I have no deep understanding of ARIAL FIBRILLATION beyond knowing that it is a wiring problem (in the upper or atrial chambers of your heart) and that it mostly doesn’t matter that much. Except that it can kill you dead with a stroke. Or make you into an idiot. (Fine) And that it seems to happen a lot to ultra-marathoners (not my problem) and old people (my problem).

When I had my Widow’s Heart Attack (not a heart attack at all, thank God) last March, I had some a-fib (as I affectionately call it now) in a lower section of my heart but – as promised – it quickly went away…amidst a shower of congratulations about what a hell of a heart I had, what amazing veins and how I’d never have a heart attack. Goody.

BUT later, it turned out that I had conventional a-fib, in the upper chambers. The kind old chaps get. It wasn’t bad and my lovely heart doc was pretty sure he could blow it away with, say, 10,000 volts of electricity. Had this wild procedure (with full anesthetic) on Friday. Very Young Frankenstein, let me tell you. It almost always works with healthy, young chaps like me. Not this trip. A complete bust, Oh no.

What does it mean? Dunno yet but not that terrible. Went on 20 mile bike ride yesterday with normal heart rate (to 90% on the 11% hill and a recovery rate of 33 bpm…not amazing, but ok. Also feel like self. Totally filled with beans: high energy, lots of work, ideas…usual torture for my friends. But there is this yellow light out there. For the benefit of those with a-fib (there are a ton of us, I guess) and those who may get it, I’ll post about it a little. Bore the socks off the rest of you but, hey, that’s the price of having old friends.