The BIG Frustration!

I feel like I live in some surreal state much of the time.  I've been married for a very long time (too many years to tell!) to a wonderful man who has endured (too) many health issues and crises!  He has bounced back from a plethora of heart, coumadin, and other issues - since 1992 especially: mitral valve prolapse and replacement (open-heart surgery), partial thyroidectomy and hemorrhaging, arthroscopic knee surgery (simple!), V-Tach and subsequent ICD implant with many ensuing problems and hospitalizations required, two ventricular ablations......and most recently A-fib.  He's been cardioverted more times in the last few years than most people experience in a lifetime.

A-fib is not life threatening for most people, and some people live with it for many years (20+).  In this case, because his heart is so damaged, enlarged, and has an aneurysm in addition, the cardiologists don't want him to have it and so an atrial ablation has been advised.....and scheduled.....for yesterday!  We traveled to Duke and Durham on Tuesday (2.5 hours away) for early tests on Wednesday and spent the whole day there.  We arrived at the appointed hour on Thursday and waited and waited.

Finally a man ushers us into the EP Lab (Electro-Physiology) but tells us that the doctor would like to speak with us first.  OMG!!!!!  This MUST mean that there is a problem with the tests from the day before, right?  My DH comments, "Uh oh, that doesn't sound good!" but this person (who hadn't even introduced himself to us) says nothing.  We are led into a cubicle with the usual bed, sink, chair, computer, and TV, where I would have to wait throughout the procedure.  AND WE WAIT....getting ourselves more and more anxious for the news that the doctor (whom we adore!) must surely have to deliver to us!

Finally.....after what seemed like an eternity, Dr. H comes in looking very grim indeed!  The news he has to deliver has NOTHING to do with DH!  There are equipment failures in their TWO EP labs, and so the procedure must be postponed!  Well, the relief is enormous, but also frustrating as hell!  Better to postpone than have something occur DURING a procedure, but you get so psyched up for these procedures to be OVER (until the next ????) that it's hard to accept that we have to do this all over again.

Because this particular procedure (TG!) is not urgent or emergent, at least at this time, and due to many family and other summer commitments, we selected August 31 for the reschedule.  And they will NOT have to repeat the tests he just had on Wednesday.  The doctor was very apologetic, because he understands the frustration (and expense of travel and hotel).  He was also dismayed with the greeting we received from the unknown man who might have assuaged our fears very quickly by indicating that there was nothing concerning about the patient.

So we packed it up, got back to the hotel still in time for DH to have breakfast, checked out, rescheduled our stay in Aug/Sept, and drove home.  We were home by 12:45.  So....instead of spending the day/night at the hospital, we had a quick dinner at home and went to Cinematique to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  Excellent!

Oh, and I must say that we had two excellent dinners in Durham......at Parizade and Vita's!

I had brought many fiber projects with me and completed none of them - until yesterday afternoon, when I finally finished Wrusty Wrapsody."

More photos on flickr!