Dad Update

This past year has been a whirlwind of conditions and ailments to the family. In March, my mom was diagnosed with bladder cancer which slowly spread to other parts of her body. Luckily, my mom went through evasive surgery and they were able to remove all of the cancer. I am happy to say that she is cancer free!!!

In July, we discovered that my dad has a heart condition. Unfortunately, he was not at home when we found out. (He was in Price, Utah.) He admitted himself to the hospital because his heart rate was over 200 beats per minute. He was on the verge of going into cardiac arrest; I am just thankful he actually made it to the hospital. I drove with Ian and my mom to Utah on a day's notice to pickup my dad and his truck; we did not want him making the drive home because of his condition.

A few weeks later, my dad had an angiogram to determine whether his condition was due to clogged arteries. The angiogram proved that his arteries were clear! (We were extremely thankful!) However, we had to determine what was causing his irregular heart beat and the reason why his heart rate was so high. A few weeks ago...we found out why and what we need to do.

Basically, my dad has an electrical problem. My dad has two conditions: Atrial Flutter and Ventricular Tachycardia. Basically, Atrial Flutter is an irregular heartbeat and Ventricular Tachycardia is a fast heart rhythm. Both are potential life-threatening if not understood or treated. There are two solutions to these conditions. My dad will have a procedure called a catheter ablation. A catheter ablation is a quick procedure that will fix my dad's irregular heartbeat. The catheter will be inserted into my dad's groin or neck (most likely his groin) which will be guided to his heart. A machine is attached to the catheter and will send energy into the heart. This energy will find parts of the heart that cause the irregular heartbeat and destroy these areas. In addition, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) will be placed into my dad's chest. This ICD is programmed to detect a fast heart rhythm and sends a jolt to the area of the heart to slow down the rhythm. The ICD will not cure my dad's condition, but it will save his life. Technology is amazing.

So, in October, we are hoping to undergo these procedures. Please keep us in your hearts as my dad goes through these processes. This has been a tough year...I am just thankful that we have the medical technology and intelligence to perform such operations.