Tell your husband that this is a signal of a marriage proposal.
On Tuesday night I celebrated with a Scotch Fillet cut of Wagyu beef and some eggs. I had been fasting all day as I had been in the Emergency department in the city hospital. The butcher advised to get the best flavour out of the steak was to watch it in the pan carefully and see the marbled fat change from white to clear, and then time it for a minute less on the second side. It was amazing.
I had a few heart palpitations on the weekend and knocked them down at home with electrolytes. But I was a bit loose with my protocol. Work stress has risen with a manager who is unable to manage me. I offered to manage myself. But, apparently, that is not how it is done. I let the manager know that they are getting in the way of me doing my teaching work. That set the manager on a warpath and the HR department at the University contacted me to ask about my leave entitlements and that they had a report (from somewhere anonymous) that I had taken 20 days of unrecorded leave in the first half of the year. I pointed out that, if that were the case, the students would have noticed a missing lecturer and all my work for the semester seems to have been completed on time and to high quality by magic. HR have been stewing on that info for a week now with no reply, or whether there will be an investigation, or whatever.
On Monday night I was in atrial fibrillation at midnight. I started electrolytes and aspirin by 2am. By 4am my chest was hurting. So, I woke my little brother and he drove me to hospital. I was clammy and sweaty (not a good look). The end result I was at a heart rate of about 150bpm for about 14 hours. I learnt a few things. The first one being that I am better off treating myself at home. The second being that the Emergency Department of a busy city hospital is not a place to find relaxation. But I did manage to meditate. That some doctors are dickheads and it is very easy to start on a medication slippery slope as they try and match symptoms to medications, and the complications of medication side effects.
I laughed when the new shift nurse came up to read the monitoring machine and ask the standard questions, “Any pain?”, “Any nausea?”, “Do you have a headache?”… they look at my blood pressure that by then was 101/65 and my heart rate was 58. That all looks OK, they said. I said, That’s because you are letting me go home. I pointed out my condition was atrial fibrillation and my heart rate was 58. It dawned on the nurse and they sauntered off to advise the Emergency Registrar about our success. I did have a headache from the low blood pressure caused by the beta-blockers. I did have chest pain after a 14-hour cardio workout at maximum heart rate. I did feel a bit nauseous after the drug cocktail 3 doctors had put me through. But, if you look sick, they may keep you there, on the treatment slippery dip, until the end. The End end.
There were people dying and faking it all over the ward. I spent the final 3 hours of my treatment time in a corridor on a monitor that is part of the tech for the emergency defibrillator, as they had no space in other sections.
The first arrogant young doctor noted me down as ‘resisting advice’. He told me that he was going to anaesthetise me and shock my heart back into a slow rhythm. He was all puffed up and proud in front of the nursing team and junior intern doctors. I said, No.
I explained that they had not tried medical treatment. I asked for a magnesium drip in one arm and a saline drip in the other. I requested IV ketones (BhB) - which they didn’t have, and did not know about in the treatment of heart attack or stroke. I saw the young interns making notes to look things up. I declined the Troponin test that indicates heart muscle damage and allow the doctors to go in harder as it’s an indicator of a heart attack. Plus it extends the hospital stay by many hours as they need to do that test in series. I said I would try the electrolytes first and then move on to beta-blockers, if needed. That they should contact my cardiologist before any other treatments, and that anaesthetic and cardio-version is only indicated in medical treatment failure. Unfortunately the magnesium IV did not work on it’s own but it provided some calming effect.
Half an hour later, the arrogant doctor said he would give me beta-blockers IV. I asked about that as I knew them only to be as tablets. He tried medical jargon again, but I asked him on more detail what class of drug (or combination) he was trying, what were the side effects, what should I feel or not feel, what should the nurses look out for, what was the success rate etc. He squirmed without the answers as he just knew if patient has ‘X’ problem follow flow-chart to ‘Y’ treatment. His bedside manner was deplorable. I took the IV as it did have beta-blocker aspects. But next time I won’t because there are a list of side effects and preclusions (drug interactions) that I found out later.
Eventually one of the interns was assigned me. She was smiling as she felt bullied by the registrar and had learnt a lot from my questions (and his non-answers). She had phoned my cardiologist who got us back on track with the right treatments. And they worked.
But this episode is taking a few days recovery. I wish I was down at the homestead, but I have to ride it out in the city.
Just had scrambled eggs cooked in ghee with smoked wild-caught Atlantic salmon and some mature cheddar cheese. My blood glucose and blood ketone monitor is down at the farm in that clear glass bowl where you drop your keys on top of the fridge. Dang it. It would be hand y to have here.
This is the drug that the arrogant doctor ran into my IV drip. It is supposed to be for life-threatening heart arrhythmia. Maybe that is what I had and he didn’t want to tell me? Or, he may have leap-frogged standard procedure to get to a ‘hero’ drug? Hospitals are not dangerous per se but some doctors can be.
Amiodarone is for use only in treating life-threatening heart rhythm disorders.
Warnings: Amiodarone can cause dangerous side effects on your heart, liver, lungs, or vision.
I can’t afford jerky, of course so it’s a moot point! (It would be hard to find it anyway but some city supermarkets have it. Maybe that’s why it’s so expensive but beef is expensive to begin with…)
we had talked about sodium and how much he should have some time ago but he forgot about that and just thought he shouldn’t be having it at all! Anyway i suggested he start sprinkling a little salt on his dinner (he has low sodium salt that we got him the last time we talked about it) i told him that the consultants expect and 87 year old man to eat a bad diet with lots of processed meals whereas Raymond cooks a proper meal from scratch in his slow cooker with steamed veg. We would like to think it is the sodium that is fixing his issues. Anyway he danced pretty well today.
we will see how he dances tomorrow!
but i have eaten them anyway as i don’t want to waste them.
)
I like variety in textures and everything. My staple meat should be tender but the occasional snack has a bigger freedom!
I wish I could say I am surprised reading what happened on your hospital adventure but I’m not. I’m glad you went to hospital jic your AF progressed into something fatal but bloody hell, how was what happened meant to help you?! Grrrr.
