The Envelope Please...

Next comes "And the winner is...". That is usually followed by some kind of speech where the winner thanks the spouse, the parents, the academy, and who knows who else.

I've been feeling the same kind of anticipation waiting for the results of the Coronary CT Angiogram (CCTA) that I had June 20th. The purpose of the CT scan was to check my pulmonary veins for any signs of stenosis (narrowing due to scars from the ablation burns). Dr. Natale requested the scan as follow-up and to rule out any future complications (pneumonia, etc). My cardiologist questioned the need for the CT scan since I was not having any symptoms indicating PV stenosis. I decided to go ahead with it since I could get a calcium score at the same time to find out my risk for future coronary artery disease (CAD).

The nurse finally called today with the results. She started out by asking if I had had an ablation. I said yes and that the CT scan was for follow-up. She said the cardiologist that read the scan said she could not even tell that I had an ablation and that whoever did it must have done a great job. The nurse then read the text of the pulmonary vein findings and everything sounded great. I should be getting a printed copy in a few days so I can fax it to Dr. Natale's office.

This was great news. My heart continues to do well. The skipped beats have calmed down considerably in the last couple months. My resting heart rate continues to be in the 80's so I am still hoping it will slow down some in the next 6 months. All in all we are extremely happy we decided to pursue an ablation with Dr. Natale.

So now the obligatory speech: I'd like to first thank Jesus Christ for saving my soul. Next I'd like to thank my wife Melinda for taking care of me through all this. An extra special thank you to Dr. Natale, Salwa, and all the staff at Marin General Hospital that were involved with my care. Last, but certainly not least, is a thank you to all our family and friends that have prayed for us and supported us.

Now I'll leave with my trophy made up of bottles of old, unnecessary heart meds with a wave and a final "Thank you everyone".

Until next time,

Dave