Here I am, nearly a month later, a bit scarred but otherwise undaunted (mostly, anyway). I was all set to write again after a week-but like I said, back into combat.
I had a massive attack of tachycardia that lasted nearly an hour. And I was on my way to an appointment when it happened, so I was out and about and in a seriously nasty part of town-one where older people who are obviously mobility challenged are prime targets. Frankly, I was too sick to care.
I did manage to make it back, but then I had to get from the bus stop to home-which would normally have taken me ten minutes, but this time took me nearly a half hour. I cannot believe how relieved I was when I stumbled through my front door and headed straight for bed. Better that than fall flat on my face. After September's bad fall, I'm not allowed to fall again. Ever.
If you want to be completely incapacitated for awhile, tachycardia is the way to do it. So I had to do combat to get the ablation moved to-next week. Waiting a month is doable; waiting until Christmas (cardiology's first option) is not. So now I have to get ready for someone I don't know to shove a catheter up a vein in my groin and into my heart, fixing the electrical system which has gone haywire, and hopefully this time it'll work.
Are there risks? Well, yes. I received a phone call from cardiology yesterday, giving me all the details: time, place, must be fasting, bring my medications, etc. Then came a little information about the risks involved: bleeding from the incision site, infection, fluid around the heart, damage to the heart which would require more surgery and possibly a pacemaker (just what I need: more hardware in my chest), and, of course, the big ones (saved for last): the possibility of a stroke and/or death.
Just what a hospital phobic patient needs to instill faith and confidence in yet another surgeon. But-it's either that or suffer from tachycardia until the heart is damaged permanently. It's a bit like playing roulette, isn't it?
So that is what my last few weeks have been like. Perhaps I should get a suit of armor. Now there's an idea! Only it would be too heavy, I would probably waste no time falling over, and even if I didn't - how would I pee? This, of course, raises the question: how did the knights of old pee?
I got a very pointed email from someone who has been following this blog for several years. And she was not very happy with me. She pointed out that most people want to lose weight, not gain weight, and that I should quit whingeing about being so underweight. Nobody, she said, wants to hear about someone who is unable to gain weight. So I had to point out that I have been dieting for most of my adult life. I have. I've tried just about every diet there is, even some of the crazy ones. Now I'm done. I will have to stop asking the people who should know-or at least, try to find out-what is going on before I'm thin enough to slide under the doors instead of walking through them.
The latest, before I get off this really tedious topic: I saw a nutritionist yesterday, she weighed me, and I haven't lost any more weight. She commented that there are people who are walking around with extremely low BMIs- really seriously skinny people ( I said that they look like stick insects), and they're absolutely fine and healthy. Grrr... so up the calories and add lots of fats, and stop worrying because it'll just make things worse.
Oh, I completely forgot to mention the coronation. Oh my goodness, the coronation. There was a coronation. I watched some of it, and was astonished at the huge crowds that took over central London. The armed forces were amazing with the detailed and well executed parades. The horses were gorgeous. The coronation concert on Saturday night was pretty good, with Lionel Ritchie getting everyone up and dancing to All Night Long. Take That closed the show with a show stopping finale-they were fantastic. And the best part of the whole concert. You can tell I'm not a royalist. But it was a bit of history, worth seeing, and I somehow doubt that I'll see another coronation in my lifetime. Woohoo.
Now I'm in need of coffee. And biscuits. I'll be back soon...
