23 January 2018
And so a fine Tuesday after another step forward on the health front yesterday. You may remember I mentioned last year that I had a wee bit of a scare with my heart and I was diagnosed with atrial flutter which caused my heartbeat to race up to 150+ bpm. I was offered a chance for a ‘fix’ which I accepted and yesterday at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh I underwent a minor operation which has remedied the problem or at least cut my chances of a repeat down to low single figures.
The op was a ‘radio frequency ablation’ which meant a catheter was inserted in a vein in my leg and pushed up to my heart where the abnormal tissue there is heated up and destroyed and the fault in the ‘electrics’ that causes the problem is rectified.It was all relatively painless and the op and the recovery period took about 6 hours which meant I was home around 7 and feeling pretty good. I’d kept it quiet for obvious reasons and I admit to having been a little bit nervous at volunteering for the procedure.
My anxiety was dispelled while lying on the gurney pre theatre and the wonderful consultant Dr Grubb told me it was the correct decision and he would have done the same in my situation.The staff were excellent and I found it quite reassuring in a karmic way that nearly all the staff working on me were from my hometown Dalkeith.
I couldn’t have been better treated or looked after when I was in and I have to say a big thanks to everyone especially the nurses in the ward who took great care of me post op.
The NHS may be taking a battering just now but I was reminded yesterday of what a wonderful institution we have in this country and why it should be nurtured and protected at all cost.
The operation was a success and I can now rest a bit more easily knowing that a repeat scare of what happened last May is highly unlikely. With this now behind me I can start looking forward to a fitness regime that has been long overdue and can start concentrating on getting my ‘core’ sorted out to relieve the pain in my back and legs.Hopefully a new ‘me’ will be taking the stages this Summer at the open airs.
