Grams is not going to review 2010. I've already done that in my Christmas letter post. Instead of looking back, I'm looking forward to a new year with hope.
On Sunday, Grandad and I will travel to Houston. We've set aside Monday for him to recover from the trip. On Tuesday, he will again become a patient at the Texas Heart Institute. Tuesday is set aside for pre-operative testing. On Wednesday, Grandad will have his second Cardiac Ablation. He'll stay overnight in the hospital then will rest in Houston until at least Saturday.
That's where the hope comes in. He had this same procedure last June and for about a month after had no atrial fibrillation and no heart flutter. Over the last five months it has become more frequent and more persistent again. The doctor tells us that this indicates that the ablation procedure will work to correct the problem, but the ablation may have to be repeated several times to achieve long-term results. The doctor also says that this time he will be more aggressive with the procedure.
I'm hopeful that this second time will be the charm. The heart has to heal six months between each ablation. That's a long waiting period if the fibrillation returns.
We'll be staying at our son's house in north Houston. I will have internet access but I'm not sure whether I'll be up to blogging or not. I will at least post an update.
As always, your thoughts and prayers will be appreciated.
