No bad dream, but bad

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Posted by Glenn Camp on March 22, 2004 at 10:58:12:

I didn't have a bad dream, it was real and in real time.
My PVA(I) was performed on Tuesday, March 9, in Houston and my wife and I returned to Kilgore, 200 miles to the north of Houston on Friday afternoon, March 12. I have been afib free since then.

Last Thursday morning around 7 am, March 18, I was finishing breakfast and all of a sudden started having very forceful pvc's.....35 to 40 a minute. Made me feel very uncomfortable to the point of feeling like I woould pass out. Shortness of breath, light headed, dizzy, etc.. I called Dr. Cheng in Houston and he instructed me to go to our local ER and get an ekg and tell them to fax the results to him.

My wife drove me to the ER. Keep in mind that our hospital is a small town hospital. By the time I arrived at the ER the pvc's were less frequent but I was being blessed by having the 'shakes' and urgent frequent urination that occurs with bad attacks. Once there five 'strips' of ekg's were made and the ER doctor, Dr. Denny, called Dr. Cheng in Houston and reported to him that I was in afib. Dr. Denny also told me that I was in afib as well. My wife had asked me at home if I was in afib and I told her I didn't think so as I didn't have a very fast heartbeat nor did it feel like afib I had experienced in the past. I also told Dr. Denny at ER that I didn't feel I was in afib, but he insisted that I was. I could not see the monitors myself because the screens were turned away from my view.

Dr. Cheng instructed Dr. Denny that I would need to be cardioverted if I didn't convert to NSR after twenty four hours. Our local hospital is not equipped to perform cardioversions and we have to go to nearby towns with larger hospitals. I use Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas when I need a hospital and have had cardioversion performed there in the past.
So that necessitated a trip to Tyler. My wife was going to drive me over there and ER Dr. Denny insisted that I go by ambulance so I could be monitored on the way and administered IV if necessary. What good would monitoring do if anything else happened I haven't the slightest idea.

After arriving at Mother Frances Hospital ER and them doing absolutely nothing for about thirty minutes before I was taken to a room in the heart tower and hooked up to a monitor. A cardiologist came in and told us according to the copies of ekg's we brought from Kilgore ER, there was no evidence of afib, but I was definitely having pvc's. Now imagine that! More ekg's were made and an echocardiogram was made as well and none showed afib. Needless to say I never required cardioversion. I continued to have occassional pvc's and still do. Some make me feel very bad and some just remind me I've had a pvc, not so bad. Those kind do not bother me.

The EP I see in Tyler was out of the country and my regular cardiologist was working in a nearby smaller town on Thursday and it was 5:05 pm on Friday afternoon before he came by and talked to me. Dr. Cheng in Houston had requested a 30 day event monitor be attached so he could look at the results and determine the focal point of the pvc's so they can be ablated at a later date.
My cardiologist said the hospital doesn't install event monitors and would have to be installed at his office next door to the hospital and he would see that it was done on Saturday because no one was at his clinic to install one. He insisted that I stay overnight again so I would remain hooked to a monitor in the hospital for observation. Would you all believe it if I said it wasn't installed Saturday either because the lady who installs them couldn't be located?
Yeah, I believe you all would believe it.
My cardiologist came by Saturday afternoon around 3:15 pm and said he would leave the decision up to me as to staying another night or go home. I told him I was ready to go home Thursday or even Friday. Who loves to stay in hospitals where you are awakened at all hours throughout the night?

Because an ER Dr. misinterpreted the ekg's and reported the wrong information to Dr. Cheng, we made an unnecessary trip to Tyler and was kept in the hospital for over two days and nights. The local hospital got a piece of the insurance pie, Champion EMS got a piece of it and so did ER and hospital in Tyler. All unnecessary!!!! Then people wonder why medical costs are so extravagant.

Dr. Cheng called me from Houston Saturday morning while I was still in the hospital in Tyler, Texas, checking on me and asked me why I was still in the hospital? He also told me that he never received any faxes of results of electrocardiograms or echocardiograms.... zilch, nada. He did talk to the RN on duty and asked her to fax copies which she did do. Dr. Cheng called me back after reviewing the faxed copies and told me he only saw evidence of pvc's, but no afib.

We finally made it back home around 5 o'clock Saturday afternoon. I am still having some occassional pvc's that make me feel really bad and some that are lighter that I am aware of that do not upset me.

In the past when I would have afib attacks they made me feel lousy and bad of course, but when I had attacks of afib along with pvc's that's when I felt even worse. Until you have experienced both at the same time or lone pvc attacks, you will not understand what I'm talking about.

I pray to God that none of you have them or will ever have them. Some folks have pvc's following procedures for curing afib and have been told the afib was masking pvc's in the past. Let me tell you, afib has never masked pvc's I have had over the years. I wish it had.

Dr. Cheng told me when I left he hospital in Houston after my procedure that I would probably experience some afib on the third day and would from time to time during the healing process. I didn't experience afib, but I did everperience pvc's and have since then. Also, he and I both are expecting the pvc's to subside as well as the heart heals.
My cardiologist in Tyler has doubled my atenolol dosage from one 25 mg tablet a day to twice a day and seemingly so far it is helping somewhat. Doesn't completely control them. Only problem with more atenolol I am experiencing more fatigue.

Prior to the prolonged attack of pvc's last Thursday morning I was actually feeling better.

Oh! by the way, hopefully I will be able to travel to Tyler and get a thirty day event monitor this afternoon...... that is if they have one available.

and the beat goes on and on and on and on.....but thankful it's still beating.

Regards,
Glenn Camp

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