Creekland, that sounds like severe depression. I understand being willing to wait a bit for tests and being accepting of one’s possible fate, but not caring whether you live or die isn’t the way to go. Please talk to your family now and seek help. Even if the health issues are of no concern, willingness to die is. Trust me, your family does care. Shoot, even us anonymous internet strangers care.
We would like for there to be many tomorrows for you. There are things to look forward to in the future. Weddings, grandchildren, sailing on that boat with your husband. Please talk to someone that can help…a friend, a family member, your husband, a doctor.
I wish you the best. Please don’t plan for this to be your last trip.
@busdriver11 Sorry you got that impression. It wasn’t what was intended. I like my life - a lot. I get to do what I want to do when I want to do it (at school and at home). We travel and enjoy ourselves (why I am usually part time at school). I have plenty of IRL friends in my school (teens and adults), neighborhood, and church circles. What I despise are the health issues, both having them (unexplained ones anyway) and dealing with them when it must involve other people. I’m quitting worrying about this one right now in order to continue enjoying life. At this point, as Nurse001 has stated, it’s rather obvious it should be checked out, but I’m opting to put that off until later even if it means I guessed incorrectly.
“What’s the worst that can happen” is a phrase we use often at school to encourage kids to try something - sports, announcements, asking a guy/gal out, things like that. When one thinks about the worst possible outcome and is ok with that, then there’s no need to worry because chances are something better than that will actually happen. I am actually ok with dying should it come to that (got over mortality long ago), but I have no plans to end life on purpose at this point. I just respect that this is potentially somewhat of a more dangerous decision if I’m wrong. I don’t think I am, but it’s definitely possible. I am more determined now to be careful about over extending exercise - just in case. I don’t really want to try to push it. I might do that a couple hours before the stress test in June though - just in case that helps.
We have several more trips planned for our lives…
@HImom When I called I used those specific words. Should it be a stress echo instead since I only have problems with exercise? The answer that came back was “not at this time.”
@Nurse001 Thanks. The lad called again today while I was at school (hubby spoke with him). His last class is over and he just wanted to share. I love it when my guys still enjoy sharing their high points with us.
@Nrdsb4 Out of pure curiosity (and for my information), are you sure or just guessing? Everyone I know who has had heart issues (granted a rather limited pool, but still a handful) has said it got worse if they tried to do anything. Today has been a gradual process of feeling better even while at school (pulse has gone from 90ish this morning back to 60-70ish now too), but that’s been typical for when these things happen. I have a headache now (sigh), but that could possibly be due to lower caffeine - maybe.
@Creekland, I guess it depends on how much latitude there is for testing. For me, they did a regular echocardiogram, a agitated saline echocardiogram and then a stress echo with agitated saline. Because I was only going to be present in that city for a very limited time they were able to schedule it before I left and we were able to get the answers we needed.
To my surprise, they found I gave a congenital hole in my heart but fortunately, it closes up when I am active, so it isn’t a problem but it is something I was surprised to learn I have. They said if I’d got bigger during exertion it remained open, they’d have to consider possibly cauterizing it.
I just find it irksome when they do one test and then bake me return in xx days or yy weeks for another test or several. It really helps when there is one if more persons who advocate on your behalf to try to get some answers.
I was full of questions about 2 years ago when I went to my favorite lung doc in Denver. He had me seen by all the top specialists at his med center (which has an international excellent reputation) and got all my questions answered in 8 days of testing, all under one roof instead of having it spread out over a long time period and having to go all over town. It was great that he was willing to coordinate and get me answers!
I hope you can similarly get the right testing and some answers with appropriate treatment.
Thanks for that explanation, Creekland, I was worried by your post.
HImom, do you have a PFO in your heart? My husband was diagnosed with one not too long ago, and had the closure device put over it. It got bigger during exertion, once llowing blood clots to go to the brain. It wasn’t open heart surgery, but the device will stay in there for a lifetime.
@HImom I find it similarly annoying with the inconsistent waiting periods, but I don’t think there’s much of a chance to change anything around here. Considering this year we’re dealing with the probable passing of both hubby’s and my mothers and they live 4 hours and 8 hours away from us respectively, in different directions, scheduling things is going to be problematic. As it stands now, the day after the follow up appt in June I need to be in upstate NY (Canadian border). That could get interesting if he were to want anything immediate. Chances are he won’t though. Immediate and medical don’t seem to go together too often. But yeah, it would be nice knowing what’s going on, I think. I make an exception to that if they were to happen to find out it’s something in the cancer realm. With that one I’d rather not know and just enjoy life until I can’t any longer (unless it were a curable type).
What we really need is for Hollywood to share some of their advances in medicine similar to what they had access to in Elysium or Star Trek or countless other “look what the future holds” movies or shows.
@busdriver11 If it helps to have the other side of the equation my brain pondered… If I went into the ER for something I’m not positive about and it turned out to be nothing important, my credibility is strained even further medically (a terrible outcome) along with my current daily plans having been disrupted. If it is important, then it messes up travel to graduation for something that probably can wait, but wouldn’t be able to if more folks were aware of it - or would put a lot of stress on people if I went against suggestions. The only “good” option going that route would be if it saved my life - therein - the gamble. The other outcomes I don’t care for and I think they’re more likely to happen.
If you want evidence the universe has a sense of humor, the other night (the one with chest pains), I woke up once with my left arm numb. “Great,” I figured. “This means I’d better go in.” (Grumble, grumble, grumble.) But as I turned over to get up I felt the familiar feel of pins and needles. I had merely slept on it wrong cutting off circulation. Figures! On that night of all nights (as this isn’t even “rare” in my life - it’s “extremely rare”)… Someone out there was laughing.
This morning all seems fine except for a bad morning with trigeminal nerve things, but that happens for who knows what reason. It may or may not get better today. I don’t know that anything I do affects that one. Painkillers like ibuprofen don’t help either. My voodoo doll ghost.
I won’t be running anywhere though. I’m actually going to be cleaning house, working with my ponies, and sending med school lad birthday greetings. He’s 24 today!
One thing about going to a good ER, though, if they decide to admit you, they can run those tests in a short time.
I can definitely say that if a limb goes numb (and didn’t just cut off circulation), particularly with any feeling of confusion…go to the ER immediately. That could be a stroke, even without any other symptoms. And time is of the essence, because they can reverse it completely, if they diagnose and treat it within about 3 1/2 hours of the incident (if it’s ischemic).
Anyways, cleaning house…I think I’d rather be doing anything else! Have a good trip.
For symptoms of stroke, 911 should be called. Don’t attempt to drive yourself to the hospital. Ambulance personnel can properly evaluate you and bring you to the best stroke center, with communications in the interim to make sure the chain of treatment is started as early as possible, as in they are ready for you the moment you arrive.
@busdriver11 I agree that if the arm had been numb, that’d have been a tipping point - as would things getting worse (instead of better) when I went out for a walk. There are times when the scale I’m judging from would balance differently. I just haven’t had those happen and without those, I’m not sure it’s necessary. Everything that is happening has happened before (I just don’t write about them) with the same sort of recovery. It’s what got me started on the whole thing last fall when I realized how low the bar is now. Since this dr is actively considering it I don’t need to mess things up by crying wolf at the ER when nothing ends up ER worthy.
I’m with you on cleaning house. I need to actually live in a cave I don’t have to clean. A co-worker gave me a helpful hint when we were discussing weekend plans. She said I ought to just tell the lads when they return that they’re allowed to write in the dust - as long as they don’t date their writing. Then it’s an activity we’re providing if they want the option rather than a chore I want to get done first.
When I was discussing it with some kids at school (again, weekend plans), they all told me they prefer it when their friends’ homes are more “lived in” than squeaky clean. They hate it when moms apologize for having a “messy” house and it’s actually clean in their opinions - comparing it to bedrooms a bit, so…
I probably don’t have to worry about a thing, but there are still projects I’d like to get done before we leave. I’ll admit I haven’t done them yet. I’m halfway through pony stuff though - just took a quick “drink” break for a little bit before returning to the barn. We talked with birthday boy today too. It’s only the cleaning that might not be started yet (sigh).
@Nrdsb4 Going back to your previous post… are you sure things wouldn’t get worse with walking if it were a cardiac issue? In my small circle of those I know about, it does always get worse (or at least, “not better”), but I know that’s a small circle - hence the question.
I had to chuckle a little bit when you mentioned “best stroke center.” Y’all live in a different place if you have actual choices.
Excellent advice! The doctors told us that you will be taken much more seriously if you come in by ambulance. I suspect my husband would have been considered for a stroke reversing tPA injection instead of being told to come back the next day.
Just based on my experience working in a cardiac intensive care unit, I have known of patients who had repeated bouts of chest discomfort during exertion that didn’t always get worse…if they have just enough room in the vessel to do the job at hand even though causing discomfort, had a very very small blood clot or plaque in an already narrowed vessel that was somehow able to push through in the vessel, thus relieving their pain, or if they have no blockages but tend to have “vasospams” that narrow the arteries temporarily, or have high blood pressure that through either emotions or medications kicking in lowers and relieves chest pain, etc. Yeah, if you are actually having a myocardial infarction and you don’t rest or worse, continue to push harder, it’s likely to get even worse. But there are other causes of cardiac chest discomfort that are not related to a heart attack in evolution.
You just cannot make blanket statements about these things because for every pronouncement you make, there is an example of someone else who didn’t follow that pattern. As Consolation noted, women often present very differently from men.
As to stroke centers, yes, I live in an area with many state of the art medical facilities. Time is of the essence with strokes, and you want to be at a hospital that has a high certification for stroke treatment. There are 6 level 1 stroke centers within 30 minutes of my home. There are a couple within 15 minutes of where I live.
The point is that it doesn’t make sense to try to self diagnose using the internet or advice/past experiences of well meaning folks who had certain problems that “could” be what you are experiencing. You sound very much like someone who needs to see a specialist pronto.
@Nrdsb4 Thanks that actually was helpful, so I appreciate your sharing. FWIW, there isn’t even a hospital within 15 minutes of where I live. There are three within 30 minutes - maybe two - it could be stretching it to get to the third in just half an hour. I’ve no idea what their Level is for strokes or anything else for that matter.
You’re welcome to your thoughts of using the internet, of course, but I just want to add that I’ve learned far more on this thread alone than I have through the various dr appts I’ve had - whether the thoughts/comments apply to my particular situation or not. Without the thread it wouldn’t even cross my mind to potentially try to get things done before the scheduled appts if things change. I’d still be mulling the original question of “keep the appts or ditch them since nothing can be done about radiation caused things - and that’s what he (the specialist I was sent to by another doctor) thinks this is.”
Personally, I find it helpful to hear from those with various experiences and the circles I belong to IRL are far more limited in scope when it comes to medical issues.
For the last 100 or so posts on this thread I’ve been writing responses and then deleting them.
I can not tell you how much this entire thread reminds me of my in-laws, and their continuing proclamations of, “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll be just fine!” And then one or the other of them proceeds to have a major (or sometimes minor but urgent) medical issue occur in the middle of something that they dearly want to attend. It is disruptive and annoying when it is an urgent problem, and horrific for all us when it is a true emergency.
Something about travel and family events makes things worse, and the fact that they very much want to attend (and therefore try to ignore the symptoms until its an emergency) has lead to awful moments.
MIL had a stroke that they waited to see if it “got better” overnight. It didn’t. Hospitalized in a state far away from home for a long time. Missed three months of her vacation. Took years to recover.
FIL had a GI bleed in a hotel room two days before my son’s wedding. Hospitalized away from home for awhile. Missed the wedding.
FIL traveled here for my daughter’s graduation with a bad tooth that got worse while he was here. He refused to either see my dentist or stop at urgent care SEVERAL TIMES the day before her graduation. At 2 AM the morning of the graduation we had to take him to the ER for pain. He spent the graduation in bed, and had the nerve to say to my husband (who is a physician) as we were leaving the house,“I feel just like I did before I had my heart problem”, (emergency quadruple bypass), By then my husband was so irritated that he said, “If you think you’re having a heart attack call 911. I’ll text you every 15 minutes to see if you are OK. Here’s a paper with our address and my cell number written on it.” and off we went to the graduation, with my upset MIL, who didn’t want to miss it.
Yikes. I’m not sure what picture some of y’all are drawing in your minds, but it might be helpful to remember I have been seeing doctors about this. So far they’re not thinking cardiac - just checking it to “be on the safe side.” With that the xray was, indeed, fine.
Then too, I can live my everyday life without major issues. I’m not sprawled on the floor gasping for breath when I take my laundry upstairs… I’m just noticeably out of breath and that recovers quickly (minutes). The longer stuff I’m not so sure about, but it was shared with the doctor - even the fact that it can take a couple of days to recover from the chest pains associated with it (for which I was told, “If it takes that long, it’s not cardiac.”)
There IS a problem of some sort - of that much I’m 100% sure - the question is merely what and the doctor’s “best guess” at the moment is something in the brain getting fried during radiation (though he used different words).
'Tis an interesting thread for me to ponder. I get folks telling me to trust the medical folks (which, in essence, is what I decided to do - sticking with their schedule for testing, etc) and folks telling me I’m likely to completely mess up life by doing so. I guess time will tell.
About something getting fried in the brain, I can relate to that because I have dysautonomia. When I was out of shape, my heart rate would go up with exercise and could stay up all day. I would feel weird for a couple of days. Now that I work out everyday, it goes down again fairly quickly and I can feel okay after. So exercise does help. But more than that, my heart rate can go up and down for no explainable reason. Salt and fluids help and prevent more issues.
At one point, during my stress test, it went down and up. And that’s part of what finally got me to a diagnosis. But I had a lot of years of testing before that to rule out everything else.
I think it could be helpful to get a 24 or 48 hour monitor. My kids with mild autonomic issues have had those repeatedly. I also had the 30 day event monitor.
If you wind up seeing a cardiologist, try to get one who is an electrophysiologist because they understand electrical misfirings.
When my H got the costochondritis diagnosis, he spent three days in the hospital getting tests first because of his family history and something funky that showed up on his stress test.
I gave just three random examples of my in-laws’ unending medical travails that especially crop up when there is a family event they REALLY want to attend, and decide to ignore problems so they can go.
Dealing with that is not fun for the rest of us. They are away from their own doctors, don’t tell the whole truth about what is going on, and create drama in the process. They aren’t trying to create drama and emergencies, but they do.
