they took me off the celebrex, then started me on Plavix and 81mg aspirin that day, i had been taking 3-4 nitro's a day so he put me on Imdur last week, i just got it filled yesterday.
he did say i was having PAC's and PVC's, before, during and after the stress test
during the test the old doctor that was in there told me "Glen your gonna fee real shitty here for a minute" and he wasnt bullshitting either, i thought i was gonna die, he told the guy that was enough and to give me the antedote sp* i got about 60% better as soon as he pushed it in my IV but it took almost a week to get to feeling as good as i did before the test
Ive been pretty weak, in the past month ive gone thru almost 2 bottles of Nitrostat, 25 tabs per bottle Ack ive had to use my inhalers ALOT more often. I'm assuming this is because the heart is tired I Dunno... I do know CHF can mimic diminished lung efficiency, I\'m Down
ive had a irregular beat for several years BUT i wonder if the damage to the heart was a mild heart attack OR if it was bruised in the wreck I Dunno...
that's a lot of nitrostat. I'd wonder if maybe putting a nitro-patch may be a better way to go, as it delivers a small constant dose of nitroglycerin to keep the arteries open. May want to discuss this with the cardiologist. The inhaler use is also very suspicious for CHF. If there was really that much damage to the heart, it would make sense that CHF could follow. (for those who are following along...CHF=Congestive Heart Failure).
CHF occurs when the heart (particularly the right side of the heart) is unable to pump efficiently. Because of the lack of force behind the blood moving thru the lungs, it will tend to back up and the lungs will fill with fluid. CHF is sometimes also called right sided heart failure. This will often lead to feeling like you cannot catch your breath, having to work harder to breath, The sensation that your drowning when you lay flat {called orthopnea}(this will often cause people to sleep with several pillows, or sleep in a recliner). When CHF starts to get worse, a cough will develop, and sometimes people will cough up a clear, white, foamy fluid. It can also lead to swelling of the legs (Peripheral edema). There are a few medications that can increase the contractility of the heart muscle, but they don't tend to be used much anymore (that I have seen, your cardiologist may have a different opinion). They will often start a diuretic (water pill) in order to remove as much excess fluid as possible. (Example: Lasix (furosemide), Spironoloactone, Bumex, HCTZ (Hydrochlorothiazide) and others). These meds can be very effective at keeping symptoms of CHF from becoming too bad. They can test for CHF thru several ways. Clinically the lungs will sound "moist", and there will be some peripheral edema. Chest x-ray may show some enlargement of the blood vessels in the lungs, and a blood test called BNP (brain naturetic peptide) is a good way to monitor treatment.
I'd have to say that it would appear that you had a heart attack the day you went for surgery, and they transferred you to the ER. While I could make an argument that the cardiac tissue may have been injured in the accident, I think you'd have a real hard time proving it, unless you had done a complete cardiac work-up just prior to the accident, then developed these symptoms. It's more likely that you had some underlying heart disease, and the stress of going for surgery put too much strain on your heart, which caused a mild/moderate heart attack. (Remember, I can only go by what I've read here. There may be other information that would change that opinion).
Talk to your cardiologist about using a diuretic, and possibly a cardiac rehab program. They are making wonderful strides in helping the body heal from heart attacks. Won't bring back the cardiac function, but will help the rest of your body work better with the cardiac function you have left. I'd also recommend a significant change in your diet, increasing exercise etc. (I'm sure the cardiologist went over this stuff with you, if not, s/he should). Let me know, and I can send you some information if you want it. the web is sure to have most (if not all) of what I could send you.
Hope that helps some. I'll check in later.
Erik
