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Actually "prehab" is a better predictor
Oh yes, I did that too.
WowJust on a year ago I left hospital after a 5 day intensive inpatient course of cladribine infusions to treat hairy cell leukaemia. It is not an experience I am keen to repeat.
That said, as I enjoy my remission from the HCL, today I want to give my thanks to everyone involved. Thanks to the researchers who found this targeted immunotherapy and all the patients who went in clinical trials to find out that it was safe and effective. Thanks to the drug companies for making it. Thanks to the TGA for approving it for use in Australia, and the Government for making it available on the PBS and DVA schedules. Thanks to DVA for paying my costs. Thanks to Dr Pati, my wonderful haematologist and Dr Malik, my GP for taking care of me so well. Thanks to all the blood collection technicians, and the pathologists and lab staff who tested my blood samples - sometimes as often as twice a day. Thanks to the ACT government for the wonderful myDHR app so I got my results in table and graph format within 3 hrs or less, every single time. Thanks to the absolutely kind and compassionate chemo nurses who made it a bit less scary and a bit more tolerable. Thanks to the general nurses, even if many of them overdid the chemo precautions. Thanks to the hospital kitchen staff for making soft foods for me when the whole roof of my mouth peeled off after less than 2 hrs on treatment. Thanks to Mr Seat 0A for looking after me when I was very low, and for isolating with me so I did not get any infections, keeping me company and cheering me up, cooking, cleaning, shopping and everything else. Thanks to my mum, daughter and granddaughter for isolation busting phone calls and video calls to boost morale. Thanks to my darling PT Pip (RIP) who made a special exercise through chemo program for me, and broke all the isolation rules to pop past the hospital with coconut mango sago pudding. Thanks to all my kind friends who brought me food (that I mainly could not eat) and books and gave me podcast and TV recommendations to help pass the time, and stood outside my windows and talked to me. thanks to Covid for teaching us all these things to cope with isolation. Thanks to family far away for What’s App messages and phone and video calls despite weird time zones, especially Seat Son and my two fantastic sisters-in-law and various nieces. Thanks to all the kind people on here who cheered me on my way. Thanks to anyone I forgot to thank.
Yes, it takes a lot of people to get one cancer patient into remission, and I appreciate you all.
.
And I feel you can take some of that "thanks" also, @Seat0B for sharing your journey with such honesty and positivity at a very personal time.
). Yes, still in flutter. Technician will arrange a cardioversion - call you tomorrow. . Had a good chat to the lovely young lady paramedic.
After my pacemaker was installed in 2015 I had PMT, pacemaker mediated tachycardia. It took 3 months of weekly electro-cardiologist visits to work out why and start the process of correcting it. The point of this post is to tell you when it was first noticed by my cardiologist he attempted to stop it by placing his fingers over the carotid arteries in the neck to stem the flow of blood. It did not work in my case because the pacemaker was overriding the attempt (and so I had to drive the 20km to my electro-cardio's office to have him make an adjustment) but it would seem it might be possible in the absence of medical care to do this yourself.So I saw my cardio an hour after I arrived back in Hobart on Monday (sometimes living in a small place has its advantages
Unfortunately, due to an anaesthetist shortage (flip side of living in a small place) can't get me in until following Monday. Gulp.
So during last week I tried to go about business as usual, but not feeling great. Worst, Apple watch showed heart was up and down like the Assyrian Empire (to coin a phrase) - down to 36 bpm for periods of 10 mins or so while sleeping, up to 100 while sitting. I know I shouldn't look often, but hard not to.
Finally, last Thurs night after dinner started feeling really bad - hot, a bit trembly, heart rate up while sitting until it went into tachycardia at about 114 bpm. Out of tachy, then back in. Almost certainly being driven by feedback loop of stress; I'm by myself in a small rural town. I didn't want to take a beta blocker (to slow heart rate down) due to observed low heart rates already.
Bugger it, dialled 000 for the first time ever and got an overnight bag ready if going to hospital. Local ambulance vollies turned up at 11pm (geez - lighting the place up, with 360degrees side floodlights etc. What will the neighbours think!!) Did some basic stuff, saw I wasn't too serious physically. Then state service ambo turned up with paramedics. Did thorough assessment then announced they thought I should go to Hobart (+1 hour away) for observation. I was OK with that.
First ever ride in ambulance
Taken to Hobart Private ED, arrived abt 1am, taken to bed, blood taken, assessed and hooked up. Spent very uncomfortable night; virtually no sleep. It was all great there except for the noise! I think a well known feature, and they obviously can't keep quiet when admitting/treating others but much of the noise this night was easily avoidable. Won't go into it, as of course I was grateful to be there but certainly patient sleep and comfort isn't a priority. Nurses were fantastic, especially the lady on night shift. Oh, just remembered. the night shift Dr was very average - very heavily accented, not always understandable, but worst, had a bad cough. Had surgical (not N95) mask on, but didn't cover mouth while coughing!!
Next morning, told the cardioversion would be done that day (hooray!). So admitted, paid $500 health fund excess and $300 for ED. Taken up to private room, then my cardiologist appeared in casuals (it was obviously his day off - made me feel even more cough). Then aestheticist arrived, went through the usual stuff very business like, then everyone there, in goes the good stuff. Wake up, heart back to normal rhythm, discharged a couple of hours later.
In retrospect, this was a useful experience. I'm always worried about 'what if' when I'm travelling, esp to paces like Antarctica. Cardio previously assured me that I was OK to be in flutter, just a matter of feeling bad, maybe. No need for evacuation. But to experience it over a number of days was a new experience. Travelling these days I'm usually in populated places and/or with a group so I wouldn't be so stressed
So I saw my cardio an hour after I arrived back in Hobart on Monday (sometimes living in a small place has its advantages
Unfortunately, due to an anaesthetist shortage (flip side of living in a small place) can't get me in until following Monday. Gulp.
So during last week I tried to go about business as usual, but not feeling great. Worst, Apple watch showed heart was up and down like the Assyrian Empire (to coin a phrase) - down to 36 bpm for periods of 10 mins or so while sleeping, up to 100 while sitting. I know I shouldn't look often, but hard not to.
Finally, last Thurs night after dinner started feeling really bad - hot, a bit trembly, heart rate up while sitting until it went into tachycardia at about 114 bpm. Out of tachy, then back in. Almost certainly being driven by feedback loop of stress; I'm by myself in a small rural town. I didn't want to take a beta blocker (to slow heart rate down) due to observed low heart rates already.
Bugger it, dialled 000 for the first time ever and got an overnight bag ready if going to hospital. Local ambulance vollies turned up at 11pm (geez - lighting the place up, with 360degrees side floodlights etc. What will the neighbours think!!) Did some basic stuff, saw I wasn't too serious physically. Then state service ambo turned up with paramedics. Did thorough assessment then announced they thought I should go to Hobart (+1 hour away) for observation. I was OK with that.
First ever ride in ambulance
Taken to Hobart Private ED, arrived abt 1am, taken to bed, blood taken, assessed and hooked up. Spent very uncomfortable night; virtually no sleep. It was all great there except for the noise! I think a well known feature, and they obviously can't keep quiet when admitting/treating others but much of the noise this night was easily avoidable. Won't go into it, as of course I was grateful to be there but certainly patient sleep and comfort isn't a priority. Nurses were fantastic, especially the lady on night shift. Oh, just remembered. the night shift Dr was very average - very heavily accented, not always understandable, but worst, had a bad cough. Had surgical (not N95) mask on, but didn't cover mouth while coughing!!
Next morning, told the cardioversion would be done that day (hooray!). So admitted, paid $500 health fund excess and $300 for ED. Taken up to private room, then my cardiologist appeared in casuals (it was obviously his day off - made me feel even more cough). Then aestheticist arrived, went through the usual stuff very business like, then everyone there, in goes the good stuff. Wake up, heart back to normal rhythm, discharged a couple of hours later.
In retrospect, this was a useful experience. I'm always worried about 'what if' when I'm travelling, esp to paces like Antarctica. Cardio previously assured me that I was OK to be in flutter, just a matter of feeling bad, maybe. No need for evacuation. But to experience it over a number of days was a new experience. Travelling these days I'm usually in populated places and/or with a group so I wouldn't be so stressed
