Heart Attack to 10K (part 4.21) - Stuck in reverse (recap of 2022)

 Part 4.21 - STUCK IN REVERSE (RECAP OF 2022)

(Phase VI - sustaining a healthy life-style)

"Nothings going to happen unless you make it happen."

I would normally do an end of year blog on the anniversary of my first cardiac rehab heart assessment on the 31st January 2017, but 2022 has careered so far off the path I set myself that's it feels like I've been going backwards - negating a lot of what I have achieved, so I felt compiled do a re-cap of the past year just so I have a personal log if nothing else. It's been a disrupted year where due to a deteriorating heart rhythm, my exercising and running levels suffered significantly and consequently I've got a bit porky undoing 5 years of weight loss and I've been getting a little too near for comfort to my heart attack weight again.

I shall try and keep this blog brief but it has been one helluva year.

After 2020 where I had to several hospital appointments (not all cardiac related), for my 2021 new year resolution I set a target to stay out of hospital and miraculously managed to do just that with zero appointments throughout the year, but that not to say that my condition wasn't slowly getting worse and by contrast managed 23 either in-hospital or phone consultation appointments during 2022.


By January 2022 I was getting worried enough to raise concerns about the increasing frequency of my AFib episodes [see part 4.17] and was again referred to the cardiologist for further investigations. In early March I had an echocardiogram which gave favourable results with an ejection fraction (measurement of the blood pumped from the heart with each heartbeat around the body) of 60-65% (normal 50-75%) though grade 1 diastolic dysfunction was noted. Apparently this occurs when the left lower chamber of the heart (the left ventricle) has trouble relaxing in between beats because it has stiffened over time. It interferes slightly with the heart's most important job—getting oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body which might explain a few things, especially while running.

As covered in my last blog [see 4.20], on returning home from the MK Dons League 1 play-off match at the beginning of May I went into an AFib episode which was to last for next 88 days, taking me over the 7 day threshold and into 'persistent' AFib for the first time. Up to now the average duration of an episode would last 40 hours and would typically return again after about 17 days.

During this period I had another trip in an ambulance to A&E at Stoke Mandeville hospital once more with chest pains; had a 24 hour cardioSTAT ECG monitor which showed AFib throughout and further phone consultations with my cardiologist before having my first DC Cardioversion [see part 4.20] in early August, this is where they zap your heart with an electrical current to try and reset its rhythm back to normal, it took two shocks out of a possible 3, but was successful.

Over the next couple of days I never really felt any better than before remaining very fatigued and tired, though it was good to see a ‘normal sinus rhythm’ on my KardiaMobile again [see part 4.17]. As I got ready for work on the Monday morning 3 days later I took another Kardia, this time it was showing a normal rhythm but with a regular ectopic beats, but the heart rate was a good steady 56, so I went into work. As soon as I arrived at my desk, my blood pressure shot up to 160/102 and heart rate elevated to 126 and lo and behold the Kardia showed ‘possible atrial fibrillation’, so I was out of AFib for all of 87.5 hours! A visit back to the cardiac day unit confirmed my readings and they increased my dose of the ‘drunken zombie drug’ Bisoprolol from 1.25mg to 5.0mg to try and control my higher heart rate.

a year of hospital appointments

At the end of Sept I was again back down the hospital this time for my 4th coronary angioplasty. It was nice seeing some of the staff in the cardiac day unit again who treated like an old friend but the angioplasty, performed by the same cardiologist who carried out my first angioplasty back in 2013, was probably the worst chest pain I have ever experienced.

map of my heart
The first stent (4th in total) was OK, I was told to expect some pain while they ballooned the artery and it disappeared once the stent was inserted which was uncomfortable but tolerable, the second where I believe they opened up an existing stent the heavy dull pain right across my chest didn't go and I had to be given morphine in the catheter lab and further painkillers back in the day unit until it settled.

The pain must be similar to that of a heart attack as the balloon blocks the artery simulating a heart attack situation but this was far worse than my actual heart attack, the cardiologist thought this was a good sign that they had found the right spot but for me it was a touch worrying - thoughts of being one of the 1/1000 to suffer serious complications flashed through my mind.

A whole new cocktail of tablets for at least the next year.

This doesn't fix my AFib problem which is still on-going and as I write this (1st Jan 2023) and has lasted 146 days so far, it will probably continue until at least my next cardioversion on 26th January 2023

Following on from the angioplasty I never really felt any better suffering with a chest infection which then turned to my first case of Covid towards the end of October (yeah, it got me at last! - but I am fully vaccinated and recently had a booster). I had to wait at least a further 4 weeks following this before I could be started on a delayed course of Amiodarone at start of December, this is a particularly 'nasty' drug which could be life threatening causing permanent damage to your lungs and loads of other unpleasant side effects (see list below) but is very effective in combating arrhythmia - it’s not something you want to be on long term though. Providing I respond well to my next cardioversion and this drug is successful on keeping me out of AFib then eventually I could be looking at an ablation (video), but I understand there is a year waiting list for this and I'm not keen on running the risks from this drug for any longer than I have to.

UK government patient alert card.

While all this is going on I was referred to an Urologist as my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) was raised again hitting 6.8 in Oct (slightly higher than it was at a peak 5 years ago), this led to me being put on Finasteride which should help with the night time peeing and reduce the PSA level. Other treatments also included an Ultrasound scan which confirmed an enlarged prostate and another MRI scan to disregard the possibility of cancer, which I’m still waiting the results. In a repeat of 2017 [see part 4.1], in the unlikely event that a biopsy is required it will have to be delayed until I come off the anti-coagulation in just under a years time due to the risk of serious bleeding.

complete parkrun record

All this has really affected my running and basic exercising throughout this year though I have tried to keep up a minimum level by at least regular walking and getting down and walking/jogging the local weekly parkrun when I could [see part 4.20]. Recently I have started on the cardiac rehab programme for the 3rd time which has given me more confidence to start upper body exercising again, something I have avoided since the persistent AFib began.

I always like to try and put a positive spin on these blogs but this year has been like I'm stuck in reverse which has been very frustrating - knowing where I was to where I am now. But hopefully, providing I start moving forward, there is a light at the end of tunnel and plan in place. The cardioversion can’t come quick enough (even if it means missing the Wycombe v Oxford football match) and from there I hope to get back to achieving what I was maybe a couple of years ago, the long term goal is then an ablation as a more permanent solution and to get off the 'nasty' drug.

comparison in distances (km) ran between 2021 & 2022
(red markers are when I've been in AFib)

Amiodarone Side Effects:
(I have seen these listed on several different web-sites and read many horror stories, I realise that you only get to see the bad/more serious cases on forums but it is still a worry)

  • Lung toxicity is common (between 10 and 17%) and can be fatal; symptoms may include wheezing, difficulty breathing, fever, shortness of breath and coughing up blood. Pulmonary fibrosis is a very serious complication of amiodarone therapy.
  • Liver damage, liver enzyme elevation, hepatitis.
  • Worsening of irregular heart rhythms, Torsades de Pointes (can lead to sudden cardiac death), slow heart rate.
  • Thyroid disorders, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyrotoxicosis.
  • Serious visual disturbances, loss of vision, optic nerve damage, blindness.
  • Fatigue, tiredness, unsteadiness, dizziness.
  • Tremor, hand shaking.
  • Nerve tingling in extremities, burning or pain in fingers and toes.
  • Digestive distress, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, constipation.
  • Deposits in the cornea of the eye.
  • Heart failure.
  • Discoloration of the skin (a blue-grey tinge).
  • Rash, skin reaction (requires immediate medical attention!), skin sensitivity to sunlight.
  • Pancreatitis, liver damage.
  • Hallucinations.
  • Blood disorders.

UK government web site, drug safety update: Amiodarone (reminder of risks of treatment and need for patient monitoring and supervision) ... link


Heart attack to 10K pictorial record - click here

Thank-you for reading and I would love to hear your thoughts on any subject I have covered, please leave your comments below or email me at peterjemmett@aol.com



My full story - from heart attack to half marathon:

Part 1 - That fateful day. (Phase I - heart attack)  click here
Part 2 - Back home & drama at White Hart Lane. (Phase II - home recovery)  click here
Part 3 - They tried to make me go to rehab, I said yes, yes, yes please. (Phase III - cardiac rehabilitation)  click here
Part 4.1 - Getting FFITer and Harefield & Heartbreak hill revisited (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.2 - Walking for heart & soul & finding parkrun (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.3 - End of year 1 round-up and assessment (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.4 - Falling heart rate: fitter or hibernation? (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.5 - Pain in the bum, going senile and sub 30! (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.6 - Sub 29, attack of the AKI and 1 year old (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.7 - Pushing the boundaries (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.8 - Bling, bling, bling, two 10K's and a 5K. (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.9 - 3 Years On, Ragged Radnage and Pete's bolus journey (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.10 - Coping with COVID-19 and what they say (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.11 - Living in the lock-down (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.12 - Plus and minus 3.5 years; heart attack to half marathon! (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.13 - Is it worth the risk? (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.14 - Mixed bag through Covid (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.15 - Getting back in the groove (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.16 - Reintegrating back into society (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.17 - Get that crazy rhythm (the low down on AFib) (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.18 - The 5 year itch, time to cut the CRAP! (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.19 - The last word (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.20 - Persisting with parkrun (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
 
Next:
Part 4.22 - Starting all over again 6 years on (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.23 - God bless the NHS (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.24 - What I can, when I can (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
 Part 4.25 - Life changes (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here

Comments

  1. Anonymous1 January 2023 at 16:41

    Blimey that's a lot to go through in one year. But as for park run just go around it and enjoy it not worry to much about time

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter Jemmett1 January 2023 at 18:37

      Parkrun hasn't been about the time, especially during this AFib episode. It's more about trying to remain active.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous14 February 2023 at 14:21

    Wow Peter, your story is amazing, and your determination is an inspiration. I used to be a hardcore runner until April 2020 when I started with paroxysmal Afib. Now I’m dealing with those same questions of how to balance life and Afib. Keep up the wonderful work. Thanks for sharing. Found the link on Health Unlocked and look forward to following your journey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter Jemmett15 February 2023 at 15:27

      Thanks for your reply, I hope you can find your path. I decided a long time ago (well, after my heart attack) either to sit back and accept my fate or try and do something about it, so here I am!

      Delete

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The rest of the story

Heart Attack to 10K (part 4.1) - Getting FFITer and Harefield & Heartbreak hill revisited

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GETTING FFITer. (Phase VI – sustaining a healthy life-style ) "Nothings going to happen unless you make it happen." I already knew I had an enlarged prostate, but during early April 2017 that I noticed that I was having to visit the little chairboys room a bit more frequently and it was becoming more difficult to pass water. I thought this might be due to a change in medication so mentioned it to my GP on one of my many visits. This prompted the doctor to get a little more intimate with me than I was comfortable with as he gave my prostate a little tickle (you'll probably have to pay extra for that in a house of ill repute!) and he then referred me to the Urologist. A blood test showed my PSA ( Prostate-specific antigen, a protein released from the prostate gland into the blood stream) to be 6.2, this was cause for concern as anything over 4.0 could indicate the presence of cancer cells. Normally, I believe the next stage would be to go for a biopsy, thi...
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Heart Attack to 10K (part 1) - That fateful day.

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THAT FATEFUL DAY. (Phase I – heart attack) Being at a bit of a loose end and with nothing better to do during that dull period between Christmas and New Year (or the Plymouth Argyle & Cheltenham Town matches as my fellow Chairboys & girls would remember it), I decided to go for a walk in the local countryside around the rolling Chiltern hills. Overnight it had frozen, but the bright winter sunshine turned the early frost into a mist persuading me that it might make for some good atmospheric photographs. So, on Wednesday 28 th December 2016 (a date now etched into my brain) I drove out to Bledlow Ridge, parked the car in a side road just after mid-day and set out with my camera on a 6.8 mile walk that by the time I returned to the car would become an adventure I wouldn't forget in a hurry and ultimately have a dramatic change on my priorities and the way I live my life. I had been meaning to walk the Radnage area for some time and with the afternoon bright sunl...
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Heart Attack to 10K (part 4.17) - Get that crazy rhythm (the low down on AFib)

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Part 4.17 - Get that crazy rhythm (the low down on AFib) (Phase VI - sustaining a healthy life-style) "Nothings going to happ en unless you ma ke it happen." I'm not sure who is actually reading this blog or even if you find it interesting or not, with little feedback it can be difficult to know how well it is received.    I'm certainly no expert and just write from my own experiences and what I have learnt by facing or overcoming certain problems as they occur, I hope by writing this blog to raise awareness on matters of the heart so others might consider their own health and fitness needs and seek medical attention, if needed, before letting things get out of hand ..... at the very least writing this stuff helps me to recall my recent medical history & achievements 😉. My biggest concern of late has without doubt been Atrial Fibrillation (also known as AFib or AF) and its quite noticeable from my conversations that many 'non-hearties' have no idea what t...
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Heart Attack to 10K (part 3) - They tried to make me go to rehab, I said yes, yes, yes please

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THEY TRIED TO MAKE ME GO TO REHAB. I SAID YES, YES, YES PLEASE! (Phase III – cardiac rehabilitation) the cardiac rehab team 21 st Feb 2017 and I start phase III of my cardiac event when attending the first of 6 weeks of cardiac rehabilitation classes, but this part of the story really began back at my heart assessment 3 weeks earlier. Besides receiving my pedometer and starting an obsession in counting steps [see part 2], a series of measurements were taken which have since become the base point for tracking my subsequent progress.  My heart rate was 59, blood pressure 153/96, weight 98.2 kg, height 177cm, BMI 31.34 and waist 107cm. The Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Team set long term targets against these measurements – blood pressure <140/90, weight 58-78.3kg, BMI 18.5-25 and waist <94cm. [Care4Today Cardiac Rehab video, this features the actual team I was with ..... click here ] Part of the assessment is to do a ‘shuttle walk test’ during which you w...
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RUNNING THE RIDGE FOR HEARTS & SOULS: LOCAL CHARITY APPEAL

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RUNNING THE RIDGE FOR HEARTS & SOULS: APPEAL PLEASE DONATE HERE :    https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runtheridge-heartsandsouls    I’m again raising money in aid of HEARTS & SOULS having previously completed the London Bridges walk in 2017 and the Thames Valley Summer walk last summer, this time I will be running my first ever 10K race at the age of 61 ..... 25 years, 10 months and 1 day after my last race! Hearts & Souls are a local voluntary run charity based in Wycombe hospital that fund the excellent cardiac rehabilitation classes which help around a 1,000 patients to recover from cardiac events each year in South Bucks.    This part of the rehabilitation programme is not funded by the NHS and relies entirely on charitable and legacy donations to keep it free at the point of use at a cost of about £25,000 per year. This is not some high profile national organisation but a small local charity who rely mainly on a small p...
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Heart Attack to 10K (part 4.23) - God bless the NHS

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Part 4.23 - GOD BLESS THE NHS (Phase VI - sustaining a healthy life-style) "Nothings going to happ en unless you ma ke it happen." Just occasionally I like to write something other than about my heart condition, highlighting my appreciation, experiences or support received over the past 6 and a bit years, to this end I have already written special blogs covering Cardiac Rehab , FITT , AFib awareness and Parkrun . Today I would like to show my admiration and gratitude for the tremendous work & service given to me by the NHS , not just for my heart problems but for other aliments I suffered over the same period. Recently I have been reading a 'question & answer' social media platform where the question of health care in the USA gets heavily debated when compared to the UK and elsewhere with 'socialised healthcare' and I admit knowing very little what happens over the pond other than it being 'private' and driven by insurance with terminology su...
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Heart Attack to 10K (part 4.20) - Persisting with parkrun

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  Part 4.20 - PERSISTING WITH PARKRUN (Phase VI - sustaining a healthy life-style) "Nothings going to happ en unless you ma ke it happen." I only intended to write another blog if there was something special or significant to write about; well, since the last blog in May 2022 my AFib (Atrial Fibrillation - heart arrhythmia ) has moved up a level to from paroxysmal to persistent which is a fairly significant change in lifestyle for me and as a result I would like to write my own tribute to just how important parkrun has been, especially through this period of relative inactivity as it has been the only bright spot during a period where I have become concerned about my of lack of exercise, but as crucially how it gave me the opportunity to progress my health and fitness drive soon after I completed both cardiac rehab and the Wycombe Wanderers FITT lifestyle programme in 2017, months after suffering a heart attack. Parkrun has become a constant feature throughout these blogs ...
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Heart Attack to 10K (part 4.6) - Sub 29, attack of the AKI and 1 year old!

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PART 4.6 - SUB 29!, ATTACK OF THE AKI & 1 YEAR OLD! (Phase VI - sustaining a healthy life-style) "Nothings going to happen unless you make it happen." I kick-off this blog still on a high from my two sub 30 parkruns from the previous blog [see part 4.5] .... I was on a roll and living the dream!  Welcome Blue Peter But it was summer so we took a much needed a break and I enjoyed few days away from it all with the Mrs down in Looe on the south Cornish coast, this was always going to disrupt my training schedule but I did manage to at least get out for a daily early morning walk along the coast path to help keep up my average step count and make up for those fried breakfast's, eating out and a couple or more local ales. This was intended as a quiet get away but everywhere we visited I kept bumping into people who wanted to talk 'football', much the my wife's annoyance, but this was not really surprising as the Wanderers were playing in Plymouth th...
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Heart Attack to 10K (part 2) - Back home & drama at White Hart Lane

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BACK HOME & DRAMA AT WHITE HART LANE (Phase II – home recovery) Not the New Year's Eve I had planned but I was home!! 4 to 6 weeks off work, no driving for a month, lots of rest, no lifting – welcome to phase II of a cardiac event. Sounds good but it soon becomes tedious, never mind at last I get to see those photos that had led to all this excitement in the first place [see part 1] and that was about it for the first week or so, sitting in front either the TV or computer or reading a jolly good book I got for Christmas about a tale of a Chairboy who missed that famous FA Cup run* with the odd excursion past a few neighbours houses and back mummified with my WWFC scarf wrapped tightly around my head to keep the cold air at bay. The instructions were simple enough, plenty of rest and start slowly with gentle short walks, a little light dusting etc. and gradually build up the pace and length of the walks and resume normal daily activities over the next 4 weeks. * ...
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