Again PING @ Pogonip

No worries, U. It was just a photo session. Echocardiogram, just like a sonogram. I watched, have no idea what it all meant, but it was interesting to see the parts in action. Found out my DH can't stand to watch -- he closes his eyes! Men can be wusses!

I went on Thursday, apparently suffering from some kind of senile dementia, but they were so nice, and "squeezed" me in and got the session done. I do have a little trouble with schedules and dates, and sometimes times. Mainly, I hate them. LOL!

Tomorrow I see my doc and he should have the "results" but I am still alive and kicking.

Thanks for your interest/concern!

Glad you're kinda allright. Keep us posted what they do to you, will you?

U.

After I had mine, I suddenly had a much deeper appreciation for the effort put forth by that muscle. :-}

True, that!

Yikes. I'm glad they squeezed and you didn't have to make an additional trip. Nice of them!

Best wishes. It's scary dealing with issues of the heart. Most of our other organs (excepting the liver, pancreas and brain) have redundancies.

B

Reporting in. Saw the doc. The report on the echogram was not available as promised. We're hoping it will come through before the end of the week, because my doc is going on vacation for two weeks. Meanwhile, it's been decided that part of the problem with my left leg is cellulitis, and I've got a change in antibiotic (being a little difficult in that area due to allergies) and an increase in the diuretic. Guess I'm going to be busier. ;-)

Beverly, he mentioned that the echogram (sonogram) technology is now so advanced, they can "see" with such accuracy, that they now know that

*all* hearts have leaky valves. Hahaha. Fortunately, most of them don't require any interference.

No associate?

Good luck finding the right meds. I am also allergic to an antibiotic, I have to be very careful when they are prescribed.

While that (*all* hearts have leaky valves) is probably true, when one notices a marked change in ability to walk uphill (or stairs) one is inclined to think something has changed rather drastically. But at least it's not gotten appreciatively worse over the last couple of years.

B

Yes, in fact he brought her in and introduced her, went over some of my history, and we had a nice intro and chat.

No kidding! I've been on one anti-biotic for a week now, and he's not pleased with the results, so we switched to Keflex, with the caveat that about 15% of people allergic to penicillin are also allergic to Keflex. I thought about going up the street to the fire station to take the first dose. ;-) But I settled for giving instructions to DH as to what to do if I got in trouble. Fortunately, I've now taken 3 doses with no reaction other than some relief in my leg! Must be psychosomatic -- seems a bit too soon. But maybe not.

Yes, making the determination of what is too much, and how far to go in treatment options is what separates the technicians from the doctors. I say that with the firm belief that many people with M.D. after their names are just technicians.

As for me, I blame all my shortness of breath on the COPD, but I do know that during the height of the fluid episode, it was making it much worse. I've lost 8 lbs of water so far, and now the dosage of the diuretic is increased, so I expect more to go. As I go. Often. :-O

Glad to hear that you are feeling better. I'm sure it is the change in meds some antibiotics work quite rapidly That's why the caution is given to finish all you meds even if you feel better many people say I don't need this any longer, I feel better Bad idea. It's one of the reasons some antibiotics stop working Those little germs become desensitized to the drugs and after a short time of feeling better, whamo, your in even more trouble. I'm of the opinion that we develop allergies to antibiotics because some much of our food has trace amounts of them,due to the practice of feeding them to farm animals. Juno

I have often had to change anti-biotics, as there are so many that go from simply ineffective to causing an allergic reaction for me. But once we find one that works, yes, I finish the prescription. I've even had occasions when the prescription has been extended to make sure we killed all the little bad boogers.

From what I understand, we never have an allergic reaction on first exposure. It's that second, third, or even fortieth that does it. So having been exposed through dairy products and muscle meat would contribute. I have no problem with vets treating sick animals. It's the "prophylactic" use of antibiotics, and the careless use of hormones that cause so many problems, without real justification.

Food is getting more expensive as it is, and with the growing concern about GMOs and use of pharmaceuticals, more people will be turning to organic sources, just in self-protection. It will cost more, but some things are worth it. If we can find the money.

I know the problem well of having to make frequent changes in meds It's not fun and always a worry as to whether the next one is going to cause an allergic reaction. As a rule we don't have reactions to first exposure, but if the drug is related to one you've had a reaction to, you can react That's what happens to me. Anything remotely related to penicillin or things like tetracycline are trouble for me. I've had that argument more than once with doctors. I had one surgeon who refused to give me more than emergency care because of my allergies. I had broken my leg, while on Cape Cod about 15 years ago. He casted me and told me to come back to NY to have the necessary surgery, because he didn't want to operate on someone who had so many allergies to antibiotics. As far as food is concerned I will no longer eat anything with a preservative in it. The positive result of that is that I hardly ever wheeze now. I can't eat many tropical fruits, any shell fish, and some fin fish. I decided to go on a diet that is primarily plant based. It saves me a lot of grief. Fortunately DH has no problem with the change. He knows it's a better way to eat and as long as things have lots of flavor he's happy. We will eat some fish and poultry or meat if served to us. Feel better and mend soon. I hope you get back you results on the echo cardiogram quickly. J

Thanks, Juno. I'm already seeing lots of improvement. Not better yet, but we're on the way, and that's a relief. I didn't want to have to change my name to Peg.

Do you have access to a food co-op or local organic food? I know that ours has eggs and poultry that has been raised the old fashioned way, without duPont or Monsanto's help. Free range, scooting around eating bugs and grain. We've got cattle here, too, that is raised on grass, not feedlots. I hope you do, and that it's not a huge hassle to buy.

Great to hear you're on the mend. You know, modern life has a lot of blessings but since nothing in life come free to us, it has a lot of nasty down sides, too, as you mentioned below...

Ahh, yes, the Big M... There was a worldwide 'March against Monsanto' not too long ago. Soon after that, they decided to withdraw from the European market due to a lack of acceptance of their products. Well, this could be a thread of its own, but perhaps not in here. And anyway, who knows, perhaps we're already on The List for not liking M... So - Shhhhh!

U. ;-)

I hope things are evening out a bit for you.

I'm slow to respond, I've been up to my neck in black lace, satin and chiffon!.

B

It's getting to the point that I wish I were up to my neck in black lace, etc.

My heart is fine, good, in fact. (Many people will find this difficult to believe.) The infection in my left leg is improving, but still with me. Adding four more days of anti-biotics now. So we've checked off the heart and the kidneys, as they're in working order. So the next adventure is sonograms of both lower extremities to investigate venous and arterial conditions. Non-invasive and sounds interesting except that I have to be at the hospital at 7:15 AM for this little adventure. I have a hard time staying up that late! I'm usually tucked up in bed by 3 or 4.

Aaw, we know you have a good heart!

Me too!

Good luck with determining what is causing your problem, and finding appropriate treatment.

Beverly

Thanks. Some relief and end to the drama will be welcome. I suspect one of those fancy beds may be in my future, too, as piling pillows for my leg to rest on isn't working out very well. They're invariably on the floor by morning.

Glad to hear that your heart is alright (as if we didn't know that! ;-)) and that you are somewhat getting better. Well, nothing wrong with the fancy beds, I guess. I wish my ankles were a bit thinner, and I'd gladly go for one of those beds if it helped. As for me, my BP has not much to do with it; my GP considers me properly medicated and even took the diuretic from the list (I had a 100/60 BP the morning she checked). The stuff was giving me horrible muscle cramps, anyway. I'm to be treated for my snoring now, something that might explain the problems in medicating my high BP. Well, I guess snoring isn't your problem. What was it that caused the infection in your leg? I must have slipped the cause when reading your posts... Anyway, keep a stiff upper lip and we keep our fingers crossed for you.

U.

I used to be on a diuretic for blood pressure, too, Ursula! But like you, my blood pressure went down, got all "normal" so he took me off. Then my legs swelled up, and I'm on a stronger one -- but with potassium capsules because of those nasty cramps - there's one in my right leg that makes me yodel! But this is just until the swelling goes down.

The infection, he thinks, was caused by the pressure from the swelling having a negative effect on my immune system. That's what he says. So we're trying to get rid of the swelling, and doing fairly well on that front, and trying to get rid of the infection and that's coming along, though I'm extended another four days on the Keflex.

Meanwhile, we really don't know the cause of the swelling to begin with. It's not heart or kidneys. Maybe it has to do with the vascular system -- the sonogram should say yea or nay.

Don't forget, too, that I am about twice your age, so there is some wear and tear on the chassis.

I think you would love the adjustable bed. In the interim, how about using Velcro to secure pillows to your bottom sheet(s)? You could attach it with a long basting stitch to sheets and cases and remove it later.

Thanks, Beverly. That's a really good idea. It hadn't occurred to me. If I can find a loose bit of energy, I'll see if I can do that. That's the other mysterious part of all this -- I'm sleeping a lot! Not a lot at one time, two to four hours, but several times a day. I don't know if it's a reaction to the infection, or maybe to all the meds. Really interesting dreams, though!