Hi all,
Though it was about time I wrote a little about my PFO closure earlier this week for any one else considering or waiting for theirs to be closed.
I wont go into to much of the background but it all started with a paid for test last year with Dr Mark Turner in Bristol and the confirmation of a PFO large enough in size to give cause for concern and the need for closure.
What followed was by all accounts a very easy refferal (NHS) from my GP, he first tried the local authority but they declined to carry out the procedure, so I was referred back to Dr Turner, again all very smooth, I was told it would be about 5 months wait at this point.
During this time though my employers new round of benefits started and included BUPA cover with pre-existing conditions disregarded, so I jumped on that band wagon ASAP, so come 1st May I was covered and on the phone to get a private appointment, this moved me to a hospital in Oxford still with Dr Turner.
So one consultatuion later and I was all booked in for June 18th, last Monday.
We started very early in the morning to get there at 7:00 to be checked into the room, what followed was an ECG, a failed attempt to take blood, a good attempt to take blood and chest x-ray, after all that I was good to go with a theatre time of around 9:00.
Around that time I was wheeled off and hopped onto the theatre table\bed and met all the people in there all ready including the aneathatist who swiftly had me off, it was very quick just a you'll feel sleepy a blurry ceiling and that was it.
Approx 1hour later I come round in recovery feeling groggy from the procedure but no real pain, my leg was ok a slight sore thoat from the echo. After half an hour in recovery I get wheeled back to my room.
It took a little while to start feeling normal again, but still just a sore throat as any pain, no real pain in my leg at the entrance site. I was a saline drip at this point and hooked up to a remote ECG. There was the usual comings and goings of nursing staff to check blood pressure, temprature etc and to see how I was feeling.
By around lunch time, early afternoon, I was disconnected from everything and wandering about the room in my very nice knee high stockings
, I had another visit from the aneathatist to check I was ok and then a visit from Dr Turner to tell me what had happened, he was please the procedure went well, they budget for 2 hours plus, and that I had a tunnel PFO 8mm - 5mm but the device was in (amplatzer) and that he would be back later for a check with the echo machine.
The afternoon passed with the taking of a few pills, the kick start of the super asprin and the regular asprin, and daytime TV, very tedious, and occasional obs from the nursing staff.
Around 1730 I had Dr Turner come back for the echo and we watched the screen as he prodded me about and pointed out all the areas of the heart and the device when it was on screen. It was agreed then that as long as I was feeling ok I could go home that evening rather than the next morning.
So after another couple of hours of the nursing staff keeping an eye on me I was discharged and on my way with a note for my GP to get a prescription of the Clopidogrel I will be on for 3 months, and details of the asprin (300mg) I will have to take for either 6 or 12 months.
I will go back to see Dr Turner in about a month to make sure all is ok and I am off work this week taking it easy.
But all in all I was in the hospital for about 13 hours and feeling fine.
Oh and the funny part is you kind of build up in your mind what the entrance site may look like afterwards in the way of dressings etc, it's an elastoplast.
Modern medical procedures are pretty amazing if you can have some one mess with your heart and all you have to show on the outside is a sticky plaster
Well I hope that didn't drivel on for to long, and if you have any questions about anything I may have missed please add it here or drop me a PM.
Cheers Simon.