Our Stories
Lub-a-Dub Lub-a-Dub
By Erik Godo | posted 12/04/2008
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:8-9)
Since the mid-90's I've had a "heart skip thing" going on with my heart. A funny beat followed by a "big beat" (cardiologist said when the heart is re-synchronizing it fills with blood so the first pump is big) then regular again. Went to the cardiologist and they said don't worry about it after a bunch of tests (treadmill, ultrasound, etc.). In 2002 I had my first "multiple skip" where it had the funny beat 6 times in a row, then recovered - the cardiologist again said don't worry about it.
My cholesterol has been rising now I'm in my mid-40's and my primary care doc said "you better start exercising and watch your diet or you are going to need cholesterol lowering drugs." So I started running since it was the only thing I could squeeze in with that dang 787 program - maximum weight loss with minimum time. Then I went to Norway in July and stopped the running. When I regularly exercise the heart "skipping" goes away. Cindy bugged me about starting up exercise again but...I...didn't.
Then on early Sunday, November 16 I was lying in bed, just awake around 6:40 AM. And it started skipping...and...didn't stop. I tried to move around and nothing helped. I woke up Cindy to call 911. I thought, “Is this it Lord? Time to leave?” in a matter-of-fact way since being a Christian you aren't afraid of dying - it's just part of the journey. But it wasn't time - I felt pretty normal "skipping" away waiting for the EMTs to come. The EMTs hooked me up to a heart monitor and said "Yep, you are having atrial fibrillation" which is not life threatening since the main chambers, the ventricles, are still pumping. The ventricles are confused however because they trigger off of the atrials so my heart-rate was 150 or so. The atrials pool with blood and they worry about strokes/clots. They gave me a drug (a calcium blocker to remove the fast heart pathways) to try and get it back to normal but it didn't help. So off to the ER in Overlake I went.
Upon arrival in the Overlake ER I was thinking we all complain about the rising cost of medical care in the U.S. but this system...is...Amazing! Within 20 minutes I have had more than 10 people helping me, at least 5 at all times. Just from a phone call.
They finally got the anesthesiologist and were going to put me under with a quick-acting sedative to shock me back into normal rhythm. I was out and back in what seemed like seconds. And then I was ready to go and they told me to see my cardiologist but otherwise I could do anything I wanted. And I was back at home at 9:00 AM.
They shave you when they stick on the electrodes of the defibrillator. Since I'm kinda hairy this looks pretty funny so I decided to use my shaver clipper to make it more consistent. This creates problems because you end up with a hairy/no-hair demarcation and you have to clip more and more and where do you stop?
You always wonder, "WHY God are you giving me these problems?" And always you find him later using you in some way you didn't expect. That same Sunday at Lars' birthday party I was talking to a classmate of Lars' parents. He talked about his heart experience to me and had gone to doctors and they looked at him with a blank stare. He described the "big beat" to me and I said exactly. Later that week he talked to a cardiac nurse friend and now he is going to the same cardiologists in December to have it all checked out. He thanked me since he's been wondering what was wrong with him. Aha! Ding!
So I'm back running again - Cindy is happy. May all your beats be consistent and steady.
To respond to this message, email Erik at erik.godo "at" ieee.org.
