Friday the 13th of January

No bad luck here today, but we had more than enough yesterday. The wait for a cardioversion had seemed interminable, while Harry endured the misery of his rather extreme form of atrial fibrillation. We were in good spirits as we arrived at St. Luke’s Hospital. Harry has had many cardioversions over the years, since the trouble started in 2009, and we were looking forward to his return to sinus rhythm. We have become quite cavalier about this procedure. Not anymore.

The doctor who did the cardioversion was a stranger to me. She came out to the waiting room and informed me that Harry could not have any more cardioversions, since he had “reacted badly” and had to be given some drugs to raise his blood pressure. This was very unusual. I asked what drugs he had received, and she didn’t know – “the anesthesiologist administered them”.

When I was allowed back to the recovery room, Harry had returned to atrial fibrillation, and there was nothing they could do. He would have to wait for the scheduled ablation on February 6. This was very bad news, and Harry was feeling quite rough. But they did release him, and the nurses did tell me what drugs had been administered. We stopped for lunch, and Harry couldn’t taste the food. His mouth was so dry, he could hardly talk, despite constantly drinking sips of water. For every other cardioversion, we have greatly enjoyed lunch afterwards.

While under anesthesia, they had given Harry two bags of fluids, and the worst complication soon became an inability to urinate. By then, we were home. Harry slept, but when he still couldn’t pee by 5 PM, we called his regular cardiologist, Dr. Davison. Harry’s vital signs were not good, and I was freaking out (quietly) because we are so far from medical help.

The doctor wanted Harry to go to the hospital, but Harry refused. He wants to die at home, which I fully support in theory, but had not faced the actual possibility. Now I was truly scared. Luckily, Dr. Davison made a suggestion when faced with Harry’s obstinate refusal. Take a flavor packet from Ramen noodles (which we do have on hand, as luck would have it). Mix a cup of hot water with the flavor packet, and drink it as tea. He would call back in an hour.

One hour later, the critically low blood pressure had risen noticeably. Another flavor packet tea was prescribed, and a long miserable night of hourly trips to the loo ensued. I was so exhausted and dehydrated from crying (quietly) that I slept, despite my fear of this ending badly. Just before midnight, Harry’s heart spontaneously converted to sinus rhythm.

The other problem continues to slowly resolve and there is no doubt that the difficulties are caused by the drug, glycopyrrolate. We have added that to Harry’s long list of allergies. The phenylephrine wasn’t much fun, either. Harry’s metabolism of drugs is notoriously poor. I wonder what exactly happened during the cardioversion that caused them to jump to those medications. He has always had a slow heart rate, and I cannot help but wonder whether having a cardiologist unfamiliar with Harry was a bad idea. Still, I am not complaining, I am grateful that he is fine now. Like Weedy’s experience in the leg hold trap, a happy ending makes all the difference to the story.

The birds help to ground me, which is a funny thing to say about creatures that fly. They are a delight and a consolation. Every day, a different one is my favorite.

Fred came to shoe on Monday. It was a pleasant day, and the horses’ feet look beautiful, as always, after Fred’s attention.

With fresh shoes, the horses were delightful to ride. Bart even got a bath. They all need baths, but Bart won the coin toss.

The dogs and cats have enjoyed the mild January weather, too. Imagine my dismay, though, when I found THREE orange cats in the shed! And then, imagine my relief to realize it was Tim Morris over for a visit from Jane’s house… not another cat to catch, just a neighborly visit.

And so, on we go. My hair is grayer, and I am more grateful for every ordinary day. Harry was well enough to do a business Zoom call today, after which we had lunch with Don and Diana, good friends we have not seen for a long time. Life is good on this Friday the thirteenth…

Be safe. Be well. Be grateful for good outcomes. Slava Ukraini! Peace.