I have been off duty since Feb 14th of this year ,when I experienced acute chest pain and shortness of Breath during the performance of the required Physical ability retesting  by my Department .

   Luckily , It was NOT an AMI ,only angina brought on by the extreme exertion of the test that resulted in an irregular heart rythm - Quagiminal PVC's . Since that day I have had a tredmill stress test with nuclear scan ,which showed a Shadow in the apex of the Left Ventricle and the cardiologists thought that could be a site of hypoxic tissue. I had to have an Arteriogram ,which showed no blockages-the shadow was just that , a shadow where the apex of my heart was touching the diaphram . The cardiologist group decided that if I didn't have a "plumbing" (blockage) problem that was causing the PVCs ,maybe I had an overly thick Left Ventricular wall , so I had a cardiac MRI which showed that the Ventricular wall was of "normal" thickness ,which rules out a possible "construction" problem . SO now the cardiologists have settled on an "electrical" problem for my diagnosis .

   I am on a beta blocker , which keeps my heart rate below 70 , usually around 64 to 68 depending on how many PVCs I am throwing . I am walking 45 minutes , TWICE a day to increase cardiac strength , 5 min to warm up, 30 min at a brisk pace,then 5 to 10 minutes to cool down ,but mostly to catch my breath ! It is very frustrating .Because with the Beta blocker keeping my heart rate in check,as I exert myself , I get Short of breath . But I keep going untill I get my milage in AND get back to the house .

     I am watching what I eat and counting carbs ,and If that doesn't get shed of a lot of the poundage 28 years in the Emergency service has put on by the end of the summer I will be getting the  Gastric  band in the fall .

  So here I am , can't go do the work I have loved to do for almost thirty years or close to 3 decades (that sounds much longer) ,I have had to readjust my needs , and look at the good things :

 - I didn't have a heart attack (I didn't die )

 -I get to be at home with my wife and son ( Again,I am not Dead)

 -I haven't missed a Scout meeting yet

 -I haven't missed a single Kawanis Baseball practice  or  Baseball game this season !

 - I haven't been fired , Yet (they can't fire me if I am dead)

 - I still have a job to go back to......Maybe

    and in closing ...........

 -Workman's Compensation and 40 hours of sick time per pay period is getting the bills paid   !

 I am taking life One Day at a Time , so Life is Good --- More later .

     Keep each other Safe my Brothers