Sitting in the hospital bored after a busy day.

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Bryan B

Bryan B

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 16, 2004
Messages
1,898
Location
NC
Hey all,

I went to my clinic appointment yesterday and my cardio ended up admitting me for atrial flutter with average heart rates in the mid 130's. Last night they started a diltiazem drip, I recieved one Lovenox injection in the belly, had my first Sotalol and took one 5mg Coumadin. As a nightcap I had an Ativan IV push. :D

This morning I had another Lovenox shot and then I went down the hall and had a 3D echo. After returning and waiting for awhile I was wheeled in my bed to CCU to receive a TEE and then a cardioversion. The TEE was to check for clots before the cardioversion. Unfortunately I had a clot (can't remember exactly besides something to do with the atria) so the cardioversion was called off, the sotolol was d/c'd, my coumadin was raised and I was given an additional 7.5mg. Then just for kicks I had a cardiac MRI after a late lunch. There is nothing like "breathing in, breathing out, and holding it while lying on your back in a tube with a-flutter. The play was cardioversion today, 5 doses of stotalol and go home Friday morning. Now I don't have a clue and no one had come by yet to give me any idea of what the game plan is now. Hmmm...I think it may be time to order an evening cocktail (Ativn bolus)

:D

Damn I'm bored...and after this little stay probably broke for the rest of my life.
 
AT least you've got a good memory -- to remember all that was done to you in a short period of time. I don't think I could do that.

All in all, doesn't sound like fun though. Hope you get home soon!
 
Bryan, sorry to hear you are in the hospital, but maybe this will get the ball rolling on your surgery again. Hope you don't have to stay too long!

Kim
 
Man but are you ever overly anticoagulated now. Well, wish you knew where that clot was for sure. They thought I had one, started doing the same things to me, then found out it was a cyst in the apex of my heart and not a clot at all.
 
Bryan, you are probably already passed out from the Ativan nightcap, but hopefully you will get more answers on Thursday.
This is all a total bummer, but be glad things will be taken care of.
Best wishes.
 
Bryan,
I am sorry to hear of your troubles. Hopefully you will get bettter soon! Hang in there.
 
Brian -

You are in the Right Place given what is going on.
Hope they get it all under control in short order.

Best Wishes,

'AL Capshaw'
 
Well it's another boring day at Duke Medical Center. Vitals every 4 hours, blood draws twice a day, meds, and the lovely cuisine here. :rolleyes:

The deal is that they think it will take about 6 weeks to dissolve the clot so I will be on Coumadin and getting my levels checked regularly during that time. They are hoping they will have me in the range they want by tomorrow so I won't have to go home with the Lovenox. The reason I'm still here is that they are still struggling to lower AND stabalize my heart rate. As soon as that happens I'm out of here. They upped my diltiazam to 90mg po (I think TID) and gave me an IV bolus of the diltiazam (I started on a drip for about 18 hours when I got here). Right now I'm bouncing between 80-90 at rest and low 100's when I take a walk around the nursing hall. After they stopped the IV drip it was pretty steady in the 110's and mid to upper 120's with exertion. I think they want steady in the 80's at rest and no more than 100 with mild exertion.

Once they think the clot has been dissolved I will come back as an outpatient for a cardioversion. If that doesn't work they will probably try catheter ablation. We won't think beyond there unless we reach that point.

That's about it. Now if I could find someone with about 25 grand to spare for this unplanned stay I'd be in good shape.
 
You are as bad as me. I sit and worry about how much this is going to cost constantly. Wouldn't it be nice if we never had to worry about it? Just remember this Bryan, they aren't going to shut their doors if you don't pay them. I don't know about your state of residence, but in Ohio, they cannot take your house or property for medical bills, though they do make life a living hell. Sorry you gotta go through this, but it's better dealt with now, then when something drastic happens. Also, don't you your exact financial circumstances, but negotiate that bill. See if they won't take what Medicare would pay. If so, then that bill will be significantly reduced, but it may still be unbearable depending on your finances. I know I'm financially done. My doctor just got on my case about not having the blood tests she ordered done. I can't afford the copayment! I've had a BiPAP machine, New high flow oxygen concentrator, Pulmonary copays and his overnight testings to pay. She's going to have to wait until I'm semi caught up.
 
I had a very similar episode in 2007 before my OHS. A.Flutter,all the meds you listed,and then ablation.
Is this your first atrial flutter? and do they know why it decided to pop up now? With me,I was still pre-surgery
and my right atrium was dilated from the regurg. I hope your clot dissolves quickly so you can go home.
Enjoy your ativan..I don't know why, but it really helps with the tachycardia..xanax and valium don't seem to help
with flutter even though they are very similar. I have often wondered what is in ativan that distinguishes it.
Wishing you the best-Dina
 
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