Well, it has been almost a week and a half since my wife’s heart procedure. She had a pretty intensive ablation as she has a rapid heart rate and atrial fibrillation. She had the same procedure about 3.5 years ago which was unsuccessful, but things got progressively worse and we were booked for another ablation.
She has been recovering at home, very slowly. The problem is that she suffers from additional assorted chronic issues, most of which are painful. She has lupus, so any type of intrusion into her body (surgery) causes nothing but problems. She has chronic migraines which were not helped by the copious amounts of drugs given. Although seeing rainbows could potentially be cool, they are not so cool when one is immobilized from pain due to migraine headaches. She has arthritis, which in additional to all these other things, isn’t so great when you live in a rain forest – in the winter. She also has incredible intestinal pain, which I’m assuming is from the drugs as well she had to take.
So, all in all, the past week has been a challenge. I’ve had to take last week off of work and take care of the homestead, so to speak. My wife has been pretty much curled up in the fetal position on the couch for the past week and half… using a cane to be to get around to do the necessary things like use the ladies room.
How do we manage? Well, every day is a new day. God tells us that He will give us the strength to take one day at a time – and I’m holding him to this promise. Were it not for Him, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would be 6 feet under. were it not for His strength and grace, there is no way on God’s green earth I could do it on my own.
Well, here’s to a new day. I’ll try to keep things updated on a semi-regular basis as things progress… or regress as it may be.
Blessings,
Jim
I just found your site and this post after a friend recommended it! I, too, have SLE and bad atrial fib. My cardiologist and internist are worried that I’m going to have a stroke if it’s not managed ASAP so I’ll be having an ablation fairly soon. We’re trying to work out the details for Baylor’s heart hospital quickly.
I’ve been told upfront that one ablation may not be enough but this really does need to be done because of the severity and frequency of my arrhythmia. How did it go for y’all? Did your wife get relief and did the procedure help? Was she awake for it and does it really take about 6 hours? With my pain level, I don’t know how on Earth I’d be able to stay awake and perfectly still without being in a huge amount of pain. Ten minutes in one position is generally my limit! Is general anaesthesia offered at all?
Blessings to you and your family!
Julia
Hi Julia,
Thanks for the note and message. I appreciate you taking the time to become involved.
My wife has had the procedure twice – the most recent being this past February 2011. We had the initial procedure done 5 years previous, but it was unsuccessful. We were told by the surgeon that it was successful in 90% of the cases and, of course with our luck, it ended up not being successful. After the second procedure in February, things seemed to even out. Unfortunately, the past few months she has noticed things acting up again, so I’m sure we’ll need to look into things again. From what I remember, they put my wife under for both procedures. We asked specifically to be put under.
So, we soldier on… hopeful and praying for some sort of resolution. The constant worrying and wondering does get a little tiresome, but we know that we are ultimately not the ones in control.
Many blessings to you and your family over this holiday season!
Jim
CureMyWife.com
Hi Jim,
Thank you so much for responding and sharing your experiences. My cardiologist told me that the procedure has a 30-50 percent fail rate on average the first time. We’re hoping for slightly better odds at Baylor because they have some new technology, including robotics and cryo-ablation with a balloon. I don’t know if if I’m a candidate for that yet.
Right now, we’re dealing with the payment battle. My insurance approved it and gave me an authorization but Baylor doesn’t want to take my Medicare Advantage plan, sigh. I really don’t have the strength to be fighting that battle but it’s got to be done.
Sending along all of my best wishes and hopes for improvement to you! I hope y’all get a respite from the pain and worries that these diseases bring!
Merry Christmas!
Julia