“Thank goodness,” you must think…today’s post will be the last time I discuss my health until I have more definitive answers. Yesterday’s appointment with the cardiac electrophysiologist only resulted in more tests and vague answers. In any case, we will be in Cleveland a lot longer. I have an ablation (a cardiac procedure) scheduled for February 10. I’m on a waiting list for an earlier date, but it’s unlikely it will happen sooner.

Yesterday, a Zio monitor was placed over my heart, which I will have to wear for two more weeks after wearing the 48-hour monitor that I wore a few weeks ago. Now, the doctor is looking for signs of Afib, which would only appear without me being on the medication. Yes, he took me off the drug Multaq, which he clearly stated after reviewing test results offered no improvement for my near-constant PVCs. He didn’t replace it with another drug.

PVCs generally aren’t necessarily life-threatening but, over time, can cause permanent damage to the heart. At this point, my heart itself is in good shape with no evidence of damage due to my rhythm irregularities. I knew this, but the question becomes, can I live my life with the near-constant feeling that birds are flying about in my chest?

Some patients don’t even feel PVCs. But many do, and it becomes a question of yearly checkups to determine the condition of the heart after another year of rhythm irregularities and how tolerable this situation is for the patient over time. When I was on the more dangerous drug, Flecainide, I didn’t feel them since the drug kept them under control but was damaging my body in other ways and increasing the risks of a heart attack or stroke.

As of today, I am off all antiarrhythmic drugs for the first time since last October. The Multaq stays in one’s system for three to four days, so technically, I’m not entirely free of its effects yet. Walking more easily and breathing better will take about a week. Dr. Keogh explained that no drugs currently on the market can help me. The only possible solution is the February procedure.

There are a few ablations, one for PVCs and another for Afib and PVCs. Unless Afib appears on the new two-week monitor, I will only be scheduled for the PVC ablation, which is for the lower part of the heart only. So now, we watch and see. It’s scary being off of any such drug after this challenging past year. Twice in the past two months, I’ve spent three days in hospital with accompanying dangerously high blood pressure.

Based on those bouts, the doctor set up an appointment for October 11 with a nephrologist, described as follows:

“Nephrologists, also known as kidney specialists, are medical doctors who diagnose, treat, and prevent hypertension and kidney diseases. They are experts in treating high blood pressure because the kidneys play a vital role in regulating blood pressure.”

This upcoming appointment may result in more tests, so our plans remain up in the air. As for the angiogram results, one of my cardiac bypass surgery graphs has failed, and the other graphs are 50-60% blocked again. Nothing can be done for these situations. My arteries are too small for stents, and repeat bypass surgeries aren’t recommended until the blockages are 70% to 80% or more. Again, this is a situation I will have to deal with.

So now, I wait and see what transpires without any drugs for the heart rhythm issues and if, off the Multaq, I can walk and breathe easier again in the next several days.

Solutions for medical issues aren’t always clearly defined, as in my case. If I can feel better and continue with our lives of travel, walking, breathing easily, and enjoying every moment, I will be content. Let’s see how all of this rolls out.

When we know more, I will write here. Thank you for all the love and support. My being mum about this until we know more doesn’t mean something Is wrong.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, September 28, 2014:

When I realized we hadn’t updated our situation in a week and instead chose to post articles about travel and technology, I knew it was time for an update. In a way, I suppose I was avoiding the topic, especially since we are unsure of what the future holds.

With most testing completed by this Friday, we’ll meet with the electrophysiologist to develop a treatment plan. The new drug I am taking, Multaq, is only working at about 50% but is causing me side effects that significantly impact my quality of life. I am once again having trouble walking, experiencing breathing issues, and having a feeling of general malaise, such as weakness and feeling tired. It’s been almost three weeks since I started the drug, and by now, some of the side effects should have begun to diminish.

Instead, the side effects worsen each day as I struggle to perform even simple tasks. I’ve forced myself to walk three times a day, but before the drug, once I was off the last drug, I could walk five times a day. Now, the shortest distances are a struggle.

The test results came in from the Holter monitor and indicated I have an excess of irregular heartbeats that require further treatment. This drug, Multaq, is not solving the issue. Plan B must be established, which we’ll learn about during Friday’s doctor’s appointment.

Once we know what will transpire, we can consider the options. In any case, we look forward to being able to leave Cleveland sooner than later. But, at this point, we don’t know.

We are doing alright in this hotel room day after day, night after night. It’s certainly not our first time “stuck” in a hotel room. Since this is more like an apartment than a hotel with a separate bedroom, large bathroom, living room, dining area, and fully equipped kitchen, it’s not bad.

Since we don’t have a car, since parking is $60 per day plus the rental car expense, we don’t go anywhere. Also, with my difficulty walking, how I feel, and the need to use the wheelchair, sightseeing isn’t on our radar while in Cleveland. Once a week, we treat ourselves to Grubhub-delivered meals, enough to last for two nights’ dinner.

I prepare meals for the remainder of the week, and Tom happily helps as needed. I try to be independent and not pester him to help me with everything, but he often “beats me to the punch” and jumps in to help. This morning, he did the week’s laundry. When it was dry, we each folded our own items, and now we’re set for another week.

We are by no means feeling low. We talk and laugh and make the best of the situation, as we always do. Hopefully, soon, we’ll know more about the future, which will surely provide both of us with a much-anticipated burst of enthusiasm.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, September 23, 2014:

Traveling is a tricky business. We are subject to changes, cancellations, and longer-than-expected waiting periods, often at our own expense, due to situations entirely beyond our control. The following story popped up today that clearly illustrates one of those frustrations, in this case, for a more extended period than usual.

From this site:

Passengers bought berths on a 3-year cruise. Months later, the ship is still stuck in Belfast.

By  JILL LAWLESS and PETER MORRISON

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin gave up life on land to become seaborne nomads on a years-long cruise.

Months later, the couple has yet to spend a night at sea. Their ship, the Odyssey, is stuck in Belfast undergoing repair work that has postponed its scheduled May departure for a 3½-year round-the-world voyage.

Bodin said Friday that they have enjoyed their pit stop in the Northern Ireland capital, but “when we’d visited every pub and tried and every fish and chips place and listened to all the places that have Irish music, then we were ready to go elsewhere.”

“We’re ready to set sail, for sure,” added Canen.

Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey is the latest venture in the tempest-tossed world of continuous cruising.

It allows travelers to buy a cabin and live at sea on a ship circumnavigating the globe. On its maiden voyage, it will visit 425 ports in 147 countries on seven continents. Cabins – billed as “villas” — start at $99,999, plus a monthly fee, for the vessel’s operational life, at least 15 years. Passengers can also sign up for voyage segments lasting weeks or months.

Marketing material, aimed at adventurous retirees and restless digital nomads, touts “the incredible opportunity to own a home on a floating paradise,” complete with a gym, spa, putting green, entertainment facilities, a business center, and an “experiential culinary center.”

But first, the Odyssey has to get out of the dock. It’s now at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard, where the doomed RMS Titanic was built over a century ago.

Villa Vie Residences’ marketing manager, Sebastian Stokkendal, said the company had been “humbled by the scale of what it takes to reactivate a 30-year-old vessel from a four-year layup.”

He said that the ship was almost ready to depart after work on the rudder shafts, steel work, and engine overhauls.”

Calling itself the first perpetual world cruise, Odyssey has a busy 425-port itinerary across 147 countries through 2028. Its cabins, renamed “villas” by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, start at $99,999 and run to $899,000, with monthly fees that vary according to the cabin type and number of occupants. Non-resident passengers can also sign up for segments that last weeks or months.

As of today, the Odyssey has yet to set sail. We can only imagine the frustration of the waiting passengers who have upended their lives for this extended journey.

Photo from ten years ago today, September 22, 2014: