Here's The Scoop

March 31,st--Tuesday evening--6:30.  I hadn't felt really well for about a week.  My heart started beating really fast and it didn't calm down.  I walked down to Pearl's, but they weren't home, so I walked over to Dar's and asked if she could drive me uptown.

"I just warmed up my supper," she said.  "Can it wait an hour?"

"I don't think I'd better.  Can you just run me up to the ER.  I think I am having an AFib episode."

"Okay--let me put this in the frig."

So I got in her car and waited.  Up we went and I told her to drop me off at the ER door and go home.  "I will call you later."  Knowing how she reacts, I sure didn't want her in the room with me!

They transferred me up to the hospital in Howell--a smallish hospital==nice, close to home--at 10:00.  I called her to let her know.

I got to ride in the ambulance!!!

They put me in the Heart Unit--with all the monitors blasting and beeping and carrying on.

Wednesday morning, I had an Echo and another EKG and then, they injected two large tubes of meds into my IV, hoping to stop the AFib.  Didn't work , although the heart rate was down, it wasn't regular.

Thursday morning, they did the Cardio-inversion (minor shock to the heart) and it worked.  Back in Sinus Rhythm.

Pammie brought me home Friday afternoon at 2:00.

AFib is no big deal!  It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the heart.  They don't really know what causes it,--too much caffeine--coughing too hard--stress.  Mine was caused because my Potassium was too low. (A battle I have had for the last 15 years).

The real problem is that it can cause a blood clot and/or stroke.  SO---I will be on a blood thinner for--I don't know--how long.

The good part is--that new insurance I got in December--that I was worried about?  Covers the new blood thinner meds--I am on the Arnold Palmer/Kevin Harvek/Kevin Neiland--Xarelto.  Cost?  $400.00 a month--mine costs $6.50 a month!!!!!!!!!!  I am so thankful I don't have to be on Coumadin--because you have to have your blood checked all the time and restricted in what you can eat--no salads.

Another good thing, I have been on 7 meds for the last 15 years--I am now on 4!!

Another good thing--Jennifer arrived Wednesday, with Tulips and Peeps and cross-word books and went into attorney mode and talked to all the docs and nurses, LOL.

Because of all the heart stuff, including AFib that I had been through with Freddie--I knew exactly what was going on and what they would do.  Plus--in the last two years I have become so unafraid of dying that I am accepting of whatever happens and I was never scared or even nervous.  In fact, I had a really great/fun time with the young docs and nurses!!