A-fib findings

Hi everyone:

As I was logging on tonight, I noticed that this is the 454th entry in this blog since we started it last year. Wow. Thanks for sticking around.

Patty sent in an interrogation of her ICD this afternoon. She has a small (and pretty cool) device here at home that communicates with her ICD and then transmits this information to the techs at Edward Hospital. The hospital can then immediately tell Patty if there are any anomalies; unfortunately, some irregularities did show up. Apparently, on several occasions, Patty has been experiencing prolonged atrial fibrillations, some lasting up to 28 minutes. My understanding is that "a-fib" incidents involve inconsistency in pace between the upper and lower parts of the heart. Although most people are asymptomatic, doctors take atrial fibrillations fairly seriously, especially in patients with heart failure. Sometimes, the irregularity in heart rhythms leads to clotting, which can result in stroke. Needless to say, Patty would prefer to avoid a stroke. She may be put back on Coumadin, a blood thinning medicine, to reduce the risk of dangerous clots.

Tomorrow, Patty has another round of chemotherapy scheduled. We haven't been able to connect with her doctors to question the value of continuing this treatment, so she's just going to go ahead and endure another round. I guess we'll plan on a lower-key weekend.

Love,
Brian