Brent's Posts

My goodness, it has been a roller coaster the last 3 months. See below post for the first part of how things went. Having started cardiac rehab and feeling like things were going good. I started to notice I felt more tired, was putting on some weight and my resting pulse rate was going up. To make a long story short I collapsed last Tuesday evening while walking up the stairs at home. Was taken by ambulance to the emergency department, where they did a CT scan hoping to rule out a pulmonary embolism. What they did find was Pericardial Effusion. So, I was transferred to the main hospital where I had my surgery performed earlier this year. There , I was admitted and had an echo(ultrasound) done and it showed a lot of fluid around my heart and heart sack. So much so, that I was told it was cardiac tamponade and they needed to drain the fluid right away. So, to the O.R. and they initially drained a liter of fluid off. Put in a vacuum type drain that would help pull more fluid off. Over the course of the next 3 days, another liter of fluid drained and I was finally able to come home this past Sunday. I guess I am feeling okay, but the mental aspect of this all gives me pause. I feel like right now, its is all I can think about. I want to be able to not have this be the first thing in my mind all the time. So, keep an eye on yourself. Watch for any early symptoms and get to the doctor quickly if you notice anything. Take care, Brent