The Wizard hath spoken.

[DFW]

I’m in recovery.

Immediate diagnosis is: hurry up and wait, BUT——

I had no further arterial blockage, so no additional stent(s) were required. The extra heartbeats ARE still there and must be addressed. They will try with medication (color me skeptical) or another kind of intervention in the fall, maybe.. But it’s not an immediate danger. It’s shortly after noon here (German time). They said my wife can puck me up in three hours.

There will be a follow-up story to this one. If their diagnosis was correct, it’s not for the immediate future. I suspect my bill will be around €15,000. It’s still less than half of the €30,000 of the yearly insurance premium the Germans quoted me. Our American insurance is sure to deny the whole thing. What else is new?

My infinite gratitude and appreciation for all those who bothered to express good wishes/vibes/etc. I came out of this not exactly cured but secure in the knowledge that I am in no imminent danger for now. That’s a more encouraging diagnosis than many can say they have received recently, so I’ll accept it without whining.

There will be a next chapter, but not immediately. I’ll take it.

Again, thanks to all!! Now it’s time worry about those facing less rosy diagnoses.**

**if the specialists here turn out to bave been wrong about me after all, and I fall over dead tomorrow, I reserve the right to take it all back!

[SheltieLover]

1. Yaaaay!

Ty for sharing your great news!

[True Dough]

2. Here goes...

Möge dein Herz noch viele Jahre schlagen!

^ Admittedly used "Google translate" for that one. Hope it makes sense. A bit puzzled by the seemingly random capital letters, but maybe German is like that?

Take care.

[DFW]

9. Google was accurate this time, and the capital letters weren't random

Proper nouns are capitalized in German.

[The Madcap]

11. Not just proper nouns,

but all nouns.

[Irish_Dem]

3. So far so good!! Great news!!

And you are being released to go home.

Take it easy.

There are meds for the extra heartbeats that work well.

[mwmisses4289]

4. Good news is good news.

Here's to many more healthy years to you and your family!

[Liberal In Texas]

5. Sounds like good news (Except for the bill LOL)

I am quite familiar with those extra beats. PVCs mine were called. They're not actually extra, there is one that is premature. Premature Ventricular Contractions. I was told that unless they bothered me a lot to not worry about it. But I was also getting some other weird beats and that turned out to be Afib. Long story short, a couple of cardiac ablations (day procedures) and I'm pretty well fixed up. No more Afib. The PVCs have lessened to a level where they're not noticed.

It sounds like you're going to be OK.

[LuckyCharms]

6. So glad to see you posting so soon!

Sounds like things are looking up, and I'm grateful for that.

You're a good guy, DFW.

Edit to add: If your extra beats are PVCs (Premature Ventricular Contractions), try not to worry too much. I've had them for about 10 years, and while they can freak you out a bit, they are usually pretty harmless.

Wishing you all of the best. I think you'll be around awhile to enjoy your beautiful family.

[murielm99]

7. Good news.

Thanks for letting everyone know.

[Scrivener7]

8. Good news. And good luck going forward.

[niyad]

10. So good to see your post first thing! Vibes for continuing recovery

and healing. May this weekend be beautiful and peaceful.

[surfered]

12. I love your attitude. Continued good luck...

[highplainsdem]

13. Good to see you back so soon! I hope the meds they'll try will help, but if not, there are very successful

treatments for arrhythmias, including cardiac ablation as Liberal In Texas mentioned above (which one of my brothers also had; heart problems run in my family) and pacemakers (which my mom needed, before cardiac ablation became common).

[AllaN01Bear]

14. good

ive been dealing with afib for 10 years . this last go round was when a dr took me off a med cold turkey. the hearrt decided to play. been playing ever since . i have had good success with meds and going into the main hospital w drs ballanceing meds working with my ticker dr.

[cachukis]

15. Aces!

[tavernier]

16. Nice.

Thanks for the good news!

[littlemissmartypants]

17. Excellent news, DFW!! We're rooting for you! 🌞❤️

[orangecrush]

18. Thanks for the good news!

[KPN]

19. Great news DFW. Good to hear ...

and especially so soon! Love your attitude!

[livetohike]

20. Great news! Thanks for posting so soon DFW.

Continued positive thoughts for your recovery .

[PatSeg]

21. That sounds quite encouraging

You sound very chipper, probably more than you feel right now, but it appears the Great Pumpkin was on the job!

[NBachers]

22. OK, thanks for the good news. Your Mission is to outlive the Orange Hellbeast and help us build a more perfect future.

[hlthe2b]

23. That is good news, DFW. I'm pleased to hear this.

May good health and outcomes continue for a very long time!

[BumRushDaShow]

24. Happy for your prognosis

My BIL is going through similar and had been fitted with a stent and was originally scheduled for another or a bypass this week (apparently set up by attending physicians) until his cardiologist stepped in and rescheduled that procedure for next month to give time for the anticoagulants to work.

[Alice Kramden]

25. Very glad for you

Thanks for the update

[NNadir]

26. My wife had an laser ablation, atrioventricular node ablation...

...for a similar syndrome, atrial fibrillation.

It was a day procedure. We went in around 7 AM and were having pie in a diner by 3 PM.

Hopefully the treatment for your syndrome will be as minimal.

[irisblue]

27. Thank uou for the update, it is good to know you can go home today

[Grim Chieftain]

28. Wonderful news, DFW!

You have been in my thoughts since we learned of your heart issues. Take care of yourself and please keep us posted when you can.

[blm]

29. Relieved to hear that.

💐

[MiHale]

30. Glad to hear good news....👍

If the extra beats are a-fib, not saying great but I’ve been living with it for decades…managed by pharmaceuticals.
Just gotta stay within my limits. That’s the hardest thing to learn and abide by.

[yardwork]

31. Very glad to hear this!

May you continue to heal. Your voice is important.

[CaptainTruth]

32. Wishing you the best!!!

[DFW]

33. Thanks, all. But I'm not out of the woods yet.

Final report went something like this:

Follow up with a hospital cardiologist. Not quite as rosy as wished. I indeed was not blocked up enough to need another stent. However, I am still showing far too many supplemental heartbeats to be healthy. Too many supplemental heartbeats overstrain the heart muscle, and lead to heart failure. What they think will probably be needed will be what is called a heart ablation, unless some combination of medicines will alleviate the symptoms. Follow up talks next week.

Still, it was "call us Monday," and not "bring a suitcase, you're not going anywhere!"

[question everything]

34. Great news.