Most Recent Doctor's Visit
I had my doctor's appointment on February 28th and it wasn't very encouraging. I'm still trying to comprehend what I was told but I know I'll get past the initial shock. Thankfully, I'm not alone. Some of it you already know and some you don't.
I'd gained 6+ pounds in just over an hour! I've been put on 20mg Lasix but it was just one the night of the 28th and the day of March 1st. , then one only when I absolutely, positively need one. My PCP said if I were to take it every day that I would bottom out and "drop" in a matter of seconds and it wouldn't take many days on it to do it. It's just too dangerous for me to take it steady but I was swollen so bad that he prescribed them to me. There's only 12 pills and no refills and can't go higher on the dosage.
I understand because My Cardiologist had already told me that it was too dangerous for me to take any fluid pills because of how my bp drops so low. It's still too unstable. Although it wasn't as high as it has been, it was 137/66 , which is way too high for my systolic and too low for diastolic for me. My PCPl told me "no more driving"! He repeated it twice. He sent an authorization, to Pulmonary, and said to go ahead and make an appointment. He listened to my lungs and, from the way he was looking, Marcia and I (both) knew he wasn't real happy. He, especially, didn't like the way my face was swollen. He said my facial swelling appears to be a mask problem. He didn't like the way my voice sounded "gurgled" a couple of times either. He made sure I would stop to make the appointment before I left the building. So, we stopped at Pulmonary and made the appointment.
OHHHHH... My old Pulmonary doctor isn't there anymore!! I'll be seeing the nurse practitioner, unless she thinks I need to be seen by one of the other doctors. My old Pulmonary doctor left in June, right after my last appointment with him! Yayyyy!!! He's the one who had me so upset, telling me that I wasn't in that bad of shape and I just needed bariatric surgery and to join a book club. Yeah, right.
I'm okay with having to give up my license, though. It's better than hurting someone, or worse, if I'm driving. My bp is just too unstable. My PCP and my Cardiologist, both, said I was a ticking time bomb. There's, really, nothing else they can do. My Cardiologist is dreading having to do bypass and isn't going to do it until it's the only thng left because there's only a 5% chance I'll make it through surgery. My Sleep Apnea, COPD and Peripheral Vacular Disease with my heart disease make it way too dangerous. Right now, I don't have a viable vein he can use so I'm on a medication to try to open them up, but it isn't doing a great job of it. I thought there was just one blockage in my LAD, but there's two. So, in all reality, I have seven blockages that are pretty close to the same percentage of closure. The one in my abdominal aorta is 65%. That's why I have such trouble with my legs. Anyway, that's the way life is. We live it the best we can until we have to go. I've told my kids, if I can't speak for myself and they mention bypass, tell them to do the bypass and give me that 5% chance. I would have 0% chance without it. I'll know more about my lungs when I go to Pulmonary in a couple weeks. Hopefully, what I'm feeling is just the strain of moving all the stuff around, but Marcia thinks it's wishful thinking on my part. I'm gettting around pretty good though. I'm just not allowed to mop the floors, get on ladders, do my yard work (raking, pruning, weed eating, or anything that will put the least bit of stress on my heart. I have AFib as well and if my pulse is too high it could set me into a fatal heart attack, a stroke, or both. So...... I'm just being irritating to Marcia and teasing her to no end. LOL. Otherwise, all is good. Life's good. Marcia and I sat down, late Saturday evening, and talked & cried about this. I told her we knew it was coming because we read all the doctor and hospital reports. In fact, I have them printed off and in a book by my desk. There's only one stent left out of four, that's "good", in my right coronary artery, and it's 35% occluded.
We're taking one day at a time and enjoying it as much as we can. Don't get me wrong.. I'm not bed ridden or anything like that, but I am VERY restricted in the things my doctors will let me do. They're concerned about my being under stress from anything and are always asking me about it. I don't know if I told you or not, but it's now documented that I have Chronic Diastolic Congestive Heart Failure. The right side of my heart is severely damaged. Something my Cardiologist didn't want to have to put down. That, along with the unstable blood pressure, PAD, Sleep Apnea and COPD/Emphysema, is what makes everything so dangerous. They still want to put me on anxiety medication but, after the BusPar, I told them no. We'll get through this as well. I might go on another ten years or so, or might go tonight.
I'm sorry this has been so long, but I want ya'll to know that I'm not ignoring any of you and I haven't forgotten you. If I'm short with comments, please know I'm not being evasive towards you. I love each of you and I'm just trying to get past this latest news. I know each of you can understand. Hugs and love
I'd gained 6+ pounds in just over an hour! I've been put on 20mg Lasix but it was just one the night of the 28th and the day of March 1st. , then one only when I absolutely, positively need one. My PCP said if I were to take it every day that I would bottom out and "drop" in a matter of seconds and it wouldn't take many days on it to do it. It's just too dangerous for me to take it steady but I was swollen so bad that he prescribed them to me. There's only 12 pills and no refills and can't go higher on the dosage.
I understand because My Cardiologist had already told me that it was too dangerous for me to take any fluid pills because of how my bp drops so low. It's still too unstable. Although it wasn't as high as it has been, it was 137/66 , which is way too high for my systolic and too low for diastolic for me. My PCPl told me "no more driving"! He repeated it twice. He sent an authorization, to Pulmonary, and said to go ahead and make an appointment. He listened to my lungs and, from the way he was looking, Marcia and I (both) knew he wasn't real happy. He, especially, didn't like the way my face was swollen. He said my facial swelling appears to be a mask problem. He didn't like the way my voice sounded "gurgled" a couple of times either. He made sure I would stop to make the appointment before I left the building. So, we stopped at Pulmonary and made the appointment.
OHHHHH... My old Pulmonary doctor isn't there anymore!! I'll be seeing the nurse practitioner, unless she thinks I need to be seen by one of the other doctors. My old Pulmonary doctor left in June, right after my last appointment with him! Yayyyy!!! He's the one who had me so upset, telling me that I wasn't in that bad of shape and I just needed bariatric surgery and to join a book club. Yeah, right.
I'm okay with having to give up my license, though. It's better than hurting someone, or worse, if I'm driving. My bp is just too unstable. My PCP and my Cardiologist, both, said I was a ticking time bomb. There's, really, nothing else they can do. My Cardiologist is dreading having to do bypass and isn't going to do it until it's the only thng left because there's only a 5% chance I'll make it through surgery. My Sleep Apnea, COPD and Peripheral Vacular Disease with my heart disease make it way too dangerous. Right now, I don't have a viable vein he can use so I'm on a medication to try to open them up, but it isn't doing a great job of it. I thought there was just one blockage in my LAD, but there's two. So, in all reality, I have seven blockages that are pretty close to the same percentage of closure. The one in my abdominal aorta is 65%. That's why I have such trouble with my legs. Anyway, that's the way life is. We live it the best we can until we have to go. I've told my kids, if I can't speak for myself and they mention bypass, tell them to do the bypass and give me that 5% chance. I would have 0% chance without it. I'll know more about my lungs when I go to Pulmonary in a couple weeks. Hopefully, what I'm feeling is just the strain of moving all the stuff around, but Marcia thinks it's wishful thinking on my part. I'm gettting around pretty good though. I'm just not allowed to mop the floors, get on ladders, do my yard work (raking, pruning, weed eating, or anything that will put the least bit of stress on my heart. I have AFib as well and if my pulse is too high it could set me into a fatal heart attack, a stroke, or both. So...... I'm just being irritating to Marcia and teasing her to no end. LOL. Otherwise, all is good. Life's good. Marcia and I sat down, late Saturday evening, and talked & cried about this. I told her we knew it was coming because we read all the doctor and hospital reports. In fact, I have them printed off and in a book by my desk. There's only one stent left out of four, that's "good", in my right coronary artery, and it's 35% occluded.
We're taking one day at a time and enjoying it as much as we can. Don't get me wrong.. I'm not bed ridden or anything like that, but I am VERY restricted in the things my doctors will let me do. They're concerned about my being under stress from anything and are always asking me about it. I don't know if I told you or not, but it's now documented that I have Chronic Diastolic Congestive Heart Failure. The right side of my heart is severely damaged. Something my Cardiologist didn't want to have to put down. That, along with the unstable blood pressure, PAD, Sleep Apnea and COPD/Emphysema, is what makes everything so dangerous. They still want to put me on anxiety medication but, after the BusPar, I told them no. We'll get through this as well. I might go on another ten years or so, or might go tonight.
I'm sorry this has been so long, but I want ya'll to know that I'm not ignoring any of you and I haven't forgotten you. If I'm short with comments, please know I'm not being evasive towards you. I love each of you and I'm just trying to get past this latest news. I know each of you can understand. Hugs and love
Replies
Been a while since I\'ve updated my journal. It\'s been a very trying few months. Yesterday didn\'t make the stress level diminish much. I went for my mammogram and they found something they didn\'t like. They took some additional x-rays so the doctors could get a better view of \"whatever\". They said I would be hearing from my PCP in a few days. Needless to say, my stress level is way on up there. When it rains it pours. Since my heart attack, it seems like every time a test is taken, something major is found. Maybe I\'ll catch a break one of these days.
I have been off the computer for awhile. I still send prayers for you! May the good Lord hold you in his arms!