Now the cardio wants to have tests on my lungs..

You're welcome... anytime something happens suddenly, there has to be something acute going on. .. He may not have told you this for fear of scaring you with the word clot or embolism... that's understandable I think... but if he was worried about anything really bad you would be in the hospital, not waiting to schedule a test. Apparently your symptoms, while disconcerting to you are not panicing him... and that's a good sign.
 

Yes, and I think I've been tested for the embolism or clot kind of thing, I know I have. The more I think back, the more I remember that when it was time to change my pacemaker, my muscles were screaming for oxygen (well, not literally, lol) but I did NOT have this SOB at all. That made me think about my lifelong allergies, as well as asthma when I was a kid. Plus, I did have a couple of bouts of bronchitis, and one lung infection in the last 5 or so years. It started as a sinus infection. This is a 100% dry cough, but I have almost constant pnd in my throat (hate to gross anyone out).

While walking through the woods, I came in contact with a lot of plants/trees (which my allergies have always been environmental) and now that I'm at the coast, I am way more moisture, mold, who knows. So I am hoping this will be the case, something acute rather than chronic.
 
SifuPhil said:
Not to scare you or anything, Denise, but I was just reading something along the lines of how a single CT scan gives off the equivalent of 150 - 1,100 times the radiation of chest x-rays ... you might want to check with your providers if they want to shoot you up multiple times ...

How Much Do CT Scans Increase The Risk Of Cancer
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I think it is different but I'll check. Also, the biggest problem I have is insurance Phil. I can't afford to see a naturopath, which I would, at least for an opinion. So I am at the mercy of these cardiologists, or I guess pulmonary specialists. I appreciate your info, as always. I just don't see I have a choice other than to try to ignore the problem, and right now, I am dragging around like I was 20 years older, and it basically happened overnight.
 
nwlady said:
I think it is different but I'll check. Also, the biggest problem I have is insurance Phil. I can't afford to see a naturopath, which I would, at least for an opinion. So I am at the mercy of these cardiologists, or I guess pulmonary specialists. I appreciate your info, as always. I just don't see I have a choice other than to try to ignore the problem, and right now, I am dragging around like I was 20 years older, and it basically happened overnight.
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I hope it is different.

Yeah, I don't know that a naturopath would be of much help for your condition - sounds like the specialists are really what you need.

Here's to your quick rebound!
 
SifuPhil said:
I hope it is different.

Yeah, I don't know that a naturopath would be of much help for your condition - sounds like the specialists are really what you need.

Here's to your quick rebound!
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Thanks Phil,

Only thing for sure in life is that things change, never can count on anything except for that;)
 
I will be thinking of you nwlady and hoping your tests turn out ok and all goes well for you.I myself have Bronchiectasis, but refuse to have antibiotics as a lot of my friends that have it are on antibiotics daily and seem to be a lot worse for it, but then their condition might be a lot worse than mine, my husband got lung condition Atelectasis after his last hernia operation which is a similar thing to Bronchiectasis, I believe operations can cause Atelectasis.
 
nwlady said:
..and emphysema was mentioned because my mom had it. I am so bummed, and after I shared this with my sister I am living with, she went out to smoke a cigarette, lol! So I just can't talk to her about how I feel. I just see her as beyond stupid at this point. I'll be honest in telling you it doesn't seem fair either that I'm the one to possibly have lung problems. I smoked a little in my teens, but I grew up in a house full of smoke, had asthma, but it went away in my teens. I'm just angry. I don't want anyone else to get sick, I just planned so many things and now it seems they are all going to be impossible.

I know these are only tests they are going to run, some "nuclear" thing he called it, and then that breathing tube thing where you blow. Some people here know how active I was, and I think I will want to die if I can't do my hikes and kayak. Well, things happen for a reason right.

I know people here deal with much worse, I am sorry to whine, I just needed to talk and sadly, this is all I have right now. The doc gave me anti-depressants which I hate, but he kept encouraging me to try for 6 weeks, I usually won't take them more then a few days because I hate the way they make me feel. But I need to trust him, I don't have anything or anyone else.
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What a drag for you to have to deal with!!! I'm so sad for you. And you're right it sure doesn't seem fair that you're the one who's stuck with this ailment! Will your doctor be able to help you with the physical issues? Make sure that you feel well? Oh, I sure hope so for your sake.
 
Have you checked your Blood Pressure late at night? My cardiologist of many years ago told me when I had nightmares at night it was because my blood pressure went up in my sleep! And by- jimity he was right. Right now my b/p is sitting on 200/76 and I am having nightmares every night. Been dealing with this for a while. So I am not ignoring it. But that's my problem so I thought it could be yours too. Ask your Dr. My cardiologist then was about 30 years ago, but he is still proven right, even tho he died from CA 5-10 years ago.
 
Denise, I smoked for less than 10 yrs when I was in my 20s. I lived in a hsehold that no one smoked. I have damaged lungs from bloodclots that hit them in the late 1990s and allergies all my life. I have had pneumonia and constant copd? I guess. I take meds for all of this and I don't limit myself to what I want to do. I go to boot camp to exercise and yoga. I don't limit myself. When I go hiking, if I need to stop and rest, I do. I hope u will be able to do
what I do and more. I am 73 yrs old. Please don't think you can't do these things. You can, but give urself a break when you tire.
 
Hi Charlotta,

Thank you for this note, I have limited myself but only because I was sure what is going on. I think if they can just give me a diagnosis, it will set my mind at ease. My cousin does a lot and she has COPD as well. She takes and inhaler med, and she says she gets a huge amount of relief from that. I can't tell you how much your reply means to me, I feel now that I will be able to do my stuff, and you are right on, just take breaks if I need it. They've eliminated it being anything to do with my heart, which seemed worse to me. I know there are things to help us breath better, etc.

I had asthma, and allergies all my life too, but nothing dibilitating. I read or heard somewhere that the asthma can come back in later years (the asthma stopped in my teens but not the allergies/sniffles). Thanks again, so much, and I so admire you for keeping on, never give up;) and neither will I ;) Denise
 
nwlady said:
Hi Charlotta,

Thank you for this note, I have limited myself but only because I was sure what is going on. I think if they can just give me a diagnosis, it will set my mind at ease. My cousin does a lot and she has COPD as well. She takes and inhaler med, and she says she gets a huge amount of relief from that. I can't tell you how much your reply means to me, I feel now that I will be able to do my stuff, and you are right on, just take breaks if I need it. They've eliminated it being anything to do with my heart, which seemed worse to me. I know there are things to help us breath better, etc.

I had asthma, and allergies all my life too, but nothing dibilitating. I read or heard somewhere that the asthma can come back in later years (the asthma stopped in my teens but not the allergies/sniffles). Thanks again, so much, and I so admire you for keeping on, never give up;) and neither will I ;) Denise
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I'm sure sorry to hear about folks like you Denise and others here who have these chronic health issues to deal with. Makes me feel both fortunate and a teeny bit ungrateful too (for the times I whine about feeling crummy. By comparison, I guess I'm in stellar condition. So my thoughts are with you and with charlotte and anyone else who's between a rock and a hard place health wise! I guess you just take it a day at a time and like both you ladies said, just lay down when you need to but don't 'stay down'.
 
nwlady said:
Hi Charlotta,

Thank you for this note, I have limited myself but only because I was sure what is going on. I think if they can just give me a diagnosis, it will set my mind at ease. My cousin does a lot and she has COPD as well. She takes and inhaler med, and she says she gets a huge amount of relief from that. I can't tell you how much your reply means to me, I feel now that I will be able to do my stuff, and you are right on, just take breaks if I need it. They've eliminated it being anything to do with my heart, which seemed worse to me. I know there are things to help us breath better, etc.

I had asthma, and allergies all my life too, but nothing dibilitating. I read or heard somewhere that the asthma can come back in later years (the asthma stopped in my teens but not the allergies/sniffles). Thanks again, so much, and I so admire you for keeping on, never give up;) and neither will I ;) Denise
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I meant to say "wasn't" sure what was going on;) oopsee
 
Debby said:
I'm sure sorry to hear about folks like you Denise and others here who have these chronic health issues to deal with. Makes me feel both fortunate and a teeny bit ungrateful too (for the times I whine about feeling crummy. By comparison, I guess I'm in stellar condition. So my thoughts are with you and with charlotte and anyone else who's between a rock and a hard place health wise! I guess you just take it a day at a time and like both you ladies said, just lay down when you need to but don't 'stay down'.
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I feel the same way when someone with something way more extreme then my issues needs a shoulder to lean on;) But that is usually what happens when folks get together, someone is always here for someone else. I'm glad I have this place:) Thanks bunches Debby, denise:)
 
Ok, update. It is smart, I found out, to ask a lot more questions then I have been. The tests they want to perform have zero radiation, not CT scans. The one is "blow the ball" which I think I told you guys, and that's not until Nov 22, or something like that (earliest they could set me an appt), because the guy that you have to blow for only comes on Wed. and Fridays and is evidently traveling around to smaller hospitals to do the test.

The other one, I thought was a CT scan, is actually an IV that runs stuff through my bod while I do the treadmill, and am hooked to a ultra sound. Ok, that's one day (which will be Tues next) and then I come back Wed. and have the same thing except at a resting heart rate. So I rescheduled and not afraid to go for these tests. My niece was also down for 2 days, and she works and the big hospital in Portland. She also has a similar condition and we got to talk a lot about it. I felt much better after talking with her, as well as Charlotta;)

So that's where we are, oh, except, I took a walk yesterday and did great, didn't have to stop once, but almost on one, small hill but I made;) yeehaw:)

Thanks all, Denise
 
Good to hear, Denise - I'm sure none of us here would relish seeing you glow in the dark.

...

I mean, if we forgot our flashlights or there was a power outage, yeah, sure, okay, but otherwise ... :p;)
 
Thanks for the update Denise, that sounds good! Nice that your niece is taking interest, and talking to you about stuff. And she knew those nasty looking red mushrooms were poisonous, so she must have enjoyed a walk with you too, that's nice! Hope all goes well with your testing. :girl_hug:
 
SifuPhil said:
Good to hear, Denise - I'm sure none of us here would relish seeing you glow in the dark.

...

I mean, if we forgot our flashlights or there was a power outage, yeah, sure, okay, but otherwise ... :p;)
Click to expand...

LOL, well, I read a lot, and listened to everyone who gave me their thoughts, and I really appreciate it:) I feel pretty safe with the upcoming tests, no radiation;) Thanks my buddy;) denise
 
thanks to you too Seabreeze;)

Yeah, I didn't walk today, going to get some "willingness" to get back into it:) but I am also looking forward to a diagnosis:) Man those shrooms are uuuuuugly for sure;)
 
You know, I honestly am not going to blame this all on me this time, LOL! I could not understand my new doc real well, he doesn't have real, good English. But I love his mannerisms and if I didn't think I understood I just politely asked him to repeat it. But, I thought I was having tests on my lungs now, but no, still tests on my heart.

I had a treadmill test with ultrasound, while being fed a dye through an IV. The next test was in the ct scan room and I asked about it when I saw that. They said, no CT scan, just a camera that would photograph my heart, it took 30 minutes. The tech assured me no radiation involved, so I don't know how that all worked. It did have the word nuclear in it. I'll find out and let you guys know what it was if you're interested. Ok, so with that done, today, I have to go in for a quick injection and they will test me after I have had a regular morning of eating, and it has to do with a "resting" test, what shows up, if anything, when I'm resting.

I know I am not doing very well on my homework here, I still tend to just trust what they are doing. The pacemaker gal was there, and told me she wanted to consult with a guy that happened to be at the hospital, that is very up on adjustments to pacemakers etc. So I waiting, then they took me in, hooked up to the monitor, and made some adjustments he thought might help me. So we'll see. One thing, I won't ever poopoo anti depressants again (anxiety, panic attack meds) because I am amazingly not having horrible fears, depression or mood swings;) Thanks all for caring, Denise PS don't know if she posted again, but I hear HappyFlowerLady is doing wonderfully after her surgery, much more able to do more things, so happy for her:love_heart:
 
Thank you, Denise ! I am pretty sure that I did post about it; but if not, yes I am doing much, much better. My doctor was so elated that he was almost bouncing around the room after he saw the test results, and he must have shook my hand at least FOUR times, he was that pleased !
My heart has been in rhythm for the last several months now, and that has helped the heart failure to go into regression. My heart was a terrible 23%EF before the operation, and now it is over 40%EF; so it is doing so good now. I still have to build up my muscle strength, I lost so much of everything because I didn't have enough air to even walk around.

Once they can find out what is going on with your heart, they should be able to do whatever it needs and you will be back up and running around like you did before, and playing on your kayak next summer. I will be keeping you in my prayers for healing; and I am glad that they are getting the needed tests done. I know they are not much fun; but they are important.

My daughter has bought me an inflatable kayak so she and I can go kayaking together when the weather warms up again next spring, and I am even thinking about being able to ride a bicycle again.

Robin out on the Tennessee River last summer...
 

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