Mark's Heart Surgery
Donation protected
I asked Uncle Mark to share his story so here it is.
I first noticed some extra heartbeats in 1987 - just a few annoying thumps that my doctor said were not life threatening. They call them PVC’s, or premature ventricular contractions. Lots of people have them. They prescribed a medication called a beta-blocker, which is intended to reduce their frequency mainly for comfort’s sake.
Life with occasional palpitations continued until 2007 when I began to have more frequent episodes that would last for a couple of weeks, then subside, then return again. This time, the diagnosis was PAC’s, or premature atrial contractions – another type of “benign” heart palpitation. I went to Bryan Hospital in Lincoln for a CAT scan of my heart. Everything looked good mechanically – it was an electrical problem.
Then, in 2009, while I was at work, I stood up and noticed that my heart was racing and thumping hard. I had had occasional periods before when it would do this for less than five seconds, but this time, it was locked-in with a pulse that was over 200 beats per minute. I went to the Holdrege Emergency Room where they injected me with Adenosine, which briefly stops the heart with hopes that it will “wake up” with a normal rhythm. When this did not work, they injected me with other medications. After about 45 minutes, my pulse slowly began to come back down and I spent the next three days in the ICU as they worked to stabilize my rhythm.
This time, they diagnosed me with atrial fibrillation. This is a much more serious condition needing immediate medical attention. With atrial fibrillation, or AF, the heart’s electrical signals become disorganized, causing the heart to contract very fast and irregularly. The biggest concern with AF is the increased risk of having a stroke. This is because the irregular rhythm reduces the effectiveness of the heart’s pumping action, allowing blood to pool in the atria. When it does that, the blood tends to form clots which can then travel to the brain or lungs, etc. To treat the AF, I was put on two drugs: Metoprolol and Amiodarone.
For the next five years, I continued to have periods where I would have lots of heart palpitations lasting about two weeks followed by periods of relative calm for about five weeks. Then, about a month ago, I had another AF event. Like the first time, I was at work and suddenly noticed my heart was racing. I tried the self-help techniques to try to stop it (deep breathing, bearing down) but they didn’t work. So, I was again rushed to the Holdrege Emergency Room. This time, my pulse was about 170 beats per minute. As with the first time in 2009, they injected me with Adenosine and this time it worked in bringing my pulse back to normal. I was released the same day with instructions to double the Metoprolol dose I had been taking.
Metoprolol is a beta-blocker that slows heart rate and blood pressure. It is not particularly harmful to the body but the common side effects, which I have, include sleepiness and being easily fatigued. My pulse, as I’m writing this, is 52, but has been as low as 44. Amiodarone is an anti-arrhythmic drug that helps restore normal heart rhythm. Unfortunately, it is also toxic to the body and can cause lung damage, liver disease, corneal lesions (which I have), and very sun-sensitive skin (which I also have).
I went to a new cardiologist this month. He was concerned to see that I had been on Amiodarone for the past five years since it is so toxic. He highly recommended cardiac ablative surgery, where they insert a catheter in a vein in your leg, and insert electrodes through it up into your heart where they monitor where the erratic electrical signals are originating from, then they zap those areas using heat or cold. This surgery would allow me to get off of the heart medications and have normal heart rhythm.
We have a friend who had the cardiac ablative surgery performed at the University of Iowa. He said it has completely changed his life.
Would you please first and foremost keep Mark in your prayers, praying specifically for strength and God's provision?
SHARE this with your friends and family!
Should God move your heart, would you also consider helping Mark and his family? We are praying that God will meet their needs.
We thank God for you!
Sharesse Houchin (Mark's niece)
I first noticed some extra heartbeats in 1987 - just a few annoying thumps that my doctor said were not life threatening. They call them PVC’s, or premature ventricular contractions. Lots of people have them. They prescribed a medication called a beta-blocker, which is intended to reduce their frequency mainly for comfort’s sake.
Life with occasional palpitations continued until 2007 when I began to have more frequent episodes that would last for a couple of weeks, then subside, then return again. This time, the diagnosis was PAC’s, or premature atrial contractions – another type of “benign” heart palpitation. I went to Bryan Hospital in Lincoln for a CAT scan of my heart. Everything looked good mechanically – it was an electrical problem.
Then, in 2009, while I was at work, I stood up and noticed that my heart was racing and thumping hard. I had had occasional periods before when it would do this for less than five seconds, but this time, it was locked-in with a pulse that was over 200 beats per minute. I went to the Holdrege Emergency Room where they injected me with Adenosine, which briefly stops the heart with hopes that it will “wake up” with a normal rhythm. When this did not work, they injected me with other medications. After about 45 minutes, my pulse slowly began to come back down and I spent the next three days in the ICU as they worked to stabilize my rhythm.
This time, they diagnosed me with atrial fibrillation. This is a much more serious condition needing immediate medical attention. With atrial fibrillation, or AF, the heart’s electrical signals become disorganized, causing the heart to contract very fast and irregularly. The biggest concern with AF is the increased risk of having a stroke. This is because the irregular rhythm reduces the effectiveness of the heart’s pumping action, allowing blood to pool in the atria. When it does that, the blood tends to form clots which can then travel to the brain or lungs, etc. To treat the AF, I was put on two drugs: Metoprolol and Amiodarone.
For the next five years, I continued to have periods where I would have lots of heart palpitations lasting about two weeks followed by periods of relative calm for about five weeks. Then, about a month ago, I had another AF event. Like the first time, I was at work and suddenly noticed my heart was racing. I tried the self-help techniques to try to stop it (deep breathing, bearing down) but they didn’t work. So, I was again rushed to the Holdrege Emergency Room. This time, my pulse was about 170 beats per minute. As with the first time in 2009, they injected me with Adenosine and this time it worked in bringing my pulse back to normal. I was released the same day with instructions to double the Metoprolol dose I had been taking.
Metoprolol is a beta-blocker that slows heart rate and blood pressure. It is not particularly harmful to the body but the common side effects, which I have, include sleepiness and being easily fatigued. My pulse, as I’m writing this, is 52, but has been as low as 44. Amiodarone is an anti-arrhythmic drug that helps restore normal heart rhythm. Unfortunately, it is also toxic to the body and can cause lung damage, liver disease, corneal lesions (which I have), and very sun-sensitive skin (which I also have).
I went to a new cardiologist this month. He was concerned to see that I had been on Amiodarone for the past five years since it is so toxic. He highly recommended cardiac ablative surgery, where they insert a catheter in a vein in your leg, and insert electrodes through it up into your heart where they monitor where the erratic electrical signals are originating from, then they zap those areas using heat or cold. This surgery would allow me to get off of the heart medications and have normal heart rhythm.
We have a friend who had the cardiac ablative surgery performed at the University of Iowa. He said it has completely changed his life.
Would you please first and foremost keep Mark in your prayers, praying specifically for strength and God's provision?
SHARE this with your friends and family!
Should God move your heart, would you also consider helping Mark and his family? We are praying that God will meet their needs.
We thank God for you!
Sharesse Houchin (Mark's niece)
Give $100 to help get this fundraiser to its goal
Organizer
Sharesse Houchin
Organizer
Axtell, NE
Inspired to help? Start a fundraiser for someone you know
