Therapist

Let's see what this is all about. Objectives or points of exploration include: Mental health, confidence issues around self-esteem, self-worth and seeking external validation through external means. Avoiding commitment and avoiding conflict.

Freedom Day

Looking back, I'm not entirely sure how people could do 21 days of hotel quarantine. I feel seven days was bearable, only just. A typical hotel quarantine day looks like this: Wake up around 7:45 am, go through standard "Upon waking" protocol, gentle stretching, some meditation, brush teeth and log into work. Around 9 am breakfast is delivered. The day inevitably becomes bookmarked by meal time. 9 am breakfast, 1 pm lunch, 2 pm RAT test, 7 pm dinner. Work in between, the occasional walk around, sit, push ups, stretches, some evening yoga, and then some TV and reading before bedtime. It's scary how work occupies majority of time and the mind throughout the week.

The Saturday was the most challenging, and even then, it was a bit of yoga, lots of TV and reading. Hats off to Harry Potter, Cobra Kai and This is Us for entertaining me. Check out Sunday - Freedom.

Here we go

What an amazing six months back home. Feeling very grateful and fortunate for things to have worked out as they did. Quality time with family, meeting the niece, spending time with high school and uni friends. Will miss the small things, going into the Sydney office, Jing and Rio popping by throughout the week, snacks at home from Auntie and Mom. Homecooked meals. Evening runs by the river. Yellowstone TV with dad. Pho An Sundays. It's time to head home.

  

Last weekend in Sydney

 

Impressive heart

Once a year I check in with my cardiologist to keep tabs on the old ticker. The most recent check showed an increase in irregular heartbeats and the recommendation was to re-do the procedure. Having been abroad for a while, I thought it might be worth seeing a Sydney-based Electrophysiologist/Cardiologist for a second opinion. The cardiologist in Sydney described my stress test echocardiogram, as "one of the most impressive asymptomatic cases of PVCs" that he has seen. What has gone from a second opinion, to second attempt. The procedure is slightly different this time around. Instead of one entrance site on the right-hand side femoral vein, the catheter from the right, an ultrasound probe from the left. 

This time in Hurstville Private. It's nice having family around for the procedure. It's a little more standard, this time the anaesthesiologist puts me to sleep straight. I wake up and there's bleeding from both the groin sites and a familiar ache in the chest. Initial verdict, irregular heartbeats have been reduced but not completely eliminated. The muscle bundle from which the errant heartbeats were coming from the left papillary muscle, over 30+ ablations were performed. On blood thinners for the next 90 days.