The heart is a lonely hunter

'Kevin, Kevin, I'm having my heart thing again' was not how I was wanting to wake up on Saturday morning. Well it was very early Saturday, actually, about 12.30 am when Steve woke me with the news that his heart was racing again, and not just cos he was in bed with me. He had a similar episode about 5 months ago and he had been told by the doctor who saw him at Lismore Base Hospital that it wasn't a life threathening problem provided the heart returned to normal rythm within a reasonable period. So we got dressed and drove down to the ED (thats hospital speak for emergency department) which was much quieter than we were dreading.
Because it's a heart-related problem the triage nurse always gives Steve a 1 which means he gets to go straight in, while I get to read magazines in the waiting room for an hour or so. As I said, I thought it would be very busy but it was remarkably quiet and towards the end of my time waiting I was the only one there, though a few people had gone outside for a smoke.
Anyway, at about 2.30 a tall, young British doctor called me into the emergency clinical area where Steve was masked up for oxygen and had a canula in his wrist ready for the various magic potions they drip into him to get his heart to return to a normal rythm. Oh and Steve had numerous little sticky things on his bod to attach various cords and things to measure his heart rate.
No sooner had I arrived than another doctor, Andre, informed us as he began unplugging Steve that Steve would be moved to the rescucitation area just down the end of the room. This caused both of us more than a hint of anxiety and I had visions of an All Saints 'stand clear and charging' moment any second. He also tried to explain what he thought was the matter with Steve but gave up after a minute or two cos I think he had confused himself let alone us. He'd draw us a diagram, he eventually muttered.
But no resus was necessary, after they had adminstered magnesium Steve 'reverted' which is doctor speak for his heart was back to normal. This happened at 5am and Steve was released at about 10.30. But Doctor Andre reckons Steve might have a thing called Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome where the electrical impulses kind of do a disco beat thing within his heart and are not behaving themselves by following the normal pathway like they should. It can be fixed pretty easily with a hot soldering iron and a well placed burn (or something like that). The bad news is that the waiting list to see a cardiologist up here is a few months. But anyway, he is fit as a proverbial fiddle now.