My heart surgery was in August, 1998. Since I put up the web page, I haven’t thought much about the surgery. I’ve discovered that coffee helps prevent headaches induced by computer monitors (though I still avoid old ones with slow refresh rates like the plague). I started drinking fruit juice instead of Sprite years ago, and even now I don’t drink a lot of pop ... but I’m free to have a Pepsi or a Coke if I feel like it.

My hockey playing improved remarkably in the weeks after surgery. I became much more aggressive and fearless in front of the net: no more worries about getting tachycardia in the middle of a game! I’m in a bit of a slump now, and I’m going to take the summer off from hockey, but that has nothing to do with heart surgery.

A few weeks after surgery I realized that this meant I no longer had a broken heart—figuratively as well as literally. I met a nice young man who finds me as attractive as I find him. But that’s another story.

My web site has been listed by a few web search engines, and I’m receiving lots of emails now. I realize that my life has become normal—far more normal than ever before. My surgery was a complete success. I’m all healed up, the soreness is gone, the lumps have receded, even the scars are gone. I’ve had no side effects, very few extra beats, and no tachycardia. It was entirely worth it.

November, 2001

My life has long ago become normal, to the point that other than reformatting the pages, I’ve neglected this web site. I’m still symptom-free: no tachycardia and no side effects. Sometimes, after I’ve had a bit too much coffee (one of my roommates likes regular; I prefer decaffeinated), I get a few irregular beats. I suppose I’ll always be sensitive to that sort of thing, but it’s a normal result of caffeine. Solution? Don’t drink so much coffee!

I still feel I made the right choice, and I believe that when done by a skilled and experienced surgeon with a knowledgeable staff, this procedure is a better alternative than a lifetime of daily drugs.

Next: Frequently Asked Questions

Catheter Ablation for Tachycardia: My Experience as a Patient. Revised: 11/09/2001
URL: http://www.timberwoof.com/surgery/index.shtml
Copyright ©1998, 1999, 2001 by Michael Roeder. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use or distribution of any text, photos, or artwork from this website, without the express written permission of the owner, is in violation of U.S. and international copyright laws.
The author is a software engineer, not a physician. This web site is not intended to give any medical advice, render any diagnosis, or recommend any course of treatment. This web site has not been reviewed by any doctor. Your experience may differ from the author’s. If you have any heart symptoms, see your doctor.