Well, today started out as a normal trip to Cypress Pointe Hospital for a scheduled shot in Kendal’s back. Waking up at 5 am is never fun but we knew we could come home and climb into bed to recover from the lack of sleep. At least that’s what we thought!
Before the procedure started, when they hooked Kendal up to monitors, they discovered he was in AFib, short for Atrial Fibrilation. AFib in it’s simplest terms is an irregular heartbeat. Kendal’s never had AFib before that we know of. Because of him being in AFib they didn’t put him under anesthesia but under a local so they could do the shots. His description of getting a local and the shots without regular anesthesia was grueling.
The reason they wouldn’t put him under general anesthesia is because when you are in AFib the irregular heartbeat changes how the body handles the stress of surgery and anesthesia, will cause blood to pool and possibly form a clot creating a higher risk of stroke, blood-pressure swings, and other cardiovascular complications.
They called me to recovery after the shots, where the nurses and the anesthesiologist explained all of that. His cardiologist, Dr. Parker was consulted and said to send Kendal to North Oaks Hospital ER so we drove straight there. They took him right in.
We saw the ER Doctor who ordered tests. They drew blood twice, took a chest X-ray, and 3 EKGs. He was asymptomatic and rested well. He was still in afib when we left the hospital but the Eliquis that they prescribed would help prevent a blood clot from forming so that’s covered for now. They made an appointment with Chad Klug, the Nurse Practitioner at Dr. Parker’s office for Thursday of this week. We’ll learn more about treatment options then.
We are new to AFib and have found a lot of folks are unaware of what it’s about. Because of that I want to share what we learn here for others to be better prepared if that shows up in their life!
AFib (atrial fibrillation) is an irregular heart rhythm that begins in the upper chambers of your heart. Each time your heart beats, electrical signals travel through your heart. These signals cause different parts of your heart to expand and contract. These actions regulate blood flow through your heart and body. With this common disorder, your heart’s electrical system doesn’t work as it should. Instead of sending electrical signals in a steady pattern, it sends many different signals at the same time.
This is a short video that describes the causes, symptoms and treatment for Atrial Fibrillation.
We learned a few things at the appointment with Dr Parker’s Nurse Practitioner, Chad Klug. First that when an EKG was done in February and September that AFib showed up but was never addressed. Not at all happy about that info, thank goodness nothing bad happened along the way.
He took Kendal off of the baby aspirin he’s on since he now takes Eliquis which is a blood thinner. He also took him off Labetalol and put him on Metoprolol, because it effectively slows down the heart and reduces symptoms associated with the condition.
He wants Kendal to be seen by Dr. Robert Derenbecker, a Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist. He is recommending that a Watchman be placed on Kendal’s heart to catch any blood clots that may form so they are not sent throughout his body in his blood stream, or to his brain causing a stroke.
If the Watchman is inserted Kendal will be able to stop taking the blood thinner. Since he is susceptible to falls and has thin skin susceptible to bleeding it is best for him to not be on a blood thinner. This eliminates the need for that.
This video describes what the Watchman does.
November 12th at 10:45 is the appointment with Dr. Derenbeker. There are other options that the new doctor may feel is best for Kendal. We shall learn all we can at that appointment and see what the next steps are moving forward into this new world of Atrial Fibrillation.
Would love your prayers!
TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH, 42062 PUMPKIN CENTER ROAD, HAMMOND, LA
Pastor Avery Dixon’s October 25, 2026 sermon title:
The Life Giving Discipline of the Father
Sermon begins at minute 37:50. Feel free to enjoy the song service and Baptism before that!
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