Walt's Journey

This morning I went in and visited with the person that will be my cardiologist. I am so thankful to be recommend to a cardiologist at U of M, and to be taken care of by the best. She also specializes in Aorta issues. God is good.

I had a lot of questions, and got a much clearer understanding of everything going on. I learned more about my dissection, and what to expect going forward. An “Acute Type A” dissection is a dissection in the arch of the Aorta near the heart, and is usually fatal. A “Type B” dissection is one that is more in the trunk of the Aorta, and often times can be treated with medications and close monitoring. I had both an Acute Type A and Type B. All of my arch and a big portion of my trunk dissected. Dr. Patel replaced most of my arch with a Dacron patch, and the rest of the Aorta is still dissected. I will be closely monitored going forward. If there are any issues with the remaining dissection, then they may have to go back in and patch the rest of the dissection.

My PVC’s are getting worse. I have an appointment with an Electrophysiologist on December 2nd. I am sure a course of action will be determined at this time. It appears that I may need a procedure where they will go up into my heart and zap the area that is causing the irregularity.

I asked about my fatigue, and this is something that is expected for both the surgery that I went through as well as the medications I am on. My cardiologist said that this could last for several months, and that I need to continue to get as much rest as possible.

At this point, I am letting everything sink in.