All is well here

Good morning
It is another beautiful morning in Pennsylvania. Seventy degrees and sunny makes my heart rejoice. I have had no significant episodes of AFib since Mondy night. I had a 15 minute episode Wed. and again last night but they vanished soon after they started. Dr Cooper thought that the Amioderone would continue to build up and become more effective.

Just made another pot of three sisters soup with the butternut squash, black beans, corn, tomatoes and carrots, garlic, celery and onions. 

May you all  have a great weekend. Love Mom

Visit with Dr Cooper

Alan and I drove down to Butler and I saw Dr Cooper who will be doing the second ablation. He did the first back in August, when he cauterized or ablated the pulmonary veins. This time he will check to see if the first ablation did the job or not. If not he will repair or complete the procedure and then check out other sources of the renegade stimuli. Monica talked to him by phone and voiced any concerns she had.

We have a lovely warm afternoon though heavy thunder storms were predicted. Tonight,  I am going out to Springfield Grill with the Night Owls, Susan B, Sandy Jaz, Carol Duda, Carla Morris and a couple of others. I look forward to good food and good company and lots of laughs. The first time I met with this group was at Springfield Grill ten years ago.

Dr cooper says about the Amioderone, that it is still getting to a therapeutic level, so it may yet keep me out of AFib, In case you are wondering why the surgery if the med works, the answer is the toxicity of the drug.

Hope all is well with all of you. Love Mom

a beautiful Memorial Day

Hello All
it is evening of this lovely day. We stayed close to home and did home things today..trimming the yard, watering flowers, sawing a branch of the smaller blue spruce tree to give more room for clothes to hang on the clothesline. I walked early today around a deserted campus. washed sheets ans hung them out to dry, made muffins for Alan.

We had a good visit with Jess last evening. We did grill out and had rib steak. I played a game og Acey Deucey with Jess.

Tomorrow I see Dr Cooper and will have a chance to find out more of what he hopes to do when he goes in to ablate (create scar tissue) . Tomorrow evening the Night Owls are going to Spring Field grill for a evening of carousing. Thinking of you all today and rejoicing so in the gift each of you are to our lives. Love Mom

Sunday morning and all is well

I woke to another beautiful morning and no arrythmia. back to nice normal 60+ or_ pulse rate after running a fast 115-120 for about 26 hours.

We are off to church at 9 for SS. We will sing in the choir . visit some folks in the afternoon who are planning to join our fellowship at EMC and then Jess is coming up for supper. We may decide to grill outside on the patio.

I wish for you all a great day. Love Mom

an Afternoon on the front porch with Alan

We enjoyed the day by sitting outside on the porch swing and drinking lemonade . i actually lounged in the chaise while Alan did some cleaning out under the pine tree. i am still in arrythmia but in no distress. I am just waiting it out.

A glorious morning

Good morning family,
Any one see the meteor shower lastnight and can share your observations?  we did not.
I went into arrythmia about 11:30 last night and am still in it. My O2 level is 98% so clearly I am delivering ok. I am sitting it out waiting for the magical conversion. I will let you know when that happens. I hope you all have a great weekend in the sunshine. Mom

Day six on Amioderone

I count the days that Amioderone has been working its repair on the  electrical firings of my heart. Last evening I had a three hour episode of arrhythmia that quietly went away at ten. I had a good night of sleep and feel well this morning. I  just returned from walking the bike trail. The day is cool and sunny after a night with some thunder and lightening. I am working with a new keyboard for my IPad. I like it but am still learning its ways. 

Only two weeks and two days until Renewed Soul!! I am so looking forward to it. I plan to bring my personal effects and some games; backgammon, Macala. I will also bring hand soap  for the bathrooms and dish detergent, liquid and dishwasher. I will bring paper towels and toilet paper and napkins. I am leaving meal planning and shopping to you all. If you  think of something else I can easlily pick up, let me know. 

Martha is on her own; my blogger consultant is gone

Joanna returned to New York and an opportunity to catch David before he headed home this morning.
I am doing very well. My blood pressure is an amazing 120/66. I like it. Pulse is a 64. I saw Dr Scullio the doctor who did my endoscopy last September when I had a bleed. I was supposed to see him three months after the procedure but never did. He said there was no need to take a look to see if all was well.

We had  a day of expecting rain which thankfully never came. I  watered the lovely flowers early in the day. Some friends, Chris and Tina came by with some pink impatients flowers, as a way of saying thank you for the help we have given them. Dora your beautiful hanging basket is on the front porch looking so beautiful.

We have no special plans for Memorial Day. How about you all? Love you

Vitals Good: Back in Action

Mom got a good 9 hours of rest last night with no A-Fib (day 3) and no high blood pressure.  Her pulse this morning is around 64 and her blood pressure is a pristine 119/76.  Mom and I finished the flowerbeds (see pics below!) and then she went off to bible study with Bonnie.  I grabbed a shower and then went over to Sarah Stevenson Hatfield’s for a visit.  We’re drinking tea with our feet up now.  Mom says she feels good and will probably resume a more active schedule today, including Night Owls tonight.  I'm heading back to NYC today to catch up with David, who's there for work.

Dance Part two

Dr Smith did call me and was most helpful. I will take lisinopril, a BP med tonight and hopefully that will keep me under control. I have not heard from Dr. Buchanan the cardiologist, but may yet.

Jo prepared my flower beds and we have bought flowers for the beds which she will plant. Whohooo!
We hope to get our foot long  grass cut this evening, and then we will look greeeat.

Doing the Blood Pressure Dance

Mom had a good day yesterday, and although she lost to me playing Acey Deucey, she did not go into a-fib at all.  When she went to bed, her blood pressure was high and increased up to 180 through the evening.  She decided to take a beta blocker around midnight and within a 1/2 hour, her blood pressure was down.  She then got a good night sleep.

This morning she spoke with Dr. Cooper's office, who referred her to her cardiologists office to deal with the issue of what to do about the high blood pressure, and in particular to find out what beta blocker is a good fit with her heart med, amniodorone/cordorone.  She spoke with Dr. Buchanan's office, her cardiologist, and has an appointment for Thursday, May 29th.  She asked Dr. Buchanan to call her back and advise her regarding what she should take in the evening if her heart rate goes up, but she does not have high hopes that he will get back to her.  Meanwhile, she called Dr. Smith, her family doctor, who she does have high hopes will get back to her.

We've had a good day so far today-- a walk, a trip to Walmart to buy flowers, Dad is out doing an oil change for the red van, and mom and I had another game of Acey Deucey where she beat me.

Joanna

No More Pirates for Mama

Mom has been on Amniodarone/Cordorone for about 24 hours now, and she looks and feels fine.  She had a little bump in the night—after watching a half hour of Pirates of the Caribbean, she went to bed with a pulse of 78.  Her pulse went steadily up over the next few hours.  She took a beta blocker around midnight, reverted around 1 a.m., and slept through the rest of the night.  Her blood pressure is also a little high.

We’re hanging out drinking coffee this morning, and she has emailed “Jonas”, a.k.a. Dr. Cooper, to see what to do, if anything, about the high blood pressure and the elevated heartbeat.  One of the things that’s interesting about the Cordorone is that it takes a while to saturate mom’s system, so she’s not at full power yet on the drug.

Overall, mom looks and feels good and is her normal self.

Love to you all,

Joanna

From Joanna: How to View and Contribute

Hi family!  Here's a couple of notes on how to make this blog work for you!

This is a private post viewable only to authors.  FYI.

You've been added as an author at your gmail address, so go ahead and accept it.  This will allow you to write on the blog and to view it.  You can also comment on the posts.  I'm sure mom would love that!

I'm trying to figure out how to set up email notifications of new posts.  Can't figure it out yet.  Let me know if you do!

That's all for now.  BTW, we're thinking of setting up an additional blog for the family that is not Martha-heart related.  Let us know if you have an interest!

5/17/14 Martha's first blog

Good morning family. Joanna is setting up a private family blog called whatsupwithmartha . I  have been encouraged to use a blog so as to keep all the family informed of my changing Atrial Fib saga.
I started on a new anti arrhythmia medication this morning after being on a weaker one for two and a half weeks. This is because I have continued to have frequent episode of arrhythmia while on the first med.

Alan took me to the ER in Butler yesterday morning at my request to get checked out while having an episode. I converted to normal heart beat while on the way. I was evaluated in the ER. Vital signs were good, blood work all normal and chest X-ray (no fluid) normal. Dr Jonas Cooper sent me home with the new prescription. I will follow up with him in a week to make sure there are no adverse effects of the new med.

At this time I am scheduled for a second ablation surgery June 27 in Butler. I will have more to say about that after I see Dr Cooper on May 23.

I plan to be watchful and to lay low for the next three days as my body adjusts to the new medication Amioderone 400mg once a day.

So far my heart function is strong . The last time it was measured  in August right before my first ablation,it was 72%. The concern is how well it works when I am in arrhythmia. Thus the new medication to keep me out of arrhythmia.

Joanna came last night to keep me company which is wonderful.  We all three watched Casablanca for old times sake. Alan just came back from listening to Jeb Bush speak at graduation.

I will stay in touch. Mom