I never expected when I began this blog in 2013 that I’d be using it to share some of my health information. But then projects often lead to unexpected results. Anyway, I have shared that I recently fainted and have been diagnosed with 4% Afib. Well, another case of extreme dizziness caused by a very low heart rate (35-40 bpm) landed me in urgent care again last weekend.
I feel fine now, and I’m scheduled to see a cardiologist in about a week. But the UC physician believes I probably have Tachy-brady syndrome. Tachycardia-Bradycardia syndrome is a heart rhythm disorder characterized by alternating periods of abnormally fast (tachycardia) and abnormally slow (bradycardia) heart rates. It is a prominent variant of sick sinus syndrome (sinus node dysfunction), which occurs when the heart’s natural pacemaker—the sinoatrial (SA) node—malfunctions and fails to maintain a steady electrical signal.
So I have a wiring /electrical heart problem, and the usual fix is a pacemaker. I won’t know this for sure until I see the cardiologist. I can only reiterate what I’ve said before; it is hard to accept that wear and tear are finally taking a bit of toll on the body. Again, I feel fine now, and if a pacemaker is needed, I’d be so grateful for the science and technology that will give me a healthier life.
Every time I go to my medical campus, I see it as a citadel of reason and a monument to the science and technology that derive from careful human thinking. How much better than prayers or other magical incantations. How lucky I am to have been born post The Enlightenment.
So here’s to hoping for the best. I want to see my grandchildren grow up.
So sorry to hear that age is catching up with the usual problems . Hope you have your Pacemaker put in soon. I too collapsed after work and was taken to St Thomas Hospital and was fortunate to be treated by brilliant Dr Michael Cooklin who put in a Pacemaker. Although retired Im still invited by Lincoln’s Inn to Domus Dinners to meet the new Barristers but last year after I returned home I felt dizzy and fell in the bathroom. I was taken to hospital and diagnosed with postural hypertension and discharged after a week with a lot of new medication. Now I’m beginning to realise the wise words of the Poet
“ Like as the waves that move towards the pebbled shore
So do our minutes hasten to their end
Each yielding place to that which went before “
Good luck, John! In Dan Dennett’s memoir, he opened with a tale about his own heart troubles and wrote that he liked to say “Thank Goodness” for all the science and progress and people that enabled him to keep living. He thought that was a much more appropriate “thing” to thank than a god.
I didn’t know that Dennett wrote that, although I’m not surprised. I typically thank any doctor, nurse, technician that treats me for going to school, showing up to work, and all the other things they did to help take care of me. Gratitude seems like such an appropriate and fulfilling state of mind. thanks for your kind words, Ec.
Interesting about the diagnosis. My blood pressure drops when I change position from lying to standing. As for the law, I have so many former students who became attorneys, something philosophy majors often do. And one of my best friends is a former trial attorney. Ah, Shakespeare sonnet #60. Thanks so much for reminding me of it. I think I’ll do a post on it.
I’m in excellent health at 76, but the slings and arrows of age are inconveniencing me. Worst is my failing memory; I often struggle for the word I once had on the tip of my tongue. It’s odd that I can remember obscure words (bathykolpian, feculent, coprophagous, internecine) while forgetting simpler words). I fear that my mind will decay before my body does.
Nevertheless, I accept the decline of my capabilities with age. It is part of the natural rhythm of life, and I am absolutely certain that to resent the truth of the world is to separate oneself from it.
thanks for your words of wisdom Chris. I too find it difficult to recall words I once new with ease — lately I had forgotten misanthrope, androgenous,and others that I have forgotten I forgot! And names are especially hard to recall. Seems my crystallized intelligence–like my fluid intelligence–is also beginning to falter too.
First, I hope that the fix is straight forward and a pacemaker does the trick.
While not a positive, my understanding is that it works well with a minimal change to ones life.
May it be so.
Just to add a bit to the various comments about the advances in medicine, which are a result of societal change to embrace science and it’s benefits.
Modern medicine is indeed amazing.
But here in the USA we have an erratic for profit delivery system.
Plus inconsistent expertise.
As it would take too long won’t go into anecdotal stories, but just the experiences of my late parents, siblings, and immediate family are rife with misdiagnosis’s, unavailability of appointments for over 6 months, bungled surgery and untold hours spent just to get someone to either return a phone call or even answer the phone.
Our medical capabilities far exceed the capabilities of our medical infrastructure to deliver the expertise to the general population.
I am not predisposed to criticize the medical industry. Our daughter is an RN who works as a surgical nurse in a mid-size city.
But I do see a disconnect from what we can do vs what we actually do.
You are right about all this. Fortunately, Kaiser Permanente, to which we belong, operates as a not-for-profit organization. So to a large extent we are protected from most of these worries. We never wait for appointments and have immediate access to all our doctors. We are very fortunate. Thanks for sharing.
John