Lessons of the Heart, Part VIII: Ablation Surgery
On Wednesday, October 2, 2024 I underwent a two-and-a-half-hour heart procedure, and I believe that event may mark the end of a two year medical journey starting September 22, 2022 when I entered the hospital with a severe blood infection called sepsis. Sepsis brought me close to death, and it also culminated in endocarditis (heart valve infection), severe atrial fibrillation (fast and irregular heartbeat), and led to eventual open-heart surgery to repair the valve, and two years of trying to bring the atrial fibrillation under control using medication (drugs). It has been a long, challenging journey for me with many twists and turns to it. I believe it is finally over, though I know other health issues will eventually present themselves as I advance in years. I spent a total of six hours in the hospital on October 2: two hours surgical prep, two and a half hours in a surgery that was a spectacular success (see end Note appended below), and an hour and a half in recovery.
