rvillella Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Got a shock on Thursday, I was taking the dogs out to the car to take them to the vet and I started coughing and got really short of breath. I usually just sit down for a few minutes and take in a little oxygen from the bottle or home system and I can usually stop coughing and breathe easier. I thought I had it under control so I went back to the car to drive the dogs to the vet. By the time I sat down in the car I was coughing and couldn’t breathe again. I got the dogs out of the car, put them in the backyard and went back to the oxygen and tried to calm down. Got myself calmed down, and said to myself I need to go to the hospital and see why I can’t breathe. Got to the VA and they immediately put me on the EKG and in a room because my heart rate was 168. They also saw what they said was tachycardia in the rhythm. They ended up giving me a shot of adenosine which slowed down my heart and brought my blood pressure down. They called in the cardiologist to look over all my EKG’s. Seems I have a condition where my heart sometimes will go into overdrive, which in turn causes me to be short of breath, and makes me cough. The coughing in turn makes me short of breath. They are currently going to wait and see if it happens again before they decide to do anything. The reason is they have to do invasive surgery to get rid of the circuit that causes the overdrive. The other thing they can do is give me medication to regulate my heart and blood pressure. The problem with the medicine is that it is a Beta Blocker and they conflict with a lot of other medications. I’m thinking that the recent weight game (25 pounds in a month and a half) is the cause of this. I haven’t been able to get out and exercise because the weather has been so cold which makes me short of breath. That along with the steroids is causing me a lot of problems. So now I wait until the 10th of April when I can see not only the surgeon and the oncologist but now they are going to have pulmonary there to see if I can get into a cardiac/pulmonary exercise program. But overall the x-rays and the contrasting CT haven’t shown anything they need to be worried about yet. So the 5th of April’s PET scan may be just as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelepal Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I'm so sorry that you had to deal with such a scary situation. I just Thank God you weren't driving! Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eppie Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I hope you get to feeling better soon. I hope they gave you a very good look at the hospital and return to walking the dog soon. Eppie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Wow !!! More stuff to deal with!! Hoping that the PET scan is the BESTEST and that you can start to gain more control over things. Thinking of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorja Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I hope you are starting to feel better. Prayers for a good PET scan. love, jorja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail p-m Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Oh, my goodness -- how frightening that episode must have been for you. Hopefully, they will get that end of things under good control soon and your PET will be good as well. Sending prayers for you. gail p-m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyn Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I am so sorry you had this scarey episode... Please know I will pray for you... Love, Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I hope you get that nasty feedback loop fixed and that the PET scan turns out ok. I took digoxin to regulate my heartbeat and I don't think it is a beta blocker. Hopefully the exercise program will be your ticket out of a tough situation. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nushka Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I have the same heart condition where my heart will go out of rhythm and beats extremely fast. It is called tachycardia when the rate goes up and Atrial Fibrillation when it gets out of rhythm. I opted to take medication for it. I take three meds. One is a beta blocker, one is a calcium channel blocker and one is digitek (I am not sure what it is). I have felt great for 4 years with this treatment and have had no more episodes. I am told the surgery is NOT a piece of cake so I would think long and hard before having it. Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkerdoodler Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 My step daughter had a condition called PSVT (paroxysmal supra ventricular tachycardia) which is caused by a defect in a nerve to the heart. For years she was misdiagnosed/treated for "anxiety" until one doc finally tracked down the real cause. She eventually had a surgical procedure that took care of it and has not had a problem since. Do a search on google for PSVT and I think you will find some interesting information that will be worth investigating. Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindi o'h Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 oh man.. you are an example that heart/lung stuff is so complicated, especially when you throw lc in there and recent treatment with radiation and chemo. I had tachycardia while going through chemo due to low blood counts. A couple bags of blood brought me out of the woods. And that coughing started up and sometimes wouldn't stop. I had radiation pneumonitis which was treated with antibiotics and prednisone. Lots of prednisone. I see where you have already gained weight from it. How much are you taking? Cardio/pulm rehab has helped me alot. I am three years out and doing it now, but I wish I would have gone through the program way back then. You will be able to prevent many setbacks when you are thoroughly educated and follow through with all of the recommendations they will give to you. Looking forward to updates. Hang in there. SOB is a nasty feeling. It is my nemesis. You will want to get the cause discovered sooner rather than later. Cindi o'h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.