Everything changes...

[Guest]

Long time no update... .

I'm fine.

But, the checkup with my cardiologist on Thursday, 09/11/2003, revealed that I'm back in a-flutter (irregular heart beat). Also, my heart is not pumping as efficiently as it was in May. Thus, I'm scheduled for a catheterablation on Tuesday, 09/30/2003. This 6-hr procedure, which requires a 2-day hospital stay, is basically wires being put through my veins (groin area) to my heart to locate & buzz/zap the "short circuit" (part of my heart not beating properly) to stop the irregular heartbeats. The success rate is ~70%, but no guarantee that I will not have more in the future. This is a preventative/cure procedure, whereas the cardioversion, done in June, is only a cure procedure. The cardioversion was done 1st because the doctors had believed/hoped that the irregular heartbeats were due to my surgery in January. I could have taken Metoprolol instead of having this procedure done, but the specialist wants to provide a cure rather than "meds for life" since I'm so young . I'll continue on Coumadin until Thursday, 09/25/2003. Then, beginning Saturday, 09/27/2003, I'll take 5 doses of Lovenox (self-injected) twice a day, until Monday, 09/29/2003 (1 dose).

My pacemaker continues to not function @ 100%.... The wires are attached to the outside of my heart & are, apparently, still affected by scar tissue from the surgery, slowly draining the battery. This will be dealt with more once the a-flutter is handled....

In November, I'll have another follow-up appointment with the specialist, along with a pacemaker checkup.

Also, in November, I'll have another 24-hr urine test to determine the protein levels (relative to the kidney scarring).

In "happier" news, I finally made it to Wrigley Field this year, Monday night, 09/15/2003. Cubs 4, Muts, er Mets, 1. AND...I'll be in Pittsburgh 09/20/2003, a day after my (gasp!) 30th birthday, for the Cubs/Pirates game @ PNC Park.

What a year this has been...can hardly believe "cruising" season is almost done.... It's been a wild ride thus far...and nothing stays the same .

Hoping all is well,
Cort S, pig's valve & pacemaker-enhanced 29/swm
Instant Messengers...AOL="fc72mc"...Yahoo="knightfan2691"
member & newsletter editor, Faith COB: http://www.faithcob.org
MC's Future: http://www.projectmonte.com/petition/
My MC Family: http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
http://www.virtual-carshow.com/monte/CortStevens/Blue87LSCL
RIP: '76=Parents' [my] MC ... '88 MC LS ... '00 'MC' LS
Spotting MCs: http://www.chevyasylum.com/mcspotter/main.html

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Cort,
I hope that everything goes well for you and they get things back to normal with the cartheterablation. Keep us updated on your condition. You are in my prayers and thoughts.

Dave
______________________________
Surgery: 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical
Heart Center of the Rockies

 

[Nancy]

Gee whiz, Cort-

I'm so sorry to hear that you're having these problems. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers that your ablation works 100 percent and doesn't have to be done again, and that the pacemaker issue can be corrected.

Sounds like you have a good doctor who really cares about your quality of living.

Best wishes.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Cort,

Thanks for the update. Will be thinking about you. Truly hope your conversion is sucessful!

Sounds like you enjoyed the Cubbies. I was at the 2nd game this year. First one in many many years. Good old park still looks the same. Missing "Harry".

Happy Birthday! Behave yourself and see you soon.
PS. Where are you having your conversion?

 

[EVELYN]

Hey Cort

NO more problems, ok!!! And you're right about the Muts....er Mets.....they really have been horrible!!! It's hard when you know you'll never see the top stair of the basement.....
Evelyn

 

[Les]

Hi Cort,
Best wishes that all this gets straightened out for you!
__________________
Les AVR '93 / '95

 

[hensylee]

So sorry about these things going on with you, Cort. You will be on my mind and in my prayers while you go through this procedure this month. Good luck and God bless - keep on travelin; you have far to go..........

 

[nadi]

Good luck with the procedure. Will keep you in my prayers and thoughts.

 

[Guest]

Thank you!

Thank you!

I appreciate the thoughts/prayers/etc. more than ya'll know.... It's good to know that I'm not alone in that I don't know anyone else who has had this done .

Nancy, yes, my doctors do care...and that makes such a huge difference.... I wish all patients (regardless of condition) had doctors that thought things through. I must admit, tho, I wish mine had given me the option of medication first...I found out from another buddy of mine about the metoprolol...I asked and that's when I was told why they hadn't offered the medication solution....which is fine by me...I just like to have all options on the table from the beginning....but, that's the stickler in me .

Gina, yep...had a great time at Wrigley...which gets better and better...tho, as you mentioned, definitely miss Harry . The ablation will be performed at Northwestern . He he he...a new bunch of nurses . LOL! And, thanks for the birthday wishes...which reminds me...they diagnosed the a-flutter while I am 29 and will be attempting to correct it when I'm 30...LOL! Irony rocks .

LOL Evelyn...I'll see what I can do to have no more problems...that certainly would be a nice change of pace . As for the Mets, my sincerest apologies/condolences....

And, Hensylee...oh, I do plan to keep traveling...this ain't a gonna stop me that easily .

 

[epstns]

Hey Cort - I haven't been around much lately, and I can sympathize with the mayhem "cramping your Style." You have a lot going for you, though. You are young (30? Can't even REMEMBER that far back. . . ), you have a team of top notch doctors, you have a great attitude, your faith is strong, and you are just an all around good person. Don't let any of them slip and I'm sure you'll be going for the next 100K miles before another tune up is due!

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi cort!
i'm so sorry you are going through this. i do hope the catheterablation really does the job.
you will be in our thoughts and prayers over these next few weeks while you undergo all that.
please let us know how you do, ok? hopefully we will hear good news and see smiles at the reunion!
all the best, sylvia

 

[Guest]

Steve...I saw your other post...you and your family are definitely in my thoughts/prayers...and I certainly understand you not being around much.... As for me, yep...definitely on the right track...with the right tools....hopefully that tune up will last longer than 100K miles . LOL! Still...sometimes I wonder just how much more I can take .

Sylvia...thank you...definitely appreciated . Heh....ya know...my first thought about when they wanted to do this was something like: 'dangum [edited for family readability], how the helk [edited, again] is this gonna affect my attendance at the reunion?...arg!' I should be ready to go....as I'm looking forward to it .

 

[Ross]

Cort what am I gonna do with you anyhow? Tell your body (Yes, you can talk to it!) to knock this crap off immediately. Rest assured even if I don't reply to your posts immediately, I do read them and think of you and your dilemma. I do hope this brings some much needed relief from the troubles you've been having.

 

[Rain]

Hey Cort,

I didn?t know you had a pace maker?! I thought a pacemaker was supposed to control the a-flutter. I guess I need to quiz my cardio about all that when I see him in a couple weeks. He keeps ?threatening? me with a pacemaker. But I have chronic a-fib.

I sure hope the procedure you have on the 30th corrects the problem. What a pain. And besides..... !!! You have a reunion to get your little self to!! We?ve gotta fine tune that plan with the ?fruits and veggies?.

Take care of yourself.

 

[Guest]

LOL, Ross! I wish it worked that way...I really do...perhaps more than ya know...LOL. And, no worries...I understand completely...I know I do the exact same thing with a lot of posts on here... I know I don't post much, but that doesn't mean that I'm not reading or keeping everyone in my thoughts/prayers .

Rain, yep, I do....got it put in for the first time this past January. When I knew I had to have open heart surgery to replace the valve again, it was a 50/50, should we/shouldn't we, situation with the pacemaker. My cardiologist said that she'd rather have the surgeon go ahead and put it in...rather than having to open me back up "down the line"....fine by me. As for what the pacemaker is supposed to do...I'm *told* that the current a-flutter situation has nothing to do with the pacemaker.... He he he...interesting plan, too . As for the reunion, yep, I know I gotta be there....heh....maybe I'll see some cute waitresses . LOL!

 

[Lorraine]

Cort,


Now I'm really feeling bad about not getting online and posting.

I'm so sorry to read about you having to go back in the hospital for a catheterablation on September 30th. Your pacemaker isn't working that well, either? We will all have you in our thoughts and prayers.

You gotta be better, so you can be at the reunion. Hey, what is it about you and waitresses? Oh I know, their cute! Sorry about the one at Holiday Inn. My sister Diane said that girl already had a boyfriend that she was living with.

Oh, and I read wrong. I thought you were at Fridays game. Saturdays game is on right now. Yep, I watch the games when I can. My friend Carol tries to get to at least a few games a year. Every year since we were teenagers. She was there last Sunday as a matter of fact. She'll be at our reunion. She went with me to the first two I went to and she said she never met such heart warming people1 Since then she wanted to keep coming to the reunions with me.

 

[Susan BAV]

Cort -

Hope the procedure is wildly successful for you! Best wishes!

~Susan

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Susan .

Lorraine, thank you... The pacemaker, apparently, hasn't worked well from the beginning, due to scarring around the leads.... They tell me that's a separate issue from the irregular heart beat... *shrugs*

I will do my best to be at the reunion as planned....gonna do my best not to let this knock me down .

As for waitresses and me...dunno. Ironically (irony rocks), I kept making eye contact with a cute waitress at the restaurant we ate at for my birthday on Friday. It was just kinda weird....I wanted to say something to her, but never got a chance.... Ah, well...prolly best anyway.... Can you imagine having a potential date come up to you and say something like... 'Hey babe, would you like to go on a date? Oh, and by the way, I have to be in the hospital in a couple weeks' LOL!!!!!!!!!! NO, I would NOT do that...but, kinda odd thinkin' about the timing of everything...LOL. [btw, I had a feeling that Holiday Inn waitress was taken...LOL]

Yep, they lost for me on Saturday, but they won today . And cool that you'll have a friend coming with you to the reunion!