New treatment

Dear World Wide Web,

I have returned to my blog to share with you some news about my dysautonomia treatment. In the last 5 years we have tried every med available, compression stockings, raising the head of my bed, exercise routines, a visit to the mayo clinic, and I gave up candy for a week on the off chance that it might help. We have tried everything except a pacemaker.

My cardiologist has talked about pacemakers before but only as a last resort. We were just talking at my last appointment when out of no where in his thick Korean accent he said "It is time for you to start thinking about a pacemaker and I will schedule it for sometime in the next 2 weeks." I think my jaw dropped.

I have spent the last 2 weeks trying to decide if getting the pacer is the right idea. It only has a 50% chance of helping me. I don't really want a permanent battery stitched into my chest with its wires dangling inside my heart especially if it won't do anything for me. They can't take it out because the heart starts to grow around it. Also any type of surgery can set dysautonomia patients back in their recovery so just deciding to do it is a risk. On the other hand if this can help me improve even a little isn't it worth it?

In the end I decided to do it. It will be implanted June 16th as long as the insurance approves it. I am nervous and I'm still not sure I have decided to do the right thing but I do believe that I will be watched over and everything will turn out as it should.

Charlie