https://bonesmoses.org/tags/heart/ Recent content in Heart on BonesMoses.org Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Sun, 05 Feb 2023 13:34:02 -0600 https://bonesmoses.org/2023/inner-tube/ Sun, 05 Feb 2023 13:34:02 -0600 https://bonesmoses.org/2023/inner-tube/ The MRI followup of my Echocardiogram was scheduled for February 2nd. Given we live an hour and a half away, and it would take a minimum of two hours plus prep time, Jen and I figured it would be an all-day affair. It actually ended up taking closer to three hours, and we started late because the patient ahead of me also needed a bit more time than they expected. We ended up getting home around 6pm as a result, so it was a good call to take the day off. https://bonesmoses.org/2023/the-subsequent-shoe/ Sun, 22 Jan 2023 15:57:24 -0600 https://bonesmoses.org/2023/the-subsequent-shoe/ Pretty much ever since my heart surgery in 1984, I’ve resigned myself to a kind of semi-permanent suspense. Would I need another surgery? Am I “fixed” now? What would life be like now that I could play outside and have a reasonable expectation of not passing out? How long would that last? A common refrain from those in the adult community of congenital heart defect survivors is “You are never fixed. https://bonesmoses.org/2011/portrait-of-a-heart-surgery/ Thu, 06 Jan 2011 22:44:34 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2011/portrait-of-a-heart-surgery/ DATE OF OPERATION : 07-17-84 PREOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS : L transposition of the great vessels, dextrocardia, double outlet right ventricle, pulmonary stenosis, atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, single coronary artery. POSTOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS : Same. SURGEONS : Peter Mansfield, M.D.; 1st assistant Edward Rittenhouse, M.D.; 2nd assistant Kathryn Batts, Physicians Assistant. OPERATION : Median sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass 2 hours and 45 minutes, body temperature 26°, heart temperature 8°, potassium cardioplegia. Noncoronary perfusion time 2 hours, 19 minutes. https://bonesmoses.org/2010/spacetacular/ Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:30:05 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2010/spacetacular/ And so, I’ve fallen off the planet once again. It’s not exactly like nothing has been going on, It’s just that my unparalleled boringness was eclipsed by my aggressive laziness. My vacation in Hawaii—which I returned from a month ago—still remains woefully unchronicled. Instead, my precious hours have been consumed by gambling and collecting bellybutton lint. Except for a few minor items . . . For one, my eternal tenure at Leapfrog Online has been trumped by an apprehensive incumbency with Peak6 OptionsHouse. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/no-results-ever/ Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:59:38 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/no-results-ever/ The EP looked through all the event monitor charts I’ve transmitted so far, and didn’t see anything particularly unusual. But he was looking for fast palpitations–basically tachycardia–where I flag anything that “feels weird.” If he’s not alarmed, I can only assume everything is “normal for me,” and move on, right? He wants me to come back a week after I return the event monitor. I don’t expect he’ll find anything odd, since I haven’t had any episodes since the 27th of September aside from lots of PACs and PVCs which are apparently insignificant. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/hearticulture/ Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:51:03 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/hearticulture/ So today at 8:30am, I had an MRI. It wasn’t as bad as last time, but it sure seemed louder somehow. The machine was much more recent–sporting a fancy LCD embedded into its doughnut badness–yet in the advancements it contained, apparently none of the engineers considered integrating sound dampening to avoid permanently deafening patents enclosed entirely within its grasping confines after repeated exposure to proximal squeals resembling a drunken hobo occasionally plucking the same frayed string on a “sweet” electric guitar he found jacked into a defective amp incapable of any setting below 100 decibels. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/finish-him-hospitality-gameality/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:16:48 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/finish-him-hospitality-gameality/ Ugh! Fine, I’ll write something! Geez. So the post-hurricane monsoon eventually hit Illinois and dumped copious amounts of fluid upon our hapless suburbs, and a friend of ours has an aunt and uncle living in dangerous proximity to a lake. Most of Saturday afternoon on the 12th was spent moving their furniture to the second floor and sandbagging his house, and we didn’t get home again until around 1am. Nothing really notable happened, but I was highly amused by the garter snake seeking high ground on a recently arranged sandbag; thankfully I didn’t step on any wildlife while wading through the knee-deep miasma back to Jen’s car. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/im-not-dead-yet-i-feel-happy/ Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:29:48 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/im-not-dead-yet-i-feel-happy/ Yeah, really I’m fine. Cardiologist gave me a quick look-over and pronounced the episode I had a couple weeks ago a fluke, but that I should keep an eye on it and report back to her if it happens again. In other news, she says my performance in the stress echo is “fantastic,” so there’s that. I’m giving away three boxes of my books, but the people at work get first dibs. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/titillating-tachycardia/ Mon, 26 May 2008 22:38:02 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/titillating-tachycardia/ Reports of my demise are highly exaggerated. For those who haven’t heard, I paid a prolonged and unexpected visit to an emergency room on Wednesday. There I was, sitting at my desk doing some last-minute queries sipping a decaf iced coffee I’d acquired from Dunkin’ Donuts, when I’d started feeling somewhat odd. Not to be a worry-wart, I shrugged it off and continued banally pounding-out horrifying SQL resplendent with awe-inspiring and highly convoluted JOIN statements when my heart began pounding like I’d just finished a brisk 20-minutes playing DDR. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/running-for-fun-and-profit/ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:22:45 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/running-for-fun-and-profit/ It’s too bad I don’t have a previous stress echo to compare this to, since I’ve never had one before. Anyway, my appointment was scheduled for Wednesday 9am at Northwestern in Chicago. I got back to work around 1:30pm, and I was right, they spent a billionty years digging into my ribs and various other spots. They say my anatomy doesn’t seem to match my diagnosis, which is somewhat amusing. He knows how CC-TGA, JAA, and dextrocardia can go together, but it seems counter-intuitive. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/holter-skelter/ Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:56:56 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/holter-skelter/ Appointment at the cardiologist was pretty uneventful. Dr. Mendelson seemed surprised I’m doing so well with such a diverse and staggering quantity of heart defects. She asked me a couple times who referred me, and why I was there, but my answer never wavered: I want a Cardiologist familiar with, and who has seen many other adult congenital heart patients. And here’s the funny part: she more than proved my point. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/total-lunar-eclipse/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:36:10 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/total-lunar-eclipse/ Luna is back from the vet, and she’s been diagnosed with severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Her left ventricle is enlarged and there was a clot forming in her left atrium. She’s been prescribed Lasix, Enalapril (what I take, ironically enough), Plavix, and Aspirin. Basically, they’re throwing everything they have at her in an effort to keep her from forming clots, ease her heart’s workload, and clear any fluid that backs up into her lungs. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/lunar-eclipse/ Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:17:30 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/lunar-eclipse/ Luna is spending the night at an animal hospital tonight. When I got home from work on Monday, Luna didn’t greet me with her usual persistent demand to sit on my lap. In fact, she looked rather miserable sprawled on a plastic shopping bag. A couple hours later, she relocated to the corner behind the toilet. Since then, she has wandered about the apartment as though addled, refraining from eating or drinking. https://bonesmoses.org/2008/bloody-study/ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:22:02 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2008/bloody-study/ Well, I found out why I’m hitting a wall with my DDR skills, and why I simply can’t do hard 10-footers or the nasty level 11s, 12s, and 13s of ITG. I long believed this to be the case, but I ran into a study by the American Heart Association that specifically covers patients with a corrected transposition by the Mustard procedure, congenitally corrected transposition, and a similar group having undergone a revised Fontan. https://bonesmoses.org/2007/infinite-reflection/ Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:01:17 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2007/infinite-reflection/ At precisely 11:16PM tonight, I’ll have persisted upon this world for a grand-total of three decades. To understand the true significance of this, I believe I should clarify. I was born on September 18th, 1977 in Washington State, and since that day, life hasn’t taken kindly to my presence. Two months passed, and I went into congestive heart failure; not a heart-attack exactly, but hint enough I wasn’t meant to live. https://bonesmoses.org/2006/who-needs-a-normal-heart-anyway/ Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:16:19 +0000 https://bonesmoses.org/2006/who-needs-a-normal-heart-anyway/ Ah research. Research like this, I just don’t need. After looking into my surgical summary a bit more and joining the ACHA message boards, I have a better idea of what’s going inside under my sternum. So here’s what seems to be the full list, in alphabetical order: ASD: Atrial Septal Defect. Dextrocardia: My particular form is Isolated Dextrocardia. Situs Inversus Totalis (total inversion of all internal organs) is not present.