I'm in SoCal right now for a procedure my mum had today for her heart. My mum has atrial fibrillation, which according to the American Heart Assocation:

the heart's two small upper chambers (the atria) quiver instead of beating effectively. Blood isn't pumped completely out of them, so it may pool and clot. If a piece of a blood clot in the atria leaves the heart and becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke results. About 15 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.

My mum's been taking medication for her afib(medical lingo) but today underwent a procedure which reset her heart. The procedure is called an electrical cardioversion where an electric shock is applied to the heart in the hopes of resetting the electrical impulses which causes the chambers of the heart to pump.

Thankfully the procedure went perfectly and my mum's heart beat is back to normal, however she's still on medication for the time being. She'll also be monitored for the next few weeks just in case her heart reverts back to it's afib state. The doctor applied the full energy capable by the defibrilator, yep a similar machine they use to revive heart attack patients like the one unsuccessfully used on my dad. Normally a 50 Joule shock is applied but the doctor went in full force and well, it worked.

I really hope my mum learns from this whole thing. She's overweight, has diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure. My dad died of a heart attack, and I don't know what I'd do if my mum went too, much less if she went in the same way. My mum's stubborn though, and no matter how many times I say to her "you have to eat better and exercise", but she barely registers what I say. She's tried a few times to eat better and exercise but all her efforts have been half hearted. I don't know what I can do to make her change her life for the better", and I just don't want to lose my mum. I just hope that this event inspires my mum to change her life.

Although I have many friends, I've never been really close to my family. I grew up in England with only my mum and my dad and had minimal contact with my extended family. I've been to the Phillipines twice, once in 1986 for vacation and once in 1992 after my dad died. When we went for the first time in '86, the time was around Christmas. My mum's family has a tradition of having a huge family reunion. When we showed up at the party, I was amazed by all the people. I never knew I had so much family! Although initially I clung to my mum, I eventually ended up talking to an Aunt an Uncle for what seemed like hours. It might have been only a half-hour, since at my age 30 minutes was an eternity. However, the conversation and the whole reunion was just one of the coolest things ever. I mean still recall it fondly to this very day, even though I was just 7 at the time.

Anyway, I have my Lola(grandmother) and a few Aunt's here in Southern California but I'm not really close with them. I've never been able to develop that bond that other people have with their families either due to the aforementioned geographical influences, my mum's relationship with her family(tenuous at best except with the next youngest sister after her), or the way my mum's extended family develop relationships. My mum's brothers and sisters all seem to live in their own separate worlds. It's really strange. I don't mention my dad's family because we sort of lost touch with them after my dad died and my mum had a falling out with my dad's sister after he died.

I've always been jealous of those who've had that tightness and familiarity with their extended family and it's something I want my kids to have, whether it be my own or my wife's. I'd love for my mum to live long enough to see her grandchildren and just be there for them. I want for them what I didn't have myself.

Wow, this turned into a post I didn't expect.

Labels: family

This entry was posted on 3.29.2007 at 18:54. You can skip to the end and leave a response.