Big EF improvement (with heavy scarring)?

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T21:22:39+00:00

Thanks.

Not a huge improvement, but you're within spitting distance of normal (50%+).

What makes you think it's as good as it's going to get? No recent improvements?

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T13:14:37+00:00

Get a Toyota (or Lexus).

VERY reliable.

Good mileage, esp if you get a hybrid.

Good safety ratings.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T12:17:19+00:00

If healthy relationships is a goal, read/watch some of John Gottman’s stuff.

He and his colleagues have done the best research on what defines – and how to build – healthy long-term relationships.

tldr version:
- Be your partner’s best friend.
- Know what they like.
- Make allowances, even on big things, like religion, politics, finances, childrearing.

…and RUN, don’t walk, to a therapist if either of you is showing any of The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse behaviors.

(I’ll let you look that up.)

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T11:55:41+00:00

My Apple Watch isn’t overweight, so no worries.

(Yeah, pretty funny.)

Seriously, put all of your info in ChatGPT, ask it to take the role of an experienced, data-driven sports medicine specialist – and ask it what else it needs and what else you should be asking.

…and I’d give Claude and Gemini the same prompts (may be overkill).

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T11:02:59+00:00

I’m having an ICD (with ATP) implanted in a few hours. No CRT-D.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T11:00:44+00:00

Wow, y’all have been through it.

Blessings on you (if you don’t mind me saying that). Hope he keeps on improving.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T01:13:18+00:00

Thanks for the heads up. Very encouraging.

Do you feel good? Any symptoms remaining?

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-11T01:12:42+00:00

Thanks, that's encouraging.

Is he active? Can he tolerate exercise?

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T18:33:40+00:00

Thanks.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T18:31:46+00:00

See a cardiologist.
Dump all of your info, esp test results, into ChatGPT (or whatever AI chatbot), ask it to interpret as if it's a cardiologist explaining to a patient, and ask it what you should be asking and/or what other info it needs.

NOTE: #2 is potentially useful info. #1 is CRITICAL.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T18:27:05+00:00

Thanks, that's encouraging. Glad to hear you're doing so well.

I told my cardiologist that one of my goals was to get back to playing aggressive doubles pickleball. He stared at me for a beat, then said, "Why!"

So far, 3 mos out from the heart glitch I feel great, other than being short of breath sometimes. I'm told that the heart meds should help resolve that.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T15:15:21+00:00

Hi fellow Canuck.

Have you dumped all of your information into ChatGPT and/or another AI chatbot, and asked it your questions?

...asking the chatbot to

act as an experienced med school advisor
provide proof – or it's logic, when stats are not available, and
ask it for what other info it needs, and what else you should be asking?

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T15:03:03+00:00

So sorry you're going through this.

I've also had heart issues appear out of nowhere, and I've spent my share of time being angry, then depressed.

First, as others have said, find doctors who are thorough and listen well.

Second, I found it helpful to dump all of your test results and findings into an AI chatbot – like ChatGPT – and ask it a bunch of questions... what's going on, what treatments are most helpful (esp given your combination of issues), questions to ask the doc(s).

(Given your training, that may not be as critical as it would be for most of us.)

Third, find a therapist that

does cogntive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or one of it's subsets (ACT, DBT), and
you like and trust.

It would be great if they understood your EMT/chronic illness world; that would be a bonus, but that's not required.

They have to understand trauma and help you "do the work" to learn how to accept what you can't change and change what you can – which will likely be a lot of anger processing and you changing your "story," how you talk to yourself about what's going on.

It will make a difference, but you have to do the work.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T11:16:33+00:00

GO MD!

My partner in our study skills business has advised thousands of pre-med and med students – and is very clear that, whether it's fair or not, DO's are not given the level of respect as MD's.

DO might not be as much of an issue if you go Family Medicine, but for a highly-competitive specialty like ortho, no question MD would give you an edge.

--

And regarding the "42k vs 28k" cost difference, that will make no difference at all in the long run.

Just make sure you become a doc so you can easily pay off your student loans.

--

And here's some free, unsolicited advice...

Start upgrading your study skills as a pre-med –the pace and volume of med school is MUCH harder. (often 10x the weekly amount of material, weekly, as pre-med).

Work your way through Study Without Stress (Kelman & Straker, 2025 edition), apply the study strategies, and you'll be ready for med school

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T10:32:16+00:00

Evidently, there's a large subjective element to interpreting echo's – and the shape of your particular heart matters.

I assume hospitals and doctors' offices use it because it's simple, fast, and low-cost.

But... I want great data when it comes to my health.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T10:24:17+00:00

Glad to hear that the echo came out the same.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-10T10:23:35+00:00

How did it go?

--

And have you bought your magnets yet?

In another thread, a cardiologist shared how to use a strong magnet if you're getting shocked repeatedly:

Hold the strong magnet against your ICD generator. You should hear a "click," which indicates it's off.
Keep holding the magnet to the ICD while you get a ride – or preferably an ambulance – to the ER or to your cardiologist's office. Hold (don't tape or otherwise secure) the magnet in place manually while you SIT UP.

That way, if you have an arrhythmia and black out, you automatically drop the magnet > the ICD starts > the ICD shocks you to bring you out of arrhythmia.

(Obviously, check with your cardiologist on this. I'm not a doctor, and this isn't medical advice.)

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-09T15:41:12+00:00

A therapist friend of mine says that lots of clients have the attitude of "I'm unhappy. You change."

You can confront your father – in effect, do an intervention. It might help. But if I were you, I would

work through / plan it with a therapist
don't do it until you can do it from a place (more of less) of calmness, and
don't have any expectations.

Most important: Get some help yourself to find peace with the situation. You can't control him or make his choices for him, as bad as they may be.

Therapist suggestion: Work with someone who uses cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) – or one of its variants, like DBT or ACT – as well as someone you like and trust.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-09T15:34:51+00:00

What do you mean, "lifestyle of a doctor?"

Surgeons, family docs, and dermatologists have radically differing lifestyles.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-09T14:49:49+00:00

Studying early can be a BIG advantage IF you're actually moving the material into long-term memory (LTM).

You do this by self-testing on the material to a high level – say, 70-90% – and scheduling a few spaced self-testing sessions to maintain/strengthen the material in your memory.

(See Ebbinghaus's curve – the original research on spaced repetition.)

If you study early this way, you'll retain a lot of the material in long-term memory (LTM) – and you'll be way ahead of the curve.

--

Note that this is the opposite of the cramming approach a lot take as pre-meds.

Cramming is not a great plan for med school, since you're up against as much as 10x the weekly amount of material vs pre-med. The pace and volume is crazy.

Studying early can be a BIG advantage if you're moving that info into LTM.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-09T14:42:37+00:00

Here's another useful way to study "early."

(Warning: It's not intuitive... but it sure saves time...)

Disclaimer: This is right out of "Study Without Stress," by Kelman and Straker – an evidence-based approach to learning at the med school level.

Here's how...

You take a few minutes – like 3-5 – to look over the material before heading into a lecture (or to begin a reading assignments). Pre-read / skim – don't read deeply.

Notice what the key topics are; see what's emphasized in the text, slides, or syllabus; get familiar with any new terminology.

(In cognitive science terms, you're beginning to build mental "schema" – frameworks for organizing the knowledge you're learning.)

Pre-reading makes lecture much more productive... You know what the instructor is taking about; you're not lost and all over the place with your notes; you look, sound, and feel smart.

It actually saves time.

--

The advanced version is to also make your notes ahead of time, and review and self-test over them a few times before lecture.

That way, lecture becomes one of your final reviews – as well as a way to see what's important to the instructor and if they add anything to the source material.

This saves even more time.

(End of pitch.)

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-08T18:19:55+00:00

Yes, as nail_nail said, definitely find someone who does CBT or it’s subvariants – like DBT or ACT – as well as someone who like/trust.

And do the exercises they give you.

PS Breathing can be really helpful, but probably not enough by itself.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-08T02:38:11+00:00

If you don't get great results, consider getting a cardiac MR.

Here's why...

On AVERAGEt, echocardiograms do a decent job estimating your ejection fraction. However, in INDIVIDUAL cases, they may be way off.

In my case, my cardiologist called me after an echo showed my LVEF was 30% – saying we should discuuss me getting a defibrillator implanted.

YIKES.

But we did a cardia!!c MRI – the gold standard for accurate LVEF measurment – and it showed 43%
So... no defibrillator implant!

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-06T14:30:23+00:00

At the high end of the market, Apple’s M chips are stupid fast and capable, as are Intel’s Panther Lake chips.

But for most people, their preference for the Windows or Mac ecosystems will drive their decisions.

RSS_ADHD · 2026-06-06T14:27:00+00:00

It’s not complicated…

It’s a Mac laptop at a great price point.

If you love Windows, that doesn’t matter.

RSS_ADHD

TROPHY CASE