Back again :)

[Dave1961]

Hi Folks

from Sydney Australia

I have been in and out now for a couple years and I thought it was time I revisited and said hi and got my mind back into "it"

I have been losing verrrrry slowly but still losing and had a 2/3 kilo loss in the last 10 days after a hospital stay.

Have suffered from atrial fibrillation for about 5 years and had a really bad attack of it and atrial flutter which landed me in hospital. Basically your heart has a party and it feels like some drunk guy is stamping all over your heart and occasionally revving it up up to 250 beats a minute like some demented F1 driver!

Fortunately I went into flutter and AF several times while I was hooked up in hospital so they could record the whole thing and it also meant an "ablation" to fix it went from elective to mandatory so I could be treated while I was in and it wouldn't cost a cent.

When your heart goes into SVT or flutter or AF - basically out of rhythm - the electrical currents that usually tell your heart to beat...beat...beat...beat.... get a little lost and start doing their own thing.

Usually your heart can damp these down as they happen but if they get too intense they start to take over. and short circuit your heart rhythm. If you think of it like a river that has flooded.

The water breaks the banks sometimes and finds other little paths to go in but when the flood is over the river goes back to normal. The more it floods (the more times electrical activity overwhelms the heart) the more easily the river can change course (the more easily you can go into AF/SVT)

An ablation basically puts up walls to force the flood back. In reality its wires threaded into your heart through your femoral artery which are then heated and used to burn to create scar tissue on parts of your heart which prevents the abnormal currents from getting through.

It happens to me because of a combination of things from my past which have damaged my heart over time - heavy heavy drinking, obesity and smoking. The drinking and smoking I quit years ago and the weight is slowly getting under control.

SO. My electrophysiologist (EP) said he could do an ablation to try and fix the flutter/SVT but I would have to lose around 15 kgs before he would do the ablation to fix the AF (my main problem). Obesity is a big factor when it comes to AF and also how successful an ablation can be.

The first ablation was done Friday and I was home by Saturday afternoon - amazing what they can do.

48 hours ago I was on a table in a catheter lab with wires inside my heart and someone sending tiny electric shocks into my to rev up my heart and see what it was doing and 2 days later its a cup of tea at home and posting this. Amazing!

So thats where I am at.

I am feeling very motivated to continue losing weight and feel more focused than ever.

In the back of mind I know I was assuming I was kind of screwed when it came to my heart and I would have to basically be on heavy heavy drugs to stop the AF which in the process have huge side effects. I really was thinking 5-8 years life expectancy and many visits to hospital.

Now I know I have something which can (hopefully) eradicate or vastly change the strength or frequency of these problems I feel like a new man

I look forward to reading about all the newbies here and how old friends have been getting on.

D

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Oh my gosh Dave, you've certainly been through the mill, recently and I can't tell you how pleased I am with the positive outcome and I'm sure that we can help you lose those 15kgs, to get you that 2nd ablation

Will you be joining today's weigh-in, or waiting until tomorrow?

We also have a Daily Diary now, which I hope you'll consider logging onto, as I remember some delicious recipes of yours, which you'll be able to share.

As this is a new start for you,

I'd like to invite you to join our Newbie Club, which we hope will be a good place for you to connect with members, who are also just starting out, or restarting. If you just post a few words to introduce yourself and respond to others there, you'll soon break the ice. Here's the link

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

You'll find all the information you need to navigate the forum in the header, so please take the time to read it carefully.

Wishing you all the best

[Candystripe]

Hi Dave and welcome back.

I'm basically where I want to be now all bar a couple of pounds do hardly post any more. I do however follow the link still.

Get well soon and big hugs XXX

[Dave1961 25kg in reply to Candystripe]

OMG I am SO proud of you. Thats fantastic! Great to see you again.

xo

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Dave1961 ,

Really exciting to see you back - Welcome back!!! Also welcome back to you Candystripe - good to see you both!!!

So glad your ablation went well Dave, and wishing you success in losing that remaining weight - you can do it!

I've just woken up and am going to get my breakfast, but I am very happy to know you're back, and I can see you've already written another post, so I'll look forward to reading that later!

Have a great day.

Zest xx

[Villageduckpond]

Welcome back 'new man' Dave1961 I have never met you before as I am a recent newbie but heavens what haven't you been through and come out the other side still smiling .....well done

Also, love to Sydney .... might be there in the spring next year!

[Hidden]

Welcome back Dave and I hope you'll find everything you need here to get those 15kgs shifted. It sounds like the docs know exactly what's needed to get you fixed, and it also sounds like they're involving you very well in the process, which I'm sure will help you succeed all the more.

I'm a maintainer these days, have been for 1-2 years in fact. Determined not to put it all back on, for a moment it started to reverse but I nipped it in the bud and am now steady at a bmi of just under 25. My biggest issue is stress and time management, e.g. the running is on hold at the moment due to an overfilled schedule, I really need to just get back out there. A big part of this all is knowing yourself and not accepting all the little excuses that your brain tries to make

[Traceylizzy]

Hi Dave glad your ok 👍🏻