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I’m still at the hospital — going home today, I think, and I met with my cardiologist this morning. He says the nurse at his practice will get in touch with me in two days about self-testing.

Unfortunately, no. The wheels are turning slowly, and the nurse at my cardiologist’s office is “looking into it.” I don’t know how long it will take. I mentioned the eBay option to my cardiologist, but I don’t think he liked it. They’re doing vein draws, both here at the hospital and at the lab...

INR was measured at 2.9 today, so they’ve dropped my dosage back down to 5mg/day. One nice thing about being in the hospital is getting these frequent INR tests. I’ll get another test outside the hospital, later this week.

Best wishes for a successful procedure and smooth recovery!

Still in the hospital for one more night. Finally, some good news! I had a post-surgical echocardiogram here in my hospital room, and apparently, my left ventricle has already returned to a normal size. My ejection fraction is 58.5%, which is normal and significantly higher than it was the day...

@Seaton Sorry that you’re having to go through this experience, and I hope it resolves quickly!

I’m told I’m going to be on Amiodarone for a while (a month or two), to prevent a recurrence of the arrhythmia.

Apparently, I cardioverted without a shock overnight because of Amiodarone, and I’m back in sinus rhythm again, knock on wood. They have me on an Amiodarone drip, and I’m wondering if they can take me off it. I’m nervous that I’ll go into AFlutter yet again.

I’ve been admitted at CPMC Mission Bernal in San Francisco (formerly St. Luke’s) for AFlutter and tachycardia. Maybe cardioversion tomorrow. INR is currently 2.5.

Good to know! I'll mention it to my cardiologist during the week. Given the brevity and lack of tachycardia during the episode, I don't think it warrants a weekend call. I'm currently taking 12.5mg of Carvedilol (Coreg) to lower my heart rate, and that's a beta and alpha-1 blocker. Nevertheless...

A little irregular heartbeat this morning, like AFib but not fast. It resolved after half an hour or so, but it made me anxious.

Not really. 99 point something F in the afternoon. That's around 37.5C for those who use metric temps.

Not really, although I wasn't really feeling bad before it. I wasn't having trouble breathing. I'm hoping I'll be able to get a larger volume than yesterday when I use the spirometer today.

The surgeon drained 650ml of liquid from my pleural cavity, using a needle through my ribs in back. It looked like a craft brewery's red ale, a resemblance enhanced by the somewhat antique-looking glass container that held it. I was given a shot of local anesthetic beforehand, so the experience...

Turns out I have a mild to moderate left side pleural effusion, and I'm going into my surgeon's office tomorrow to have it drained. This condition may explain my evening temperature spikes.

I went in for my cardioversion today, and they ran a 12-lead EKG before they were going to do the procedure. It turns out I was already in sinus rhythm! I must have spontaneously cardioverted on my own sometime since my appointment with my cardiologist on the 23rd. Anyway, of course I'm...

So I'll start shopping on eBay. I guess the wait is only in case I want it covered by my insurance, which would be nice. On the other hand, I'm concerned that if I just follow the instructions from my cardiologist, I won't get tested frequently enough, so I might end up going that way. So with...

Yes -- no going back now, unless something goes really wrong.

Sorry -- as someone who came of age in the "Just say no" 1980s, I imbibed the message that they're all drugs: cocaine, heroin, cannabis, alcohol, even coffee. Maybe even sugar. Nevertheless, I'm happy to use any preferred terminology. Cannabis certainly is a mind-altering substance: I can attest...

I've mentioned it to my cardiologist, and he supports the idea of self-testing, but it might be a while (a few months) till I can get set up to do it, according to him. I'll continue mentioning it every time I see him, nevertheless.