Jkkitty Journal

When I last checked in, I told you about the heart cath and stent procedures I had toward the end of September after my heart attack. Well, that wasn't the end of it. I came home on Thursday and by that Sunday, I knew something was desperately wrong. I could hardly breathe and wanted to faint. I called an ambulance. The ER found that my hemoglobin was 8. It should be around 12. By the time they tested again an hour later, it'd dropped to 6. I had an internal bleed. Over the next four days, I received 4 units of blood and 2 iron infusions. I also had an endoscopy and found that I had 4 polyps in my stomach. That's where the bleed had been. The problem was with the blood thinners I'm on, they can't be removed at this time. So, I have to take special care about what I eat and take medicines to coat and protect my stomach.

I was sent home and then on the 22nd of October, I went in to get a Watchman device in my heart which will help prevent blood clots caused by my persistent AFIB/AFlutter. I'm now recovering from that procedure along with a TEE, which is a trans esophageal echocardiogram which made me feel like I'd swallowed a tree trunk. The point of doing this Watchman procedure was so that I could cut back on the blood thinners, down from three to one, which I have.

All in all, I've been saved twice this month by medical intervention and been in the hospital 12 days. Thank good I've got good insurance and praise the miracles of science.

I see the doctors again on the November 11 and December 16. The next step is to get an ablation which, fingers crossed, will stop the AFib/A flutter. But I can't do that until the heart heals from this last procedure, which is about 6 weeks.

All this is to say, I've not been writing. I'm spending my time recovering and trying to get as healthy as possible.