Well Hello There

It's been 2 months since my last post and I've really got no good reason other than I wanted to take a little break from cancer for the summer. Although I could take a break from blogging and talking about cancer, I certainly couldn't take a break from my treatment, which continued and moved forward over the last few months. I'll be outlining those in the next few posts.

But mostly I spent this summer worrying about someone elses health - my husband, Charlie. This spring, he was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation which is when the heart's two upper chambers (the atria) beat irregularly or out of coordination with the two lower chambers (the ventricles) of the heart, causing high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke and other heart problems. In early July he had electrical cardioversion which is the resetting of the rythm of the heart with an electrical shock delivered to the heart through paddles or patches placed on the chest. The shock stops the heart's electrical activity for a split second. When the heart begins again, the hope is that it resumes its normal rhythm. The procedure is performed under anesthesia. And, finally, during the search for a cause for the A-Fib, it was discovered he has moderate obstructive sleep apnea which is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses during sleep. He is awaiting a device that will help him keep his air passages open during sleep, and hopefully lower his blood pressure and cure a whole list of Apnea symptoms.