G
Gemma
Jim had to go back into hospital 4 weeks after his AVR with atrial flutter - very nasty experience, especially the drugs they injected him with to stop his heart. It hasn't happened since as he takes sotalol to control it, and opinion is divided over whether it would ever come back, even without the sotalol, but...
Since then, he's been fine most of the time but if his heart rate gets high (eg if we're walking up a mountain!) or he gets sick (eg with a bad cold and overwork which leave him feeling faint/tired/sick), he starts imagining the worst (my mum, a counsellor, says it's called catastrophisation) and thinks he's going to end up in hospital again. Obviously this is not a normal response to the situation he's in. My heart rate is always way above his when we're doing anything but I don't bother about it as I've never had the flutter thing.
So, I'm going to ask his cardiologist at his next appointment if he can either A) convince Jim these are normal occurences and to be expected, and that even people with normal hearts experience the same thing, or
B) ask about the possibility of referring him to a counsellor.
It's been going on long enough and I really think he needs to stop living his life in fear. He even said himself he knows it's an illogical reaction, but once he starts thinking that way he can't snap out of it.
I don't think drugs are the way to go for Jim but I'm really hoping there's something his cardio can do to make him accept he's OK.
Since then, he's been fine most of the time but if his heart rate gets high (eg if we're walking up a mountain!) or he gets sick (eg with a bad cold and overwork which leave him feeling faint/tired/sick), he starts imagining the worst (my mum, a counsellor, says it's called catastrophisation) and thinks he's going to end up in hospital again. Obviously this is not a normal response to the situation he's in. My heart rate is always way above his when we're doing anything but I don't bother about it as I've never had the flutter thing.
So, I'm going to ask his cardiologist at his next appointment if he can either A) convince Jim these are normal occurences and to be expected, and that even people with normal hearts experience the same thing, or
B) ask about the possibility of referring him to a counsellor.
It's been going on long enough and I really think he needs to stop living his life in fear. He even said himself he knows it's an illogical reaction, but once he starts thinking that way he can't snap out of it.
I don't think drugs are the way to go for Jim but I'm really hoping there's something his cardio can do to make him accept he's OK.
