and he's probably the fittest/cleanest living.
I wish you a succesful recovery.
GT03ROB said:
I've been a bit quiet around these parts of late. And for a sound reason.
On the 1st July in the early evening was just about to leave the apartment to head for the airport. Came out of the bedroom and my wife asked if I was alright. "Yes" I thought I'd said. She said "you're not you sound very drunk & your face isn't right. Sit down! How do I call an ambulance?" (We are in a 'stan where most only speak Russian, so not such a silly question) . She goes out bangs on the door of a neighbour & through sign language manages to get him to call an ambulance. I'm somewhat confused at this point sitting on the sofa, frankly a bit dazed. About 15mins later ambulance turns up, they do various things, then bundle me off to A&E. They take me straight into a treatment room, I have ECGs, BP tests & a few other things. Then in for a CAT scan all within about 20mins of arrival. My heart is all over the place, BP up & no clear evidence of anything on the CAT scan. They see some weakness on the left side of my face though. I'm then put on a drip to stabilise my heart rate before being discharged to our private clinic about 6 hrs later. Here I get the explanation that they suspect I've had TIA. The doctor suggest I get home to the Uk as soon as practicable. The following morning he runs a few more checks, scowls a bit & says "I'm changing advice we are going to medivac you to Dubai or Istanbul & in the meantime I'm sending you to the local coronary unit"
So I end up in the local coronary unit, whilst I get a private room, it could best be described as a prison cell, with bed to match & nothing else. I have dire food, numerous ECGs, more drips, more blood samples. Fortunately the doctor from the private clinic came over regularly to check on me & was very positive saying the droop on my face had totally gone. So I spent Saturday night here while they confirmed a medivac flight. This eventually arrived at the local airport around 11:30pm Sunday night. Around 1:30 I was transferred by ambulance to the airport where we had a Cessna jet waiting to take us to Istanbul.
Arrived in Istanbul around 3:30am & was rushed to the next hospital & straight into a IC ward (There I was thinking everything was fine). Here at 4am I'm having more bloods taken, hooked up to various machines, catheters inserted for pissing. All I can hear are machines going "ding". That morning it's more CAT scans, MRIs, chest x-rays, more bloods before they move me to a less intense part of the ICU. Eventually a doctor does round & explains how the MRI has shown up a small amount of damage & confirms I probably have had TIA, but the real issue is my heart which is malfunctioning which has caused the TIA. I see the neurologist who says I'm fine & no long term issues. They mess around with meds more ECGs & then the next day do echocardiograms. The results are positive from both the heart & neck. Doctor says I can go to a normal ward by Thursday if I remain stable. Great! I'm not allowed out of bed, have to st in a bedpan & have my arse wiped by somebody. I'm not allowed to shower, just bed washes. I'm woken at 4:30 am for more blood tests each day disturbed all the time for over tests & the food is still rubbish & is pureed. My wife who has flown to Istanbul with me is allowed in for 10mins each day!
So after 3 days of hell I'm moved to a private room which initially seems like heaven. however the wi-fi doesn't work, the TV I can watch Al-jazeera news or the BBC News. I'm still not allowed out of bed & being hooked up to a drip there is no way I can move myself. the food has marginally improved. I still get woken between 4:30 & 6 am for blood tests. By this time they are having difficulties getting a sample each day, my arms resemble pin cushions. Some nurses are excellent at it, others dire. Sleeping is hard with a machine going "ding" in your ear all night. By now I also have bed sores & stink due to not having had shower in more than a week! Eventually I have to tell the nurse the is unhealthy & unhygienic and I demand a shower. She mutters she has to check with the doctor. He turns up 20 mins later & says sure no problem. The relief a simple shower can bring! I'm also now allowed to take a st in the on-suite but the nurse says don't force it.
All of this time I'm actually feeling fine.
Eventually on the Wednesday 10 days after being admitted the doctor says I can be discharged the next day. RELIEF! He says "is there anything stressing you?"....."yes this machine that does "ding" in my ear all the time".... he instructs the nurse to get rid of it & also the drip so I'm free to move about.
So the next day I get discharged with the direction to take 2 weeks off work & go see a cardiologist. It's only then I realise what spending 10 days in bed does to you.... strength in my legs & coordination of them appears to have gone. It feels like learning to walk again. Oh did I mention I've also contracted a mild does of pneumonia. Brilliant go into hospital 2 weeks ago feeling fine & come out with pneumonia, bed sores, shattered from lack of sleep & virtually unable to walk.
Now the next challenge getting back to the UK. Insurance company seems fine, I tell them to book us on the BA late afternoon flight. They come back, can't do that you need to have a lie flat seat. Ok book me Turkish. No problem sir, we'll confirm your details. Next morning, nothing from the insurers.... "where's my booking as the flight leaves in 4 hours?"..... it turns out the Turkish flight was 3 times the cost of BA, so maybe not so important to have lie flat! Eventually get home around 10pm 2 weeks after the start!
First thing Monday morning onto my GP, but unbeknown to me no appointments are done in person, so now trying to do everything by phone & email ITo be fair to them they did respond quite quickly and I had a chat with GP after she'd read all the Turkish reports. She got me a referral to the local stroke clinic & arranged another ECG at the surgery. ECG was basically clear, but she agreed a referral to a cardiologist. I received the referral on the Friday morning & saw the cardiologist in the afternoon (wonders of private care) 4 weeks to the day after the start of this escapade. He said "First off we need to change these meds. The ones prescribed for you in Istanbul are archaic & not what you should be taking". Whips me onto another ECG, looks at the trace & say diagnosis you got is wrong, they said atrial fibrillation., he says flutter not fibrillation . The good news ihe said s your diagnosis is a condition that is less risk & easier to cure. He then says he wants another echocardiogram to confirm the one done in Istanbul. Subject to the new one being similar, he'll refer me to a colleague for treatment. So last Friday after he'd had 2 weeks holiday he confirmed all was good & referred me to a colleague. Saw him yesterday and am booked in for an ablation procedure the end of next week.
So in 7 weeks I've gone from being what I thought was perfectly healthy with nothing wrong to having a mini-stroke which identified a heart condition & now having a heart procedure in 10 days time. All the medical staff have said "you've got lucky".... having a mini-stroke before a full blown one.... having a mini-stroke that's done no lasting damage.... and catching a heart issue which may not otherwise have been picked up.
When you've never been in hospital before & never had a real health issue at times this has been very worrying. Initially on my return to the Uk you find your confidence somewhat shot, you look for reassurance from medical professionals
Hopefully following the procedure all will be good.
But it has me thinking.... less coffee, less alcohol, less weight, more exercise!
Absolute nightmare having an emergency like that when not at home. Glad your relatively unscathed and getting looked after. On the 1st July in the early evening was just about to leave the apartment to head for the airport. Came out of the bedroom and my wife asked if I was alright. "Yes" I thought I'd said. She said "you're not you sound very drunk & your face isn't right. Sit down! How do I call an ambulance?" (We are in a 'stan where most only speak Russian, so not such a silly question) . She goes out bangs on the door of a neighbour & through sign language manages to get him to call an ambulance. I'm somewhat confused at this point sitting on the sofa, frankly a bit dazed. About 15mins later ambulance turns up, they do various things, then bundle me off to A&E. They take me straight into a treatment room, I have ECGs, BP tests & a few other things. Then in for a CAT scan all within about 20mins of arrival. My heart is all over the place, BP up & no clear evidence of anything on the CAT scan. They see some weakness on the left side of my face though. I'm then put on a drip to stabilise my heart rate before being discharged to our private clinic about 6 hrs later. Here I get the explanation that they suspect I've had TIA. The doctor suggest I get home to the Uk as soon as practicable. The following morning he runs a few more checks, scowls a bit & says "I'm changing advice we are going to medivac you to Dubai or Istanbul & in the meantime I'm sending you to the local coronary unit"
So I end up in the local coronary unit, whilst I get a private room, it could best be described as a prison cell, with bed to match & nothing else. I have dire food, numerous ECGs, more drips, more blood samples. Fortunately the doctor from the private clinic came over regularly to check on me & was very positive saying the droop on my face had totally gone. So I spent Saturday night here while they confirmed a medivac flight. This eventually arrived at the local airport around 11:30pm Sunday night. Around 1:30 I was transferred by ambulance to the airport where we had a Cessna jet waiting to take us to Istanbul.
Arrived in Istanbul around 3:30am & was rushed to the next hospital & straight into a IC ward (There I was thinking everything was fine). Here at 4am I'm having more bloods taken, hooked up to various machines, catheters inserted for pissing. All I can hear are machines going "ding". That morning it's more CAT scans, MRIs, chest x-rays, more bloods before they move me to a less intense part of the ICU. Eventually a doctor does round & explains how the MRI has shown up a small amount of damage & confirms I probably have had TIA, but the real issue is my heart which is malfunctioning which has caused the TIA. I see the neurologist who says I'm fine & no long term issues. They mess around with meds more ECGs & then the next day do echocardiograms. The results are positive from both the heart & neck. Doctor says I can go to a normal ward by Thursday if I remain stable. Great! I'm not allowed out of bed, have to s
t in a bedpan & have my arse wiped by somebody. I'm not allowed to shower, just bed washes. I'm woken at 4:30 am for more blood tests each day disturbed all the time for over tests & the food is still rubbish & is pureed. My wife who has flown to Istanbul with me is allowed in for 10mins each day!So after 3 days of hell I'm moved to a private room which initially seems like heaven. however the wi-fi doesn't work, the TV I can watch Al-jazeera news or the BBC News. I'm still not allowed out of bed & being hooked up to a drip there is no way I can move myself. the food has marginally improved. I still get woken between 4:30 & 6 am for blood tests. By this time they are having difficulties getting a sample each day, my arms resemble pin cushions. Some nurses are excellent at it, others dire. Sleeping is hard with a machine going "ding" in your ear all night. By now I also have bed sores & stink due to not having had shower in more than a week! Eventually I have to tell the nurse the is unhealthy & unhygienic and I demand a shower. She mutters she has to check with the doctor. He turns up 20 mins later & says sure no problem. The relief a simple shower can bring! I'm also now allowed to take a s
t in the on-suite but the nurse says don't force it. All of this time I'm actually feeling fine.
Eventually on the Wednesday 10 days after being admitted the doctor says I can be discharged the next day. RELIEF! He says "is there anything stressing you?"....."yes this machine that does "ding" in my ear all the time".... he instructs the nurse to get rid of it & also the drip so I'm free to move about.
So the next day I get discharged with the direction to take 2 weeks off work & go see a cardiologist. It's only then I realise what spending 10 days in bed does to you.... strength in my legs & coordination of them appears to have gone. It feels like learning to walk again. Oh did I mention I've also contracted a mild does of pneumonia. Brilliant go into hospital 2 weeks ago feeling fine & come out with pneumonia, bed sores, shattered from lack of sleep & virtually unable to walk.
Now the next challenge getting back to the UK. Insurance company seems fine, I tell them to book us on the BA late afternoon flight. They come back, can't do that you need to have a lie flat seat. Ok book me Turkish. No problem sir, we'll confirm your details. Next morning, nothing from the insurers.... "where's my booking as the flight leaves in 4 hours?"..... it turns out the Turkish flight was 3 times the cost of BA, so maybe not so important to have lie flat! Eventually get home around 10pm 2 weeks after the start!
First thing Monday morning onto my GP, but unbeknown to me no appointments are done in person, so now trying to do everything by phone & email ITo be fair to them they did respond quite quickly and I had a chat with GP after she'd read all the Turkish reports. She got me a referral to the local stroke clinic & arranged another ECG at the surgery. ECG was basically clear, but she agreed a referral to a cardiologist. I received the referral on the Friday morning & saw the cardiologist in the afternoon (wonders of private care) 4 weeks to the day after the start of this escapade. He said "First off we need to change these meds. The ones prescribed for you in Istanbul are archaic & not what you should be taking". Whips me onto another ECG, looks at the trace & say diagnosis you got is wrong, they said atrial fibrillation., he says flutter not fibrillation . The good news ihe said s your diagnosis is a condition that is less risk & easier to cure. He then says he wants another echocardiogram to confirm the one done in Istanbul. Subject to the new one being similar, he'll refer me to a colleague for treatment. So last Friday after he'd had 2 weeks holiday he confirmed all was good & referred me to a colleague. Saw him yesterday and am booked in for an ablation procedure the end of next week.
So in 7 weeks I've gone from being what I thought was perfectly healthy with nothing wrong to having a mini-stroke which identified a heart condition & now having a heart procedure in 10 days time. All the medical staff have said "you've got lucky".... having a mini-stroke before a full blown one.... having a mini-stroke that's done no lasting damage.... and catching a heart issue which may not otherwise have been picked up.
When you've never been in hospital before & never had a real health issue at times this has been very worrying. Initially on my return to the Uk you find your confidence somewhat shot, you look for reassurance from medical professionals
Hopefully following the procedure all will be good.
But it has me thinking.... less coffee, less alcohol, less weight, more exercise!
What a story -clearly nothing wrong with your memory and good that in a way discovered potential issues albeit pretty traumatic way in doing so - every best wish for return to fighting fit.
Would you say caffeine / alcohol intake / general lifestyle was “ excessive “ for your age or probably no different to the rest of us though ?
Would you say caffeine / alcohol intake / general lifestyle was “ excessive “ for your age or probably no different to the rest of us though ?
alscar said:
Would you say caffeine / alcohol intake / general lifestyle was “ excessive “ for your age or probably no different to the rest of us though ?
Coffee …. A bit much but not stupid Alcohol …. More than recommended, but as the doc said not
Weight…. Too much but again not ridiculous
Most things really not perfect but far from bad. Since I’ve become aware of it I’ve ben trying to work out the triggers for the AF.. Having had it trigger about once a week since the start of this episode, I’ve noticed no common factor.. Each episode has lasted between 6-16hrs.
Anyhow I’ve decided lose weight, less coffee, less alcohol, more exercise.
GT03ROB said:
Coffee …. A bit much but not stupid
Alcohol …. More than recommended, but as the doc said not
Weight…. Too much but again not ridiculous
Most things really not perfect but far from bad. Since I’ve become aware of it I’ve ben trying to work out the triggers for the AF.. Having had it trigger about once a week since the start of this episode, I’ve noticed no common factor.. Each episode has lasted between 6-16hrs.
Anyhow I’ve decided lose weight, less coffee, less alcohol, more exercise.
I did all 3 of the above (although not because of a proper health scare) and it's incredible how much better I feel. Alcohol …. More than recommended, but as the doc said not
Weight…. Too much but again not ridiculous
Most things really not perfect but far from bad. Since I’ve become aware of it I’ve ben trying to work out the triggers for the AF.. Having had it trigger about once a week since the start of this episode, I’ve noticed no common factor.. Each episode has lasted between 6-16hrs.
Anyhow I’ve decided lose weight, less coffee, less alcohol, more exercise.
What a read, I'm glad you're OK and wish you well on your continued recovery.
GT03ROB said:
Coffee …. A bit much but not stupid
Alcohol …. More than recommended, but as the doc said not
Weight…. Too much but again not ridiculous
Most things really not perfect but far from bad. Since I’ve become aware of it I’ve ben trying to work out the triggers for the AF.. Having had it trigger about once a week since the start of this episode, I’ve noticed no common factor.. Each episode has lasted between 6-16hrs.
Anyhow I’ve decided lose weight, less coffee, less alcohol, more exercise.
Your ordeal sounds horrific, glad you are on the right side hopefully!Alcohol …. More than recommended, but as the doc said not
Weight…. Too much but again not ridiculous
Most things really not perfect but far from bad. Since I’ve become aware of it I’ve ben trying to work out the triggers for the AF.. Having had it trigger about once a week since the start of this episode, I’ve noticed no common factor.. Each episode has lasted between 6-16hrs.
Anyhow I’ve decided lose weight, less coffee, less alcohol, more exercise.
I was diagnosed with AF earlier this year, won’t bore you with the details but I cut down coffee, alcohol, sugar, Diet Coke entirely etc and still suffered it, lasting around 24-48hrs each time. Monitored it with my Apple Watch ecg. It’s amazing how many people preached to me about coffee, alcohol and Diet Coke though!
I thought ‘I need to exercise more’ so I did, and yet the AF got progressively worse leading me to realise it was the exercise that triggered it. It’s mainly high intensity stuff or where my heart rate is forced higher very quickly. Once I discovered this I have been able to manage it - from almost daily constant affliction at one point, to only two short 1 hour instances since early May.
I’ve also started taking magnesium supplements and continue with my multi vitamins, also taking electrolytes when exercising. I still exercise often but lower intensity, monitoring my heart rate and not pushing it, more cycling, slow jogs, strength and core and less ‘balls out’ cardio. I’ve seen a cardiologist and considered laser ablation, but I’m seeing how it goes managing it before I go down that route….
Hope you get sorted with it, best of luck and take it easy.
Edited by Imasurv on Friday 26th August 18:33
So to bring this up to date.
At th e beginning of September I had the ablation procedure for the atrial flutter. During the procedure the cardiologist noticed I’d gone into fibrillation. The procedure itself was done under a sedative & local at the site of the wire insertion at the top of my leg. It was a quite straightforward affair. I could feel the burning of the heart wall but not painful as such.
After the procedure he said there was a possibility I’d need another procedure to deal with the fibrillation but lets give it a few weeks.
The post procedure recovery was quick & hassle free, no issues
Post procedure I’ve (touch wood) not had a single episode of hear rate jumping around so had a review with the cardiologist last week. ECG was quite normal. He was quite happy to not rush into anything else, but does want to put me an a 24hr monitor for a week next time I’m back in the Uk just to be sure.
Still no closer to knowing what has caused the irregular heartbeat & maybe never will.
At th e beginning of September I had the ablation procedure for the atrial flutter. During the procedure the cardiologist noticed I’d gone into fibrillation. The procedure itself was done under a sedative & local at the site of the wire insertion at the top of my leg. It was a quite straightforward affair. I could feel the burning of the heart wall but not painful as such.
After the procedure he said there was a possibility I’d need another procedure to deal with the fibrillation but lets give it a few weeks.
The post procedure recovery was quick & hassle free, no issues
Post procedure I’ve (touch wood) not had a single episode of hear rate jumping around so had a review with the cardiologist last week. ECG was quite normal. He was quite happy to not rush into anything else, but does want to put me an a 24hr monitor for a week next time I’m back in the Uk just to be sure.
Still no closer to knowing what has caused the irregular heartbeat & maybe never will.
Dr Jekyll said:
If you'd been completely alone when the TIA had occurred, what do you think would have happened? Would you have recognised there was a problem when you were still functioning well enough to get to hospital? Could it have passed off without you noticing?
I think there is every possibility I may not have realised. And in the short term that may not have been a problem, but there is a very high probability with the cause, that I would have had further & eventually a full blown stroke.The general medical consensus is I got lucky to get a mild warning of a far bigger potential problem.
So these things never truly go away....
After keeping an eye on the situation a few weeks back in discussion with the cardiologist it was decide to go ahead with the 2nd ablation to deal with the fibrillation this time. This was done on Wednesday almost a year to the day since my original TIA. I was in & out on the day & it was done under a general. Whilst he said the procedure went well & was relatively quick, there is still only a 60-70% chance of it being a success. ironically the better your heart repairs itself the greater the chance of needing another ablation! While he was in there he was able to check the flutter ablation & that has held up over the last 10 months & is working fine.
A week of taking it easy ahead. The major risk area is actually the site they go into the artery to your heart at the top of the leg. Considering the burning they have done to the heart wall I can't feel a thing there!
After keeping an eye on the situation a few weeks back in discussion with the cardiologist it was decide to go ahead with the 2nd ablation to deal with the fibrillation this time. This was done on Wednesday almost a year to the day since my original TIA. I was in & out on the day & it was done under a general. Whilst he said the procedure went well & was relatively quick, there is still only a 60-70% chance of it being a success. ironically the better your heart repairs itself the greater the chance of needing another ablation! While he was in there he was able to check the flutter ablation & that has held up over the last 10 months & is working fine.
A week of taking it easy ahead. The major risk area is actually the site they go into the artery to your heart at the top of the leg. Considering the burning they have done to the heart wall I can't feel a thing there!
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