Return of the Duck - Revenge of the Beak

[Ducky2003]

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears ............ not literally as that could get rather messy. I'm sure that you have all missed me, like a verruca.

Apologies for my absence but its been an eventful few weeks, to say the least.

On my last post a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was a bit breathless and puffy. I had spoken to one of the arrhythmia nurses who was going to arrange an urgent Holter. This was about 2 months ago and I am finally having that fitted next Tuesday.

The puffiness increased and so did the breathlessness over the following couple of weeks so I got in touch with them again and got a different nurse who was as much use as a chocolate teapot, to be honest (and has been the same previously) but the usual one was on leave. She ummed and ahhd and dithered and asked if I had seen my GP. I informed her that no one had seen my GP since he locked himself in his Covidproof bunker 16 months ago and made himself comfy in front of Loose Women in his onesie!!!

She wasn't then sure what to suggest (helpful) so I suggested that may be I should go to A&E, which resulted in a "Oh yes, you could do". So, 2 days later, I rocked up at A&E as it was no better and was kept in for 3 days whilst they offloaded fluid. I think I was retaining more water that the Hoover Dam as I dropped 9lb in 2 days followed by extra after discharge, taking me to almost a stone gone in just over a week. Pulse rate was a bit doolally so it was back on to Diltiazem. Also Furosemide (which I don't take everyday) and I was in AF as well. The plan was to cardiovert me whilst I was in but they wouldn't do it as I had missed one single Apixaban dose the previous week.............. arrrrrgh!!! That was a month ago.

I am booked in for the cardioversion next Friday. I had my pre check last Sunday and was in AF at that time. I think I am dipping in and out of AF as I'm certainly not as symptomatic as I used to be pre-ablation and haven't felt in AF when told that I am.

Its 4 months tomorrow since I had the ablation and I am still clinging onto the hope that the blanking period is a bit longer for me and I'm hoping that the cardioversion is just something correcting a blip rather than it being a fail.

Anyone else had a cardioversion following ablation?

On a humorous note, whilst on the ward, I was with a right noisy bunch who thought it ok to have their TV on at 6.30am so I very loudly told my hubby, when he phoned, about the "inconsiderate b@${@rd$" with their TVs. The following morning, another woman thought it ok to shout a conversation across the ward at 6.30am which included the comment "I'm usually up and chatting to hubby at 5.30am at home". From behind my curtain I muttered, "Well, you're not bl@@dy at home now are you?" Silence and tumbleweed................ peace and quiet finally. I know that I was probably as popular as a fart in a lift but it was worth it to have peace.

Hope everyone else is fine and dandy.

[BobD Volunteer]

Oh Ducky I have missed you so much!

Answers first. Cardioversion after ablation? That's a yes from me.

Trying to remember how long afterwards but I know it was quite a while. I was having dinner with a client near Peterborough (rack of lamb with a very nice Bordeaux) and travelling to France next day to stay with my big sister (she hates me saying that) when went into AF on the way to Stansted to take parrafin budgie to Tours with O'Leary 's mob.

Atrial tachycardia at a rate of 140 so emailed my arrhythmia nurse and by the time I got home a week later she had organised a DCCV. Had to go to London (from Devon ) of course but warfarin book showed I had been a good boy and I was home again next day. That was probably 2008 and no AF since.

Re night noise in hospital. Royal Brompton is in Sydney Street, Chelsea. Every time I have been there (don't ask) at around 1 am some clown finds it important to drive past in his Porky hitting the rev limiter in every gear. The first time, being a petrol head ( I bleed engine oil) I found it reassuring but after a few times, especially when joined by his mate in a Ferrari, I would have traded one of my smaller body parts for an anti tank weapon.

Stay well.

Bob

[Ducky2003 in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob. I'm guessing as it was O'Leary, it was advertised as Paris but was landing at Tours? 😁.Comforting to know the cardioversion is Tom Jones (not unusual) and hopefully gets me back on track again.

No car noise as I was at the rear of the hospital but there was a frisson of excitement when I found out that the helicopter I heard landing on the Sunday afternoon, actually contained Max Verstappen for his check up following being punted off track by Hamilton at Silverstone. I'm guessing he was hosted by the private wing rather than sitting next to some inebriated bod with a dodgy itch in A&E 😁.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Ducky2003]

We all have a cross to bare.

[Ducky2003 in reply to BobD]

When you say bare, you're not referring to your smaller body parts again are you?

[10gingercats]

I well remember fluid loss last Dec. when something like that happened to me. No attention due to lockdown from GP meant him overlooking meds no longer working and fluid gathering at a pace around my heart and in lungs. With Fruosimide and spironolactone I lost nearly a stone overnight. .

[Ducky2003 in reply to 10gingercats]

Wow! I thought my loss was a lot. They just gave me Furusemide tablets nothing else. At least I can fit in my clothes and shoes again. Hope all is good for you now.

[10gingercats in reply to Ducky2003]

ok now,sort of, but there had to be a lot more tweaking before I was even more or less on the road to recovery.Massive weight loss sent me spiralling down into a depression....was I harbouring a nasty malignancy....... with the outcome via gastroeneterology being a revival of my long lost coeliac disease.

[Ducky2003 in reply to 10gingercats]

Oh no. It's never straightforward with AF meddling with other conditions is it? I keep saying to hubby, I just want to feel normal again but I'm not quite sure what normal is anymore. Hope things settle for you.

[jeanjeannie50]

It's lovely to hear from you again Ducky, you do make me laugh with your posts! We need to hear more from you please.😁

I had a cardioversion, think it was a couple of months after my last ablation. Have never had an overly fast heart rate since then. Hope you will be the same.

Jean x

[Ducky2003 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you Jean. My pulse does seem to have settled with the Diltiazem, though it did rise a bit when I decided to boogie at an 80s New Romantic concert last week. On the upside, I still felt fine and not breathless with a pulse of 151 throwing myself about to Tainted Love. I was just relieved to get into my jeggings and heels again after 5 weeks of puffing 😁.

[Paulbounce]

Come on Ducky you could have picked something better than Tainted Love. You deserve a high rate listening to Marc Almond. The Human League is scientifically proven to reduce HR (cira Melody Maker 1981)

Paul

[Ducky2003 in reply to Paulbounce]

🤣. There was a fair bit of jigging going on to Don't You Want Me and Mirror Man as well. 😁.

[Paulbounce]

Thank goodness for that - I thought you were going to bring Kajagoogoo in to the equation then. I can rest up now ;-Paul

[Ducky2003 in reply to Paulbounce]

Heavens to murgatroyd! No Limahl in sight........ Probably too shy 😁😁😁. Duran Duran, Spandau (pre mushy days), Heaven 17 etc and one friend dressed like a reject from Fame.

[Paulbounce in reply to Ducky2003]

Heaven 17 were one of my fav's with New Order. My fav record of that era was a certain Sex Pistols one. I can sing it any in world on karaoke just as well as Mr Vicious.

I best not link to it here - it's not really 'forum' stuff. I'll send you a PM.

Cheers Duck and have a lovely evening.

Paul

[Ducky2003 in reply to Paulbounce]

👍

[Becksagogo]

Ducky, you and I must have the same hf nurse. Completely useless. I spent three months explaining that my tummy had expanded so that I looked very pregnant. (I'm 66) . I too was very breathless but ignored. I ended up being blue lighted to hospital 🏥 where they drained 6 litres of fluid from around my heart. To put it in context, thats the equivalent of 6 bottles of vodka! I now take 7 diuretic tablets daily.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Becksagogo]

Blimey, that's horrendous and with 7 diuretics a day, I would have a TV and coffee machine fitted in the bathroom. To be fair, one of the arrhythmia nurses is on the ball, sadly, the other less so. I couldn't eat or drink anything after 4pm as I felt "full" but thankfully, I'm munching like a good un again. Hope you dont have anymore scares like that.😊.

[Mrsvemb]

Oh Ducky good to have your humour back. Sorry to hear that you have been having problems though. Hope it will all sort itself out very soon for you.

Val

[Ducky2003 in reply to Mrsvemb]

Thank you Val. Onwards and upwards........ as said the gynecologist 😁.

[Mrsvemb in reply to Ducky2003]

🤣

[Nannysue1]

How strange, I was thinking of you yesterday and wondering how you were doing. You sound like you've been dragged through the mill a bit. 🤪 I love your writing, so positive, they say that laughter is like a medicine. Hope that it's now onwards and upwards for you .

[Ducky2003 in reply to Nannysue1]

It's been a bit of a fraught few weeks but I dont want to think about blanking periods and focus too much on the dates. Uncle Bob has given me some hope about the DCCV settling things so fingers crossed.😊.

[Nannysue1 in reply to Ducky2003]

I can only imagine and when your funny posts stopped, I wondered if things were ok. I'm down for an ablation( no date yet) at St Barts but really swinging between having it done or not. People on here really seem to have unpleasant experiences afterwards and it makes me think that I should just stick with what I've got. Just to also add that I'm a coward and very nervous at the thought of it. 😱🤪

[Bonnie58]

I was wondering what you were up to, now I know! Entertaining post as ever, hope cardioversion does the trick. Elaine.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Bonnie58]

Thanks Elaine. Never a dull moment at the Duck Pond 😁.

[Singwell]

Oh Ducky - that's a lot troubled waters to navigate! I did laugh wryly at your GP story - we're all complaining in our small town because nobody has seen the GP since COViD and at one time I genuinely wondered if the surgery was manned/personned. We had our ablations done in pretty much the same week and you do seem to be in the wars. Though less symptomatic which is a good sign! Once or twice I think I've had a run of it and not noticed. My Kardiamobile mobile must've caught the tail end of it.

We're probably all jealous that you offloaded 9llbs in one fell swoop but stats in hospital don't really compensate do they?

Meanwhile I'm off to my niece's wedding, where doubtless many will be Unmasked and alcohol fuelled. Hoping to avoid a run of mild tachycardia that I got when I went to a friend's 70th the other day. Maybe I should get into training with a few local events.

I don't get out much😉.

Hope the cardioversion does the trick for you.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Singwell]

It's been a bit of a bumpy ride but I'm still hanging on to blip rather than fail. I had my ablation 4 months ago today........ I'll have an alcohol free lager later to celebrate 😁. Yes, you are my yardstick (in the nicest sense) and its good to know you are doing ok. Enjoy the wedding. It's raining here in Coventry so hope you get better weather.😁.

Ps....... I'd be surprised if the other staff at the surgery would recognise the GPs now, it's been so long since they clapped eyes on them!

[Singwell in reply to Ducky2003]

I'm so impressed by how you use humour to get through the tough days! I could learn from that. Wedding will be distinctly soggy I fear - yurts and field...I'm armed with an emergency pack and thank goodness mother of bride is bringing the camper van. Suspect I'll be holding up withy brother (also has AF) and a 96 year old granny. I've goty.pills Kardiamobile, electrolytes, coconut water, soothing music

Ms Be prepared

[Frances123]

Great to hear from you Ducky and like many others I was wondering how you were. I can’t now not see my GP in a onesie watching Loose Women. I guess that would be enough to shock anyone back into NSR! The noise for me overnight was a chap in the next room obviously not very well and the nurses seeing to him. Of course no one minds that and completely understands but in the dead of night all noises are magnified. Other was someone very loudly wanting to discharge himself at some ungodly hour and nurses trying every trick in the book to get him to stay. Nurses won!

Hope you will soon be feeling better and can’t wait for your next chapter. Your way with words certainly makes me laugh. xxx

[Ducky2003 in reply to Frances123]

Thanks Frances. Yes, there were noises in the night too and at one point, it was me at 1am on night telling the nurses I was going to discharge myself. Even when I had my own room in April, I still heard someone down the corridor yelling "nurse, I need a poo" in the early hours.......... and no, earplugs don't work (for the noise anyway 😁)

[Desanthony]

I now can see my GPs in their onsies, on the sofa watching loose women. I will never look at them and see them in the same way again now! I managed to see one a couple of weeks ago but she was a locum or possibly new to the practice as one of the older GPs has retired to spend more time with loose women. LOL

Hope your CV goes well and you are well on the road to recovery but even if you are please keep writing your posts as they are so entertaining.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Desanthony]

Thank you. I think I'm going to be responsible for GPs getting strange looks when folk get to see them again in 2025 😁.

[Desanthony in reply to Ducky2003]

2025? That soon eh?

[Ducky2003 in reply to Desanthony]

Have you not realised from my posts that I'm an optimist 🤣🤣🤣.

[Desanthony in reply to Ducky2003]

LOL

[C66t in reply to Ducky2003]

😂

[Windlepoons]

It doesn't matter how unwell I have felt prior to my trips to the A & E hotel, I NEVER forget my trusty foam earplugs. They bring sanity, peace and a bit of sleep. I think that's the best description I have read of what our elusive GPs have been doing 😂 Welcome back Ducky and best of luck with the next stage of your treatment.💖

[Ducky2003 in reply to Windlepoons]

Sadly, tried earplugs, cheap and expensive but to no avail. I did think about a pillow over some folks heads but apparently, that's frowned upon 😁.

[Windlepoons in reply to Ducky2003]

Hmmph. They spoil all your fun!😹

[Desanthony in reply to Ducky2003]

As for hospital night times I can sympathise. Last time my wife spent a few nights in hospital one of the girls in there had to be given a sleeping tablet as she couldn't sleep as was anxious about her operation the next day - then she snored all night. the next day the Doc said to her if you had told us you were so anxious you could have stayed at home in familiar surroundings and come in at 7am - That would have been good. My wife had headphones but the signal kept cutting out and she tried to read under the covers with headphones on until she slept but it didn't work she had 4 nights and was glad to get home. I, on the other hand when in hospital am the one who would like to be up and about as I don't sleep well either at home or in hospital so for me it's nice to have company when awake most of the night!

[Ducky2003 in reply to Desanthony]

I did try sleeping with the headphones they supplied but ended up nearly garroting myself 😁.

[aFibber55]

You should be free on prescription Ducky! I wish I would find you next to me in hospital one day - we could orchestrate a very efficient pincer movement on inconsiderate noisy b&*@ds. They usually run out of battery by eleven am when it’s perfectly acceptable to keep them awake with loud and detailed discussion on pros and cons of root canal treatment, effects on double dosing on laxatives or are there really some “unlucky” beds in every ward.

[Ducky2003 in reply to aFibber55]

Indeed, they were all quiet or sleeping quietly during the day. If there's a next time (hopefully not) I'll be taking a drum kit in with me. I'm sure the drum riff from In the Air Tonight would go down a storm 😁.

[bassets]

Hope your cardio version goes well 🤞

[Ducky2003 in reply to bassets]

Thank you. 😊.

[SuziElley]

Hi Ducky.Lovely to hear from you again, but not so lovely about the reason. Regarding the fluid retention, I get that from the Diltiazem. I’ve had to be put on a very low dose of 60mg slow release per day. Higher doses were just giving me feet, ankles and other body parts to make me into Michelin Woman! They put me on Furosemide, which like you I don’t take every day. Within the first three days I lost half a stone! So, low dose Diltiazem, Furosemide when needed and I’m no longer a spare part for a car 😃

Hope the cardio version sorts things for you. At least you felt able to shake it all about to the music 🤪

[Ducky2003 in reply to SuziElley]

Thanks. I have had retention issues and gum swelling with Diltiazem about 4 years ago but that was at quite a high dose (I'm sure it was about 360mg per day).This time, I wasn't taking Diltiazem every day (they told me to try as a pip) so only 60mg now and again so it wasn't that causing the retention this last time. I'm on 60mg x 2 per day now and only have a tiny bit of gum swelling, which my hygienist is monitoring. All good fun on the AF merry go round eh? 😁.

[SuziElley in reply to Ducky2003]

Just take care 💕

[Ducky2003 in reply to SuziElley]

You too 👍.

[C66t]

First off you are a breath of fresh air, I love your sense of humour. Not sure I d have your courage to speak up like you did fair play to you. Best of luck with cardioversion and pg it will give afib the boot. Keep us updated please.😃🥰

[Ducky2003 in reply to C66t]

Thank you. I am quite tolerant normally (though hubby may disagree 😁) but I need my sleep and if I don't get it, take cover and batten down the hatches 😁.

[LaceyLady]

One time I had been put on a ward after being in a&e all night and early morning, 2 patients had early visitors and all of them carrying on loud conversation between them😡 I needed sleep! Last time I was on put in a stroke ward and Covid stopped the visitors 👍🏻👍🏻

[Ducky2003 in reply to LaceyLady]

There were supposed to be no visitors on our ward, unless someone was extremely ill, but about an hour before I was discharged, one of the noisy "ladies" had her son and daughter in law rock up for a chat........ and no she wasn't on her last legs, she was waiting for an assessment before being discharged in a couple of days. As I was halfway out of the door, I kept schtum this time.🙄

[Hidden]

Well that’s livened up a fairly boring weekend Ducky 😂. Onward and upward, hope all goes well! 👍

[Ducky2003 in reply to Hidden]

😁😁😁. Ya gotta smile.😊

[Safc1983]

I needed a cardioversion within two weeks of my ablation due to seven consecutive days of AF. That sorted me out for the remainder of the blanking period apart from a blip after a very heavy drinking session. However, after the three months was up I went back into afib for two weeks. I was gutted. I Started the process of trying to get a cardioversion again when I reverted back into sinus where I’ve been for the last few weeks. You and I were ablated around the same time and I’d hoped it would be plain sailing for the pair of us. Keep your chin up Ducky

[Ducky2003 in reply to Safc1983]

Thanks. Comforting to know that others have had a similar blip and then things have settled. I have several chins so I'll try and keep them all up 😁.

[Adalaide2020]

Hello Ducky, pleased to.meet you and I did 'enjoy' your post although I really felt for you. No one in their right mind wants to be in hospital and the thought of those people being so inconsiderate makes my blood boil (relax Jan, breath) anyhow, I worked on an acute medical ward for many years and I would have been on them like a ton of bricks. I guess the staff were busy but per-lease! TV on at 6.30! We all need to keep a sense of humor and you have managed it big time, I just hope you keep well and stay out of hospital now. I'm going somewhere quiet to kick the cat 'cos I'm so bleeping annoyed for you! 😉 I dont have a cat 🙏

[Ducky2003 in reply to Adalaide2020]

🤣. I'm relieved you don't have a cat 😁..... I have 2. One night, one of the women was grumbling about something about 1am so I did go to the nurses station and asked if I could sleep on the floor by their desk as I was sure it would be quieter. One of them marched into the bay and told the woman to be quiet as she was disturbing folk. Didn't make much difference though 😁. If there is a next time, I'm taking a gag and chloroform with me. 😁.

[Adalaide2020 in reply to Ducky2003]

I've always said you wont get any peace in hospitals. I just hope you dont have to go again. Funny thing is when I worked nights I didn't hear a peep out of my ladies. I wonder what went into that hot chocolate? Mind you that was over 25yrs ago. . . Keep the gag handy. 😉

[Ducky2003 in reply to Adalaide2020]

🤣🤣🤣 🤞 👍