I was working in Jan. Then bronchitis all Feb, and during Feb I had a heart attack, possibly in part caused by being poisoned by some anti-biotic that damaged my heart. That anti-biotic (Levaquin) also caused me to have seizures 3 times.
Contributing factors (along with possible anti-biotic poisoning) were stress, and possibly a virus might have attacked my heart in the past (doctor says). Also, it's possible I might have already previously had a heart attack related to stress, or a virus attacking my heart, or both (doctors say).
Bottom line, I already had some heart problems for various reasons, but then it got a LOT worse, possibly from stress, virus, and/or anti-biotic poisoning.
I'm sure the anti-biotic was part of it because when I realized the anti-biotic was making me sick, I stopped taking it, and I stopped having seizures and my heart problem improved a little.
My doctor replaced the bad anti-biotic with one I've taken in the past that we know is safe for me.
But (for whatever reasons) serious damage had already been done to my heart. I've know for years that I had minor heart problems, but only minor. Now they are major heart problems.
After an EKG, Ultra-sound, and an angiogram, cardiologists tell me the nerves are burned out to the left side of my heart, leaving it 50% paralyzed. The 50% that still works is from electrical bleed over from the right side of my heart that still gets electrical signal and works. So half of the left side still beats, but it's timing is late and out of time with the right side.
The plan is to rewire my heart with a pace maker and a defibrilator, and some other wires too, all controlled by a computer with a big battery. This is no ordinary pace maker. It does a lot more functions than just regulate rhythm, it will also provide the electrical signal to make the left side beat.
My heart rewiring operation is scheduled for April 8.
When I still had bronchitis, bad asthma, and the new severe heart problem, my odds were only around 50%. Over last two weeks, I've kicked the bronchitis, my asthma is improved, but my heart still has same problems. My heart won't get better, except from the operation.
The good news it that now that my bronchitis is gone and my asthma better, I now have 85% odds of coming through the surgery and making a full recovery. Cardiologists tell me my heart muscle is still good enough that it will work OK once it's getting electrical signal and proper timing. So if the rewiring goes well, and it's 85% likely it will, then I should make a full recovery.
I've also learned (thanks to angiogram) that my arteries are totally clear. So that's good news. I inherited a gene from my dad for very low cholesterol. So I caught a break there.
This is way more complicated than a common pacemaker operation, but my odds are 85% which I consider great odds, and I've had enough time to visit people and make a will. When you think you might only have hours to days, as was initially thought for a few days, later finding out I had 50% odds seemed pretty good. Now that I have 85% odds of a full recovery, that seems really great.
So no complaints from me. I feel pretty lucky.
In the meanwhile, until my operation, I'm not suffering, but I am chronically sleepy.
>
I'm back for a visit
